Lymph Drainage Therapy 1: Fluid Dynamics-Lymphatic Pathways-Anatomical Integrity
Class Code : LDT1
02 - 05 Mar 2025
Chatswood Club, 11 Help Street, Chatswood, NSW 2067, Sydney, Australia.
Class Code : LDT1
Lymphatics are the next frontier of discovery in human disease. Long ignored because of their subtlety and complexity, the mysteries of our cellular ‘waste disposal’ system have been comprehensively deciphered by Bruno Chikly.
Mehmet Oz, M.D., Cardiothoracic surgeon, Author of “Healing from the Heart”.
It was created out of his award-winning research on the lymphatic system consistent with recent scientific discoveries.

LDT1 takes traditional lymph drainage techniques and adds a level of precision. LDT is the first technique that enables practitioners to detect and palpate the specific rhythm, direction, depth, and quality of the lymph flow anywhere in the body. Skilled practitioners with developed listening skills can practice Manual Lymphatic Mapping (MLM) of the lymphatic vessels.
LDT practitioners use their hands to assess and enhance overall circulation as well as determine the best alternate pathways for draining stagnant body fluid (lymph, interstitial, synovial fluid, etc…). Therapists work with flat hands, using all the fingers to simulate gentle, specific wave-like movements.
These subtle manual maneuvers activate lymph and interstitial fluid circulation as well as stimulate the functioning of the immune and parasympathetic nervous systems.

Trained students will learn in advanced classes how to work with mucosa, muscles, fascia, tendons,
periosteum, most viscera, chambers of the eyes, dura, pia, interstitial, synovial fluid, and blood vessels.
LDT also includes advanced techniques such as Lympho-Fascia Release (LFR) to simultaneously release lesions in the fascia and fluid of the body. These techniques can be applied to viscera, ligaments, tendons, trigger points, or fascia in the body.
Another branch of LDT will use specific techniques for the synovial fluid to release articulations in the body, including articulations rarely addressed such as the embryological articulations. (See FAR – LDT Rhythmic Articular Fluid Technique)
LDT1 Class length: 4 days
CEUs: 24 hours for numerous health professions<br>
Please Note: LDT1 does not certify therapists to work on lymphedema.
Some Applications:
- Relief of subacute and chronic painLymph Drainage Therapy 1 (LDT1): Fluid Dynamics – Lymphatic Pathways – Anatomical Integrity
- Relief of numerous chronic and subacute inflammations, including sinusitis, bronchitis, and otitis
- Regeneration of tissue, including burns, wounds, and wrinkles
- Detoxification of the body
- Reduction in the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia
- Antispastic actions to relieve conditions such as muscle hypertonus and some forms of constipation
- Deep relaxation to aid insomnia, stress, loss of vitality, and loss of memory
- Anti-aging effects
- And many other benefits
Audience: This class is for manual therapists. is a first-level, foundational class.
Please contact us for special needs requests.
Completion: A manual/oral test will be done by the instructor at the end of the class to make sure participants attain the class outcome. An instructor could ask a participant to retake the class.
CHI is not sponsored by outside organizations or corporations.
Please read “Our Policies” for more information:
Contact Continuing Education (CE) Hours Total: 24 CEUs for massage therapists – NCBTMB Approved Provider # 451238-10
NCBTMB CEUs are accepted in every US state for NCBTMB certification renewal.
Most states accept NCBTMB for license renewal but not all. We are also an approved provider for NY state.
Please look here for more information: http://www.ncbtmb.org/map/requirements-map.
Because certification and license renewal policies vary from state to state, it’s important for you to make sure the CEUs are accepted wherever you practice. Therefore, please be aware that this information may not apply in your state.
Check your state’s website at: http://www.ncbtmb.org/regulators/state-info.
States Approved for PTs: 24 CEUs
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas(77398TX), Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
24 Contact Hours / 2.4 CEUs for OT and OTA by American OT Association (AOTA)
AOTA Provider # 10304
Chikly Health Institute is an AOTA Approved Provider of professional development. Course approval ID#10304. This course is offered at 2.4 CEUs, educational level is introductory/foundational. The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.
24 hours approved by the Massage Therapy Association of Manitoba, Canada (MTAM)
20 hours approved by the Certified Registered Massage Therapy Association of Alberta, Canada (CRMTA)
We are in the process of providing Continuing education for numerous other professions. Please check back to this page later as we will post all updates.
HIGHLIGHTS (subject to Change)
By the end of this workshop you should be able to:
• Describe basic anatomy, physiology of the lymph system, and main body fluids.
• Explain the scientific principles behind Lymph Drainage Therapy, and why the lymphatic system plays a crucial role in recovering from disease and enhancing health.
• Explain the importance of the lymphatic system and how it relates to blood and other body fluids.
• Describe the main indications and contraindications of LDT.
• Perform techniques that help you move lymph and interstitial fluid through the body to cleanse it of toxins.
• Describe the main specific locations of lymph nodes and lymph vessels.
• Work with a 3-dimensional perspective of the lymphatic anatomy of the body.
• Palpate lymph flow and explain key details to specifically do so.
• Demonstrate specific lymph-drainage sequences for the face and neck, upper and lower extremities, superficial and deep abdomen.
• Describe key points to observe for optimal lymph drainage results.
• Travel through the body via the “lymphatic highway” to accurately understand fluid flow.
• Perform techniques for pre-post surgical conditions.
• Put treatments and self-help techniques right away into practice.

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS
- Lecture
- Study Guide
- Question & Answer
- PowerPoint Slides
- Demonstration
- Practice sessions
- Review
SCHEDULE OUTLINE (Subject to change)
Day One
8:30
Registration
9:00 – 11:00
Introduction
Teaching material
History of manual lymph drainage therapy
Physiology: the liquids in the body, blood and lymph circulation
Physiology of the lymphatic system
General anatomy of the lymphatic system
11:00 – 11:15
Break
Applications of L.D.T.
Contraindications of L.D.T.
Protocol and demo using lymph techniques
12:30 – 2:00
Lunch
2:00 – 3:30
Body Level 1: Demonstration of the locations of lymph nodes and vessels
Body sequence level 1: Neck – front chain
3:30 – 3:45
Break
3:45 – 5:30
Body sequence level 1: Thorax
Self-Help
Day Two
9:00 – 11:00
Body sequence: Thorax (end) – Upper Extremity
11:00 – 11:15
Break
11:15 – 12:30
Body sequence: Superficial Abdomen
12:30 – 2:00
Lunch
2:00 – 3:30
Body sequence: Deep Abdomen
3:30 – 3:45
Break
3:45 – 5:30
Body Sequence: Lower Extremity
Day Three
9:00 – 9:45
Review, questions and answers. Lymphedema: theory
Lymph exercises for the hands: “asynchrony – “The Arching” – Direction of lymph
9:45 – 10:30
Body Sequence: Lower extremity anterior side (continued)
10:30 – 10:45
Break
10:45 – 12:30
Body Sequence: Lower extremity anterior side (continued): shin, ankle, foot
12:30 – 2:00
Lunch
2:00 – 2:45
Systems affected by LDT
Pre-post surgery protocol and clinical cases
2:45 – 3:30
Treatment Programs
3:30 – 3:45
Break
3:45 – 5:30
Face Sequence: The Neck: extensive sequence
Face sequence: Inside the “Cone of the Face”.
Day Four
9:00 – 10:30
Face sequence: outside the “Cone of the Face”
Final Techniques
10:30 – 10:45
Break
10:45 – 12:30
Questions and Answers
Drainage of the Liver
General Review Face and Body
11:45 – 12:30
Self drainage L.D.T. Protocol
12:30 – 1:30
Lunch
1:30 – 2:45
Final questions and answers. Review. Take home Protocol
Self-reflection and identification of changes for practitioner’s practice.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES (subject to Change)
- By the end of the 1st-day participants will be able to correctly compare the anatomy of the blood and lymph circulations
- By the end of the 1st-day participants will be able to correctly describe contraindications of LDT
- By the end of the course, participants will be able to correctly describe the direction of the main superficial lymph flow in the anterior body
- By the end of the course, participants will correctly demonstrate LDT techniques on the anterior Thorax
- By the end of the course, participants will be able to correctly demonstrate LDT techniques on the Upper Extremity
- By the end of the course, participants will be able to correctly demonstrate LDT techniques on the deep Abdomen
- By the end of the course, participants will be able to correctly demonstrate LDT techniques on the superficial Abdomen
- By the end of the course, participants will be able to correctly demonstrate LDT techniques on the Lower Extremity
- By the end of the course, participants will be able to correctly demonstrate treatments for pre-and post-surgical patients
- By the end of the course, participants will be able to correctly demonstrate LDT techniques on the Face
- By the end of the course, participants will be able to correctly demonstrate LDT techniques on the Liver
- By the end of the course, participants will be able to correctly design a self-drainage protocol for themselves
- By the end of the course, participants will be able to correctly design a simple lymphatic treatment protocol for a specific pathology found in one person in the class
A manual therapist with a healthcare license (a license that legally allows you to touch): DO, DC, PT, OT, Massage therapist, etc.
Pre-Requisite Class: None
Silent Waves: All of Part 1, All of Part 2; Part 5 Chapter 1, all of Part 6.
Lymph Drainage Therapy 1 Anatomical Terms
To be best prepared for LDT1, be sure you clearly understand the following words and, as applicable, know where to locate them in the body:
• Proximal, distal, medial, lateral, anterior, posterior, superior (cephalic), inferior (caudal)
• Acute, subacute
• Afferent, efferent vessel
• Basal membrane, dermo/epidermic junction
• Interstitial fluid, interstitium, intracellular/extracellular compartment
• Colloid, plasma, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
• Lymph node, thoracic duct, cisterna chyli
• Lipid, fatty acid
• Sympathetic and parasympathetic innervation, macrophage, B and T lymphocytes, primary and secondary lymphoid organs, humoral and cellular immunity
• Edema
• Antigen, antibody, plasmocyte, adenopathy, lymphoma, superior vena cava, inferior vena cava, internal jugular vein, subclavian vein, brachiocephalic (innominate) vein, common iliac artery, external and internal iliac artery, femoral vein
• Parotid gland
• Sternocleidomastoid, trapezius, spinal accessory nerve
• Axilla, inguinal, femoral triangle
• Medial-lateral epicondyle, medial-lateral malleoli
• Peristaltic contraction
• Antispasmodic (antispastic)