Local reflexologist learns unique technique to help others Monticello-based Lorri Kulberg is certified to provide lymphatic drainage BY TIM HENNAGIR MONTICELLO TIMES Lorri Kulberg has been a certified reflexologist for a year, but during that time she’s earned an important distinction. Kulberg is the onl y person in Minnesota w ho perf orms a technique tha t helps people suffering fr om s wollen l ymph nodes. “I personall y kno w se veral people tha t suf fer fr om secondary l ymphedema,” said Kulberg, owner of Life in Balance, LLC, located inside Body Rhythms Massa ge & Bod ywork, 315 W alnut St. in Monticello. “It hurts me to see ho w their quality of life has reduced because of it.” The lymphatics are a part of the imm une system and it is thought of as the bodies w aste disposal system. Lymphedema is a s welling that can be debilitating, embarrassing and painful. Secondary L ymphedema is the r esult of pr oblems outside of the lymphatic system; examples: sur gery, cancer, r adiation therapy, obesity and trauma. Reflexology is a Holistic a pproach to health and w ell-being. By using skillful pr essure to specific points in the feet, r eflexology has shown to improve circulation, which can decrease muscle tension, reduce swelling
Lorri Kulberg, owner of Life in Balance, LLC, located inside Body Rhymths Massage & Bodywork, 315 Walnut St. in Monticello, is the only person in Minnesota certified to perform a technique that helps people suffering from swollen lymphnodes. (Photo by Tim Hennagir) from injuries or illness, and improve ability to concentrate. Reflexology also can help alleviate headaches , r educe arthritic and back pain, gi ve support during ad diction withdrawal, ease pr emenstrual dis-
comforts, and reduce the symptoms of diabetes. Kulberg has been a b usiness owner in Monticello f or 10 months. She was trained by a college instructor who is nationally ap-
proved to teach reflexlogy. “I heard about this new technique thr ough a r eflexologist Facebook gr oup and thought how great it w ould be to kno w this protocol,” Kulberg said. The person teaching the pr o-
tocol, Sall y K ay BSc(Hons), lives in the United Kingdom. Earlier this y ear, K ay announced she w ould be in the United Sta tes and Canada f or the first time to teach R eflexology L ymphatic Dr ainage (RLD). “The tr aining w as of fered in Sea ttle so I jumped a t the chance,” K ulberg said. “I w as one of onl y 23 class participants. Other students came from W ashington, Calif ornia, Arizona and Indiana. It’ s v ery new, b ut and has been per formed in the United Kingdom since 2010.” For her initial r eflexology certification, K ulberg competed 200 hours of classroom and practice time. She’s tak en v arious other courses and man y hours of self-study learning a bout the systems of the body. For R eflexology Lymphatic Drainage (RLD), K ulberg completed the pr eviously mentioned course in Ma y of this year. RLD w as originall y r esearched with br east cancer patients, Kulberg said. P atients experienced less discomf ort, swelling and an incr ease in strength and arm mobility. Since the completion of original research, RLD is f ound to be beneficial to other imm une Continues on Page 5