Maintaining Lymphatic Health

This photo is one I took of my good friend, Scott Carlson*, this past summer near Burlington, Iowa.



Scott is a phenomenal therapist, so we've had many health related conversations, including the Lymphatic System. And since it's close to spring detoxification time, I thought it would be good to write about this important subject.

While most people know about their Lymphatic System, here's a quick run through for those who don't, or want to know a bit more. Plus there's also some easy self help suggestions.

Glands, organs, and tissues involved: spleen, liver, bladder, kidneys, bone marrow, appendix, Peyers Patches in the large intestine, cysterna chyli, thymus, adenoids, tonsils, skin, and lots of lymphatic vessels, ducts, nodes & valves.

Associated meridians: Spleen, Liver, Large Intestine, Triple Warmers, Urinary Bladder, Kidney, Central, Governing, and Belt. (The Belt meridian is an "extraordinary one" that encircles the waist, from right to left, and works to facilitate the flow of energy from the lower to upper body.)

Little known item: the Lymphatic System is said to relate to allowing Divine Will (or whatever name you call the life force that animates matter on any level) to process things for us. The associated emotions are listed as joy and sorrow/grief.

Factoids: the Lymphatic System is connective tissue, drains towards mid abdomen, needs muscle movement to move properly through the body, filters as much blood as the liver, is slightly alkaline (ph 7.5), and plays a major role in immunity.

Many of the smaller, almost paper thin vessels, ducts, nodes, & valves cluster near, or around joints. Inactivity, continuous restriction/pressure, and/or chemistry imbalances can cause a whole host of symptoms. These can range from edema or lymphedema, to congestion, local or full body infections, and so on.

The Lymphatic System also plays a huge role in whether cancer metastasizes or not. If it isn't trapped & destroyed in lymph nodes ( especially under the arms), it can and does spread.

Things to help support the Lymphatic System: water (lymph fluid is mostly H2O), moderate exercise, proper rest, massage (especially Lymphatic Massage), Reiki** or other good energy work, a balanced diet, properly fitting clothing, skin brushing, and lymphatic pumping.

Supporting foods and herbs are: alkaline fruits, veggies, and grains (especially cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc., and millet, amaranth, & quinoa), pectin (found in apples & helps remove heavy toxins), fenugreek, sage, dandelion, marshmallow, and hibiscus.

Skin brushing is done with a natural bristle brush designed to exfoliate the skin & help remove toxins.*** It's done on dry skin, starting at the extremities (front, back & sides of the body) beginning with the feet & brush up the leg/s & towards the center of the torso, and ending at the mid abdomen. Then start with the hand/s, brush up the arm/s to shoulders. The chest is brushed from the breast bone towards the arm pits. The stomach and back are usually brushed in circles, from right to left.

Lymphatic pumping is a basically an armpit squeeze. One hand is placed with the thumb (tip towards top of shoulder) on the crease between the chest and arm. Place the fingertips (especially the middle fingertip) on the side of the chest, where a side seam would be. Simply squeeze the thumb & fingers towards each other several times.

This Lymphatic Pump can be done on one, or both armpits. However, it may be a ticklish or tender area, so remember to only use moderate pressure and not overdo. (Therapists can also do this on clients by using the fingertip pads of both hands & pumping towards the center of the armpit/axilla.)

* Scott Carlson can be found at: www.facebook.com (his profile pix is the awesome black knight & war horse)

** For a simple/anyone can do, yet effective REIKI treatment for the Lymphatic System, go to: www.ubereiki.com

*** skin brushes can be found in health food stores, online, spas & occasionally at discount stores & have an ergonomic handle for ease of use

Sources: www.wikipedia.org, www.emedicine.com, www.webmd.com, www.nih/nhl.gov, and www.howthingswork.com

This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, treat, or cure any known or unknown disease.

All rights reserved. All blogs and photos on this site are copyrighted, and may not be stored, retrieved, copied, or sold in any form without express permission.


The information contained on this site is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, treat, or cure. Nor is it intended to replace the advice of your primary care provider. No liability is assumed by the owner of this site, the author, or editor for the use or misuse of the information contained herein.

Vaccines - Part 4 - Side Effects

Vaccine Side Effects can be viewed as both "truth is stranger than fiction", and "urban legend".

Truth: All vaccine ingredients have known side effects, meaning they cause a "reaction" of some kind. This reaction is simply a chemical change in the body. Vaccines are designed to "stimulate* an immune system reaction", which basically stresses/forces the immune system to produce antibodies against a particular bacteria, virus, or toxin. Many places (schools, day care, employers, military, other countries, etc.) require vaccines, without exception, or whether you agree or disagree.

Legend: All vaccine ingredients are synthetic/toxic. While the majority of ingredients are manufactured, 10 - 50% of the vaccine is from natural sources (sugar, salt, water, etc.). A vaccine makes you immune to a dis-ease, or protects you forever. The reasons vaccines can't/don't are: changes in age, individual body chemistry, illnesses/medications, and new strains of organisms.

So how does a vaccine cause side effects? One, if the immune system is already low or stressed**, the mixed messages causes it to attack all the areas in the body where it senses danger. Two, 50 - 90% of the vaccine contains foreign/potentially deadly toxins, chemicals, and preservatives. Three, some people's immune systems may recognize individual vaccine ingredients, but not when they've been all mixed together.

The body produces "symptoms" (messages) to let us know things are not right. The body's innate intelligence not only displays a symptom where something entered the body, it can/does in other areas, as well. It does this either because that part of the body is already stressed, or the best place to get our attention.

The basic two part reason symptoms vary is: innate intelligence/unique body chemistry, and (approximately) the three days it takes the body to filter all the blood. During that time - depending on how well the liver and spleen works, anything can happen. Once the body has gone into overwhelm, it can also take any where from another three days to years to partially or completely recover, depending on other factors.

Side effects, therefore, can range from swelling, redness at site (or in the eyes, ears, nose, throat, armpits, groin, back of knees, or between fingers and toes), to death.

The most common side effects are: swelling, rashes, headaches, flu like symptoms, flare ups of other allergies, digestive disturbances, pain, mild case of actual dis-ease, and other drug/medication reactions.

Less frequent effects are: long term sensitivities, migraines, continued digestive disturbances or allergies (old or new), moderate case of dis-ease, and immune and/or respiratory problems.

Serious potentially life threatening are: no immunity to dis-ease, convulsions, seizures, shock, heart, lung, liver, or kidney failure, and death.

Any side effect can have the potential to range from simple to deadly. Just because you, or a family member/loved one did or didn't react one time, doesn't mean it'll be that way next time. See Vaccines - Part 5 - What You Can Do.

* "stimulate an immune reaction" is the medical phrase used to describe what a vaccine does
** 95 - 98% of the world's population falls in this category


Sources: www.wikipedia.org, www.webmd.com, and www.cdc.gov

All rights reserved. All blogs and photos on this site are copyrighted, and may not be stored, retrieved, copied, or sold in any form without express permission.


The information contained on this site is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, treat, or cure. Nor is it intended to replace the advice of your primary care provider. No liability is assumed by the owner of this site, the author, or editor, related to use or misuse of any information contained herein.

Vaccines - Part 1 - What They Are

A vaccine is a biological product used to stimulate an immune response. This means researchers and manufacturers take a substance that resembles a microorganism and mix it with other ingredients, so it can be swallowed, injected, applied, or inhaled into the body.

The initial substance can either be living or dead, natural or synthetic. Parts of it can be (and usually is) combined with something else, like other types of proteins or DNA, whether human, plant, or animal. The most common of these proteins/DNA are from horses, chickens, and ducks, and occasionally from beef or pork.

Other substances in the vaccine are designed to both provoke the immune system, as well as neutralize allergic responses. They also act as the carrier (the means to get it into the body), and, more importantly, as preservatives to prolong shelf life.

Vaccines have been used since the late 1700's, originally for smallpox, and are now designed for everything from measles and mumps, to cancer, and cocaine addictions.

Vaccines - Part 2 - Types of Vaccines, Part 3 - Ingredients, Part 4 - Side Effects, and Part 5 - What You Can Do.

All rights reserved. All blogs and photos on this site are copyrighted, and may not be stored, retrieved, copied, or sold in any form without express permission.

Sources: www.wikipedia.org, www.webmd.com, and www.cdc.gov.

The information contained on this site is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, treat, or cure. Nor is it intended to replace the advice of your primary care provider. No liability is assumed by the owner of this site, the author, or editor, related to use or misuse of any information contained herein.