There is no system more neglected by our conventional medical system than the lymphatic system. At best we hear about it as a route of movement for cancer when it decides to spread in the body.
At worst it is not even mentioned… If you think about it for a second there is nothing like lymphology and even though it should be part of immunology it is barely mentioned as a passing thought in there. But the lymphatic system is a series of vessels that run along with the cardiovascular system and it is a network of vessels that are in charge of helping the body get rid of toxins wastes and other unwanted materials. It is not until recent times that we have started to discover the huge benefits that this mostly ignored system can have on our overall health. This network of vessels run is in our brains, in our guts, in our lungs … do you see where I am heading with this? There is not one organ in the body that is not connected to the lymphatic system, but at the same time, we barely hear anything about how to optimize it and improve it. To me as a naturopathic doctor, this system is of utmost importance because it is one of the main routes of detoxification of the body. If you are experiencing any of the following then maybe doing some of the recommendations at the bottom of this email might be for the best: ●Pain that gets better as you move along your day (Back pain or any extremity pain) ●Constant colds or you get sick several times in the year ●Swelling in extremities that comes and goes ●Chronic skin issues like eczema and others The symptoms mentioned above are some of the things that I found commonly as treating patients, but they represent more functional problems that can affect everyday issues rather than acute issues. When there is some sort of infection going on in the body we do try to look at the lymphatic system since it can be involved in this process, if you are having some sort of infectious process then talk with your doctor. Well here are some of the things that you can do every day to greatly help with the optimization of the lymphatic system: 1. Dry skin brushing The basic preamble behind this technique is that the lymphatic system runs on a superficial aspect of the body and using a skin brush can help its flow in the body. The optimal time to do this is before going to bed or before taking a shower to help optimize the flow of toxins. 2. Movement: Any kind of movement where the rate of the heart is increased causes the lymphatic flow to increase in the body by the contraction and relaxation of our muscles, I already mention the importance of movement. 3. Deep Breathing: As I mentioned before the lymph system is spread out all over our lungs by taking deep belly breaths we help with the flow of the lymph system. 4. Drinking water: We already went over the importance of water but the lymph system is mostly water and fluids so if you want to help increase the fluidity of the lymph system and help your body to get rid of the metabolic wastes. 5.Infra-Red Sauna: This form of sauna has gained more popularity in the past couple of years due to all the benefits that it has been found out over a traditional steam sauna. The heat from IR can penetrate deeper into the body and promote circulation and detoxification. 6. Get a massage: Do I really need to give any reason to get a massage? Well here is one besides feeling greatly relaxed. The deep tissue (or even light tissue) massage can help with lymph flow. 7.Rebounder: Essentially a small trampoline that you can have at your home or basically jumping rope. This is just another way to increase movement in your life and jumping engages your whole musculoskeletal system which pumps the lymphatic system