The lymphatic system is part of the body’s immune system, helping to protect against infections and disease. It’s other jobs are to maintain levels of fluid in the body, to absorb digestive tract fats and to remove cellular waste.
The lymphatic system is a network of tissues, vessels and organs that work together to move the fluid called lymph back into your bloodstream.
Plasma delivers nutrients to the cells and tissues, then it receives any of their waste products before being returned to the circulation. Some of this fluid seeps through into the body’s tissues and is collected by the lymphatic system. It is then moved along until it can be returned to the blood stream. This is how it maintains fluid levels in the body.
There are a number of parts of the lymphatic system. These include the lymphatic fluid, the extra fluid that drains from cells and tissues plus other substances including proteins, minerals, fats, nutrients, damaged cells and foreign invaders. Lymph also transports lymphocytes that are white blood cells.
Lymph nodes are glands that monitor and cleanse the lymph as it filters through them. They produce and store lymphocytes and filter out damaged and cancer cells. Some locations of these include the armpit, groin and neck.
Lymphatic vessels are the capillaries and tubes that transport lymph away from the tissues. They collect and filter lymph as it continues to move towards the collecting ducts. These collecting ducts are where the lymph is emptied into before being returned to the blood stream. This helps maintain normal blood volume, blood pressure and prevents oedema or swelling around the tissues from a build up of fluid.
It is really important to ensure our lymphatic system is healthy. It is like a garbage system for our body. Just like if we don’t empty the bins for a while, the garbage starts to build up. Same with our lymphatic system. Unlike our circulatory system, that has it’s own pump, the heart, our lymphatic system doesn’t and it relies on our movement to keep it moving. So to keep it healthy, we need to move our body. Eat a range of colourful wholefoods, stay well hydrated to keep the lymph moving freely, avoid toxic chemicals from cleaning, personal care and make up products.
I like to teach my clients about the lymphatic system as a bucket system. We need to empty one bucket of fluid before the next one is emptied into it. I also love to use the Chelsey Jean Lymphatic Gloves to move my lymphatic system. They are available for purchase here. Focusing on nice deep breathing is also a great way to move the lymphatic system.