The Lymphatic System is one of the most overlooked systems in the body, despite the fact it plays a central role in your overall health. Keeping your Lymphatic System in top shape is an important aspect in maintaining a healthy life.

The Lymphatic System is a network of vessels that runs through your entire body. Lymph nodes are strategically located throughout the system for optimal performance, and are clustered in areas like the underarms, lower abdomen and neck.

Be Aware!! Cancer loves an acidic environment. It can’t survive in an alkaline one. Your Immune System is the most important in the fight against this disease, so a healthy Lymphatic System is essential.

But back to talking about your body’s amazing filtration system!

In a nut shell, the bloodstream acts as the cell environment and ideally the lymphatic system prevents much debris from getting in the way and slowly drowning and poisoning the tissue.

Once enough of the tissues become acidic then the vital organs gradually begin to lose their ability to maintain optimal blood, and this is just the environment in which cancer thrives. This is your body`s amazing filtration system!

Aquarium enthusiasts know that without a filter to constantly renew the quality of the water for the fish, the fish would die swimming in their own acidic, toxic excrement.

Now think about many trillions of cells packed tight and close together and every single one of them requiring groceries and waste management services. That presents quite a demand that only approximately 90,000 miles of blood capillaries and an estimated 180,000 to 300,000 miles of lymphatic vessels can fulfill!

To our many trillions of cells this is the equivalent comparable to fishes in a fish tank with the most amazing filtration system conceivable. This is simple, basic “groceries and waste management services” for the cells.

What does the Lymphatic System do?

Your Lymphatic System performs the vital function of cleansing the fluid that surrounds the cells in your body by removing impurities and waste products. This process not only protects your body from toxins, but also allows cells in the body to function at their best.

So how does our Lymphatic Fluid move?

Mainly through our normal daily movements, and especially during exercise… the more vigorous, the better.

Now, having said that, I have treated girls who were Physical Training Instructors in the services who displayed swollen Lymph Nodes and no one could be doing more exercise than them. So how come?

This is my take on it. Imagine hosing out a drain. The water runs free for a time until a stick or something gets caught along the way. Soon, a bit of grass, maybe, gets hung up on the stick and before long a leaf or two does the same. As more and more builds up on the stick, we notice the water is backing up behind the debris and the drains effectiveness is compromised. This is what happens with your Lymphatic System.

What happens when the Lymphatic System can’t function properly?

An unhealthy Lymphatic System can have a serious impact on your health. Poor lymph function is associated with fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, aches and pains, bloating and poor digestion. Studies have shown that an unhealthy lymph system can contribute to cellulite, fat deposits and obesity as well.

How can you keep your Lymphatic System healthy?

Drink plenty of water. The Lymphatic System depends on a constant supply of fluid, so it’s very important to drink at least eight glasses of water a day to keep it functioning at its best. Purified or filtered water is the best choice.

Choose healthy foods. Preservatives, artificial sweeteners, refined grains, excess sugar, chemicals and processed foods all put strain on the Lymphatic System. Choose foods that are organic, whole and natural as much as possible.

Eat your fruits and veggies. Fruits and vegetables supply the Lymphatic System with important vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients. The chlorophyll in green vegetables is especially beneficial to the Lymphatic System.

Get your essential fatty acids. Healthy fats are necessary for the proper function of the Lymphatic System. Good sources of essential fatty acids include pumpkin seeds, walnuts, almonds and avocados.

Stay active. When your muscles move, they essentially massage the Lymphatic System and promote the flow of fluid through your lymph vessels. Regular exercise like stretching, yoga, daily walks and strength training are all great ways to keep those lymph juices flowing.

Practice deep breathing. Like exercise, deep breathing promotes the movement of fluid through the Lymphatic System while providing it with fresh oxygen.

One of the exercise methods recommended for improving Lymphatic function is rebounding… or bouncing gently on a small in-home trampoline (called a rebounder). Since our Lymphatic Fluid circulates upward via a network of vessels, through one-way valves, this bouncing action helps push our Lymphatic Fluid up through these tubes and throughout our bodies. The more it circulates, the healthier it can keep us.

Of course, we’ll also benefit from the cardiovascular workout, but the Lymphatic function is just as critical. Without proper circulation through the system and into our detoxifying organs, poisons just sit there.

That’s why, when an older person breaks a hip and is bedridden, other problems often arise. It’s not the broken bone… it’s the inactivity that follows. Even the modest movements of independent living (walking, sitting down then standing up) are far superior to extended bed confinement.

Do you need a Manual Lymphatic Drainage?

Maybe you do if:

There is stress in your life…
If you are dark under the eyes…
If you aren’t getting enough greens in your diet…
If you aren’t getting enough sleep…
If you feel as if you have already done a days work when you wake up…
You tend to be short or snappy with people…

Give the nod to half of the above then the answer is most definitely “Yes!”

A Manual Lymphatic Drainage is especially supportive of the Lymphatic System and removes the toxins that have accumulated in your body making you lethargic and run down. (A general Swedish or Remedial massage will reveal the extent your Lymph Nodes are swollen). However… be sure to wear loose fitting underwear because you don’t need anything acting as a tourniquet and restricting fluid movement.

If you’ve already had a Lymphatic Drainage, you’ll know how good you feel afterwards. Sometimes there can be side effects, but this is relevant to the amounts of toxins that were removed from your body and how it is performed.

They are often surprised to find it offers an effective alternative for treating problem muscles and joints normally considered the domain of modern medicine or other well-recognised forms of health care.

Over the past five to ten years there has been a huge increase in the number of well trained full time and part time professional massage therapists. As a result there are now many more patients who have experienced the benefits of massage by competent therapists and who are spreading the word.

The growing number of therapists reflects both the international trend back to natural therapies – particularly massage and naturopathy, and the local availability of high quality, professional, government-accredited training courses.

Part of the reason for the upsurge in massage popularity is that more and more, people want healing other than by drugs, surgery and other well accepted treatment techniques, some of which tend to drag on week after week for seemingly little result. I’ve known people on so many pills they should rattle.

But the main reason demand is growing is that massage works.

Aching muscles and joints and relaxation are the obvious candidates for massage. However, it also can be used to relieve various other problems caused directly or indirectly by postural imbalances, for example breathing difficulties or sluggishness of the immune system.

Massage heals by activating changes in the body – in the various muscles, organs and systems, but it also works on psychological and emotional levels.

Balance.

By bringing the body back into balance, including left/right and front/back muscles and stimulating the flow of blood, oxygen and lymph fluid to all parts of the body, it helps create an overall feeling of well-being.

This “feel good” result in turn makes people more energetic, more positive and more productive.

The main types of therapeutic massage are:

• Swedish (relaxation)
• Deep tissue (remedial)
• Sports (pre and post-competition), and…
• Lymphatic Drainage (gentle, for immune system and excess fluid removal)

Where muscle and joint aches and pains are the problem, competent remedial massage therapists look at the “big picture” of a problem. For example, if you complain of a sore back, the masseur would not only work that area, but also try to discover why it is sore.

Muscular or joint problems may be from an obvious injury or strain, or they could be from a combination of tight muscles elsewhere. Back pain, for example, might initially be caused by feet instability or they could even stem from something seemingly totally unrelated, like a jaw problem where clicking jaw or grinding teeth are symptoms.

It’s great to see a person leave in better condition than they were when they arrived. Apart from genuinely caring about their patients and taking the time to look at the big picture, masseurs have a number of other important reasons for wanting to ensure their patients receive the best possible treatment.

To see their patients return for follow-up or maintenance sessions or be recommended to others, masseurs need to demonstrate they are qualified and competent, provide effective treatments and relief, and offer top value for money.

Most massages last for at least an hour. This is not only exceptional value for the fee charged, but it gives the therapist time to look at the big picture and demonstrate there can be many contributing factors to the patient’s problems.

Patients who have had muscular aches and pains or range of movement limitations they put up with for years, fixed in just one session.

Often overlooked.

Although massage is one of the oldest forms of healing, with documented records dating back thousands of years, for decades it has been a misunderstood and neglected part of natural therapies. A few years back, it was reported in America that 80% of Doctors would have massage themselves but wouldn’t recommend them to their patients.

Now, genuine therapeutic massage has re-emerged as an integral part of overall health care. The more progressive medical practitioners realise that, for example, constipation can be cured with massage… and back pain is better treated with massage instead of anti-inflammatories. It has also become a vital element in preparation for elite sportspeople.

If you haven’t tried deep tissue massage therapy make a call today.  Arrange an appointment and experience the many benefits that deep tissue massage has to offer.  With any massage however, it’s advisable to wear comfortable underwear that’s not too tight.