With the winter months just ahead of us, we’re about to see a shift in immune function from person to person based on how burdened their system is and how prepared it is to fight incoming invaders. The immune system can only protect us at maximum capacity if its current pathogen count and overall toxicity load is at a “systems low”. The more your body is working to clean up messes and focusing on already unwelcome guests, the less it has to give to the given stresses of seasonal change and common person-to-person illnesses. So, what if staying healthy through the cold months was less about flu shots and actually more about cleaning up your body as a whole, systemic detox, head to toe. The best way to do this, is to take care of and give lots of loving attention to your great lymphatic system.
Your lymphatic system, the river of life, quietly flows beneath the surface, supporting immunity, detoxification, and over-all well being. It cleans up metabolic and biological debris, takes up an active role in the inflammatory response, helps to prevent swelling, and keeps us resilient against infections and foreign invaders.
We often hear our lymphatic system referred to as “the sewer system” of the body. But it’s more like a recycling and sanitation center, intricately connected as one long drain where wastes are collected and immune cells are released to arrest threats, acting as the “neighborhood watch” and defending you against any threat that comes for your well being. It helps with fluid balance, digestion and elimination, and gives your skin its radiant, healthful glow. Inside the lymphatic system we find lymph fluid, a translucent and somewhat milky-white water-like substance that nourishes and cleanses every cell and system of the body. Like a warm, herbal, spa-inspired milk bath, but for our insides. Our entire body literally bathes in lymph fluid. And just as bath water needs to be refreshed for each next bath, your lymph fluid, too, needs flushing and refreshing. It requires daily self care and maintenance to help eliminate toxic wastes from building up and backing up the body’s systems.
There are many ways you can take care of your lymphatic system, but the very first step is to do the Big 6 Lymph Reset (from Dr. Perry Nickleston at Stop Chasing Pain). Like a vast network of rivers and tributaries, your lymphatic system flows in one direction and reaches from head to toe, your outermost extremities to your deepest organs and tissues. You have twice as many lymphatic vessels as the circulatory system, and many lymph nodes concentrated in areas of the body like the armpits, breasts, groin, and posterior knees, the brain, gut, sinuses and even the mouth. The Big 6 focuses on the six areas of the body where the lymph nodes are larger and deeper than the rest of the lymph nodes in the body. Think of these as lymphatic “hubs”, like large reservoirs that collect lymph fluid to inspect and clean before it gets pushed out to its next cleansing and sanitation site. These reservoirs need to be flushed and drained every day in order to prevent stagnation and potential clogging of the system, resulting in poor flow that backs up the detoxification process and eventually causes swelling.
Now that you’ve refreshed your reservoirs, all the lymph you move after that will have somewhere to go. Unlike your circulatory system, the lymphatic system doesn’t have a pump to keep fluid moving. That means you are the pump and by moving and breathing, we are creating tiny contractions and pulsations that push the lymph fluid through its network of vessels. While these involuntary movements (movement and breathing) are occurring all throughout the day, we still want to be a bit more intentional about actively supporting and taking care of our lymphatic system. Make it a priority to create a lymphatic self care routine that works for you. Here are some simple ways you can support your lymphatic health every day. You don’t have to do everything, but the more you can do, the better you will feel.
Daily Self-Care Ideas for Taking Care of Your Lymphatic System:
- A daily movement practice like rebounding, swimming, yoga and pilates are excellent activities that stimulate lymph flow naturally.
- Sweating by means of sauna or activity to support detox and movement of lymphatic fluid.
- Dry brushing and light touch, lymphatic massage direct lymph fluid and flow, supporting natural detox pathways.
- Deep breathing and other forms of breathwork expand and open the chest, diaphragmatic breathing helps lymph in this area to move along, encouraging clearing and relaxation.
- Stay hydrated. “Lymph” in Greek translates to “water”, so keep your rivers of immunity flowing with good quality, clean water. Ideally pure H2O in the form of steam distilled water. A well hydrated body keeps lymph fluid flowing effortlessly.
- Eat hydrating fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and high quality fats. Everything else contributes to toxic wastes your lymphatic system needs to clean up and remove.
- Include anti-inflammatory herbs and spices into your diet. Herbs like turmeric, ginger, and garlic have known medicinal properties and anti-inflammatory contributions. Dandelion root tea, red clover, cleavers, chlorophyll and concentrated greens are all great for cleansing the liver and blood.
If you found this information to be helpful, be sure to tune in over at the Holistic Health Academy where I’ll be hosting a Love Your Lymph challenge and minicourse where we will go more in-depth on this incredible system.
Now, go show your lymph some love!
