Lymph Support: Your Choice - Detoxify or Die!
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Let’s move on to more information about the Lymphatic system. Most people do not have a clue as to the existence of a Lymphatic System. The lymph system is a vital circulatory system and the body’s primary immune defense and waste eliminator system. It is critical to managing the elimination of toxins from our body. The lymphatic system transports proteins and immune system properties throughout the body. Twice as much fluid is contained within the lymphatic system than the blood. Additionally, bacteria, virus, parasites, and fungi can reside within that system. According to Dr. Anthony M. Fauci, MD of the NIH Allergy and Infectious Disease Control Center, “Up to ten times as much virus resides in the lymph system as in the blood. This condition results in providing a breeding ground for pathogenic material.” Lymph stasis leads to “inflammatory response: which will precede disease. Dr. Hans-Heinrich Reckeweg, MD reports from his book “Homotoxicology” that Inflammation plays a critical role in illness. It liquefies toxins in connective tissue and therefore allows for elimination of them from the body. Diseases are the result of the body’s struggle with toxins where it is unable to eliminate fluid and ultimately the cells will become stressed. He also reports that as long as the body eliminates toxins, it can maintain health or homeostasis, even if health is at an extreme “illness” level.
I am going to give you a few almost juvenile analogies to help you to understand more about this system. Let us begin by thinking about everything that makes up your physical body. Imagine that you and all of your connective tissues are a bath tub. The faucet is pouring life giving fluid into your tub. Ideally, the blood brings to all of your tissues oxygen, nutrients, hormones, and electricity. We know that there can be toxins, microbes, parasites, fungi, virus, etc. contained within the blood plasma, so let us envision that as the fluid moves up and down within the bath tub over time, we develop a “ring-around-the-tub”. This lining of filth around your tub can be termed: “connective tissue toxins”. It is no secret to most people that we absorb toxic properties into our body from the food, water, air, medications, etc. Some may even attempt to free their bodies of these toxins with the use of colonics, herbal kits, intravenous chelation, etc., and at best, they may “dump” some “trash” from a specific area like the colon or an artery. At the worst, they may have only re-arranged their “trash” and may experience negative symptoms by these actions. Sometimes they feel much better and have accomplished positive results. I do applaud them for taking an active role in their health issues and urge them to continue doing so. Consequently, they may be misled into believing that they have “cleaned” their body as one would routinely give their house a “Spring Cleaning”.. I believe they may have begun the process to allow the body to dislodge trapped toxins, but in no way am I convinced that they have removed chronic toxic build-up from organs, glands, or connective tissues. At the very best, they have urged some toxins to move out through the bowel or urinary system and that is good, however what is not good and could be quite dangerous for the person is the belief that they have “cleaned their tub”. Through this self-actuated belief, they may neglect to do anything else until it is time to “Spring-Clean” once again. I wish cellular detoxification were this easy.
Let us move back to the bath tub scenario again. The drainage hole of the tub is like the venous part of the cardiovascular system. If the drainage is open, then carbon dioxide and trash should wash away from the tub. If the fluids within the connective tissue moves high enough within the tub, then the overflow hole (lymph vessels in the sub-cutis) can carry away excess fluid. Picture the faucet (blood flow) pouring quickly into the tub, the drainage hole (venous flow) is clogged; and the fluids that have moved upward to the overflow hole (lymph flow) which is also is clogged. One can see that they would begin pushing fluids, microbes, parasites, virus, fungi, trash, etc. to places that they never should have been allowed access to. Now we have a dilemma.
The second explanation that will enable you to understand the lymphatic system better is as follows: Think of a tube. Technically, the lymph moves through tubes to trash cans through tubes. (The trash cans are lymph nodes.) Flowing through this tube are valuable immune system properties; T-cells, B-cells, Leukocytes, Lymphocytes, etc. If the tube is clogged, then the immune system cannot move to the areas of the body that may have infection, inflammation, or disease. For this reason, if the lymph fluids cannot flow, nothing that you eat, drink, nor do with the body will be as efficient. Since you cannot physically see within the tube, let’s pretend we have removed the top half of that tube. Now we may look inside it like it is a ditch. Just like your ditch at the end of your yard, if we have had little rainfall, there will be minimal fluid flowing within the ditch. You can imagine stone formations in the bottom of the ditch. Another juvenile analogy, but we do all have rocks within our bodies. Some rocks are calcium-based, uric acid crystals, phosphoric acid, heavy metals, inorganic minerals, etc. Nonetheless, our ditch has rocks. Imagine the soil surrounding the ditch to be hard, dry, compacted soil. The next thing to envision is perhaps we have done something as simple as to eat a protein that we did not digest completely, consumed the “wrong” type of protein for our body, or maybe we have too many bacteria, virus, parasites, or fungi within the lymph system. All three of these scenarios can begin to change the polarity within the lymphatic fluids so that now instead of the components flowing therein holding more of a negative/negative effect; we start to see a positive/negative “drawing together” effect. This can cause you to have larger coagulates than will fit through the tubes. I term these coagulates; “Balls of Cheese”. Any of these three issues can now cause the body to look at the negative/positive “ball of cheese” and since the body is “smart” and wants to survive; it inquires as to what can be done to “dissolve” the “ball of cheese”. Thinking it may look and act like an “Alka Seltzer”; it begins to pool up fluid to attempt to “fix” the dilemma. In fact, this is why someone might pick up five to ten pounds of “fluids” overnight. Now back to the ditch-If you have started the fluids to rise within the ditch, it is not long before the hard dry compacted soil around the ditch begins to swell and become soggy, mushy, wet soil. As the fluids rise to the point of spilling over the ditch, we have begun to push things that were within the ditch up and over the edge. After a few days later, the “rain” subsides and the fluid moves back down into the ditch continuing the trickle over the stone formations there. Due to this whole process, now we have other things to think about. Looking outside of the ditch, we have pushed a few other items from within the ditch that are now “up top”. One thing may be a dead bird that had fallen into the ditch. As morbid as it seems, this is just an example that will allow you to see that we could have “critters” like bacteria, virus, parasites, or fungi, dead or alive, now trapped out of the ditch. We may have washed upward a candy bar wrapper that is now on top of the ditch. This is only another analogy to suggest that anything man-made may now be out of the ditch and trapped up top where it cannot flow away like sewage. The candy wrapper is just to make you realize that we have tens of thousands of man-made chemicals, colorings, petroleum products, heavy metals, medications, etc. now where they should not be. Perhaps upon inspection of the area above the ditch, we may even find that we have pushed one of the stones that were in the bottom of the ditch up and over the edge as well. All of these are only to give you a small glimpse of how toxins and trash get out of the lymphatic system and become trapped within the connective tissue. These are “Connective Tissue Trashes” that have now become part of you. The other big issue here is what had been hard, dry compacted soil is now swollen, mushy, wet. This is a small picture to show you how inflammation affects your body. Cells are meant to be “dry” and side by side where they can communicate, live, die, and replicate. Every time they are pushed apart with fluid, the “wet” cells can become stressed and mutate. This is why I believe that there is a pattern we need to realize here. Before cells mutate and possibly move on to becoming cancer cells; there will be a chronic inflammatory response. Before there is ever inflammation, there will be reduced movement of the lymphatic flow. Are you beginning to see why a properly flowing lymphatic system is imperative to have a healthy immune system? I have made it a personal goal of mine to urge the dead bird, the candy wrapper, and the stones back into the ditch, while also “milking and pushing” the fluids that have caused the sides of the ditch to be swollen, mushy soggy and wet, back into the ditch, all the while increasing the movement of the sewage that is flowing there to move it through and out of the body. This is what lymphatic drainage techniques can assist with. I use many different therapies to accomplish this feat. I work daily with the Light Beam Generator/ST 8 (www.lightbeamgenerator.com). I use mechanical devices to move fluid toward the watersheds. Additionally, I perform Manual Lymphatic Drainage techniques like: Vodder, Retrograde Flow, and my own techniques to “milk” and “squeeze” the lymph the directions they are to move.
Lymphatic System flow may or may not be helped by massage therapies. The lymph fluid is considered to react thixotrophically. The ground substance reacts to temperature and inertia. A simple story to give you a better understanding would be to think of jello. When first made, it is in liquid form. If allowed to sit and cool, it congeals or becomes thixotrophic. Get the congealed bowl of jello and shake it vigorously and it becomes liquefied again. Lymph fluid reacts better to movement with consistent pressure and warmth. Imagine two cars in your driveway. The one in the back is broken and will not run. You need to move it out of the way to get to the car that is usable. If you run and “bang” against the broken down car, probably the only thing that will move is your shoulder from its socket. If, however, you put the broken car in the neutral position and you lean on the car and push and lean and push, slowly, but surely the car will begin to move. I have found lymphatic fluid to be very similar. The use of inertia and warmth is needed to urge movement of the fluids. Deep tissue massage may do more harm than good and can cause thixotrophy if done too aggressively. Lymph movement is best left in the hands of those who are trained and experienced to do so.
The body is transporting over fifty percent of its protein to the body through this tube. Now you are beginning to see the importance of “complete protein digestion”. If you have proteins that have only been partially broken down, then they will trigger inflammation, allergic reaction, and due to the larger size, will block the flow of lymphatic fluid with all of its immune components. Another factor that one needs to be made aware of is that almost every living thing on this planet has some sort of protein in it. If one has bacteria, virus, parasites, fungi, etc. residing within the lymphatic system, then they may add to the stress on the lymphatic system. For this reason, sometimes the immune system is considered “stressed”. You can easily see that the battle between white blood cells and pathogens may be going on within the lymphatic system while the person’s health is in dire straits due to a common cold or flu.
If lymphatic fluid measures predominately alkaline and the components flowing within it hold mainly a negative charge, then the like-charged components should repel away from each other, just like two magnets of the same pole. If anything chemically, structurally, or psychologically begins to alter either the pH or Polarity of these fluids, then whatever is moving within those fluids starts to have an opposite pole magnetic “drawing toward each other effect”.. What should have been negative pushing against negative now becomes negative and positive and begins to “draw” toward the other, sometimes compacting together with other things within the lymphatic system, like bacteria, virus, fungi, and parasites, and the “trash” or “toxins” that may be floating around also. As the body becomes more and more “out-of-balance”, the positive/negative drawing effect tends to be a huge reason for metabolic stagnation which will lead to the inflammatory response, ultimately causing swelling, allergic reaction, pain, or disease. A properly functioning lymphatic system retains the integrity of the connective tissues. In fact, when one has inflammation, there is a liquefaction of connective tissues. For this reason there are numerous connective tissue disorders like fibromyalgia and scleroderma.
The third fact about the lymphatic system that one should be made aware of is “how the lymph moves” within the body. It flows from the bottom of the foot to the top of the foot, to the ankle, to the knee, to the inguinal nodes (crease of the legs) continuing upward till it ends under the collarbone at the right lymphatic duct and left lymphatic duct (under the collar bones). Think of those two spots as the basement plumbing for a two story house. If the plumbing is clogged in the basement, it will not do any good to “flush” a toilet on the first floor. One must enable the end of the lymphatic system pathway to clear and flow before attempting blocked “plumbing” in the lower body. The reasons for the improper function and flow of the lymphatic system can be numerous: emotional (stress) issues, environmental (air/water) pollution, work environment, food additives, surgery, accidents, medication, dehydration, shallow breathing, improper digestion, too much or the wrong kind of protein, agglutination, etc.
The fourth and final point I will make with this article is concerning our youthful appearance and weight control. Did you know in America at this stage over 60% of the adult population is considered obese or overweight? I believe this is a low estimate and see the number rising at epidemic levels. The lymphatic system plays a major role in anti-aging and youthful looks and controlling weight.. Dr. Alexis Carrel, MD, recipient of the Nobel Prize in 1912 demonstrated the importance of lymphatic milieu in extending the life of cells. He was able to keep the cells of a chicken heart alive and well for over ten years. He did this by changing the lymph milieu or fluid every two days. This supplied the chicken heart cells with protein and valuable immune system support, while removing toxins from the cellular environment. This was astounding considering a live chicken has a life span of only 4-5 years. This is proof that we can extend the quality of our lives with a properly functioning lymphatic system. In 1936, Dr. Emil Vodder stated: “If the milieu (lymph) and cell activity stagnate, then cells will degenerate, age and die...” “If the milieu is constantly renewed, then life flourishes and cells divide. The wrinkled and tired skin can regenerate itself; it becomes fresh and elastic and the tired, worn out appearances in the face disappears…” We all want to retain our youthful appearance. No one wants to be “FAT”! Dr. Coutland Reeves ND, CDT has coined the term “lymph fatties”. “The difference between a thin person and a person who retains water is that the thin person has a properly functioning plumbing system, while the person retaining fluid has a plumbing (lymphatic) system that is not operating at maximum capacity. In reality there is no such thing as a “FAT” person. There is only a person who retains water.” I personally believe this to be absolutely true and have many case histories of clients who began to drop weight only after removing lymphatic system stress, regardless of their life long diet schedules. Thin people also have to be concerned about lymph blockages. Although smaller in size, they show signs of protein build up in the form of cellulite. They may also have coagulates termed “ beadies” that may be felt upon palpation of the commonly blocked lymph sites.
To make it simple, my opinion is that before major disease occurs, there will be a chronic inflammatory response. Before inflammation or allergy happens, there will be “stress” to the lymphatic system. Lymph stasis is comparable to septic lines that are not flowing. Lymph nodes are like our trash cans at our home. We want to empty and clean them on a regular basis. If this does not happen, then the nodes fill up and spill over. You can imagine how congested the septic lines will become when this process continues. An improperly functioning lymphatic system will lead to connective tissue build up of toxins, inflammatory response and/or allergic reaction. Symptoms like the following can begin to creep up on us, sometimes without warning: Pain and Inflammation, Tissue Swelling from Acute Injury, Acne or other Skin Disorders, Lymph Congestion resultant in Breast or other Cancers, Migraine Headaches, or Prostate Enlargement, Obesity, etc.