As with many things to do with keeping a body healthy, maintaining mental health also requires making sure other systems of the body are kept healthy. If something is wrong or out of sync with one system it can filter down through the rest of the body. Many times the symptoms can indicate more than one underlying issue.
The lymphatic system is one of those bodily systems that is often overlooked by western physicians, but is recognized in Europe and the Far East for its impact on the health and development of illnesses in other bodily systems.
What is the Lymphatic System?
The lymphatic system is made up of a collection of 400 to 700 lymph nodes spread throughout the body, as well as organs and ducts. The largest organ in the lymphatic system is the spleen. The “lymph” is actually a clear fluid and “[y]ou have twice as much lymph fluid in your body as blood” (www.womentowomen.com). The role of the lymph fluid is to absorb toxins, bacteria and other negative things from the body. The lymph fluid consists of 96 per cent water, proteins, digested fats, hormones, and waste products.
Lymph tissue, of which lymph vessels and nodes are made, also generate and store white blood cells – the body’s immune response to infection. Other crucial lymph organs include bone marrow, tonsils, and thymus gland. “The largest concentration of lymph tissues in the body surrounds the intestines…and…actively separates desirable nutrients from undesirable pathogens, and helps mount a defense whenever needed” (www.womentowomen.com).
“As well as cleansing and detoxifying, the lymph system reclaims digested fats and proteins, the body’s source of energy, and adds them to the body’s circulation” (www.alive.com).
How the Lymphatic System Works
Each cell is coated in lymph fluid. The lymph fluid absorbs and drains away toxins, bacteria, infections through the circulatory system. As the fluid passes through each lymph node it is purified and given an immunological boost.
When the body is fighting off an infection, the lymph nodes will swell as they fill up with the offending bacteria and release white blood cells to help defend the body.
The collection of infections, bacteria, etc, is moved through the body through the system of lymph nodes and into the bloodstream just under the collarbone. Unlike the circulatory system that relies on the heart to pump blood through the lungs and out to the rest of the body, the lymphatic system relies completely on bodily movement, particularly unrestricted movement, to keep the fluid going. If the movement of the lymph fluid is blocked or impeded swelling, joint pain, nausea, and fatigue can result.
What Happens if the System Backs Up?
Clearly, the lymphatic system is a lot more integral to our health than many of us ever imagined. From the above description, it is easy to see how intricate this system is and how, if something were to go wrong, the other systems of the body would suffer. And indeed they do.
Western medicine hasn’t really come to acknowledge the importance of the lymphatic system as much as doctors in Europe and the Far East, where it is revered for its role in preventing illness.
A blocked lymphatic system can wreak havoc on the immune, digestive, detoxification and nervous systems. Many western doctors still only look at the lymphatic system when cancer develops either in the lymph nodes themselves, or in other areas of the body and metastasizes through the lymph vessels (www.womentowomen.com).
Since lymph fluid surrounds every cell in your body, it is easy to see that at time the lymphatic system can get backed up either from too much bacteria to fight at once, or not enough physical movement of the body to keep the lymph fluid flowing and cleansing out toxins.
The symptoms of such a back up are also often indicators of other illnesses, including fatigue, inability to concentrate or focus, mood swings, and depression, which can in turn affect how we view ourselves and the world and people around us. Other symptoms include:
- worsened food sensitivities and allergies
- frequent cold and flu infections
- joint pain
- headaches and migraines
- menstrual cramps
- arthritis
- fibrocystic breasts
- breast tenderness
- sinusitis
- loss of appetite and other GI issues
- muscle cramping
- swelling of tissues
- parasites
- skin breakouts & acne
- cellulite
Obviously, for the sake of our bodies’ health, we need to be more informed about how these systems work together, how to keep them working optimally, and what signs to look for that something is not quite right.
In the next article, we will examine ways to keep our lymphatic systems healthy…and, consequently, the rest of our body, and our minds.
Sources: www.womentowomen.com; http://organizedwisdom.com; www.alive.com; www.healingdaily.com; www.vitalitymagazine.com; www.lymphomation.org