Your Lymphatic System

Your lymphatic system is one of the most important systems in the body, yet, until recently, one of the most overlooked.  It is responsible for keeping our bodies safe from disease and toxic substances, and, for regulating fluids to prevent swelling. If your lymphatic system were to stop recovering fluid, massive swelling would occur, and you would die within 24 hours!  If it were to stop doing immune surveillance, you would be susceptible to every virus, bacteria and cancer cell that entered your body.  In addition to fluid regulation and immune response, the lymphatic system is responsible for fat transport and absorption,  so it also plays a role in digestion.

 Even though scientists first identified the lymphatic system in the 1600’s, and manual techniques for moving the lymph were developed in the 1800’s, medical science is only beginning to understand the role that lymph plays in the health of the body. Research is being done on lymph in the brain, and connections to Alzheimers. New research is also showing that besides transporting fluid, lymph also carries information to tissues.

The lymphatic system is closely connected to the circulatory system.   Your heart pumps blood through the arteries, and is returned to the heart via two different pathways: the veins and the lymphatic system. About 4 liters of fluid is picked up per day by the lymphatic system. When blood reaches its capillaries, some its constituents leak out into what’s called the interstitium, which is a network of connective tissue and fluid-filled compartments surrounding all your tissues and organs.  The lymphatic system has its own capillaries which pick up excess fluid containing white blood cells, proteins, fats, minerals, gases, hormones, toxic debris, pathogens, bacteria, etc.   When fluid enters the capillaries, it is called lymph.  It is then transported through vessels into lymph nodes, which are like filtration centers. The nodes break down and destroy harmful substances, so they can be flushed out through the digestive organs, urinary tract, lungs and skin.   The lymph, once it has been purified, is returned to the heart and back into the blood circulation.   

Lymph vessels are present everywhere in the body (except a few places like parts of the eye and ear). Lymph capillaries are very fine, about the size of a human hair.   The lymphatics gradually increase in size before joining the veins behind the clavicle, returning blood and lymph to the heart.   Lymph nodes, which filter the lymph, are located in more specific places, like the neck, under the arms, groin, behind your knees, and abdomen.  About half of your lymph nodes are in the abdomen, and the vessels in the abdomen play a big role in transporting fats. 

Lymph capillaries are located right under the surface of your skin, and they have tiny fibers, called anchoring filaments, which are connected to surrounding tissue.  These filaments cause the capillaries to open by pulling on little ‘trapdoors’ located along the capillary.   When skin is stretched, the filaments pull the doors open and fluid can come in. This is why Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) uses such light pressure. If we go deeper, we are bypassing the system.   While the lymph vessels have their own muscles, they are not strong enough to keep the lymph moving.  The lymphatic system must also rely on external forces like movement, muscle contractions, breathing, and external compression. When the system is very sluggish, which can happen for a variety of reasons, including too much sitting and too many toxins in the system, MLD is very beneficial.