Episode 598: Lymphatic Drainage, Lyme Disease & Flowpresso – Freddie Kimmel | LIVE from ILADS
Could supporting the lymphatic system help people living with Lyme disease feel better, sleep more comfortably, and improve their overall well-being?
In this LIVE from ILADS interview, Tick Boot Camp welcomes back Freddie Kimmel, Lyme disease and metastatic cancer survivor, wellness technology educator, host of the Beautifully Broken Podcast, and representative of Flowpresso, for a fascinating conversation about lymphatic drainage, nervous system regulation, infrared heat, compression therapy, and emerging technologies being explored for recovery and wellness.
Rich reconnects with Freddie at the 2025 ILADS Conference nearly five years after their original Tick Boot Camp interview.
This time, Freddie introduces a technology that has become an important part of his professional work: Flowpresso, a full-body system combining sequential compression, heat, and deep-pressure stimulation.
Rich also shares his firsthand experience after trying the device at the conference.
He describes feeling deeply relaxed during the session, struggling to stay awake because of how comfortable he felt, and experiencing an unusually restful night of sleep afterward.
For patients navigating Lyme disease, persistent fatigue, limited mobility, sleep disturbances, and other complex symptoms, the conversation raises important questions about the role supportive wellness technologies might play alongside individualized medical care.
The central question: Can supporting circulation, relaxation, and lymphatic function become another useful part of a comprehensive Lyme disease recovery plan?
Freddie Kimmel Returns to Tick Boot Camp
Freddie Kimmel is no stranger to the Lyme disease community.
A survivor of Lyme disease, metastatic cancer, and mold-related health challenges, Freddie has spent years exploring the intersection of chronic illness, functional health, emerging technology, and personal transformation.
His original Tick Boot Camp appearance introduced listeners to his remarkable journey through serious illness and recovery.
Listen to Episode 162: The Lyme Polymath – An Interview with Freddie Kimmel to hear his personal story.
Since that conversation, Freddie has relocated from New York to Austin, Texas, where he has developed a wellness-focused community and continues exploring technologies intended to support health and recovery.
During this interview, he explains that his mission is to help people become healthier versions of themselves by combining information, technology, and practical knowledge.
One of the technologies that captured his attention is Flowpresso.
What Is Flowpresso?
Flowpresso is a full-body therapeutic system developed by New Zealand lymphatic specialist and entrepreneur Desiree De Spong.
The system combines three primary components:
- Sequential compression: Inflatable chambers apply pressure to different parts of the body in a coordinated sequence.
- Thermotherapy: Integrated heating elements provide warmth during treatment.
- Deep-pressure stimulation: The full-body garment creates a gentle, enveloping pressure sensation intended to promote comfort and relaxation.
Freddie describes the experience as being wrapped in a warm, comforting hug.
Unlike smaller compression devices that primarily target the legs, Flowpresso uses multiple garment sections covering the feet, legs, abdomen, arms, and portions of the upper body.
A typical session lasts approximately 40 minutes.
Flowpresso is marketed as an FDA-cleared Class II medical device intended for use under licensed healthcare practitioner supervision and within its cleared indications.
FDA clearance does not establish that Flowpresso treats Lyme disease, eliminates infections, or cures chronic illness.
Meet Flowpresso Founder Desiree De Spong
Freddie explains that his involvement with Flowpresso began after meeting Desiree De Spong through a mutual connection.
Desiree is a New Zealand-based lymphatic specialist, educator, and founder of Flowpresso.
Her background includes extensive experience in lymphatic health and therapeutic approaches involving compression and manual lymphatic techniques.
Freddie recalls their first conversation lasting approximately an hour.
He describes an immediate connection based on their shared interest in wellness, technology, and helping people navigate difficult health challenges.
That relationship eventually developed into a professional collaboration.
Today, Freddie helps introduce Flowpresso to practitioners, clinics, and wellness communities.
Learn more about the Flowpresso team and its founder.
Understanding the Lymphatic System
One of the most educational parts of this conversation focuses on a body system that often receives less attention than the heart, brain, or digestive tract.
The lymphatic system is a network of vessels, lymph nodes, and organs that helps maintain fluid balance, transport certain fats, and support immune function.
It collects excess fluid from tissues and returns that fluid to the bloodstream.
It also plays an important role in immune surveillance.
Lymph nodes contain immune cells that help recognize and respond to potentially harmful substances and infectious organisms.
Freddie compares the lymphatic system to a waste-management network that helps the body process material moving through tissues.
Although this analogy is useful for understanding some lymphatic functions, the lymphatic system is not a general-purpose detoxification machine, and increasing lymph flow has not been shown to eliminate Lyme bacteria or other infections.
Why Movement Matters for Lymphatic Flow
Unlike the cardiovascular system, which relies on the heart to circulate blood, the lymphatic system does not have one central pump.
Lymph movement is supported by several mechanisms, including:
- Skeletal muscle contractions
- Breathing-related pressure changes
- Contractions within lymphatic vessels
- One-way valves that help direct fluid movement
- Normal physical activity
Freddie explains that walking, standing, squatting, and other movements can contribute to lymph circulation.
This becomes especially relevant when discussing patients with severe fatigue or limited mobility.
Some people living with Lyme disease or other chronic illnesses may spend extended periods resting or may be unable to tolerate ordinary exercise.
The discussion explores whether supportive therapies could offer additional options for certain patients.
However, activity must be adapted to each person's medical condition and physical capacity. Patients with significant exercise intolerance, post-exertional symptom exacerbation, or other limitations may need specialized guidance rather than simply increasing movement.
Can Lymphatic Support Help Bedridden Lyme Patients?
Rich asks Freddie an important question:
What options might exist for people who are too sick to walk or exercise regularly?
Freddie explains that Flowpresso provides externally applied sequential compression while the person remains reclined.
Rather than requiring the patient to actively contract muscles throughout the session, the device applies pressure through inflatable garment sections.
This may be of interest to clinicians evaluating appropriate supportive care for people with mobility limitations.
However, there is currently insufficient evidence to conclude that Flowpresso improves Lyme disease outcomes, treats persistent infection, or accelerates recovery from Lyme disease.
Compression therapy also has medical contraindications and may be inappropriate for some patients.
Anyone considering this technology should consult a qualified healthcare professional, particularly if they have cardiovascular disease, blood-clotting concerns, significant swelling, neuropathy, or other complex medical conditions.
How Flowpresso's Sequential Compression Works
Freddie describes the Flowpresso system as a series of connected garment sections and inflatable chambers.
The chambers are positioned around different areas of the body.
During a session, they inflate and release in a coordinated pattern.
Freddie compares the process to gently squeezing a tube of toothpaste from one end toward the other.
The device uses overlapping compression chambers designed to create a progressive pressure wave.
According to Freddie, this wave moves through the system repeatedly during treatment.
The intent is to encourage fluid movement and provide a rhythmic, soothing sensation.
Sequential pneumatic compression is an established technology used in certain medical settings, including management of selected circulation and swelling conditions.
Whether a particular device is appropriate depends on its cleared indications, the patient's condition, and the clinician's assessment.
Infrared Heat and Thermotherapy
Another feature of Flowpresso is integrated heat.
Freddie explains that the device uses warming elements within the garment sections.
Unlike a traditional sauna, Flowpresso is not designed primarily to produce intense sweating.
Instead, the system provides warmth while the compression chambers operate.
Freddie believes this combination may help promote relaxation and complement the mechanical compression experience.
Heat can influence local circulation and comfort, but claims that infrared heat directly removes toxins, kills Lyme bacteria, or reverses chronic illness require stronger scientific evidence.
For patients with heat intolerance, autonomic dysfunction, impaired temperature sensation, or certain cardiovascular conditions, heat exposure may also present additional considerations.
Nervous System Regulation and the Parasympathetic Response
Freddie and Rich discuss the relationship between chronic illness, stress, sleep, and the autonomic nervous system.
The autonomic nervous system helps regulate functions such as heart rate, breathing, digestion, and vascular activity.
Its sympathetic and parasympathetic branches participate in the body's responses to activity, stress, and rest.
Freddie believes the combination of warmth, rhythmic compression, and deep-pressure stimulation may help some people feel calmer and more relaxed.
He describes Flowpresso as creating a sensation of comfort and security.
For patients experiencing persistent stress, poor sleep, or difficulty relaxing, that experience may be meaningful.
However, subjective relaxation does not necessarily demonstrate correction of autonomic dysfunction or improvement in the underlying causes of Lyme disease symptoms.
Rich Tries Flowpresso at ILADS
One of the most memorable moments in the interview is Rich's description of personally trying Flowpresso.
He explains that getting into the full-body garment initially felt unusual.
The device reminded him of being secured inside a spacesuit.
But once the session began, his experience changed.
Rich describes the rhythmic compression and warmth as extremely comfortable.
He felt so relaxed that staying awake became difficult.
Afterward, he reported feeling refreshed.
Most notably, Rich says he slept better that night than he had in a long time.
He had been traveling, adjusting to a different time zone, and experiencing disrupted sleep before the session.
Although he personally credits Flowpresso for helping him rest, a single experience cannot establish that the device caused the improvement.
Nevertheless, his reaction provides an interesting firsthand perspective on what a Flowpresso session feels like.
Could Flowpresso Improve Sleep?
Sleep becomes a major theme during the conversation.
Freddie describes research conducted in New Zealand involving first responders who participated in a series of Flowpresso sessions.
He reports that participants experienced substantial improvements in sleep-related outcomes.
The company has promoted findings involving improved sleep quality following repeated sessions.
These are company-reported results, and the specific study design, measurements, comparison groups, and peer-reviewed evidence should be evaluated before drawing conclusions about clinical effectiveness.
Rich's own experience raises an interesting question about whether relaxation-oriented technologies might help some patients sleep more comfortably.
Sleep is essential for cognitive function, emotional regulation, immune health, and overall recovery.
But better sleep after a wellness session does not demonstrate treatment of Lyme disease or removal of infectious organisms.
The Lymphatic System, Immune Function, and Chronic Illness
Freddie also discusses how lymphatic function relates to the immune system.
Lymph nodes help filter lymph and provide sites where immune cells encounter antigens and coordinate immune responses.
This relationship makes the lymphatic system an important part of normal immune function.
Freddie raises the possibility that chronic illness, reduced mobility, and other physiological stressors may influence lymphatic health.
He also introduces the concept of the exposome, which broadly refers to environmental exposures experienced throughout life.
The discussion touches on mold, infections, environmental substances, and other factors that may influence health.
These topics are complex and should not be reduced to a single explanation involving toxin accumulation or impaired lymphatic drainage.
Walking, Breathing, and Everyday Lymphatic Health
Beyond technology, Freddie emphasizes simple practices that can support normal physiology.
He highlights three areas:
Movement: Walking and appropriate physical activity engage muscles that help move lymphatic fluid.
Breathing: Changes in pressure during breathing contribute to fluid movement through the body.
Rest and relaxation: Adequate sleep and stress management support overall well-being.
Rich also references a previous conversation with Dr. Bill Rawls about the role walking played in his personal recovery journey.
The takeaway is not that every patient should follow the same exercise routine.
Rather, movement and other supportive practices should be individualized according to symptoms, physical capacity, and medical guidance.
Dry Brushing, Rebounding, and At-Home Wellness Practices
Rich and Freddie briefly discuss several practices commonly promoted in wellness communities.
These include dry brushing, rebounding, walking, breathing exercises, and massage-oriented techniques.
Some patients find these activities relaxing or enjoyable.
However, the scientific evidence supporting specific claims about detoxification or treatment of chronic infections varies considerably.
Dry brushing, for example, has not been established as a treatment for Lyme disease or as a reliable method of increasing deep lymphatic drainage.
Freddie emphasizes that no single device or technique should replace broader attention to everyday health habits.
Flowpresso for Recovery and Rehabilitation
Freddie explains that Flowpresso has attracted interest beyond the Lyme disease community.
He discusses potential applications in:
- Wellness and relaxation
- Physical recovery
- Selected rehabilitation settings
- Postoperative care
- Sports recovery
- Clinical environments where compression therapy may be appropriate
He describes introducing the technology to professional sports organizations and practitioners interested in recovery-oriented equipment.
The interview also references its use in settings involving breast implant removal and postoperative recovery.
These examples reflect the applications discussed by Freddie, not proof that the device produces superior surgical outcomes or replaces standard postoperative care.
Decisions about compression, drainage, and postoperative management should remain with qualified treating clinicians.
Freddie's Personal Connection to Lymphatic Health
Freddie's interest in lymphatic function is deeply personal.
During his experience with metastatic cancer, he underwent extensive surgery involving lymph nodes in his abdomen.
He describes a retroperitoneal lymph node dissection and numerous surgical clips remaining from that procedure.
Those experiences influenced his curiosity about the lymphatic system and the potential role of compression-based therapies.
He explains that he did not fully appreciate the system's complexity during his earlier health challenges.
Now, lymphatic education has become a central part of his work.
His experiences provide valuable context for understanding his enthusiasm, while his personal results and observations should be distinguished from controlled clinical evidence.
Is Flowpresso Available for Home Use?
Freddie explains that Flowpresso is primarily a practitioner-oriented system.
He discusses how clinics may offer sessions and how some patients with mobility limitations may explore home-based access under appropriate professional supervision.
Availability varies by location.
The company maintains a directory of participating providers.
Find a Flowpresso provider near you.
Healthcare professionals interested in learning more can visit the official Flowpresso website.
Because the device is intended for supervised use, patients should discuss suitability, contraindications, and realistic expectations with a qualified healthcare professional.
What Research Is Still Needed?
While the interview highlights enthusiasm about Flowpresso, important questions remain.
For Lyme disease patients specifically, research would need to investigate whether this technology produces measurable benefits beyond relaxation or general comfort.
Potential research questions include:
- Does Flowpresso improve validated measures of sleep quality?
- Can it help selected patients experiencing clinically significant swelling?
- Does it improve quality of life in people with limited mobility?
- How do outcomes compare with established compression therapies?
- Which patients are most likely to benefit?
- What adverse effects or contraindications should clinicians consider?
- Are any benefits sustained after treatment sessions end?
Controlled clinical trials would be needed to determine whether Flowpresso offers disease-specific benefits for Lyme disease or persistent symptoms following treatment.
About Freddie Kimmel
Freddie Kimmel is a wellness technology educator, speaker, podcaster, and survivor of metastatic cancer, Lyme disease, and mold-related health challenges.
He hosts the Beautifully Broken Podcast, where he explores health, recovery, wellness technology, and personal transformation.
Before entering the wellness field, Freddie worked professionally in musical theater, including performances in major theatrical productions.
His personal health experiences inspired him to explore functional health, emerging technologies, and approaches intended to support overall well-being.
Freddie currently works with Flowpresso, helping educate practitioners and consumers about lymphatic health and compression-based wellness technology.
Hear his original Tick Boot Camp interview: Episode 162: The Lyme Polymath – Freddie Kimmel.
Key Takeaways
- The lymphatic system plays important roles in fluid balance and immune function.
- Movement, breathing, and contractions within lymphatic vessels contribute to normal lymph circulation.
- Flowpresso combines sequential compression, heat, and deep-pressure stimulation.
- Rich personally experienced substantial relaxation and reported improved sleep after trying the device.
- Freddie believes supportive wellness technologies may have a role in individualized recovery plans.
- Flowpresso is not an established treatment for Lyme disease or persistent Lyme-related symptoms.
- Patients should evaluate potential benefits, risks, and contraindications with qualified healthcare professionals.
- More independent clinical research is needed to determine the device's effectiveness for specific health conditions.
Key Topics in This Episode
Freddie Kimmel, Flowpresso, Lyme disease lymphatic drainage, lymphatic system, chronic Lyme disease, lymphatic health, Lyme disease recovery, infrared therapy, sequential compression therapy, pneumatic compression, lymphatic drainage suit, thermotherapy, nervous system regulation, parasympathetic nervous system, Lyme disease fatigue, Lyme disease sleep problems, chronic illness recovery, wellness technology, Desiree De Spong, Beautifully Broken Podcast, metastatic cancer survivor, Lyme disease rehabilitation, sleep quality, physical recovery, functional health, ILADS, and Tick Boot Camp.
About This LIVE from ILADS Interview
This conversation was recorded in person at the 2025 International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society Annual Scientific Conference, From Terrain to Treatment: Advances in Vector-Borne Illness, held October 9–12, 2025, in San Antonio, Texas.
Rich reconnects with Freddie Kimmel nearly five years after their original Tick Boot Camp interview.
They explore Freddie's latest work with Flowpresso, the fundamentals of lymphatic function, compression therapy, infrared heat, and the relationship between relaxation and sleep.
Rich also shares his firsthand experience trying Flowpresso at the conference.
The two discuss the possibility of a future long-form conversation examining lymphatic health, lifestyle practices, and the technology in greater detail.
Explore all Tick Boot Camp LIVE from ILADS interviews.
Resources Mentioned
Learn about the technology, its intended uses, and the company behind it.
Explore the company's provider directory to identify participating locations.
Learn more about the founder of Flowpresso and her work in lymphatic education.
Freddie Kimmel – Beautifully Broken Podcast
Explore Freddie's podcast and wellness education resources.
More from Tick Boot Camp
Episode 162: The Lyme Polymath – An Interview with Freddie Kimmel
Discover Freddie's personal story of surviving metastatic cancer, Lyme disease, and mold-related health challenges.
Dr. Bill Rawls, MD – Lyme Disease and Natural Healing
Explore Dr. Rawls' perspective on Lyme disease recovery, lifestyle practices, herbal medicine, and supporting overall health.
Tick Boot Camp LIVE from ILADS
Watch and listen to interviews with doctors, researchers, advocates, and innovators discussing Lyme disease and tick-borne illness.
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