WHY YOU SHOULD PAY (MORE) ATTENTION TO YOUR LYMPHATIC SYSTEM FROM NOW ON

There are three systems in the body that are responsible for transporting fluids. These are the arterial system, the venous system and the lymphatic system.

1. The arterial blood system brings oxygenated blood to the cells in the body.
2. The venous blood system transports deoxygenated blood back to the heart, which is then oxygenated through the lungs.
3. The lymphatic system is the only system that does not form a circulatory system. It transports the residual amount of tissue fluid via the heart into the bloodstream and clears the system of waste products. Your lymphatic system acts like a whole-body water filter.
   It’s easy to visualize by imagining an aquarium that has a supply and waste system. Within this system there are pipes through which dirty water is discharged. So the system ensures that no waste accumulates in the aquarium and the water stays clean.

You can get the same picture from a pool system. Here, however, the water is purified with chlorine. Nevertheless, even in such a system the water flows away.

You can apply the same principle to your body:
In our body there are about 5 liters of lymph fluid, which has a slightly milky and watery consistency. The task of the lymphatic system is to remove waste products and also to drain the tissues, which takes place mainly at night.

If the pipes in your body are clogged, then your system cannot remove the internal waste. Thus, waste accumulates and stresses the body, especially in the places where it should not be. Often these are the places where the lymph nodes are located. If the flow of fluid is disturbed in such places, then the lymph nodes swell because the fluid can no longer get anywhere there.

In the lymphatic system, lymph fluid is reduced from five liters to about two liters and then enters the bloodstream.
But it doesn’t connect directly with your blood. Before it does, it first flows through more than 700 lymph nodes. These lymph nodes are distributed within your body system. For example, you can find them on your neck, in your armpits and in the back of your knees.

At the end of the lymphatic system’s cleansing process, the waste is then excreted through the detoxification organs (liver, kidney, intestines, skin, tongue) or even disposed of or stored in your fat deposits. Yes, you read correctly: “waste” or toxins are also stored in your fat depots, among other places, and this is exactly why it is so important that we do not store too much fat in our bodies.

The better your lymph flows, the healthier you are. So if you regularly activate your lymph, you’ll feel a lot fitter and also mentally clearer. In this section, I’ll show you several ways to stimulate your lymph and encourage its flow.

Before I get to those points, I first need to explain one more feature of the lymph: As mentioned earlier, lymph has its own fluid system. So not only blood flows in our body, but also lymph fluid. Unlike blood, however, lymph fluid is not pumped. This means that its flow must be initiated from the outside. If it is not stimulated, it can lead to a congestion of the lymph, as described above.

You now have several ways to stimulate your lymph yourself.
The first option is physical exercise and sports. This is because it activates your muscle and joint pump. When muscles are tensed and relaxed, the lymphatic system is made to “pump.” The more you move, the more intensely the lymph fluid can flow.

Another way you can activate your lymph is through diaphragmatic breathing. I’ll show you how this form of breathing works here:

Babies, by the way, breathe automatically with their diaphragm. This is the natural and healthy way to breathe. In today’s society, hardly anyone can do this.

Why?

Because many people suffer from ever-increasing stress, and stress leads to shallow chest breathing. If you breathe shallowly for a long time, you put your body under more stress and start a vicious spiral. Therefore, it is important for everyone to return to diaphragmatic breathing.

Another particularly effective method of stimulating the lymph is lymphatic drainage, which I will introduce to you in the next chapter.

Manual lymphatic drainage (or lymphatic massage) was first described in 1843. The modern form of this lymphatic massage was developed by the Danish physician Dr. Emil Vodder about 50 years ago. He massaged swollen lymph nodes, which caused the swelling to go down and healing to be faster.

Nowadays, lymphatic drainage is sometimes offered by special physiotherapists. These stimulate the lymph with various pressure movements. Using special hand movements, they stimulate the stroke volume of the lymphangions and promote lymphatic drainage. This causes the lymph to empty more quickly and waste products to be flushed back out through the system.

Lymphatic drainage can help you with the following symptoms or pathological manifestations, among others:

• Headache
• Gout
• Arthrosis
• Tinnitus
• Diseases of the respiratory tract
• Water retention in legs, joints etc.
• Acne, impure skin
• Problems with fat loss
• Lipedema
• Nerve pain
• Migraine
• Rheumatic complaints
• Chronic intestinal inflammation

Now you know the important role of your lymph: it is the water filter of your body and flushes toxins out of your system.

It is important to know that you have to activate the lymph from the outside. Diaphragmatic breathing, physical exercise (especially muscle training), improved posture, and lymphatic massage all get your lymph flowing.

No matter which of these ways you activate your lymph, make sure you do it in at least one way. If you neglect it, it will have a negative impact on your health. Not only will waste not be able to leave your body, but you will also absorb nutrients at a reduced rate. And that’s just a small piece of the puzzle.

If you want to learn more about the lymph and are looking for specific exercises that stimulate it particularly well and thus really get your health, your energy level and your body in shape, then I can help you:
I’ll give you a free consultation on this – click on the link below.

I look forward to being able to advise you personally and together with you to raise your health, your performance and your physical well-being to the next level.

Michael Bachmann is a long-standing personal coach from Zurich (communicator FH) and specializes in leaders, entrepreneurs and top managers and their health concerns.

His specialization is based on a holistic approach, but includes in particular performance enhancement, success psychology, muscle building, fat loss and improved health. In addition, he is an experienced nutritionist. Here is his contact address: Coach Michael Personal Training, Hohlstrasse 506, 8048 Zurich (click here for Google Maps).