The Lympho-vascular Terrain

Osteopathic Practitioners do not diagnose or practice medicine. Always consult a physician for any disease concerns prior to exploring osteopathic manual therapies. Osteopathic practitioners use hands on techniques designed to alleviate tension and improve circulation and do not attempt to treat disease.

Treatment Goals

My Goal is to assess the state of the lympho-vascular terrain and its ability to deliver blood from the heart to the rest of the body and organs. I also want to ensure that the blood can come back to the heart from all areas of the body. The arteries and veins are designed like a tree trunk with branches when you look inside the body.The lymphatic system purposefully wraps around and is entangled with the arteries, veins and all connective tissues of the body. All of the arteries, veins, lymphatic structures, and tissues, form together to make the lympho-vascular terrain.This lympho-vascular terrain ensures proper function of health since a problem with any part of the terrain can manifest as pain or dysfunction. Chronic pain and many health problems are often due to hidden inflammation, congestion, and edema. Lack of adequate blood flow limits the lymphatic systems ability to manage inflammation. Prolonged inflammation creates tissue degeneration and further breakdown of the lympho-vascular terrain. When the ecosystem of the body breakdown the dynamics of health will also breakdown.

Detoxification Pathways
A critical part of health is the physiological act of detoxification working 24 hours a day. The lymphatic system and its associated organs of detoxification such as the skin, lungs, liver, kidneys, small intestine, large intestine, spleen, thymus, lymphatic vessels, and all mucosal linings assist in removing inflammation and toxic debris from the respective tissues of the body..All of this takes place in the endothelial, epithelial and interstitial tissues in the body.

Dysfunction and Chronic Disorders
A Great number of health issues can be attributed to the poor functioning of the lympho-vascular terrain and its ability to supply adequate amounts of blood to and from an area. Over time, the body will struggle to function well and symptoms will begin to surface.

Typical symptoms include:

  • Edema or swollen feet or arms, often    referred to as being puffy
  • Pain in joints from hidden inflammation, which is often worse at night or in the morning upon waking, often described as arthritis
  • Headaches
  • Psoriasis, eczema
  • Chronic coughs that persist for weeks
  • Antibiotics resistance and chronic infections
  • Allergies
  • Bloating and/or gas is often accompanied by microbiome dysfunction
  • Constipation or diarrhea
  • Tension between the shoulder blades and neck, often accompanied by cardiovascular dysfunction
  • Low back pain
  • Knee pain
  • Autoimmune disorders
  • History of cancer
  • Sleep disturbances such as waking up around 3am

In short, whenever something has been diagnosed as an “itis” such as bronchitis or gastritis there is likely a breakdown of lympho-vascular terrain. The body behaves like a closed interconnected ecosystem and congestion and inflammation resemble a toxic swamp, instead of a wetland. A swamp has little or no circulation or fresh water, the longer it sits the more bacterial over-growth. A wetland  on the other hand has a supply of fresh water supporting the terrain and this helps keep the unfriendly types of bacteria from damaging tissues. My goal is to drain the swamp. I do not treat the “itis” or the disease, I merely improve the terrain so that the “itis” no longer has a reason to exist.