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The lymphatic system is exposed to a myriad of toxins daily, including cigarette smoke, pollution, exhaust fumes, prescription drug components, food additives, chemicals, and pesticides. On top of all this, most of us eat poorly, and therefore lack the nutrients needed for energy. If we don’t get the essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals we need into our system, at some point, the system will collapse. Symptoms of a sluggish lymphatic system include, but are not limited to:
Swollen fingers
Pain and stiffness in the morning
Exhaustion
Constipation
Legs that are too white
Breast swelling or pain with each menstrual cycle
Dry or itchy skin
Brain fog
Cold hands and feet, poor circulation
Cellulite
Here are some simple tips to get your lymph flowing again, based on Ayurvedic science:
1. Exercise! What pumps lymph? Remember, the lymphatic system has no heart. It is the movement of muscles that stimulates the valves in the veins which in turn help push the lymph upward toward the heart. Anything that creates moments of zero gravity also helps move the lymph (think trampolines or roller coasters)! The trampoline, also called a rebounder, creates zero gravity and helps the lymph move upward toward the heart and into the axillary lymph nodes. This usually requires muscular effort that cancels out gravity. With a few seconds of zero gravity, the lymph returns much more easily.
2. Inversions also help move lymph from the legs back up toward the heart. What benefit do exercise + inversions bring you? YOGA. Yoga is known to detoxify and rejuvenate many sluggish lymphatic systems. Hot yoga also helps speed up the process through sweating. Sweating is a powerful detoxifier!
3. Deep diaphragmatic breathing exerts positive and negative pressures that push the lymph into the lymphatic channels. Our bodies have much more lymph than blood, so the pranayama breathing of yoga, as well as slow, deep breaths throughout the day, help filter the lymph and move it properly. Again, yoga is excellent for lymphatic health.
4. Diet is imperative. Make sure to eliminate canned and processed foods. Avoid GMOs and pesticides. Eat whole foods and focus on a plant-based diet: fruits, vegetables, nuts and spices. Choose your menus according to the seasons, i.e., rather hot (steamed) in winter, without neglecting raw, and cooling foods in summer. Lymph thickens dangerously like tomato sauce once it is too loaded with toxins. Eat raw fruits separately on an empty stomach. In Ayurvedic medicine, fruits are known for their lymph cleansing properties. Remember, it is much easier to prevent disease than to cure it afterwards.
5. Dry brush in the morning. Use a natural bristle brush and brush toward your heart and the top of the lymphatic duct. The lymph flows and cleanses itself in this direction. Brush upwards on your arms and legs in a circular motion.
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