Episode 18: Understanding your Lymphatic System

Hi, I'm Dr. Tabitha, the functional gynecologist. I'm a board certified, OB, GYN and functional medicine physician. I've embraced the world of functional medicine and wellness through my own personal health journey, and I'm super excited to share my wisdom and unique perspective as it pertains to women's health. So if you're struggling with hormone imbalance, weight gain, period issues, anxiety, insomnia, you name it, then you've come to the right place. I want to be your functional gynecologist. So welcome. Hi friends. Today's episode is called Understanding your lymphatics system. This goes along with the previous podcast I did called Understanding your immune system. Like I always say, all of our systems are interconnected. They're working together to keep you healthy. They can't function independently. So even though I'm separating them for discussion sake, you'll see that our body systems are so interconnected they can't function without each other. I'm always talking about more than one system when I explain things. So our lymphatic system, it's a critical part of our immune system and it plays a vital role in protecting us from illness and disease causing inflammation. In other words, the lymphatic system is the body's inner drainage system. The network of vessels and lymph nodes carry fluids from tissues around your body into the blood and vice versa. The primary function of your lymphatic system is to protect the body against infection, bacteria and cancer cells, as well as to keep fluid levels in your body balanced. The lymphatic system is made up of a network of lymphoid organs, nodes, ducts, tissues, capillaries, and a network of lymphatic vessels. So here's the breakdown. Lymph vessels are much like blood vessels. They run throughout the body along our blood vessels to carry our lymph fluid. Our lymph fluid is a colorless flu comprised of infection and bacteria fighting white blood cells that run through the lymph vessels. The nodes are responsible for filtering infection and bacteria as well as working to activate the production of antibodies in the blood. Then we have some lymphoid organs like the thymus. That's a gland situated behind your breast plate and it's responsible for helping with T cell production, which is a type of white blood cell responsible for fighting bacteria and infection. The spleen is in the upper portion on the left side of your abdomen, under your ribs, and it's responsible for storing cells that work to filter the blood of infection and bacteria. The tonsils are located in the throat, and they fight off pathogens as they enter the body through our mouth and nose. And then there's lymphatic tissue. There's lymphatic tissue in our bowels, which produces cells that recognize pathogens as they come into our GI tract and help dest them. The bone marrow also makes tissue inside of our bones that produces defense cells that multiply and migrate to the blood to fight pathogens. So the lymphatic system works like your circulatory system, which circulates the blood via blood vessels. Except instead of carrying blood, the lymphatic vessels carry lymph fluid through your body. Lymph contains a number of white blood cells, like I mentioned, called lymphocytes. These work together to target and destro destroy damaged or abnormal cells in your body. So as your blood circulates around your body, fluid leaks out from the blood vessels into your body tissues. This fluid carries food to the cells, bathes the body tissues to form tissue fluid. The fluid then collects waste products, bacteria and damaged cells, as well as cancer cells if present, and this fluid drains into your lymph system. The lymph then flows through the vessels into the glands, which filter out any of that bacteria and damaged cells. Once filtered, the lymph leaves the glands and moves into larger lymphatic vessels to your thoracic duct at the base of your neck. Lymph is then released back into the bloodstream free of any harmful infection or bacteria. At least that's how it's supposed to function when you're in optimal health. This is what I was explaining in episode 17, understanding your immune system, when I said, it's like the cleaning lady going around cleaning everything in your house and then taking out the trash when she's done. That is what your lymphatic system is doing. Your lymphatic system also helps to maintain fluid balance within the body. The fluid that gets released from the blood vessels circulate throughout the body, enters the surrounding tissues. If it weren't for the drainage provided by the lymphatic system, this fluid would build up in your tissues and cause swelling in your body. That is seen, for example, in someone who has had their lymph nodes removed after breast cancer and they have lymphedema where their arm is very swollen. That is because their lymph system isn't draining their excess fluid anymore in that area. So. So the fluid loss is approximately two liters a day. That would cause dehydration. If your lymphatic system didn't take it from the tissues, clean it, and recirculate it back in your body. That's a lot of fluid. You may have even experienced a swollen lymph node or two before, which presents as a tender lump, usually in your neck or in your armpit. But then it goes away, back to its small, painless state soon after. This is caused by a lymph node becoming inflamed as it works to remove infection or bacteria. They're like the trash cans getting full that need to be emptied. In most cases, inflammation in the lymph nodes is nothing more than an indication that your lymphatic system is doing its job. However, prolonged inflammation can sometimes be a sign of something more serious. I'm sure you've heard of these common diseases affecting the lymphatic system, like lymphomas. These are a type of cancer that start in the lymph nodes that multiply to form tumors capable of spreading to other parts of the body. Hodgkin's disease is cancer of the lymphatic system. Tonsillitis is infection of your tonsils resulting in swelling that often leads to removal if you keep having it happen and they can't fight off infections for themselves. Edema, like I mentioned, is water retention from fluid buildup in the tissues that cause swelling. Lymphadenitis is an inflammation of the lymph nodes caused by infection to the tissue. Typically, we see that in your throat and then splenomegaly. That's an enlarged spleen caused by a viral infection that you get severe swelling and it can even rupture that we most commonly see with mono infections. You worry about your spleen rupturing. So there's many sign of lymphatic fatigue that point to congestion in our lymphatic system. Some of those symptoms are persistent bloating, usually in our extremities, like swelling in our fingers, brain fog, chronic sinus infections, digestive issues, chronic fatigue, getting sick, often with colds, feeling sore or stiff upon wakening, and cold hands and feet. So what can we do to reduce the risk of lymphatic fatigue? Okay, so I'm going to talk about six ways to boost your immune system by supporting healthy lymphatic system. We are going to talk about drinking water, exercise, reducing stress, dry brushing, our diet, and how we dress. So let's take a closer look at each of these. Okay. Water. We know it's the great life source. It's essential for proper lymph fluid movement in Our body, though without it, the lymph fluid in the body slows down, allowing waste and viruses etc to sit around in the body rather than being cleaned and flushed out. So everyone's need for water is different. It's based on your body composition and your activity. But a good rule of thumb is to make sure that your urine remains a light straw color, indicating proper hydration. And you should aim for drinking at least half of your body weight a day. So if you weigh 160 pounds, you should be drinking at least 80mls a day. If getting plain old water is hard for you, try adding lemons or oranges or berries or even some fresh mint to your glass to enhance the flavor. You you got to learn to love water, people. And I would prefer it be filtered so that we're not getting the heavy metals and fluoride and chloride buildup from those okay, so exercise. The lymphatic system relies heavily on the contraction of your muscles and your joints to help it operate and move waste through its system. So we always think about exercise is good for our heart and blood circulatory system, but it's just as important for our lymphatic system. So daily exercise is one of the most effective ways to stimulate lymphatic drainage. It increases lymph circulation to get rid of those waste products. It also encourages greater fluid intake. When you exercise right, you get thirsty and you drink more and that helps flush out those viruses and waste products. I don't know about you, but I want my system cleaning house regularly and getting all those potential illnesses out of my system. If your lymphatic system is overwhelmed like we are right now with influenza, COVID 19 and seasonal allergies, our system has to work overtime. And if we aren't helping it drain and empty, then it will clog up. That leads to diminished immunity, illnesses, fluid retention, pain, and even fatty deposits called lipomas. The best exercises to increase lymphatic drainage are running, jogging, walking, stretching, and yoga. But the most important, important thing, honestly, is just to get moving every day. Another amazing way to get your lymphatic system moving is through massage and myofascial release and lymphatic pumping and drainage by an osteopathic manipulative physician. Those are amazing at getting your lymphatic system moving. So number three, which I stressed last week, is the most important booster for immune health and is stress management or stress reduction. Reducing the amount of stress you carry should always be a priority. According to One source, between 75 and 90% of all doctors visits are due to problems related to stress. I completely agree. And if your lymphatic system isn't functioning properly, it's going to magnify these problems. So some good ways to reduce stress and optimize your lymphatic circulation are maintaining good posture. Open up that chest and abdomen so that your system can actually flow. Stretching regularly before and after you exercise. Doing deep breathing exercises actually helps your lymphatic system and reduce stress which we're going to go into in a minute. Yoga and Pilates are awesome as well. So let's look at some breathing exercises to help relieve our stress related congestion. So before you start with any breathing technique, it's essential to prepare yourself with a few relaxed breaths before and after. Start by doing just like 30 seconds at a time of nice relaxed breaths until you are ready to increase to longer increments of time. So the first type of breath work is called Ujjayi. It's spelled U J A Y I but it's Ujjayi. This breath is great for calming the mind and the nervous system. It's sometimes called the Ocean breath when used in yoga. Ujjayi is a diaphragmatic breath which first fills the lower belly, said to activate the first and second chakra, rises to the lower rib cage said to correspond to the third and fourth chakra, and finally moves into your upper chest and thr inhaling and exhaling through your nose. You're going to drag the breath along the back of your throat to create this hissing sound or the ocean sound. Try to make each inhale and exhale even and take each breath a little deeper than the last one as you feel comfortable. I really like that to bring down my stress level when I'm feeling overwhelmed. Another technique is called Bellows breath. This breath is great for refreshing and rejuvenating. So you're going to make fists, raise your hand up toward the sky. Inhale through your mouth and with each exhale you're going to bring your elbows down to your side and make a ha sound releasing from the bottom of your diaphragm. This is a powerful breath and it that's why it's rejuvenating. The third type is called a three part breath. This breath is great for anxiety, insomnia and stress relief. So you're going to place one hand on your chest and the other hand on your navel or belly button, inhale in your chest, then in your upper abdomen and finally through your belly. Slowly release the breath in the same way working backward from your belly, your upper abdomen and then your chest. These are all great ways to manage your physical and emotional stress. So later on when you have some alone time and you can practice these, I want you to come back to this, listen to me again and I'll walk you through it like I just did. Okay? So dry brushing is another great way to stimulate your lymphatic system. Dry brushing aids in the removal of toxins that have built up on your skin and involves using a coarse brush to gently be moved along the skin in the direction of the heart. So this technique boosts your lymph flow by stimulating sweat glands and supporting circulation below the skin. You'll want to look for a brush with natural fibers when you go shopping for it and just look online for natural dry brush for the skin. Once you have yours, I want you to try this method to get the smoothest, softest skin and set stimulate that lymphatic system. What you're going to do is start from your feet and brush in an upward motion, covering each section up of your leg with 10 long smooth strokes to activate your lymphatic system. It's recommended that all strokes along the body be guided toward your heart or center of your body. You're going to repeat this process with the arms by starting at your hands and moving up toward your shoulders, brushing each section 10 times. For the torso and underarms, you want to brush in a circular clockwise motion. And listen up. Brushing too hard can cause the skin to turn red or sting. Your strokes should be smooth and soft. If your dry brushing is uncomfortable, you're doing it too hard. And being mindful of your clothing is another important tip. So according to functional medicine experts, clothing that's tight fitting can reduce circulation throughout your body. Tight clothing can actually reduce and restrict the movement of the lymphatic system, thus preventing detoxification. And we all know this, right? The times that you take your sock off at the end of the day and you have an indentation in your leg that is your lymphatic system not functioning well. It's fine to wear tight fitting clothing on occasion, but limit these times and change into comfortable clothes when you get home or when you can. I don't know about you, but I love taking off my bra when I get home and I can definitely feel a difference when I'm wearing those constricted clothing items. So this working from home thing to avoid passing COVID 19 is going to be great for our lymphatic and immune systems. We're Getting a break from passing things on. We're getting to wear loose clothing while we work from home and get our lymphatic system draining. We have more time to exercise. Focus on the positives. Right, ladies? And lastly, I want you to focus on your diet because what you eat is always important, even for our lymphatic system. I definitely recommend eliminating these foods because they slow down your lymphatic system. Processed foods, sugary foods, bad fats and dairy. Instead, I want you to focus on eating these foods that I'm going to talk about. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, spices. So citrus fruits like lemons, oranges and grapefruit. They possess powerful enzymes and vitamin C that support digestion and proper immune function. Berries, especially cranberries, are rich in detoxifiers that cleanse the lymphatic system and also add to hydration, which is important. Important for that lymph movement. Like I was explaining, vegetables, especially your leafy greens. They help remove the waste products from our body and provide important nutritional support for immune cell production. They're full of vitamin A, C, K, iron, magnesium and the multiple B vitamins. And then seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia hemp, flaxseeds. These are full of omega 3 rich fatty acids which are great for lymph no flow. They help you also absorb your vitamins and nutrients. So you need healthy fats with your fruits and vegetables. That's why nuts and fruits go so well together. Spices like turmeric, ginger, cinnamon and black pepper also contain antioxidants that help your lymphatic and immune system. So if you think you've been needing to make food changes and make healthy eating a priority, now's the time. Okay, A few of my favorite websites for nutrient dense yummy recipes are eatingwell.com they have awesome smoothie recipes. Things like Roasted Cauliflower, Potato Curry Soup, Orange Sesame Salmon with Quinoa and Broccolini. Roasted Root Vegetables Over Lentils with Greens. And they have fun snack ideas like dried apples, mango date energy bars and sweet potato chips. Epicurious.com is another great website for awesome recipes. You should definitely try the recipe for turmeric milk. It's super good for you and delicious. I think Starbucks picked up on that and they're making it now too. So anyway, I hope you found this information helpful and inspiring. I want you to take action. I want you to go out and do these things I talked about. I want you to drink enough water, exercise and move your body every day. Reduce or at least actively manage that stress as best you can. Like I said try one of those breathing techniques when you're starting to feel overwhelmed. I want you to think about the clothes that you're wearing. Don't be afraid to wear loose, baggy clothing when you're chilling out. You don't have to wear the tight yoga pants all the time. Try dry brushing especially, especially before an Epsom salt bath. It gets those toxins out and it's just so amazing. And be mindful of what you're eating and putting in your body. Feed your body all the yummy, important nutrients it needs to function well. I will have the links to those websites I mentioned for the recipes in my show notes, so check those out. Okay, so stay positive and know that you got this. Let's make the most of it and come out better as individuals and as a community. I want to foster compassion, hope and get back to living a more balanced, healthy life. If you're enjoying the Functional Gynecologist podcast, I encourage you to hit the subscribe button. Share it with everyone you know and maybe even leave me a five star review that will guarantee I can help. Keep bringing this important information and keep supporting you women and let me know what topics you want me to cover. Send me your questions. I'd love to shout you out of my Question of the Week episodes that air every Friday. Now go show yourself some love and turn your lemons into lemonade. Peace. It.