Try to imagine a glass of dirty water sitting on your kitchen counter. What would be the best way to clean this glass? The answer is an easy one isn’t it ? You would first throw out the dirty water, wash the glass then add some more clean water to...
We are not what we eat, we are what we metabolize.
A word that often tends to be used rather carelessly, by brand ambassadors, health promoting websites , influencers is the word “DETOX”. Unfortunately, most people don’t realize what it truly stands for. Detoxing is not just limited to juice cleanses, drinking activated charcoal powders or doing breath work. While these certainly help in their own way,
the LYMPHATIC SYSTEM is the fundamental baseline for any detoxification to occur and for the rest of the systems in our body to function at an optimal level protecting us from illness and inflammation. At the time of disease, we are in a state of low oxygen and the way to increase blood flow is through lymphatic work.
How can one regenerate without eliminating. Even a dirty pipe needs to be drained before it can be used to supply clear water. Similarly one has to do lymphatic work to ensure proper drainage before we can supply the body with nutrients.
So what is this super important lymphatic system?
“Inner Drainage System” is best way to describe the lymphatic system which is a big part of our immune system. It is essentially a network of blood vessels and over 600 lymph nodes which carry a milky fluid called lymph from the tissues to the blood and vice versa. It consists of lymphatic ducts, vessels, capillaries, lymph nodes and lymph (fluid). The tonsils, adenoids, spleen and thymus are also part of the lymphatic system.
What does the Lymphatic System do?
The lymphatic system is very similar to the circulatory system with its network of veins, arteries and capillaries though they are much smaller in comparison. There are valves which stop the lymph from traveling the wrong way. This lymph has specialized white blood cells called lymphocytes whose job it is to destroy any viruses, bacteria, toxins, and waste products. The bacteria and toxins that enter our body get trapped in the lymph nodes which is when the white blood cells of the immune system attack and destroy them.
In addition, it also helps in circulating fluids, proteins, hormones and immune cells throughout the body. There is swelling or water retention when the lymphatic system is not functioning normally. The blood and lymph vessels work to seep the fluid into surrounding tissues so it can be drained. During sickness and injury, fluid build up occurs causing pain and swelling. It reduces inflammation and helps in improving circulation in our bodies.
The body functions as a whole
The majority of the body’s lymphatics (70-80%) sits in the GUT. So GUT PROBLEM = LYMPH PROBLEM
Common signs of a leaky gut are inflammation, bloating and allergies. When larger particles pass through this leaky barrier, they goes into the circulating system and the lymphatic system leading to inflammation autoimmunity malabsorption and nutrient deficiency. Once it breaks and breaches the gut barrier, it will breach the blood brain barrier. Thus,
GUT PROBLEM = LYMPH PROBLEM = BRAIN PROBLEM
Now, every capillary runs with a lymphatic capillary and so
VASCULAR PROBLEM = LYMPHATIC PROBLEM.
Every single Nerve runs with a lymph, artery and a vein. Our nerves need glucose and oxygen to be able to work so again
NERVE PROBLEM = LYMPHATIC SYSTEM PROBLEM.
The Liver, the largest detoxification organ is in your body and is the most important organ for lymphatic fluid production.
LIVER PROBLEM = LYMPHATIC SYSTEM PROBLEM
The liver also synthesizes all the sex hormones of your body. Liver issues hamper the conversion of T4 to T3 leading to thyroid issues.
HORMONE ISSUE = LIVER ISSUE = LYMPHATIC ISSUE
So you can see how the whole body is connected and impacted by each other especially with the Lymphatic system .
A healthy lymphatic system is also essential for the proper functioning of MUSCLES AND JOINTS. This is because the lymph vessels, through the interstitial fluid lets gases, water and nutrients pass through to surrounding cells. This fluid then drains back into the lymph vessels from where they go to the lymph glands for filtration and then to a larger lymphatic vessel located at the thoracic duct. The thoracic duct in turn dumps cleaned lymph fluid back into the blood, and this cycle continues So, musculoskeletal complaints can manifest from underlying organ issues that you don’t know about. What this shows us is that pain is unrelated to the site where it occurs.
When the lymphatic system does not function efficiently the body has to rely on other organs for the detoxification process like the kidney, liver, lungs and skin. Overburdening these leads to toxins being moved into body fat. So our fat surrounds the toxins. Try to imagine a person in this condition trying to lose some weight. The body will not be able to burn the fat because burning the fat would lead to the toxic getting released and the system getting overwhelmed. With an impaired lymphatic system these toxins would have no where to go. So this person would end up suffering from flu like symptoms causing depression and low energy .
Did you know that acid reflux is also a symptom of improper lymphatic functioning. Most people suffering from chronic lymph issues cannot make enough stomach acid ( yes acid reflux is mainly due to low stomach acid not high!). They are not able to break down the food they consume because they do not make enough digestive and pancreatic enzymes.
A recurring lymphatic system problem implies that there is an immune system problem.
Due to its role in the immune system, the lymphatics will always be related to chronic pain. However, one should not wait for swelling or pain to start doing lymphatic work. It’s something that should be done daily to keep the body more resilient and in a state of detoxification from everyday stressors.
The lives we live today add rather than deplete the toxic load in our bodies on a day to day basis. This eventually leads to backed up lymphatic flow. The elements that stress the lymphatic system include a bad diet, not enough nutrients and water, stress, tight clothes, allergies and sensitivities, lack of movement, toxins in the environment, heavy metals pesticides and mold. Hormonal imbalances, infections, aging, surgeries and traumatic injuries further add to the impairment.
Symptoms of an improperly functioning lymphatic system include : Morning stiffness, Bloating (face, belly, fingers, toes), Bad Breath Varicose veins, Acne, Painful lymph nodes, Chronic chronic fatigue Poor sleep , Inability to lose weight , Brain fog , Slow recovery, Easy bruising, Delayed onset allergies, Red eyes, Itchiness, Arthritis.
What can one do?
Yoga, HIIT, Rebounding, Dry Brushing, Foam Rolling , Red light Therapy Fulvic and Humic Minerals – Shilajit, The Balancer, Specialized Lymphatic Drainage Massages, Diaphragmatic (Belly) Breathing
Diet rich in fruits and vegetables ad devoid of sugar, gluten and dairy
There are also many things you can do at home on a daily basis to improve lymphatic flow and these are some of the many techniques we teach in our Deep Drain Detox sessions.