The Importance of Lymph Flow in a Healthy Body

You always want your body to have a healthy balance of good nutrients coming in and waste going out. Every cell in our body releases metabolic waste products into, and takes up nutrients from, a surrounding solution called the extracellular fluid. Cellular nourishment and efficiency depend on how fast and how completely waste material is removed from this fluid. If energy blockages or blood stagnation prevent those toxins from leaving the system, there’s no room for more good nutrients to enter. And that’s what an unhealthy body feels like.

The lymphatic system, which is closely linked with the immune system, helps to clear the body of harmful metabolic waste products, foreign material and cell debris. But if there are too many accumulated toxins in the body, overwhelm the lymphatic system and affect lymph flow … which makes eliminating more of those toxins increasingly difficult. It’s a vicious cycle that can result in a range of health concerns including poor circulation, varicose veins, hormonal imbalances and enlargement of the heart and spleen. Those conditions then further slow blood circulation to and from the organs of the digestive system, which can stress the heart and raise of blood pressure. It’s a domino affect of a most unfortunate kind.

It all starts with having so many toxins in the system that the body isn’t able to clear itself out and do what it naturally wants to do.

What Causes Poor Lymph Flow & How Can You Prevent It?

There are many reasons a person could have a buildup of toxins in the body, ranging from a conscious choice such as poor eating habits to an unknown food allergy that’s having a toxic impact on the system to drinking unfiltered water over time from a source containing small amounts of chemicals. When those problem areas are not countered by positive activities and choices such as regular exercise, the toxins build up and begin to hurt the body. When that happens everything starts to become “high.” It could be high blood pressure or high cholesterol or high anxiety levels. And just as it took time for these toxins to accumulate to the point of health problems, it will take doing little things every day to get those toxins cleared out of the body:

• Drink good, alkalized water.
• Regularly exercise.
• Eat less acidic foods.
• Cut out junk and fast foods and eat healthy, well-balanced meals (local and organic when possible).
• Help your body relax and reduce stress (meditation, deep breathing, Qigong, yoga, peaceful walks — whatever you love that calms you).
• Get acupuncture, acupressure and cupping treatments for healthy energy flow and body functions

All of these things literally change your body chemistry and help things get moving in the right direction.

I have alkalized water available at Eastern Medical Center for patients to drink and feel the difference. The pH of the water in the waiting room is 8.0, which helps reduce the acidity in the body and retain good minerals. Water of pH level 9.0 and above is available on request.

In Part II of this post, I’ll talk about why acupuncture, acupressure and cupping are some of your most powerful resources for preventing and recovering from toxic buildup and lymphatic issues.