Maintaining a healthy lymphatic system (your body’s main immune system) is critical to restoring and preserving good health.
The lymphatic system receives and deals with the elimination of most internal waste material including:
- cellular, microbial and parasitic waste by-products
- chemical residue
- heavy metals (which may not be revealed depending on the test used)
- radiation
- poison and venom
So, the question often arises, “What’s the best and most effective way to move lymph?”
First things first: Let's first highlight the lymphatic system’s primary exit routes. It's through these pathways that lymph and the acidic waste content (mainly metabolic waste by-products from cells) that it's transporting will be expelled to the outside world.
These exit routes are:
- kidneys (urine; forming visible sediment)
- skin (sweating)
- colon (stool; dealing with its own lymphatic system)
To avoid enduring strong adverse healing crises, urinary tract “infections,” or overburdening the skin, it's important that these elimination channels are opened up prior to any deep detox or cleanse. This isn't to say that all major healing crises are entirely preventable, but the frequency and severity of such events can be lessened considerably.
Kidneys
In short, kidney function can supported and restored through a diet of fruits, vegetables, herbs and bovine glandulars that possess the corresponding nutrients and frequency resonance needed.
The kidneys must also receive the necessary neurological “electrical signals” from well-functioning adrenal glands (through neurotransmitters) for filtration to take place.
Popular kidney foods include:
- Asparagus root
- Beetroot
- Corn silk
- Dandelion greens
- Juniper berries
- Parsley
- Watermelon
See also the Urine Sediment page.
Ways to assess kidney function and health include:
- Blood pressure (diastolic/bottom number; always check both arms)
- Blood urea nitrogen*
- Creatinine*
- Iris analysis
- Sediment (or the lack thereof) in urine
*See Blood Test Reference Ranges page.
Skin
When the skin becomes congested at the subcutaneous level, various skin problems will begin to surface at the dermis (second layer) and epidermis (first layer; top of skin). Over time, a deep blue/dark ring (known as a scurf rim or skin ring) will form around the periphery of the iris of the eye. The larger the scurf rim, the greater the subcutaneous obstruction.
The skin will take on a greater burden when the kidneys don’t function optimally in terms of lymph filtration.
The ability of the body to induce a sweating – as needed – is determined by the state of health of your thyroid gland, as this gland presides over the regulation of body temperature based on input from the hypothalamus and pituitary (master) gland. Sweating is imperative for the skin to efficiently eliminate wastes; hence the significant benefit of sauna therapy.
Read the ‘Skin Relief & Burns’ PDF.
Thyroid enhancing foods include:
- Kelp, bladderwrack, and other seaweeds
- Eleuthero root
- Saw palmetto
Ways to assess thyroid function and health include:
- Ability (or the lack thereof) to sweat
- Basal body temperature (most accurate) (see the ‘Basal Body Temperature Study‘ PDF)
- Iris analysis
Also check the ‘ THYROID/PARATHYROID’ section of the Self-Assessment Health Questionnaire.
Colon (large intestines)
The colon deals primarily with digestive waste and draining its own lymphatic system.
In addition to compromised kidneys, most, if not all, people have some degree of poor intestinal tract health. There's an extensive history of the importance of colon health being stressed by healers, physicians and the like.
When the colon begins draining optimally, stools may contain mucus strings, foam, and/or sulfur (if there's bioaccumulated sulfur in the gastrointestinal tract it will appear yellow or orange). Impacted fecal matter, mucoid plaque, and parasites may also be ejected from the colon.
Read the ‘Bowel Care; Enemas; Colon Hydrotherapy’ PDF.
Moving Lymph
Energy is at the core of health and healing. It takes energy to turn on all the body’s systems, including those with primary and secondary involvement in the detoxification process, and it takes energy to activate the lymphatic system.
“Energy moves lymphatics.” ~ Dr. C. Samuel West, D.N., N.D., during the presentation: ‘Introduction to Lymphology‘
In terms of diet, raw fruits and non-hybrid herbs possess the highest electromagnetic properties of all foods; acid and sub-acid fruit and astringent herbs being the most conducive for moving the lymphatic system, only superseded by water fasting and dry fasting, when the proper preparations have been made prior to undertaking such fasts.
Certain fruits are commonly used for their astringent value and the detoxifying effects they have on the body, and, for this purpose, may often constitute the entirety of one’s diet for an extended period of time. Such fruits include:
- grapefruit (can be mixed with oranges)
- grapes (commonly used in cancer detoxification protocols) (optionally purchase and read Johanna Brandt’s ‘The Grape Cure‘)
- lemons/lime (lemonade fast or cleanse)
- oranges (can be mixed with grapefruit)
- watermelon (notably used for various kidney problems)
The above fruits are excellent for moving the lymphatic system.
Conservation of energy, through adequate rest and deep sleep, is also important to the healing process and giving the adrenal glands a well-deserved break. Rest is emphasized over physical activity in the initial stages of detoxification and especially until the kidneys begin filtering.
Apart from diet and herbs, there are various ways in which one can activate the lymphatic system, some of which are outlined below.
Breathwork
Breathwork
One of the simplest practices to try is controlled, proper breathing. It’s a wonderful, free, easy, and very important practice to make part of your life.
Although there are many different breathing techniques and breathing exercises, the crucial thing to know is that deep breathing or yawning – to the point of expanding your lungs to full capacity – not only induces full oxygen exchange (greater influx of oxygen and outflow of carbon dioxide) but also compresses the largest lymphatic vessel located in the chest of the body (i.e. “trunk of the tree”), known as the thoracic duct.
This relieves the pressure off of the lymphatic system’s one-way check valves (the valves prevent lymph fluid from flowing backwards), producing a vacuum effect within the lymphatic system that propels lymph fluid forward.
It also forces stagnant lymph fluid (from shallow breathing) in the thoracic duct to be propelled. This is ultimately why breathwork is so beneficial and why proper breathing is equally, if not more important than physical movement, if your intention is to activate your lymphatic system.
Deep breathing, to the degree that you can tolerate it, should be part of any health regimen or approach to healing.
Simple Breathing Technique
- Inhale through your nose for one count (tongue against the roof of your mouth)
- Hold for four counts
- Exhale through your teeth (creating a “SHH” sound) for two counts
A preferable ratio is one inhale to two exhales. The longer period of time it takes you to breathe in and out the better. For example: if you take four counts to breathe in, hold four counts and exhale eight counts.
Try using the above breathing technique for at least 1 week. You can do it in one of the following ways:
- Do 5 minutes of continuous deep breathing as instructed in the morning and at night.
- Do 10 repetitions of deep breathing as outlined above, 3 times a day.
Neurolymphatic Reflex Massage
An effective massage technique, which Dr. Morse explains and demonstrates in the following video:
Bouncing (incl. rebounding)
A popular practice in the exercise and natural health space, and was originally popularized by now deceased Dr. C. Samuel West, D.N., N.D., who founded the International Academy of Lymphology (I.A.L.).
Dr. Morse states that you should prioritize filtration of the lymphatic system through the kidneys, first, prior to commencing rebounding exercises. In other words, achieve filtration of lymph resulting in sediment in the urine before incorporating rebounding into your regimen.
Dr. West taught that bouncing should be done gently and properly (meaning it’s not just about jumping in whichever manner on any given trampoline, but that there's a correct and appropriate way to do it and that some trampolines are more beneficial to use than others). He coined one of these techniques the "Bio-Electric Gentle Bounce for Health".
A rebounder isn't required. You can also use:
- a backyard trampoline;
- a bounce back fitness chair; or
- sit and bounce on a yoga ball or on the edge of a bed.
The I.A.L’s recommendation is to “start with just 5-15 minutes several times a day or even as often as every hour until you experience relief of [health] symptoms.”
To learn the proper “lymphasizing” techniques (and much more), we recommended you purchase and read C. Samuel West’s book ‘The Golden Seven Plus One‘.
Miscellaneous Physical Activity
Includes gentle:
- Swimming (in non-chlorinated, non-fluoridated water)
- Stretching
- Creative movement and energy arts (such as dancing; qi gong; tai chi)
There's an almost infinite combination of ways to stimulate the lymphatic system systemically or in a localized area. Methods include:
- deep breathing (yawning included) (lymphologist, Jack Shields, M.D., discovered 35 years ago (1979) that deep breathing propelled lymph fluid much more effectively than muscular movement, when he photographed the flow of lymph fluid inside the body (lymphography) during an experiment);
- muscular movement (according to Jack Shields at the time, it does NOT activate the lymphatic system enough to keep you alive and healthy in the long run, as opposed to expanding the lungs through deep breathing);
- bouncing (such as proper rebounding on a quality trampoline, a yoga ball or the edge of one’s bed);
- tissue-manipulating techniques (massage, neurolymphatic reflex massage, stroking, compression of tissue (isometrics), stretching, percussion, vibratory techniques, contraction and relaxation, suction cups, etc.);
- energy
Energy encompasses raw foods (fruits and chlorophyll-rich, astringent greens and sprouts at the top), herbs, light/color therapy, negative electromagnetic polarity (such as from biomagnetic therapy), healing with the bio-electric energy generated by the cells (using the hands and fingertips; ‘the laying on of hands’), implanted electrodes, reiki, reflexology, tai chi, acupuncture, chi machines, and every other healing modality or product/device/machine that deals with energy.
All the above accomplish the same thing within the body at one level or another and, while some methods do work better than others, they all have their place depending on the circumstances surrounding the person in question, as well as personal preference.
We place strong emphasis on there being a “way out” for the lymphatic wastes once we begin our attempt at decongesting and moving the lymphatic system. This helps prevent adverse reactions such as urinary tract infections and, if at all possible, also to avert strong healing crises. This in itself can be a balance between cleaning out these organs (and/or glands) lymphatically as you try to strengthen them.
Energy conservation is the other side of the coin. Foods that digest quickly and demand little energy for metabolism, such as most fruit, along with liquid fasting and dry fasting (the latter being the deepest level of permitting the body to clean and heal itself) are the best ways of conserving energy that the body can use for detoxifying and regenerative purposes.
During Jack Shields’ lymphography experiment in 1979, he also discovered that walking didn’t make much difference in moving lymph fluid and that exercising (jogging) only improved lymph flow slightly. Dr. C. Samuel West was later noted for stating that walking (without deep breathing) only improved lymph circulation “enough to keep you alive-sick, but alive!” (‘The Golden Seven Plus One’ p. 145). This is why shallow breathers are in trouble, they'll compromise blood oxygenation and lymph circulation (thereby also elimination of toxic debris).
We may then understand that whether we walk, exercise, or engage any other form of muscular movement or tissue-compressing activities, apart from rebounding, these are all comparatively ineffective methods of activating the lymphatic vessels if not combined with deep diaphragmatic breathing.
Deep breathing single-handedly activates the lymphatics more effectively than anything else we can do. In terms of physical activity, proper bouncing – or rebounding – on a quality rebound device offers exceptional benefits for those who integrate this form of “lymphasizing” into their lives and combine it with deep breathing.
Bouncing on a quality rebound device provides, among a myriad of significant and health conducive effects (as expounded in a NASA Study), a way of compressing tissues (which pumps fluid out of the interstitial spaces) without added negative stress on the joints.
It conditions and tones all the cells of the body by generating a positive form of stress which each cell adapts to by becoming stronger, and it also massages the millions of one-way check valves that line the lymphatic vessels (these prevent lymph fluid from flowing backwards) to increase lymph circulation. This happens as a result of the pressure generated below the valves at the top of every bounce, causing the valves to open, propelling lymph fluid forward.
Apply all the above within the context of transition (meaning go slow and steady and don’t rush it) and progressively increasing the function of all elimination pathways, from the kidneys to the colon and skin. The lymphatic system is a slow-moving system (~1 1/3 tablespoon per minute), so it’s a process that requires patience.