Having a strong immune system that is ready to fight for your health is extremely important for quality of life. No one likes being sick and neither does your body. A key player in immune system is your lymphatic system, which is sort of like the body’s assistant coach to your well-being. It works to clean up all the messes the big guys leave behind including your cells, making sure that all the toxins and metabolic waste exit the building (your body). This is done by lymph vessels that carry lymph fluid to nearly 500 points of the body for filtration. Lymph tissue stores your white blood cells that is needed to fight infections. Other team members of the lymphatic system besides the vessels and tissues, include bone marrow, your tonsils, the spleen, and the thymus gland. If you need some more motivation to be active, consider the fact that the filtration function cannot take place without your muscles contracting which causes the filter to pump. Deep breathing is another technique to get the filter to pump for you. Signs that your filter is backed up include swelling, joint pain, fatigue, and nausea. An extreme case of blockage in the filer causes “lymphedema”. The build up of toxins leads to swelling.
If this blockage becomes chronic, the body can signal this to you by showing several symptoms. These include headaches/migraines, frequent colds, breast tenderness, cellulite, acne, depression, gastrointestinal issues, muscle/menstrual cramps, or joint pain/arthritis.
The key difference to the lymphatic system from other bodily functions, such as your blood, is that it does not have its own pump. You may never even have known about this system because you do not see it, but it needs your help to work. The spleen is often forgotten about, but it is actual the team captain for immunity defense. It keeps healthy red and white blood cells, while at the same time getting rid of used up red blood cells.
There are several natural activities you can perform to keep your lymphatic system healthy. These are worth the time and effort to avoid getting sick and just not feeling your best. One of the easiest ways to help your system is by eating raw foods because they contain tons of enzymes that breakdown toxins and add water to your body. Taking probiotics is another way to add helping enzymes. Herbs can also help such as red clover to reduce inflammation. Clivers (cleavers) or goosegrass help with drainage. Manjistha helps lymph flow. Bupleurum and rehmannia both remove toxins. More, more, more water is a must. Adding lemon speeds up the help of water. This is because lymph is made up of 95% water.
Other ideas that you may not have thought of it using an inversion table and practicing yoga with deep breathing. There is a large collection of lymph nodes locate in the chest area and near the armpit. Wearing bras that are too tight can disrupt the draining process. Some researchers have linked this to breast cancer causing. A silly and unusual way to get the lymph system up and running is by rebounding. Yes, we are taking about jumping on a trampoline. Have you ever brushed your skin? Bet not but taking a hairbrush and stroking towards your heart on your body can stimulate movement of the lymph. A more common method is getting a lymphatic massage. There are special pressure points and circular motions the therapist will perform. A simple internet search will guide you towards thousands of lymphatic remedies and medicines to detox and cleanse the system, but it is always important to consult a doctor before trying any of these.
Certain diseases can also interrupt the functioning the lymphatic system and these are a major threat to your immunity. These include Hodgkin’s disease, which is cancer to your lymphatic system. Lymphomas is a cancer that starts in the lymph nodes and then can cause multiple tumors to grow. Oedema is caused when fluid gets trapped in the tissues, leading to water retention and swelling. Speleology, which is an infection of the spleen and tonsilitis, which is the infection of the tonsils, can both cause problems to the system. Lymphadenopathy and lymphadenitis can cause swelling and inflammation to the nodes. All in all, these diseases are not favorable to the body and a compromised immune system is definitely trouble.
We are so fortunate for the body’s we have. A body in motion is medicine, especially for the lymphatic system. Sometimes it’s the people in the background who never get any credit because no one ever sees them. So give your lymphatic some love and a thank you for keeping you healthy and immunodeficiency free.
