The Lymph System and Your Health

compiled from multiple sources

The lymphatic system is a crucial player in your body's ability to ward off disease and heal from injury. The lymph cleans up the mess made by virtually all other systems.

The lymphatic function supports every other system in the body, including the immune, digestive and nervous systems. In fact, many believe that poor lymph health underlies a host of conditions, from cellulite to cancer. The lymphatic system is very important to preventive health care.

You have twice as much lymph fluid in your body as blood. The lymph continuously bathes each cell and drains away the debris in a circulatory system powered only by your breathing and movement.

Anatomy of the lymph system

The first thing to understand about your lymph system is its vast extent. Like the circulatory system that supplies blood, the network of lymph vessels serves almost every cell in your body. Strung along the lymph vessels like pearls knotted on a string, the lymph nodes serve as a series of cleaning filters. Lymphatic fluid flows through the nodes, being purified and immunologically boosted at every stage.

One crucial function of lymph tissue is generating and storing white blood cells, the blood cells that fight infection. Besides the lymph nodes, principal lymph organs include the bone marrow, the spleen, tonsils and the thymus gland.

The largest concentration of lymph tissue in the body surrounds the intestines. The lymphatic tissue actively separates desirable nutrients from undesirable pathogens, and helps mount a defense whenever needed.

The flow of lymph fluid

The lymph system's primary function is to isolate infection and cellular detritus from the rest of the body and deal with it. Pathogens or antigens present that create an immune response, leaving dead cells and perhaps live infection. Some of the blood and waste products are picked up by tiny veins. But much of the vascular fluid and waste - and hopefully all of the live infection - is picked up by tiny lymph vessels. This process is happening all over the body all the time.

Like tributaries trickling into a stream that feeds a slow-moving river, the lymph system transports lymph fluid through ever-widening vessels, moving it through 500 filtration and collection points - your lymph nodes. At each successive node the lymph fluid is filtered and bacteria is removed. If lymph fluid is blocked in one lymph node it will usually take a detour, but when blockage is extreme it can cause the lymph fluid to back up and cause swelling in the surrounding tissue.

Amazingly, the lymphatic system has no central pump but depends on muscle contraction and manual manipulation to move fluid. Deep breathing is another essential way we can enhance movement of lymph through our bodies. And importantly, the organs of elimination (skin, kidney, liver, bladder, small and large intestines) need to be doing their jobs well so that the lymph does not get overwhelmed with waste products.

If the lymph system gets blocked or overrun (due to illness, surgery, toxic overload or lack of activity), lymph fluid backs up. This can cause swelling, joint pain, nausea and fatigue. Stagnant lymph may be stored within nodes for a long period of time but eventually becomes too toxic for the body to handle well.

Negative effects of chronic lymph blockages

All things in nature have a natural progression; when this motion is inhibited or jammed, concerns arise - and when it occurs in your lymph system, you feel it quickly.

Think again of a river: a healthy river runs clean and clear. A brackish river chugs along, thick with soot and silt that gets snagged, pocketing pollution in small pools along the way. Eventually, the sluggish river can become a breeding ground for bacteria and disease. The same is true for your lymph.

Because lymph cleanses nearly every cell in your body, symptoms of chronic lymph blockage are diverse but can include worsened allergies and food sensitivities, frequent cold and flu infections, joint pain, headaches and migraines, menstrual cramps, arthritis, fibrocystic breasts, breast tenderness, sinusitis, loss of appetite and GI issues, muscle cramping, tissue swelling, fatigue, mental fuzziness, mood irregularities, depression, parasites, skin breakouts, acne, and cellulite. In general, you may feel tired and toxic, with a heaviness in your abdomen. In Chinese medicine, practitioners call this "excessive damp" that undermines your whole health.

Stagnant lymph can also interfere with the system's ability to cleanse more potentially hazardous concerns, such as bacteria and cancerous or diseased cells from organ tissue. Viral infections, bacteria, and cancerous cells move through the lymph fluid, where they are targeted and destroyed in the lymph nodes - when the system is adequate to the task.

The lymphatic system, digestion and elimination

Lymph tissue  associated with the gut that it has its own acronym: GALT (gut-associated lymphoid tissue). Lymphatic tissue is where much of our immunity originates, and because the digestive tract is a main path of entry for offensive substances (bacteria, allergens, heavy metals, molds, fungi, chemicals, trans fats), many lines of defense permeate the gut.

The GALT receives information from the microenvironment of the intestines in the form of which pathogenic agents get through. It then decides which of these deserve an allergic response, calling upon the immune and endocrine systems to facilitate. In this way, the GALT tissue becomes its own command center, which is one reason many practitioners call the gut the "second brain."

Healthy GALT function generally inhibits allergic responses and decreases food sensitivity - but this is complicated and often relies on the status of the intestinal flora and other factors. Suffice it to say that the healthier your gut-associated lymph tissue, the less sensitive you are likely to be to food-borne bacteria and chemicals.

Constipation, diarrhea, and other GI issues compromise the lymphatic system's ability to do its job. If the digestive tract is suboptimal due to food sensitivities, parasites or stress, the flow of lymph and chyle will also be diminished. This can cause nausea and toxicity, exacerbating the original GI concerns.

The lymphatic system and cellulite

Cellulite and "saddle bags" along the thighs are partially the result of impaired lymph flow to certain areas, causing immobilized pockets of fat and trapping toxins. Over 90% of women have some form of cellulite resulting from weight gain, a genetic predisposition, or inactivity.

Cellulite begins when numerous fat cells collect in one area (generally the buttocks, thighs and upper arms in women), causing the skin to bulge. The dimpling effect occurs when the connective fibers in the skin pull down in areas where body fat is pushing up. Toxins and lymph fluid accumulate in the pockets of fat. Improving the circulation of lymph in areas prone to cellulite and reducing toxic burden are two successful ways to diminish cellulite from the inside out.

Lymphatic massage

Because lymph fluid moves slowly without aid of its own pump, inactivity can seriously restrict its flow. Muscular contraction through exercise and deep breathing is the primary means by which our lymph circulates, but lymphatic massage and drainage provide another helpful option.  Consider regular visits to a lymph drainage massage therapist. This is a wonderful and healthy way to pamper yourself (and your internal organs).

Lifestyle  and nutritional choices  go a long way toward reducing the overall "body sludge" your lymph system must sweep away.  In addition, practice deep breathing. Breathing deeply from the diaphragm, not shallowly from the chest, and through the nose rather than the mouth, is one of the best ways to move lymph fluid through your body. Also, exercise, drinking the proper amount of water and If you are concerned about cellulite, massaging those specific areas and the lymph nodes in the groin on a daily basis can be helpful.

Remember that support for your body is all-inclusive, not fragmented into specialized body parts. Taking the time to honor and support your lesser-known systems will have  far-reaching, life enhancing effects! If you have questions, don't hesitate to call us at 631.462.HAND (4263).