What is Lymph?
Lymph is the name given to the fluid (and it’s devris) that has been collected from your tissues within the interstitual space below the skin. and now travelling through your lymphatic system to lymph nodes (for filtering, cleaning and reconcentrating), then on to trunks (your territory’s meeting points) and ducts, (the end of the line and thoroughfare back to your venous / blood system) to begin the cycle of re-circulation and collection again.
So, if you consider, all the waste and disease your body is trying to remove, you can see how important this system would be to your health right!! I think it’s crazy that this system is not studied in great detail within a medical degree. It’s re-circulating disease!!! But I’ll save my rants for my blogs…
Our lymphatic system is a major body system that runs parallel to the blood circulatory system. It is the front line defence in fighting bodily infections, assisting the body to remove and transport metabolic waste, excess fluids, toxins, bacteria and viruses out of the tissues.
Here's how it works
Take a look inside the body to see what our lymphatic system looks like.
CREDIT: Prof. Neil Piller for video
It’s a 3 layer system. The top layer is in charge of cleaning up and removing through the multi facet branches just beneath the skin’s surface, transporting the clear fluid (lymph) and other cells and debris down through the 2nd layer (looks like a vertical trunk in the video) whilst also collecting more along the way. The 3rd muscle layer resides deep alongside your arteries and veins, contracting and pumping until it reaches it’s immuno response and processing stations (called lymph nodes). Once filtered, cleaned and re-concentrated it is delivered back to the venous system for re-circulation.
The above mentioned other cells and debris, includes unwanted proteins, minerals, fats, nutrients, damaged cells, cancer cells, unwanted bacteria & viruses, and infection fighting white blood cells (lymphocytes).
By maximising the pump action, will result in decongestion of fluid, whilst also removing the waste products and inflammation out of the tissues.
Better for our overall health and ability to fight disease!!