Our bodies can build up toxins and unwanted waste. So, how come we don’t fall sick more often? The lymphatic system eliminates these toxins by transporting lymph throughout your body via a network of thin tubes and lymph nodes that run throughout the body. These tubes are called lymph vessels or lymphatic vessels. Your lymphatic system is part of your immune system and it has many functions. They include protecting your body from illness-causing invaders, maintaining body fluid levels, absorbing digestive tract fats and removing cellular waste. Blockages, diseases or infections can affect your lymphatic system’s function.
Lymph fluid normally flows through a network of lymph vessels. These lymph vessels connect to a group of lymph nodes. The nodes act as a filter. They trap or destroy anything harmful that the body does not need. Inside the lymph nodes are white blood cells, also called lymphocytes. These white blood cells attack and break down bacteria, viruses, damaged cells or cancer cells.
The lymph fluid carries the waste products and destroyed bacteria back into the bloodstream. The liver or kidneys then remove these from the blood. The body passes them out with other body waste, through bowel movements or urine.
If the lymph is not flowing well, the cells are poisoned from their own waste and the lymph fluid becomes a toxic cesspool, resulting in fatigue, swelling, bloating, infection, inflammation, frequent water retention, disease or regular flu and colds. A poorly functioning lymphatic system can even lead to more serious conditions too like lymphedema. Chronic swelling can also be a result of an injury, trauma to the tissues, recent surgery, cosmetic surgery or if you have an autoimmune disorder.
A combination of a sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, and a toxic environment all contribute to this backup. Rapid improvements in the quality of the cells and blood occur once easy lifestyle changes are made so that the lymphatic system is activated and working efficiently.
To help improve your Lymph flow:
Drink plenty of water
Circulation is vital to all of the body’s functions, and water makes up a large part of blood volume. So make sure you drink enough water every day and don’t allow yourself to get dehydrated, causing undue taxation on your circulatory system. Water-soluble toxins go out with water, so adequate hydration is certainly directly relevant for kidney function. Drink at least 2 liters of water a day.
Eat healthy
Circulation is yet another aspect of your health that benefits when you eat healthfully. Lymph is made up of immune cells, so the quality of lymph is enhanced by practices that boost immunity, including a healthy, balanced diet and weight control. Processed Foods and bad fats, will lead to a sluggish lymphatic system.
Reduce Stress
The waste products of stress-fighting hormones are acidic and an acidic body leads to lymph congestion. Try guided meditation, deep breathing, physical exercise, take a warm bath, read a book, watch a film or use relaxing essential oils in a diffuser.
Keep moving
Your muscles contract during exercise, and these contractions put pressure on your lymph vessels. This helps fluid move through the vessels and reduces swelling. Simple range of motion exercises, such as knee bends or wrist rotations, are designed to maintain flexibility and mobility. Light repetitive exercises can also stop fluid from pooling in your arms or legs. Try walking, light jogging, doing yoga, or low-impact aerobics like swimming.
Compression
Swollen tissues can benefit from compressing the affected limb or area of the body as it encourages the lymphatic fluids to move toward your torso and out of the arm or leg. Wrapping your arm or leg firmly with an elastic bandage or wearing a compression garment keeps continuous pressure on the swollen area. This brings down the size of the limb, decreases stress on the skin, and improves mobility.
Body Brushing
Dry brushing is a particularly wonderful technique for those who suffer from cellulite and uneven skin texture. The tough, natural bristles of body brushes deeply massage the skin, working to soften any hard fat deposits that may lie below the skin’s surface and cause uneven texture.
By softening these deposits, body brushing encourages the fat to distribute more evenly, allowing your skin to appear softer and smoother as dimples and bumps associated with cellulite are visibly reduced.
Dry skin brushing can also be equally beneficial for your general health and wellbeing. By encouraging the drainage of your lymph nodes, dry-brushing helps to stimulate the normal lymph flow in your body, detoxifying it naturally. Eliminating bacteria and toxins in the blood, incorporating dry body-brushing into your routine can help to suppress toxin build up which leads to cellulite, uneven skin texture and skin discolouration.
How to dry body brush
It is easy to incorporate body brushing into your routine. By body-brushing little and often, for a short amount of time each morning, you will notice a significant difference in not only the appearance and texture of your skin but also your mood as body brushing acts as an all-natural enegry boost by stimulating blood flow and circulation.
- Take a wooden, natural fibre body brush. Made from natural bristles from Mexican cactus plants.
- Using long, smooth stokes, take the body brush and move over your skin, starting at your feet and moving upwards towards your heart. Be careful not to ‘scrub’ the skin, long even stokes are best for your circulation and lymphatic system.
- Vary pressure depending on the sensitivity of your skin. If your skin is particularly delicate, use a lighter hand when body brushing.
- Follow your body brush routine with a bath or shower to cleanse the skin.
- After cleansing, replenish the moisture your skin may have lost with a rich, soothing body moisturiser.
Manual Lymphatic Drainage Massage
It can help reduce stress, anxiety and fatigue. It may help reduce conditions like acne and eczema, and diminish the appearance of scars. It can help relieve migraines, chronic pain, improve your Immune System, reduce swelling, inflammation, water retention, ease bloating and detoxify the body.
If you’d like to find out more about this why not pick up the phone to me and call me on 07958 394717 or fill in my contact form.
