NOTE: This is a must-have book for those interested in lymph health.
From “Your Key to Good Health”
To purchase this book, go to www.arebookstore.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_625
The Main Parts of the Lymphatic System are
- The lymph, a clear, watery-appearing fluid, originating in the connective tissue spaces of the body.
- Lymphatic Vessels or Capillaries route the fluid on its way to the heart. The two main Lymphatic Vessels are the THORACIC DUCT and the RIGHT THORACIC Duct.
- Lymph Nodes are bean-shaped structures scattered throughout the body, acting as purification and filtering centers.
- Peyer’s Patches are specialized collections of lymphoid tissue located in the small intestine, especially in the Ileum. This is an area where poisons can be absorbed into the system.
The Lymphatic Organs are: Tonsils, Thymus, Spleen, Liver, Appendix and Bone Marrow
PROBLEMS RELATED TO LYMPH FUNCTION
- Catarrh – Inflammation in the nasal and throat areas of the mucous membranes. They also exit in the stomach, intestines and in the head. This mucosity can cause irritation throughout the system.
- Sinusitis – These conditions are due to poor lymph circulation.
- Swellings – When an abnormally large amount o f fluid accumulates in the connective tissue or intercellular space, there is a condition known as EDEMA.
- Skin – This manifests as eczema, psoriasis, boils, blemishes, erysipelas (often caused by strep) and dry skin. NOTE: An excellent book is ONE CAUSE, MANY AILMENTS by Dr. John Pagano.
- Arthritis – Cayce stated that this was usually an attack upon the lymph system. There are 13 categories for arthritis, stemming from bacteria inflection to the aging process. (Reading 631-6)
- Cracking Joints – This is due to too little circulation in the lymph
- Knots – This is often seen as knots in the fingers and this was often attributed to the lymph but also too much acidity in the diet. Massaging with PEANUT OIL was the recommendation for this condition and arthritis.
- Joint Pain – Cayce said that this was due to a lack of lymph flow and toxin build up due to faulty eliminations.
- Constipation – Diet and Turkey Rhubarb are helpful here.
- Fevers – While not harmful, they are “an attempt of the lymph in its circulation to adjust itself.”
- Tumors, lumps, cysts and similar growths are related to the lymph and lymphatic congestion. NOTE: Scientists have discovered that wearing a bra too long each day congests the lymph and leads to breast cancer!
ORGANS AFFECTED BY LYMPH
- Problems with the eyes, mouth, nose, ears and the head area in general
- Throat – swelling of the glands in the neck is very common. A hot castor oil pack around the neck at night easily corrects this.
- Lungs – This confirms my association with the lymph and Mutable signs
- Stomach and Intestines – This can cause nausea, gas, inflammation and pain
- Kidneys and Bladder – This is the HEPATIC system, working with the heart and lungs.
APPLICATIONS FOR HEALTHY LYMPH
Internal Applications
- Saffron Tea – Steep it for 15-30 minutes and sip every day for up to 10 days and then lay off for a few days.
- Olive Oil – Taken internally, it is a lubricant and an anti-inflammatory for the intestinal tract.
- Cod Liver Oil – Do not take this if you are on heart medication! Even Dr. Oz recommends the flavored Cod Liver Oil.
- Cimex Lectularius – This is a homeopathic remedy to stimulate the lymph – don’t ask what it is!
- Colonics – Cleaning out the colon promotes the elimination of toxins.
NOTE: I prefer the Hulda Clarke Liver-Gall Bladder Cleanse. I have my own version of this on my Medical Forum. - Inhalants – Cayce recommended many but there is an inexpensive one, INSPIROL, in which you breathe the fumes from a tub.
- Deep Breathing Exercises – Shallow Breathing can raise the blood pressure.
- Glyco-Thymoline – This is a product that used to say on the box that it eliminated mucosity. Now it does not. Gargling with this and using it as a nose spray both alkalizes the system and eliminates mucus.
External Applications
- Massages, specifically the manual lymph drainage massage. This is an extremely gentle massage, stroking in the direction of the heart, massaging under the arms and over the stomach when bathing.
- Spinal Manipulation to stimulate the lymph and circulation.
- Castor Oil Packs – these are wonderful!
- EXERCISE: While all exercise stimulates the lymph, jumping on the rebounder is the best. If you do not have room for a rebounder, a jump-and-shake exercise works just as well. With feet slightly apart, you jump just a little and then shake the body. It is similar to dancing in African tribes that bob-and-shake type of dance.
The bounce and shake routine gets your heart pumping and your body moving so that your metabolism starts working. Follow the following steps to do the bounce and shake:
Standing with knees slightly bent, feet comfortably apart, bounce up and down easily without lifting heels off the ground
As you bounce, let your arms hang, relaxed, by your side. Shake your hands
Nod your head up and down in a comfortable range of motion, 2 to 4 inches
As you nod back and look up, breathe in through your nose to the count of 5, and then exhale to the count of 5 as you lower your head
During the first minute, breathe through your nose; During the second minute make a noise originating from the base of your throat – like snoring; Then breathe in through your nose, and out through puckered lips, as if blowing out a birthday candle.
Stop bouncing and shaking. Take a moment to feel the vibrations you have created throughout your body.
ATTENTION: The superficial lymphatic system is located in the sub-dermal layer just beneath the skin. It is continuous throughout the entire body — There are also deep lymphatic systems but by working on the superficial lymphatic system, you can affect drainage throughout the entire lymphatic system.
LYMPH GLANDS: Alternative Medicine Forum
Some of the important and mysterious parts of the body are the various glands. These select their required substances from which they synthesize new compounds. Upon the work of these secretions which the glands send forth into the body depends digestion, absorption and utilization of all food elements, and the very existence of cells. No physiological or mental activity is possible without them. In their absence the body and its activities would cease to be. Manifestly, the glands cannot pick their required elements from the blood unless their progenitors were previously taken in the foods eaten. The lymph vessels are fine tubes which accompany the blood vessels. They contain the lymph, a colorless, alkaline fluid, partly derived from the blood, partly from the juices of the partaken foods.
To the lymph tubes belong the lymph glands, which are distributed over the whole system, having been given the task of extracting poisonous substances from the lymph. The lymph travels through the whole body like the blood, gathers in larger and larger vessels, and finally flows into the large veins near the heart; here it mixes with the blood, passes through the kidneys and lungs, and finally enters the heart as fresh new blood. Cause: The more toxic the poisons and mucus materials taken into the system, the more often the glands accumulate this bad waste from the lymph system and we have glandular swellings over various parts of the body.
An impure blood stream, constipation and a generally toxic body condition cause the glands to swell up and become painful. These may be on the neck, under the armpits, groin, etc.
Rebuilding Glands:
Formula for rebuilding glands using sarsaparilla, licorice, ginseng and astragulus as found in the Adrenal Newsletter. [NL 2-3] NOTE: Cayce has a Formula 636 that is similar and recommended to be used with the change of the seasons.
What Can be Done for a Malfunctioning Thyroid? From a question to Dr. Christopher in his Newsletter. His Answer: “The thyroid, through the hormone thyroxine determines growth, controls body temperature, regulates the metabolism or the burning of food in the body and influences, to a great extent, mental and emotional balance.Also, it is of special importance for the proper functioning of the reproductive system. The inter-relationship between reproductive functions and thyroid functions is very complex and not entirely
understood, but it is known that various changes, especially in girls and women, are apt to cause changes in thyroid functions.
For instance, a slight enlargement of the thyroid gland is common at puberty, during pregnancy and menopause.
“When the thyroid gland is functioning properly, we are hardly aware of its existence. It stores practically all of the body’s supply of iodine, releases thyroxine into the blood stream at intervals and regulates all the bodily functions we have mentioned above. Disorders of the thyroid gland are apparently caused by two conditions:
- lack of sufficient iodine in the diet, so that the thyroid cannot obtain enough to manufacture thyroxine, or
- some disorder of the body which creates a demand for more thyroxine than the gland can manufacture.
Mullein Oil: We have had earaches in our family which resulted from congested lymph glands and colds. Although we treated the problem with garlic oil and B&B tincture, the problem did not clear up. By inserting oil of Mullein into the ear, however, we were able to stop the irritation in the ear as well as in the accompanying glands.
Alfalfa Helps Family Survive Concentration Camp
Alfalfa can be used as a food or a food supplement. It contains essential hormones and enzymes necessary to keep the pituitary and adrenal glands functioning. There is a story we have told at many lectures and classes about the family that was incarcerated in a concentration camp during the Nazi occupation of Europe. This particular family found the strength to carry them through to the end of the war when they were released. The key was an alfalfa plant growing in the corner of the compound, inside the fence.
Each member of the family secretly permitted themselves a few leaves of the plant every day… allowing the alfalfa plant to replenish its leaves throughout the long months. The family obtained the necessary nutriments from the plant. These nutriments were not provided by the inferior and scarce prison food. The family maintained their health while others around them dropped dead from malnutrition. [NL 3-1]
Dr. DAVID WILLIAMS
There is a complex circulatory system in the body whose function can mean health or disease for each of us. You may have heard the name of this system, but you might not know what it does or how it works. In fact you likely think I’m talking about the blood circulation system. But what I’m talking about is the other circulation system—the lymphatic system.
Most people have a fair understanding about the blood circulation system of the body, and many people have heard of the lymph nodes, but relatively few people know how significant the entire lymph system really is. In fact, our bodies have twice the amount of lymph as blood and there are twice as many lymphatic vessels as there are blood vessels.
The lymphatic system also includes our bone marrow, spleen, thymus gland, lymph nodes, tonsils, appendix, Peyer’s patches, and other organs in addition to the network of vessels that helps circulate critical body fluids.
The Second System Finishes the Job
As blood circulates through the arteries—then capillaries where it exchanges nutrients and hormones for waste products, and then into the veins—it leaks fluids. The lymph (a nearly clear liquid) does what the blood can’t do; it carries water, food, and oxygen to the cells. In turn, the cells produce proteins and waste products and then the lymph absorbs these products and carries them away. Any random bacteria that enter the body also find their way into this intercellular fluid. The fluid will return to the blood stream, but first, because it becomes contaminated with cell waste products, it must be cleaned. This is accomplished by filtering the lymph through the lymph nodes.
A Nod to the Nodes
At one time or another, everybody has felt congested nodes, especially in the neck, armpit, or groin. When these little glands, as they’re often called, are congested, they become swollen and tender. Toxins and poisons from something as simple as a cut finger can cause pain and swelling in the armpit nodes; an infected toe might cause the same type of feeling in the groin area nodes. One place where we almost always notice lymph nodes is in the neck. When you have a sore throat or sinus congestion, you might become alarmed if you suddenly find a lump in your neck. Usually it is nothing more than a hard-working, efficient lymph node.
It’s Heartless, So Help It! Although the lymph system has millions of vessels all over the body (just like the blood system) there is one big difference. It has no pump like the heart to keep it moving. Instead lymph is moved by breathing, walking, intestinal activity, and muscle action. As muscles tighten, lymph vessels are squeezed and the lymph is pushed through the system and through the filtering nodes on its way back to the veins and the heart.
If your lymph system becomes clogged, you have a problem, and the result might be any of a number of conditions—upper respiratory infection, sinus and ear infections, throat problems, colds, tonsillitis, or even bronchitis and pneumonia. Some other things that can be involved include recurrent low back ache, tennis elbow, sprained ankles, and even frequent nighttime urination.
Obviously, for good health, we need to keep our lymph system moving, so exercise is essential to make our muscles contract, the lymph vessels squeeze, and the fluid move. Something else you can do is find the reflex point that helps stimulate lymphatic drainage in the upper part of the body. It is located at the bottom part of the breast bone, or sternum. By vigorously rubbing this area for about two minutes, you can stimulate the lymph system.
We can also help lymph nodes drain by gently rubbing or milking them toward the heart. Working away from the heart will only irritate them, so be sure you work toward the heart. Use a lubricant (like one of the medicated rubs) and start under the jaw and milk down the throat on each side of the big muscle on both sides of the neck. Then, start at the base of the skull with your thumbs just behind the ears. Push under the skull, into the neck, with firm pressure slowly going toward the collar bone. Continue to do this, and each time move the thumbs closer together toward the spinal column. Doing this alone has relieved headaches and neck tension.
Another tip that will help the lymph system is to take both Vitamin C a natural source of vitamin A. I recommend 2000 mg of vitamin C and 5000 IU of vitamin A daily.
One other suggestion is an easy technique called “auxiliary traction.” It’s a 10-dollar word meaning armpit pull— exercise for your lymph system.
Now you know something about the lymph system and its workings. If you have any of the problems I mentioned, or if you begin to feel that familiar touch of sore throat, you can take action. You can also routinely help your lymphatic system by doing some of the procedures I’ve outlined on a regular basis. I know you’ll find these techniques invaluable for yourself and your family.
Lymphatic congestion or stagnation is a serious problem for many cancer patients. Undigested food, infectious material, dead cells, toxins, and other debris have to be carried off by the lymphatic system. Thickened and sluggish lymph results in swelling and discomfort.
Very few people understand the humble working of the lymphatic system. Basically, the lymphatic system consists of one-way channels into which excess fluids, called lymph, are absorbed. This fluid consists of waste materials and some white blood cells. It is not under pressure and only moves because of exercise or muscle contraction. Lymph moves towards the heart where it empties into veins. The two largest areas of lymph collection are just below the clavicles, areas that are often swollen or tender due to congestion in the lymphatic system. The left side carries more fluid than the right, explaining why so many people experience worse swelling on the left side.
Many patients suffered from congestion or conditions such as mastitis before developing cancer. The lymphatic system benefits from alkalization of the diet and improved digestion. Dietary improvement and lymphatic stimulation—massage and exercise—combined with herbs that aid lymphatic purification support the lymphatic system’s ability to carry off debris. As a general rule, there will be only minimal improvement in places such as the axilla or groin until the thoracic duct is freed of stagnation.
Move arms and legs, Rebounder for exercise, massage body in direction of heart.
NOTE: I had a lymph massage at the ARE clinic in Phoenix Arizona. It was totally different from the massages I have at the ARE clinic in Virginia Beach. Angie used a machine to keep the lymph ducts open. She really worked my lymph hard and I felt it immediately. I had developed an ear infection traveling by plane and, within 1 hour, the infection was GONE! I was advised to drink a lot of water before and after the lymph treatment as water stimulates and drains the lymph.
NOTES FROM A TRADITIONAL DOCTOR ON LYMPH:
LYMPHATIC HEALTH:
From Stanley Rockson, MD, who serves as both the chief of consultative cardiology and the director of the Stanford Center for Lymphatic and Venous Disorders at Stanford University School of Medicine: He described the lymphatic system as being like a crossroads between the circulatory and immune systems in that it is “responsible for communication within the area around the cell, for supporting the fluid environment surrounding cells and between tissues, and also for maintaining the volume of that fluid.”
The lymphatic system is unique because it consists of multiple and varied organs that work together to provide a supportive environment for cells. Specifically, the lymphatic system is composed of organs (the spleen, thymus and tonsils), tissues (nodes) and an intricate network of highly permeable capillaries through which lymph (a blend of proteins and fluids) flows throughout the body. Lymph contains white blood cells called lymphocytes. Like a team of well-trained maintenance workers, lymphocytes use antibodies to mop up interstitial fluid found between tissues and fluid leaked by blood vessels. Highly specialized lymph nodes located throughout the body, including clusters in the neck, armpits and groin, act as filtering stations along the network of lymphatic vessels.
In addition to flushing out waste products and microorganisms, the lymphatic system also helps maintain the body’s internal environment, including controlling immune traffic. “When the body perceives an invader, such as a virus, messages are sent via the lymph system to mobilize a response,” Dr. Rockson explained. “Antibodies produced within the lymph nodes are released to attack the virus. When it’s working well, we stay healthy — and if we’re sick, it helps us get healthy again.”
A number of conditions, including cancer, autoimmune diseases, chronic infections, diabetes and other metabolic issues can impair the lymphatic system, in which case special care is required. Otherwise, it’s not really all that difficult to keep things functioning smoothly — and good health and vitality are the rewards for doing so. Here’s Dr. Rockson’s advice on how best to keep the lymphatic system in optimal working order…
EXERCISE: While the cardiovascular system has the heart working on its behalf to pump blood throughout the body, the lymphatic system has no primary organ to circulate lymph, instead relying on the muscular contractions that accompany exercise and regular movement of the human body. Though I’d heard that rebound exercise (for instance, jumping rope or hopping on a trampoline) can be helpful in maintaining lymph health, Dr. Rockson told me that’s not necessary. In fact, he said, “jumping on a trampoline is no more effective than brisk walking. The key is to engage the muscles, joints and ligaments in regular exercise, which keeps lymph flowing through the body so it can carry out its job.”
NUTRITION: The lymphatic system is distributed throughout the entire body, which means that all components of a healthy lifestyle help it function well. This, of course, includes a healthful diet. Calling it “a basic anatomical function,” Dr. Rockwell told me that in healthy people the lymph system pretty much takes care of itself. He points out, however, that Flavonoids from fruits, vegetables and herbs, seem to have some “augmenting functions” related to the lymph system. Hydration is also important, as is doing all that you can to support proper digestion and enhance absorption of nutrients.
LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE MASSAGE: During a recent spa visit, I saw something called manual lymphatic drainage massage (MLD) offered on the menu, so I asked Dr. Rockson whether this is necessary or even helpful. The concept is that manual manipulation of nodes and skin encourages the fluid to circulate, helping the body dispose excess fluid and reduce edema (swelling). This can be helpful for people with lymphedema, but it is a specialized technique that requires medical knowledge, plus at least 200 hours of specific training. In fact, Dr. Rockwell cautioned, it can be harmful if performed incorrectly, especially for a person with a lymphatic disease, including lymphedema, among others. It’s not a good idea to try to perform lymphatic massage on yourself either, he said.
So, it turns out that the lymphatic system contributes much to our health, while requiring little in terms of special attention — consider it an extra benefit of good health habits that your lymph system functions better, too.
Source(s): Stanley Rockson, MD, FACP, FACC, is the Allan and Tina Neill Professor of Lymphatic Research and Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Some organization sent this link on the lymphatic system. It is basic and good so I will post the link here –https://scribeschool.net/lymphatic-system-info-for-scribes