YOU’LL DIE, If Your Lymph System Quits Working, So Let’s Learn About It In Simple Terms.
When was the last time you heard someone speak about lymph system health? People talk frequently about heart health, blood pressure, and oxygen circulation. They talk about digestive systems. They even talk about FINANCIAL health!
However, few seem to know what the lymphatic (lim-FAT-ik) system is or what it does to keep us healthy and alive. I’ll share some definitions and info from the experts. You might want to try suggestions at the end about how to keep it healthy
You Don’t Have to Be a Med Student to Get This!
The first definition is from the Cleveland Clinic.
“The lymphatic system is a network of tissues, vessels, and organs that work together to move a colorless, watery fluid called lymph back into your circulatory system (your bloodstream).”
Your lymphatic system, part of your immune system, 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.
What Does It Look Like?
Now, let’s see a picture showing where the lymphatic system is in your body. It is highly interactive with the illustrated organs, as well. As you will see later, the spleen is critical in these processes.
“The lymphatic or lymph system involves an extensive network of vessels that passes through almost all our tissues to allow for the movement of a fluid called lymph. Lymph circulates through the body in a similar way to blood.” ~ Medical News Today
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diagram_of_the_lymphatic_system_CRUK_041.svg
What Role Does the Spleen Play in the Lymphatic System?
We shall start by looking at the spleen and how it is situated between the stomach and kidney in the human body.
By https://www.scientificanimations.com – https://www.scientificanimations.com/wiki-images, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=91085787
It’s a Whole Network!
Kids’ Health supplies this quote.
The spleen is located in the upper left part of the belly under the ribcage. It helps protect the body by clearing worn-out red blood cells and other foreign bodies (such as germs) from the bloodstream…..the lymphatic system…is an extensive drainage network. (The system) works to keep body fluid levels in balance and to defend the body against infections….
The lymphatic system is a network of very small tubes (or vessels) that drain lymph fluid from all over the body. The major parts of the lymph tissue are located in the:
- bone marrow
- spleen
- thymus gland
- lymph nodes
- tonsils
The heart, lungs, intestines, liver, and skin also contain lymphatic tissue.
The Cleveland Clinic supplies a lot of interesting and important details. Click Here to learn more.
Let’s Get Personal!
https://www.scientificanimations.com, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
“Most of our lymph nodes are in clusters in the neck, armpit, and groin area. They’re also found along the lymphatic pathways in the chest, abdomen, and pelvis, where they filter the blood.”
When a person has an infection, germs collect in the lymph nodes. If the throat is infected, for example, the lymph nodes in the neck may swell. That’s why doctors check for swollen lymph nodes (sometimes called swollen “glands”) in the neck when someone has a sore throat. This is called lymphadenopathy.” ~ Kids Health.org
How Do You Know Whether You Need Medical Attention?
- The lymph vessels drain fluid from body tissues and send foreign material to the lymph nodes. Your body’s immune system is able to evaluate whether the material is dangerous to your health.
- In a healthy body that is not overwhelmed by disease or injury, the immune system has mechanisms to determine if each and every cell is healthy, needs repair, or is beyond repair and needs to be killed and expelled from the body.
- If you have an infection, the lymph nodes swell in response to a build-up of lymph fluid, bacteria, or other organisms and immune system cells.
- In addition to swelling because of infection elsewhere in the body, your lymph nodes can also become infected.
- If lymph nodes remain swollen, if they are hard and rubbery, and if there are other symptoms, you should see a doctor.
By the Way – What About Those Tonsils?
In the back of the mouth, there are (or should have been) tonsils. These produce lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, and antibodies. They come down from a ring forming the junction between the mouth and pharynx and enable them to protect against inhaled and swallowed foreign bodies.
Historically and unfortunately for many of us who are mature adults, in the past, physicians did not know the function and purpose of tonsils and were quick to remove them surgically, especially in cases in which children frequently got tonsilitis (inflammation) as depicted in this image. They, thereby, removed our first line of defense against disease. I am among those who remember having – for some incomprehensible reason – throat surgery as a child, and I got ice cream afterward for being a good girl.
Among other things, Healy can offer frequencies to your body that would have been those emitted by your tonsils, if you are one of the people who has had a tonsillectomy. That is a longer conversation than I can have here, but feel free to contact me with your questions. Just email me at MyGetWellGuru@gmail.com and put Inquiry re Lymph” in the subject line, so that yours will come to my attention quickly among the hundreds of emails I get.
Moving on….
How Else Can You Boost Your Lymphatic System and Overall Immune System Functioning?
This, of course, leads us to the dreaded phrase “Diet and Exercise.”
In addition:
- Avoid exposure to toxic chemicals like those in pesticides or cleaning products. These chemicals can build up in your system and make it harder for your body to filter waste.
- Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated so lymph can easily move throughout your body.
- Although any exercise is helpful for the lymphatic system, exercising underwater is especially helpful because the resistance from the water makes you work harder, thereby enhancing all physical components (muscles, tendons, etc.) as well as aerobics.
Much of this is obvious and has been discussed endlessly, so I won’t say more here, except to offer this link to WebMD for a comprehensive set of articles on the subject. Instead, we’re going to move from the physical to the metaphysical.
From the Physical to the Metaphysical
The Emotional Component
Listen to your body! For example, do you have an ache in the midriff? We’ve probably all heard the expression that, when people are angry, they need to “vent their spleen.” That refers to the fact that we hold emotions in the cells of our body, as well as in our energy fields.
Louise Hay 2008 by Heiko Antoni, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Famed healer and founder of Hay House, Louise Hay, correlated issues of the spleen with obsessions. When we are obsessed with things or situations, we find it is hard to release the associated tensions and let go. Louise has an affirmation for all such symptoms. the one for the spleen is, “I love and approve of myself. I trust the process of life to be there for me. I am safe. All is well.”
More broadly, as related to lymph problems, she says it is “a warning that the mind needs to be recentered on the essentials of life. Love and Joy.” She offers this affirmation. “I am now totally centered in the love and joy of being alive. I flow with life. Peace of mind is mind.”
To learn more about affirmations and/or to take one of my classes in which I teach about this subject, Click Here.
The Ayurvedic Approach
(In Brief)
Dr. Vasant Lad – Littldragon, CC BY-SA 3.0 …Wikimedia Commons
Dr. Vasant Lad, the author of Ayurveda, The Science of Self-Healing, also correlates physical symptoms with emotions. He says,
“Let us first deal with the emotional or psychological factors. Anger, fear, anxiety, nervousness, jealousy, possessiveness, and greed are common human emotions. Yet most people learn in childhood not to express these negative emotions. As a result, one begins at an early age to repress the natural expressions of these feelings. The science of Ayurveda teaches that the individual must release these emotions which, if they remain repressed, will cause imbalances resulting in disease-causing toxins.
The Ayurvedic technique for dealing with negativity is: observation and release. For example, when anger appears, one should be completely aware of it; watch this feeling as it unfolds from beginning to end. From this observation, one can learn about the nature of the anger and then let the anger go, release it. All negative emotions may be dealth with in this way.”
He then goes on to describe some physical techniques for purging the system to regain balance and health. Use the link I provided above to get his book on Amazon.
Focusing
The International Focusing Institute has a magnificent method for discovering hidden emotions, blockages, and tensions held in the body. It requires a bit more than the tool of merely observing and releasing, as it asks you to follow six steps which include describing the “felt sense” of the physical sensations you are experiencing and, literally, asking that sense questions. From the institute’s website, here is an overview of the Focusing technique.
“Focusing, a form of “felt-sensing,” is a practice of allowing our bodies to guide us to deeper self-knowledge and healing; it is also a powerful antidote to oppression and hate in chaotic times. The name “Focusing'” is not used in the conventional idea of focused attention. Rather, Gene Gendlin chose this word as a metaphor for the process of recognizing vague, subtle, or ephemeral somatic sensations that could gradually be brought into focus, as one might adjust a pair of binoculars to turn a blurry visual image into clear, recognizable objects. We usually capitalize the word “Focusing” in order to indicate that we mean it in this particular way.”
Because of the constraints of time and space, I’ll simply provide the link and recommend enthusiastically that you try it. Click Here to learn more.
Verbose? Who? Me?
Do I talk too much? Don’t answer that!
If you follow my posts, you know I talk too long about too much, and I don’t follow the rule of making only 3 – 5 simple points in a presentation.
Someone once said of me that, “if you ask her what time it is, she’ll tell you how to build a clock!”
So, in keeping with that reputation, I have much more information to share on how to acquire and maintain good lymphatic system health, but you’ll have to contact me to learn more.
One of those methods involves very little thought. Instead, using the aforementioned Healy, one aligns oneself with the frequencies the body needs, after a sensor has divined those needs and frequencies.
As always, you can learn more in a free initial chat with me via Zoom. Let me know if you’re interested, and I’ll demonstrate it to you.
Just email me at MyGetWellGuru@gmail.com and put Inquiry re Lymph” in the subject line, so that yours will come to my attention quickly among the hundreds of emails I get.
Thank you, and I look forward to your thoughts and questions!
DISCLAIMER: Neither I nor this website makes any claims about prevention, diagnosis, treatment, or cure for physical illnesses or symptoms. I am merely compiling information from recognized experts. This content is for informational and educational purposes and does not provide individual medical advice. Contact your health provider with any questions about your situation and any products you choose to use.
Let’s Get Well, Stay Well, and Live Well!
