Anne the RMT

Do vibration plates really help with lymphatic drainage?

A patient recently asked me this question, and it sparked some interesting clinical curiosity.

Vibration plates are increasingly being promoted for lymphatic drainage, circulation and inflammation. And while there's some interesting physiology behind how they work, there's an important distinction between what makes sense in theory and what research has actually demonstrated.

In Issue No. 4 of The EluVett Journal, I'm exploring what vibration plates do, what the evidence tells us, and why we shouldn't dismiss someone's positive experience simply because the science is still catching up.

Sometimes the best clinical conversations begin with a simple question.

Read the full Journal entry:
eluvettmethod.com/journal

Have your patients been asking about vibration plates? I'd be curious to hear what you're encountering in practice.

DYK?

Registered Massage Therapists are required to complete ongoing Continuing Education and Professional Development to maintain their professional standards.

So here’s a question worth asking:

Why are so many health care services tax-exempt… but massage therapy still isn’t?

We’re regulated health professionals.
We invest in continuing education.
We maintain professional standards.

Why are our patients still paying HST on massage therapy?

Yikes! 😲

There was a small hiccup with the letter-writing link on our website. If you tried to send your letter and got an error code, please try again! We're up and running and are asking for all the support we can muster. Because...

You Can End The Tax!



Registered Massage Therapists Association of British Columbia
Registered Massage Therapists' Association of Ontario
Massage Therapists' Association of Nova Scotia
Massage Therapy Association of Manitoba Inc.
Massage Therapist Association of Saskatchewan

New Article in Massage Therapy Today! Pain Science through a Lymphatic Lens. Grateful to be a part of this issue! https://www.annethermt.com/uploads/1/2/6/7/12670943/mtt_pain_science_fall.26.pdf

Ottawa RMTs ~ there’s one rolling stool left at the table!

Our small group for EluVett Lymphatic Foundations is almost complete, and I have one spot still available for an RMT who would like to join us.

Two days to slow down, ask questions, understand the why, and explore the lymphatic system through a different lens… with plenty of hands-on learning along the way.

Lymphatic Foundations
📍 Ron Kolbus Lakeside Centre | Nepean
📅 October 8 & 9
🕤 9:30 am – approximately 3:30/4:00 pm each day

If you've been curious about bringing a lymphatic-informed perspective into your practice, perhaps that last spot has your name on it.

See differently. Think critically. Treat intentionally.

👉 One spot available: www.eluvettmethod.com/foundationsoct8

What possibilities open up when we become more comfortable treating the face, head and scalp?

Face & Head Aroma Massage is a one-day, hands-on Professional Workshop created for Registered Massage Therapists who want to thoughtfully expand their work into this often-overlooked region.

Together we'll explore facial and scalp massage, manual lymphatic principles, fascial release including buccal techniques, facial cupping, acupressure and skin-safe aromatherapy - all brought together into a restorative treatment experience that can be integrated into RMT practice.

This isn't a traditional facial course, and it isn't simply another massage routine.
It's a day to explore, experience and integrate.

Face & Head Aroma Massage
👉 Registration is now open.
www.eluvettmethod.com/calendar

Ottawa (Barrhaven) - October 7th
London - November 2nd

CATCH THE EARLY BIRD OTTAWA!
COURSE: OCT 8&9 - NEPEAN

EluVett Lymphatic Foundations is a two-day, hands-on course for Registered Massage Therapists who want to move beyond a basic understanding of the lymphatic system and begin integrating a lymphatic-informed perspective into everyday clinical practice.

We’ll connect anatomy with physiology, explore evidence-informed manual lymphatic principles, build hands-on confidence, and spend plenty of time asking the most important question:

Why?

Not simply learning what to do - but understanding what you’re feeling, what you’re observing, and how that informs your treatment choices.

See differently. Think critically. Treat intentionally.

If you’ve been following the conversation and thinking, ‘I want to understand this better’, I’d love to welcome you to class.

👉 Spots still available for Ottawa October 8&9, 2026

Save your spot:
www.eluvettmethod.com/calendar

We talk a lot about "moving fluid" when we talk about lymphatic work.

But here's a question I think is worth asking:
Where is it going next?

One of the things emerging lymphatic research keeps reminding me is that drainage is not an isolated event. It is a journey through an interconnected transport system.

For me, that changes the way I think about technique.

Instead of simply asking, "How do I move fluid away from this area?" I find myself thinking about the pathways, tissues, pressures and structures that come next.

Sometimes understanding the bigger picture doesn't give us a new technique.

It gives us a better reason for the techniques we already use.

Read the Journal: https://www.eluvettmethod.com/journal/where-does-it-all-go #/

FACE & SCALP AROMA MASSAGE
Lymph-Inspired approaches to the
Head, Face & Neck

PROFESSIONAL WORKSHOP
• structured treatment protocol
• 1 full day in-person training
+ guided hands-on partner practice

This workshop is ideal for therapists who:

Want to integrate aromatherapy, acupressure, marma points, facial cupping, and lymph-inspired principles without pursuing multiple certifications.

Enjoy expanding their knowledge of the head, face, neck, scalp, anatomy, physiology, and therapeutic touch.

Want to offer a distinctive, restorative treatment that complements their massage therapy practice.

Value gentle, sustainable techniques emphasizing flow, rhythm, presence, and body mechanics.

Are interested in the relationship between the nervous system, healthy fluid movement, and head, face, jaw, and neck health.

Want to expand treatment options for patients experiencing persistent head, face, jaw, or neck tension.

👉 Registration is now open.
www.eluvettmethod.com/calendar

London - September 26th
Ottawa - October 7th
London - November 2nd

What if the face deserved the same clinical curiosity as the shoulder?

We spend countless hours learning to assess and treat the musculoskeletal system throughout the body.

But how often do we intentionally study the tissues of the face, jaw, scalp, and neck?

What if we became just as comfortable working thoughtfully in these regions?

What possibilities might that create - for our understanding of anatomy, for our confidence as therapists, and for the restorative experiences we can offer our patients?

These are the kinds of questions we'll explore together during Face & Head Aroma Massage.

This one-day Professional Workshop isn't about collecting another technique.

It's about seeing a familiar part of the body through a different lens - and leaving with practical skills you can thoughtfully integrate into your massage therapy practice.

If these questions have sparked your curiosity, perhaps it's time we explored them together.

👉 Registration is now open.
www.eluvettmethod.com/calendar

London - September 26th
Ottawa - October 7th
London - November 2nd

One of my favourite teaching moments happens almost every time we begin working with the face and scalp.

The room quietly changes.

Conversations fade.

People slow down.

Then someone usually says something like,
"I didn't realize how much tension I was holding there."

It isn't because we're performing a dramatic technique.

It's because we rarely spend time thoughtfully exploring this part of the body.

As therapists, we often focus on where pain is reported. But sometimes simply becoming more familiar with a region - its anatomy, its movement, its tissues, and its remarkable sensitivity - opens an entirely new way of thinking about treatment.

Watching therapists discover that is one of my favourite parts of teaching.

If you'd like to experience that same sense of discovery, I'd love to welcome you to Face & Head Aroma Massage. Together we'll explore gentle, evidence-informed techniques that integrate manual lymphatic principles, fascial release, facial cupping, acupressure, aromatherapy, and restorative therapeutic touch.

Sharing these teaching moments is one of the greatest joys of being an educator. If you'd like to experience it yourself, I'd love to welcome you.

👉 Registration is now open.
www.eluvettmethod.com/calendar

London - September 26th
Ottawa - October 7th
London - November 2nd