Lymph

The Forgotten Fluid

Dr. Beatrice Bartnett, DC, ND, LIVIT

PMS? Sinus problem? Arthritis? Chronic Fatigue? Fibromyalgia ? Lupus? Psoriasis? Painful and enlarged breast? What do all these disorders have in common? They are all chronic conditions fully or partially due to a backup of the body's lymph system. The word chronic is from the Greek "chronos" meaning "time."

These conditions were created over a long period of time as the body's immune system had been gradually weakened. The cause of this weakening is a slowdown of the metabolism. This slowdown in turn is caused by stress, poor nourishment, lack of exercise, accidents, radiation, cuts, surgeries, and pollution. A slow metabolism causes an overabundance of waste products within the tissues. In a healthy body, the lymph fluid carries waste away. An interference of this process is often the beginning of chronic conditions such as we mention in the beginning of this article.

The lymph system is made up of lymph organs such as the spleen the thymus and the tonsils, and the lymph, lymph nodes and lyrmph vessels. The lymph is all the fluid between the cells. It comprises 80 percent of our total body fluid. This fluid flows freely between cells carrying away debris and waste. The lymph nodes work as a filter, making sure only dead waste is transported into the lymph vessels. They inactivate and kill living pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and parasites. This process sometimes may enlarge the lymph nodes. Many of you have noted enlarged and sometimes painful nodes behind the throat, under the arms or in the groin areas when fighting a cold or flu. These areas are the locations of major lymph nodes. After the lymph fluid has been cleaned, it flows from the nodes through the lymph vessels into the bloodstream. The blood then carries the lymph into the liver where the waste is taken out of the blood and removed. The dead red blood cells are carried into the spleen for extra iron storage. The body has several paths to expel waste. Elimination occurs through the skin, the kidneys, the lungs and the colon. When the detoxification paths are properly working illnesshas a much more difficult way to manifest, If there is a breakdown such as constipation, clogged skin pores. or a lung conditions to just to mention a few, the body may start to be overtaxed with waste. This stress is slowing down the metabolism. As a result the function of the lymph system is compromised. Another cause that influences the lymph system is injury to the tissue itself. As the body fights tissue damage or an invasion of foreign debris, an inflammatory reaction occurs. Although this is a vital function of the body, it also clogs the lymph with large debris such as plasma proteins, which are dead cells. On a cellular level this means that there is also much debris and waste surrounding the cells. This is clogging the access to the cells and limit the amount of nutrients and oxygen available to them. In other words the cell is slowly starving. As you can imagine, a starving cell's performance is limited. The result is weakness and loss of function. If the cell is deprived of oxygen, a condition called hypoxia occurs. Whenever there is lack of oxygen, there is also pain.

To simplify the whole picture just imagine a wonderful mountain area. Rivers are keeping the area beautiful. As the water flows downstream oxygen and nutrients are keeping the river healthy and filled with fish and plant life. Now imagine a beaver building a dam backlogging the river. Eventually a lake is formed. When the water becomes stagnant, algae will grow in abundance, diminishing the oxygen in the water and the fish and water plants will perish. We will end up with a dead body of water, which is an environmental problem. What happens in nature also happens within our bodies. An insufficient lymph flow creates an internal environment ideal for chronic diseases of all kind and eventually death when it is not taken care of.

What can be done to change this? Lymph drainage. This is a very specialized form of massage therapy. This technique will help the body to move the fluid. If some of the debris between the cells is too large to be moved by hand, Endermologie is used to break down the large debris painlessly. The whole process of lymph drainage is actually very relaxing and comforting.

Lymph drainage is mostly used in chronic conditions, after accidents, to speed up the healing process and before and after surgery to prepare tissue and speed up healing. It has been shown that with the help of lymph drainage the healing time can be cut by as much as 50%. Of course there are conditions where lymph drainage is contra‑indicated such as any acute infection, when the swelling is caused by kidney or heart conditions, and cancer

To keep the lymph system healthy, one can drink plenty of water, eat healthy, relax the body, mind and spirit, think positive, exercise, and enjoy a lymph drainage massage as part of a health maintenance program.

For the recovery of any condition, lymph drainage is one of the most important modalities to offer.

A healthy life depends on the circulation of the lymphatic system. It is our second circulatory system, FOUR TIMES LARGER THAN OUR BLOOD SYSTEM and the unsung hero of the immune system. Lymphatic fluid is located in vessels that ‑run parallel to our blood vessels, moving in an upward fashion, responsible for ridding the body of all debris including fats, toxins, infection, bacteria and viruses. Ultimately, the lymphatic system represents the flow of life. A healthy, flowing system bolsters the body's immune system, fights disease, and strengthens energy for daily life.

Unlike the blood vessels, which carry nutrients and oxygen to our cells through discrete vessels and remove waste products from the cells, the lymph system carries waste and toxic fluids AWAY from our cells, enhancing total health. However, this system has a serious built‑in limitation because it does not have a pump to keep things moving. It must rely solely on good health habits of the person to function properly. When there are health challenges including mental and physical stress, poor nutrition and lack of consistent exercise, the lymph system can get overloaded and become quite sluggish, thereby making our bodies and us tired and toxic. Toxins, which are not properly processed through the system, will then, back up and store in lymph nodes throughout the body, negatively affecting our appearance, energy level and overall health. Correct maintenance, and care of the lymphatic system is a major challenge in today's hectic lifestyle.

When your lymphatic system is blocked or clogged, this creates a condition of stagnation, which promotes fatigue and ill health. Some of the most common symptoms include lumps, bumps, pain and swelling. Some causes of a blocked lymphatic system are due in part to stress, lack of exercise, improper diet, repressed communication and basically everything we do or don't do and every thought we have ever had.