What Is The Lymphatic System? How Does It Work & How Do We Improve It?

What is the Lymphatic System? It’s hardly your usual topic talked over coffee, but nevertheless it’s an important one because its health determines how you overcome certain diseases and fight infections.

Our lymphatic system is responsible for our drainage system, for removing unwanted toxins, waste and excess water from the body. It has 3 main functions:

• It contains white blood cells called lymphocytes, which fight infection
• It acts as a one way drainage system, transporting fluid from body tissues into the blood circulation to keep your body fluids in balance
• It gets rid of waste products produced by cells

How Does Our Lymphatic System Work?

It consists of the lymph fluid, lymph vessels and lymph nodes.

The Lymph fluid is a collection of the extra fluid that drains from cells and tissues. We need a system to drain this lymph fluid, so that we don’t end up as a swollen fluid filled balloon – hence the lymphatic system.

The collected lymph fluid then drains into lymph vessels. These lymph vessels have one-way valves and muscular walls that contract to force the lymph forward and move it towards the lymph nodes which are present all around the body.

These lymph nodes are the filtration system that helps to filter the lymph, destroying or trapping anything harmful.

The lymph nodes contain white blood cells called lymphocytes, which attack and break down bacteria, viruses, damaged cells or cancer cells.

This filtering and destroying is an important part of our immune system, and stops nasty substances from being fed back into our bloodstream which would otherwise make us sick.

If our lymphatic system stops working properly, fluid builds in the tissues and causes swelling, this is called lymphedema. If the lymphatic system is compromised, the immune system is also compromised which can lead to problems including infections, blockage, and cancer.

Sluggishness in the lymphatic pathways of the brain called Glymphatics. This can cause harmful fluid to build up in the brain and affect our ability to concentrate and make you feel vague and ‘foggy headed’, disoriented, tired and a create a general feeling of ‘unwellness’.

Poor digestion, stress and toxic environment can majorly impact the lymphatic system around the gut called GALT. This can cause congestion of the entire lymphatic system and affect the body’s immunity as 80% of the immunity lies in the gut.

Our skin also has its own lymphatic system called SALT. If the lymphatic system is not functioning well and the skin cannot drain, the skin becomes toxic, dry, wrinkled and non-functional. Skin rashes, acne, eczema and just about every type of skin condition maybe due to the improper functioning of SALT.

Improper lymph function also affects reproductive health. When women menstruate, much of the reproductive waste is removed through the lymph. If the lymph is congested, the menstrual cycle may become painful, irregular, overly heavy or missing. Congested lymph brings with it the symptoms like breast swelling or tenderness, bloating, water retention, and/or skin breakouts.

Other Telltale Signs Of Lymph Damage

Other signs include rings getting tighter on fingers, soreness and/or stiffness in the morning, weight gain and extra belly fat, swollen glands, hypersensitivity, mild headaches, elevated histamine and irritation due to common environmental allergens, occasional constipation, diarrhea, and/or mucus in the stool.

Ensuring A Healthy Lymphatic System

The lymphatic system is stimulated by moving your muscles and getting your heart rate up.

The lymphatic system does not have a pump like our circulatory system, this is where the heart creates a beat which helps push and pump the blood around our body. Instead, the lymph system requires daily movement of the body, especially our muscular system. Proper breathing is a must in order to move lymph through the lymphatic vessels to pass it through the filters in our lymph nodes.

Stimulating The Lymphatic System

• Exercise – regular exercise is important for a healthy lymphatic system
• Hot and cold showers
• Dry brushing of skin
• Bouncing on a trampoline/ rebounding
• Hydrating by drinking plenty of clean water, preferably warm water
• Lymphatic massage
• Sauna or steam bath
• Destress and good sleep

• Alkaline foods: These can be leafy greens, root veggies, cauliflower, avocados, beets, berries, cherries, citrus fruits like oranges, figs, apricots, pomegranate and grapefruit with their white part (pith), nuts and seeds, iodine rich foods like seaweed, algae all promote a healthy lymphatic system.
• Herbs: Turmeric, Neem, Brahmi, Manjistha, Red root, Astragulas, Ginger and Bacopa all help to de-stagnate and cleanse the lymph and improve lymph flow.
• Foods that lead to a sluggish lymph and best to avoid: Artificial sweeteners, sugar, preservatives, refined grains, processed foods, canned foods, foods high in salt.We have some great recipes for you to experiement with, many are gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, keto, low carb and much more.

Using A High-Quality Mineral Supplement

To top up your short fall of life giving foods, using a high-quality mineral supplement such Modere Mineral Solutions is a good choice. This supplement gives a real boost to depleted bodies.