Can I Have a Treatment If I'm Sick?

Sometimes people come to their appointments sick with a cold or the ‘flu’. Sometimes I’m lucky enough to pick it up on the phone but sometimes they get sick between phoning and arriving. As a general rule, you shouldn’t have massage when you are sick.

Massage, and especially lymphatic drainage, stimulates the lymphatic system. This system forms a large part of your immune system and you need to give the white blood cells time to work their magic and kill the various viruses, bacteria and other pathogens that may have made it into your body. Stimulating the lymphatics during this time can pump an infection around before the various cells have a chance to do their thing. The same goes for exercise when sick. You should avoid strenuous exercise when you have a cold or the ‘flu’ as heavy exercise can pump it through your system. 

I can still perform Bowen Therapy when patients have an infection as it doesn’t manually stimulate the lymphatics but all massage styles are contra-indicated. If you find yourself ill, simply call or email to reschedule. Or let me know and we can do Bowen instead.