Out of all the body systems, one stands out as the most misunderstood online – hiding in the shadow of the richly and famously documented immune system lay the hard working lymphatic system (trending right now ~thank you influencers!~).
For some reason when we feel like trash the go to is “boost the immune system”
BUT WHY?
Who really gets rid of the trash?
The second largest fluid mover, the undervalued and underpaid in attention lymphatic system is who! Why is it then that when we feel – headaches or migraines, brain fog or cloudiness, neck tension or neck pain – all common symptoms of lymph stagnation – the go to is pain killers?
“My local GP just sent me home with pain killers again,” another Mum friend said to me just yesterday. It’s as if there is no other way to treat these “little” symptoms. You know the ones that aren’t big scary diseases yet!
Even moodiness and mood swings the most common advice under offer? Antidepressants (not knocking these totally important & life saving drugs). The thing is, before western medicine was the epitome of health advice – each household relied on what was growing right in the backyard – medicinal plants & herbs. Recipes were general knowledge along with exercises and practices to complement them.
Where did this knowledge go?
Well I have a bone to pick with Grandma – why did it only take a few generations to lose these traditions? What changed and caused us all to now poison the “weeds” that once were cherished medicinals a short time ago? Did you know it was common practice for a rosemary bush to be out the front of the local herbalist’s house? You could just knock on their door and they would offer whichever medicinals were missing from your garden. They would whip up a quick remedy or share a pre-prepared one with you.
Motherhood: the spark that took me back in time
It wasn’t until motherhood that I realised how reliant I was on modern western medicine. I’d reach for pain killers or antihistamine, as the go to. Until I realise I couldn’t use these – now household drugs – during pregnancy or breastfeeding…?
Wait a minute, why am I using this if these risks are associated?
As the “why” girl I am, I needed to investigate. To figure out what was going on. Equipped with my new subscription to the peer reviewed articles that live behind the paywall of a university enrollment (google scholar doesn’t quite cut it with this topic) I started to dig. I found myself down an academic rabbit hole.
Sceptics…
Not so long ago – due to the lack of evidence – researchers were actually sceptical of the pathway and communication between the brain and the lymphatic system.
Although there has always been a vague understanding of this connection – otherwise how was the brain to fight off infection? It wasn’t until studies into alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders led to navigating the pathways under pressure.
What’s interesting though is traditional health care or health care pre westernisation seemed to have already accepted this as accurate. With texts mentioning things like “morbid matter” and therefore exercises and treatments could be offered as prevention. Traditional literature stating things like ”morbid matter” to describe this toxin removal.
The funny thing is though, within Natural Therapies realm practitioners heavily base their treatment from history and traditional health care this was accepted as accurate and therefore exercises and treatments could be offered as prevention. With literature stating things like ”morbid matter” to describe this toxin removal.
The kicker is how we measure evidence requires certain boxes to be ticked to be classed as “fact” therefore it’s not commonly catered for by western medicine clinicians.
The anatomy
The cleansers of the body are in the lymphatics club. Where all the like minded tidy individual organs work together for a good cause. These are tonsils, adenoids, thymus, spleen, appendix and peyer’s patches (the ones in the intestines). Each of these organs have nodes: little houses for the immune cells.
These little houses are linked together via a highway around the body just like the circulatory system needs to send blood, the lymph or left behind fluid needs a way to return, be cleaned and sent back for recycling.
If the lymphatic system one day up and quit we would find ourselves with swelling in all sorts of places and 8-12 litres of fluid would be lost. [That’s a lot of fluid Tony!]
When things go wrong
Did you spot a few famous organs?
We’ve all heard of the appendix but rarely due to its high performance. Mostly known because an uncle, cousin or friend was rushed into emergency surgery to be removed. What about the tonsils – yet another famously swollen or infected organ. Infected too often off to surgery and out the come.
Traditional medicine, though, takes note of more subtle indications of weakness within systems. Things like – mood swings, frequent headaches, blocked ears or ear aches, feeling heavy within the body.
The more severe would look like bloating, random swelling of fingers or toes (extremities), food sensitivities, migraines, waking up feeling stiff and sore, overall pain episodes. Frequent infection would be the extreme end of weakness not the beginning of treatment within a traditional approach.
I mean if we think about it before there was all this fancy equipment & quick go to medications & surgery healers needed to be aware of much more subtle indications.
Most of us are completely unaware what subtle whispers from the body sound like. Which means only taking action once the stage of frequent infection takes hold. I know I did. This idea has sadly become all too common. With this idea of “just take a panadol” or” push through”, “it’ll self correct”.
The debate
The best method of treatment is under hot debate (as hot as academia debates get anyways). Natural therapies are founded on the innate intelligence and self healing ability of the body. So the treatment focus would be to enhance these natural processes.
What most people don’t realise though is modern medicine is founded on the theory of reductionism. Which simply put is reducing bigger more complex issues into smaller pieces for easier empirical measurement. This is also referred to as (EBM) Evidence Based Medicine.
The purpose is to simplify to decrease variables. However this also reduces the complexities of the human body into numerical measurements. Which isn’t much fun when you go to the Doctor feeling like trash but your bloods came back fine.
Evidence wise – perhaps the pendulum has swung too far? This simplifying approach suits many diseases but also limits those yet to be fully understood. A great example of this is the skin – a reductionistic perspective looks a little like – you get a rash you treat it with steroids you move on. However if the rash is repetitive there is obviously more going on.
Within a holitic philosophy there is an immediate zoom out – is there food intolerance? Is there “stagnation” (build up metabolic waste)? Or a functional disturbance to waste removal? Researchers are looking into this more now than ever before due to the immense increase of allergies in children, autoimmune diseases & even for the sake of cancer treatment research.
Ultimately though the real question here is what is your philosophy? How do you view the body? As more of a machine structure where interventions are often a necessity or that with the right combination the body has this incredible healing ability.
Treatment & Care
When I think of lymph moving around the body I kind of think of jelly being smooshed through a straw… Lymph fluid isn’t really that thick but when I know my clients are mostly still throughout the day (hello 2020 – 2022) I know they are going to have some pretty slow moving lymph fluid.
Professional Treatments
As a professional I am thinking of a long-drawn-out dragging motion like trying to push that jelly through a straw.
If you are just getting started on this lymphatic journey and not quite set up with a habitual-lymph-specific self-care routine then an efficiency boost is in order. So check out my top 5 fav professional treatments below:
- Lymphatic drainage massage
- Compression therapy
- Vacuum cupping
- Float tank
- Colonics
If you want to take your wellness seriously – having a team of professionals guiding you and referring good quality juxtapositioned therapists you are set.
Now you’ve had a reset, what next?
“You maintain your vehicle, why not your body?” Was my first ever business card motto. Can you tell I was raised in a Smash Repairs?
At Home
Kids are constantly on the move. I remember one of my favourite things to do was hang upside down on the monkey bars. Can you imagine the lymph movement from literally swinging around and hanging upside down?
Most of us can’t quite get lost in play like that anymore though. So if you’re not so keen on monkey bars here are my top 5 at home lymph maintenance strategies.
- Dry brushing
- Dry cupping
- Rebounding
- Guasha
- Big 6 floodgates – self massage
Movement & exercise were once enough. Now though the lymphatic system is overrun by pollution & chemical exposure. Sprinkle in a lack of nutrient rich food & you’ve got the beginnings of sluggish clogged up disposal system. That with this hustle culture means stress – stress triggers primal self protection – decreasing optimal performance. Maintenance is key for optimal performance.
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