Boost Your Immune System
with Lymphatic Massage
Did you know that something as simple as getting a lymphatic massage
can help you boost your immune function?
LYMPHATIC MASSAGE HELPS TO CLEAN OUT THE LYMPHATIC SYSTEM,
AND THIS IMPROVES OUR IMMUNE RESPONSE.
The immune system relies on the lymphatic system to get around. If our lymphatic system is backed up, important immune cells can’t get to where they need to go. Think of the lymphatic system like a freeway. In rush hour traffic it is very hard for emergency vehicles to get to where they are needed.
By contrast, if it is 3 AM and there is no traffic to speak of, emergency vehicles can reach their destination in a fraction of the time. This often means the difference between life and death for people needing that help.
In the body, having a clear lymphatic system means that immune cells can reach invading viruses, bacteria, and the like as soon as they are detected. If the immune system gets to these invaders fast enough, they don’t have a chance to multiply and make us sick. This is how regular lymphatic massage helps to keep us healthy – by keeping the “roads” clear so that our immune system can get to pathogens and destroy them before they make us sick.
Important!
Don’t get a Lymphatic Massage
if you are already sick.
Just because Lymphatic Massage helps increase your immunity doesn’t mean that getting a lymphatic massage will make you better if you are already sick. In fact, it will probably make you sicker.
What Lymphatic Massage does is get the lymph (fluid in the lymphatic system) moving better, and in a healthy person that is great. This fluid goes to the heart and becomes part of your bloodstream. This is the way that the lymphatic system works normally. When you are healthy, the waste in your lymph is not harmful when you put it back into the bloodstream. The liver breaks down those wastes and you are good to go.
When you are sick, or at any other time for that matter, the last thing you want to do is encourage bacteria and viruses to move into your bloodstream. Your lymphatic system needs time to break down those bacteria and viruses before they are moved out of the lymph nodes. Once they are broken down, they are not a problem. The body processes them just like it would any other waste.
What the Heck is the Lymphatic System, Anyway?
I’ve been throwing this term “lymphatic system” around, but most of us know very little about it. Let’s take a second and find out what it is and why it is so important to care for it.
Our lymphatic system is a secondary circulatory system in the body. The primary circulatory system is the cardiovascular system (heart, arteries, veins, and blood). We all learn about this one in the 10th grade, but we probably didn’t learn about its partner in crime – the Lymphatic System.
While the Lymphatic System is technically separate from the Cardiovascular System (the bloodstream), they work closely together.
The Circulatory System is like “Door Dash” for the cells. In order for our cells to get the nutrients we eat and the oxygen we breathe, the blood carries these things around like a delivery service.
Lymphatic System = Body’s Sewage System
Once the nutrients are delivered to the cells, they eat and “poop” – just like we do.
This “cell poop” then has to be carried away so that the cells are not surrounded by waste. This is the job of the lymphatic system. It’s like our body’s sewage system. Fluid around the cells is also carried away by the lymphatic system.
Just like our toilets can get backed up, our lymphatic system can get clogged up and not function well. This backup can be caused by lack of exercise, eating processed foods, taking medications, wearing tight clothing, exposure to toxins in our environment, etc.
LYMPHATIC SYSTEM = THE IMMUNE SYSTEM HIGHWAY & BATTLEGROUND
The Lymphatic System also serves as the immune system highway. When we get an infection, the immune system starts sending out tons of specialized cells to kill the infection and they use the lymphatic system to get to the areas where they are most needed.
If we are exposed to a bacteria or virus they get trapped in our lymph nodes. The lymph nodes are little filters scattered all over the body that strain the lymph fluid and catch these invaders. If your doctor has ever felt to see if your “glands” are swollen in your neck, he or she was feeling your lymph nodes. Large clusters of lymph nodes are also located in your armpits, groin, and around your intestines.
The lymph nodes serve as a battleground where the body fights off infection. When an invading organism like a bacteria gets caught in a lymph node, immune cells there send out messages that summon other immune cells to come wage war in the lymph nodes and kill the invader. This is why you get “swollen glands.” Your lymph nodes are teeming with bacteria and immune cells such as white blood cells that are there to kill them.
Getting There is Half the Battle
In order to reach the lymph nodes to do battle, the white blood cells and their friends have to jump on the Immune System Super Highway (the Lymphatic System). The problem arises when our lymphatic system is backed up. Our white blood cells take a very long time to reach the lymph nodes. Meanwhile the bacteria have had more time to reproduce and possibly spread.
This is why it is so important to keep your lymphatic system clear. It makes “smooth sailing” for our white blood cells to get to an area of concern and do their job. Lymphatic Massage clears out our lymph system and keeps it functioning optimally.
For even more detailed information, check out this video on the role of the Lymphatic System in Immunity.
What is Lymphatic Massage?
LYMPHATIC MASSAGE ISN’T A MASSAGE,
but it feels like one.
“Lymphatic Massage” is actually called Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) and is performed by a lymphatic therapist with very specialized training.
For true MLD you should seek out someone who has MLD Certification or who is a fully Certified Lymphedema Therapist. This means that going to your local chain massage place isn’t going to cut it. Usually you get a “light Swedish massage” that they call “Lymphatic Massage.” They are not the same thing.
Lymphatic Massage is a safe, painless, and effective way to get your lymph moving through your lymphatic system. It is a technique done with the hands directly on the skin. There is no oil or lotion used, and it is slow and repetitive.
There is a very specific sequence that is used to ensure that the lymph is cleared from one area of the body before beginning on the next. The technique is much lighter than any massage that you have ever received before, but it is a very powerful technique that affects every single organ of the body.