At the Institute for Restorative Health, I often find myself asking one simple question of the numerous patients that come through our doors concerning their myriad of symptoms.
“When the body is not well; where does the battle begin?”
The answer is found in one of the body’s most under-researched and heavily misunderstood systems – the lymphatic system.
Your body has between 400-600 lymph nodes that help you recognize potential invaders. Most people associate the lymph with the area around the collar bone, lower neck, inner thigh, and groin. But, let’s not forget about the densely woven net of lymph in the axillary (armpit), breast, jaw, gut or the newly found “glymphatic” system of the brain.
Let’s try something, right now. Rub your tongue along the inside of your lower lip. Can you feel the ridges as you gently push your tongue into your cheek? These ridges are that of the lymph system draining your teeth, jaw, and face.
The lymphatic and cardiovascular systems work in conjunction with each other. The circulatory system carries oxygenated blood from the lungs and heart to both the large arteries, as well as the smaller arterioles. The arterioles provide oxygenated blood for capillary beds and this allows the micro vessels to carry oxygen deep into the body. In fact, 10% of our circulating fluid becomes lymphatic fluid as it passes from capillary beds to venules. The venules then take the deoxygenated blood and carry it to the veins, where the body proceeds to pump it into the heart and lungs for re-oxygenation.
I have found that most of my patients have thick, sticky, slow-moving lymph. This makes for lower immune activation, swollen glands, and a malaise effect that mimics adrenal fatigue or flu-like symptoms. I am rather fond of the clear waters in the fast-moving streams of Colorado; and much prefer them to that of the muddy, slow-moving waters of the Mississippi. The topography and sources of water are obviously different. It does, though, paint a clear picture of the clean, fast moving, non-sticky lymph that can transport immune cells to our tissues, quickly and cleanly. This helps us fight current infections much better than a sludgy, thick lymph, slowing our immune system activation, and increasing our overall inflammatory environment.
I like to teach people about complex systems via examples of easily understood, daily occurrences. Let me paint you a very smelly picture. The lymphatic system is like a network of public sanitation services utilized in modern cities. Let’s say you have large trash bags of kitchen scraps. You know, the leftovers that somehow turned to the consistency of soup, the half-eaten crusts from the kids 5-day-old sandwich (that you just happen to find under the table), or the contents of that one mason jar you had forgotten in the back of the fridge. Anyone would say that these nasty things have got to go! Well, the immune “garbage” floating around your body has got to get out as well, or you begin dealing with what I call “immune amnesia.” Simply put, your body forgets how to fight.
When you find garbage in your home, you place it in the dumpster by the curb to be hauled away, right? In a similar manner, the immune system finds pathogenic microorganisms, as well as the garbage it creates, and then takes it to the lymphatic channels. As mentioned earlier, there are 400-600 lymphatic nodes in the body. Much like taking the garbage to the curb, our lymphatic vessels dump the immune “garbage” directly into our lymph nodes.
Now, what happens with the garbage you put on the curb? Once the lymphatic vessels carry the immunological garbage to the lymph node, this node, like the trash truck, comes along and carries away the mess. Ask yourself this question – how long would it take for your house to be covered in horrible garbage if the trash truck only picked up one out of every five full garbage cans? Not long. This is how our bodies come to the place where the lymph is burdened with a sludgy mess of immunological junk and is unable to mount an optimal immune response.
A poor functioning Lymphatic system negatively affects your Bio-terrain, as well as our always-adapting gut microbiome. The Bio-Restorative MethodTM used at the Institute for Restorative Health helps us locate your slow, sticky lymph and activate the pump of freely-moving fluid. Many people ask what they can do about their slowed and stressed lymph, realizing they have issues in this area. Read more to find ways to increase this fluid movement in your own body.
5 Steps to Move Lymph While You Sit:
1. Dry Skin Brushing
Check out how to dry skin brush by downloading our free Optimum Eight Therapies guide.
2. Infrared Sauna
We recommend High Tech Health Saunas. It is the lowest total EMF sauna and is constructed of safe materials that do not off gas harmful chemicals. We also negotiated a discount for our patients who purchase from this company, just mention you were referred by the Institute for Restorative Health.
3. Lymphatic Drainage Herbs and Homeopathic Remedies
Well known homeopathic remedies from HEEL, Energetix, and Desert Biologicals aim to kickstart the lymphatic flow. Many herbs have also been shown to increase the rate of flow, which directly affects the ability to clear the garbage out of our systems. There are many herbs that can help. I personally love the effects of Magnolia bark, Hawthorne berry and Chinese yam for lymphatic drainage. These common Chinese herbs have been utilized for centuries to naturally remove toxins from the body’s detox systems.
4. Rebounding
Rebounding is one of the easiest ways to stir the lymph and can be accomplished by jumping on a “Rebounder” or mini trampoline. I start my patients off at 5 minutes, two times per day in order to move the lymph while stimulating blood flow.
5. Nutritional Enzymes
Enzymes help you to break food down as well as other biochemical substances. The body needs enzymes to help remove the garbage buildup in the lymph and blood. I will often have my patients use proteolytic enzymes with food to help break down proteins, or between meals to help break down inflammatory debris. You must be careful with proteolytic enzymes; if you take too much and you have not laid the proper groundwork, you can open up biofilms.
The use of a Light Beam Generator (LBG®) remains my favorite resource for moving lymph. This is a valuable tool we use at the Institute for Restorative Health. We utilize this resource to help us restore the proper functioning of the body’s immune system through the mobilization of the lymphatic system. This is accomplished by the breaking apart of protein structures, which often hold on to toxic material from immune cells. The LBG® helps the lymphatic system by making it flow more freely which, in turn, detoxifies the system more efficiently.
It is imperative to take care of this very misunderstood system, and you now have a few tools at your disposal to aid in your own lymphatic flow. If you still find yourself struggling, do not hesitate another minute. Let us help you Reclaim, Restore, and Renew your health. Reach out to hello@irestorehealth.com to schedule a complimentary consultation with our Patient Services Coordinator.
