Leah Levitan is a licensed massage therapist since 2016. She is also a licensed lymphatic therapist specializing in lymph and fascia, focusing on the nervous and lymphatic systems. She is also founded the Lymph Love Club to support individuals with chronic illnesses and to help them connect with their lymphatic systems globally.
From the beginning — discovering the Lymphatic System
"I got into this by accident," reveals Leah Levitan. She initially started as a massage therapist, focusing on athletes, but a chance encounter with a chiropractor lecturing on the lymphatic system sparked a new passion. "He spoke about the power of the lymphatic system and how it saved him from chronic illness," Leah explains. “Curiosity sparked when I realized there were some clients I couldn't help, and I couldn't understand why”. This realization led Leah to become a certified lymphatic therapist, and her perspective shifted: "This was the aha moment that finally unlocked my understanding of how to truly work with the human body."
The Unsung Hero: the Lymphatic System
Leah went on to break down the importance of the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system plays a vital role in our health, often described as having two primary categories. First, it's the invisible portion of the cardiovascular system, and second, it's a huge part of our immune system. “The lymphatic system plays a crucial role in protecting us by ensuring that harmful invaders entering our bodies don’t succeed in harming us. That's incredibly important." It also has profound connections to other systems: Neurological, gastrointestinal, hormonal. Leah offers a simple analogy: "It's the system that cleans every cell in our bodies. We have trillions of cells, trillions with a T. So many cells. To maintain the health and vitality of those cells, [they die every day and we make fresh new ones], the lymphatic system pulls out the dead or damaged ones to make sure that our cellular soup is just nice and clean."
Why we often overlook the Lymphatic System
The lymphatic system often flies under the radar in medicine, Leah explains. "I think it's overlooked because there's bigger fish to fry," she says. "For the medical community, it's a lot of focus on heart health, a lot of focus on gut health.They tend to isolate things." The limited education healthcare professionals receive on the lymphatic system further contributes to this issue. "Most medical professionals only get about an hour of formal education about the lymphatic system when they're in medical school," she shares. This lack of awareness can lead to missed diagnoses: "They might not know where to look or what they're looking for, and they're just looking at the big guns. Right, just like the big systems."
Signs your Lymphatic System might need attention
Sluggish lymphatic drainage can manifest in various ways. The most common symptoms are:
- Fatigue
- Abdominal bloating
- Excess fluid retention (edema)
- Skin problems (eczema, psoriasis, rashes)
- Autoimmune conditions
- Joint pain
- Chronic inflammation
- Difficulty sleeping
Simple steps to support your Lymphatic System
Fortunately, there are easy things you can do at home to promote lymphatic drainage, according to her. She recommends prioritizing sleep: "A lot of cool lymphatic things happen when we're in deep sleep," she explains. "You know, it's that restorative repair mode that the body goes into."
Minimizing toxins is another key tip: "Practicing toxic avoidance is a really good one,” Leah advises. "Sort of lowering our body's toxic burden, trying to use things that are natural, that have less chemicals in them. That just makes it easier for our lymphatic system to do its job."
Finally, the importance of movement: "Movement!”. Muscle activation moves lymph. So when we're moving our body, we're pushing and pulling blood and lymph throughout our entire tissue matrix. Movement is so important."
Beyond the basics: stress management and self-care
"Our lymphatic system is always responding to our thoughts and emotions," Leah explains.Techniques like meditation or deep breathing can be beneficial.
