Hi Claire

I understand that as a fellow wddty subscriber you are cautious about the excesses of mainstream medicine, but as an osteopath I would strongly advise anyone with skin changes over an enlarged lymph node to see their gp with the utmost urgency;  I would also phone the gp and advise him or her of my concerns (with the patient's permission, of course).

Lymph nodes become enlarged when your body's immune system detects something abnormal in the fluid that is drained back into your circulation through these glands.  This could be something as trivial as a mild infection from a cut or splinter - in which case it will usually go away in a few days - or something much more serious such as cancer.  If the gland has been enlarged for some time then it has been trying to contain this anomoly and stop it getting round your body;  if it suddenly changes, that is a warning sign.

You SHOULD NOT  massage over or around an abnormally enlarged lymph node, as you can be squeezing out the toxin or anomaly that it is desperately trying to contain.

sorry to be so dramatic but it is better to be safe than sorry in a case like this.

Wishing you the best of health,

Peter