What is the Lymphatic System?
The lymphatic system or the lymph system is composed of vessels that span the entire body just like the cardiovascular system that drain fluid from tissues to the blood. This is also the means of transportation of lymphocytes which seek and destroy invaders such as viruses.
In essence this is the railway for the Immune System.
Since the Lymph and Cardiovascular systems work in tandem to bring in the good and remove the bad from our bodies, they have many junction points where they exchange waste with one another. The lymph system doesn’t have a heart like the cardiovascular system so it relies on its lymph nodes and muscles throughout the body to propel waste to the exit by way of muscular pump action. The nodes resemble the kidneys where each one filters the waste and returns what is necessary. Each node and vessels connected to it is pumped by muscle movement where each muscular contraction squeezes the node in order to move the lymph fluid in a one way path towards the outlet to the main blood vessels of the body in the neck region. This system allows for the body to circulate fluids throughout the body that replenishes what is necessary and removes potential pathogens.
Why is This Important?
Since the lymphatic system has branches of nodes in virtually every part of the body it is important to get regular exercise. Regular exercise and a balanced diet will help keep your lymph performing optimally. Without exercise one would see a backing up of waste material in the body since each node is ceasing to function. The less a node is pumped the less it functions and the more waste products build up within the node matrix. At the point of “node matrix hardening” there will be an overload which will lead to a spill over effect. It is my theory that this spill over effect is the cause of many chronic diseases present today. If we do a preliminary screening of the deaths caused by diseases to date we see the top five are Heart disease: 633,842; Cancer: 595,930; Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 155,041; Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 140,323; Alzheimer’s disease: 110,561; Diabetes: 79,5352. Of these, every single one would benefit from exercise which in turn moves the lymph.
Due to slow waste removal rates being out weighed by the rate at which waste enters, lymph blockage can be identified as one of the main reasons why we have diseases of these rates. In order to get back into balance you can follow these few steps.
• Move all your body parts in a physical activity every damn day!
• Eat less crap (crap= food/drinks laden with chemicals or things like fast food)
• Drink clean water
• Take a break from eating at least once a week.
In the next article I will outline how each of these diseases are affected by a sluggish lymph.