Meet the Founder
Sharon Vogel, lymphatic drainage therapist and founder.
You want a therapist who understands the lymphatic system deeply and knows exactly how to move fluid the way your body does. Sharon has spent more than three decades building that practice across the western Chicago suburbs.
Experience
More than three decades in lymphatic care.
Sharon M. Vogel opened National Lymphatic Centers in 1991 and built the Vogel Method of manual lymphatic drainage over the decades since. She trains NLC staff and other licensed therapists in the technique through CEU education at the Vogel Institute of Lymphology and chairs the Illinois Chapter of the Lymphatic Education and Research Network.
- Certified Lymphedema Therapist (CLT)
- Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT)
- Board Certified in Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (BCTMB)
- Certified Vogel Manual Lymphatic Drainage (CVMLD™)
- BS, Biomedical Science
- Chair, LE&RN Illinois Chapter
- Founder, The Vogel Institute of Lymphology
- Recognized as a Top Doctor in Chicago (2022)
Her Approach
The way Sharon works.
Sharon learned lymphatic drainage as physiology first, taught as a child by her mother, a surgical nurse. Her work follows each patient’s anatomy rather than a fixed routine.
Assessment before anything+
Every plan starts with a look at how your body is holding fluid, and an honest read of whether lymphatic work is right for you.
Your pathways, not a routine+
The drainage order follows your anatomy and your condition. There is not one way to do this, because everyone is different.
Never toward an obstruction+
Fluid is moved toward the nodes that clear it, in the order the body needs them opened, and never pushed toward a blockage.
Clinical, not spa+
This is medical bodywork for real reasons, from post-surgical recovery to lymphedema and lipedema, not a relaxation afternoon.
Her focus
The care Sharon built.
The lymphatic work she reaches for most, whether she is settling swelling after surgery or managing a chronic condition over a series of visits.
Manual Lymphatic Drainage
The Vogel Method. Full-body drainage sequenced the way lymph actually moves.
Learn more
Complete Decongestive Therapy
The recognized standard for managing diagnosed lymphedema.
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Lymphatic Enhancement Therapy
Drainage supported by the Aria Elite LymphStar Pro with red and blue light.
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Post-Surgical Lymphatic Massage
Drainage timed to recovery after surgery, coordinated with your surgeon.
Learn moreTrain with Sharon
Learn the Vogel Method.
In 2021 Sharon founded the Vogel Institute of Lymphology to teach the Vogel Method to other professionals, from licensed massage therapists to nurses and physicians. She is an approved continuing education provider, and every class is taught by the person who built the method.
Lymph Theory Class
The lymph theory foundation, built for training staff and newcomers to lymphatic work.
For Health Professionals
The professional class for clinicians building the Vogel Method into everyday practice.
A recognized voice in lymphatic care.
Sharon has been featured on national health television and in wellness press, speaking on manual lymphatic drainage and the conditions it helps.
Sharon Vogel on American Health Report
See the relief, in their words.
Real patients from our Hinsdale, Downers Grove, and Joliet clinics, in their own words. Choose a condition to see stories from patients like you.
- Lymphedema: Lymphedema relief with lymph drainage: Kim's story
- Lymphedema: Lymphedema after radiation: Joe's story
- Swelling & Water Retention: Reduce swelling and water retention: Elisavet's story
- Swelling & Water Retention: Visible results and less swelling: a client review
- Swelling & Water Retention: Swelling relief: a real client review
- Swelling & Water Retention: Recovery after serious infections and swollen joints: a patient's journey
- Post-Surgical & Injury: Results from post-surgical swelling and injury
- Post-Surgical & Injury: Reduced knee swelling and pain after lymphatic massage
- Post-Surgical & Injury: Chronic swelling from sports and orthopedic injuries
- Post-Surgical & Injury: Ankle swelling years after a bicycle injury
- Pregnancy & Postpartum: Pregnancy swelling relief: a third-time mom's review
- Lyme Disease: Lyme disease recovery with manual lymph drainage
- Lyme Disease: Relief from Lyme disease symptoms with lymph drainage
- Patient review: Audra Brown: a thoughtful, detailed review
- Patient review: Rebin Roy: a fantastic experience with lymph drainage
- Patient review: Does lymphatic drainage really work? Real results
- Patient review: Janice: healing through lymphatic therapy
- Patient review: Kary G. on Sharon's care
- Patient review: Anita: ready to dance again after lymphatic drainage
- Patient review: Michelle P.: lymph drainage relief
- Patient review: Kathleen Heinz: a soothing, welcoming experience
- Patient review: Thank you for the glowing five-star review!
Lymphedema relief with lymph drainage: Kim's story
Lymphedema after radiation: Joe's story
Reduce swelling and water retention: Elisavet's story
Visible results and less swelling: a client review
Swelling relief: a real client review
Recovery after serious infections and swollen joints: a patient's journey
Learn about your care.
How the Lymphatic System Works
Why does a rolled ankle balloon overnight, while a bruise on the same leg fades without much swelling at all? Both are your body responding to a small injury. The difference comes down to a quiet, second circulation most people never think about until it stops keeping up. It runs alongside your blood, it clears the fluid your tissues leave behind, and it is a large part of how your immune system does its job. It also happens to be the exact system we work with every day. This is a plain-language look at what the lymphatic system is, what it does, and one thing about it that surprises almost everyone: it has no pump of its own.
Manual vs Machine Lymphatic Drainage: What Actually Moves Your Fluid?
Almost everyone who calls us asks a version of the same question. Should I book the hands, or should I book the machine? People have read about lymphatic massage done by a therapist, and they have also seen devices advertised that promise to do the same thing faster. It is a fair thing to wonder about before you spend your time and money. Here is the honest answer, and it is the same answer our founder Sharon Vogel gives at the table. The hands are the foundation. Machines are tools we sometimes add to the hands. That distinction is the whole point of this article, so let us walk through it plainly.
How Do You Know Lymphatic Drainage Is Working?
It is one of the most common questions people ask after a session, and it is a fair one. Lymphatic drainage is gentle and light on the body, so if you are new to it, you may find yourself wondering what a good result is supposed to feel like. One of our patients, Val, put the question into words better than we could: "I kept wondering, how do you know if the lymphatic massage is working? So I kept Googling, kept trying to read on it to see a difference." She even asked her own doctor the same thing. This article walks through what our patients have actually noticed, in their words, so you have a real sense of what to look for. Every experience here is one person's own. Lymphatic work is assessed and individual, and results vary from body to body.
Work with the therapist who built the method.
Sharon and our team of certified lymphatic drainage therapists see patients across Hinsdale, Downers Grove, and Joliet. No referral required.