I've spoken with a number of clients recently about lymphatic drainage. There seems to be quite a bit of misinformation about this treatment, so I wanted to provide a few frequently asked questions and answers, backed with credible resources. I hope that this post will answer all your questions, but if you have any more, please feel free email me directly. A: "The blood and lymphatic systems are the two major circulatory systems in our body The lymphatic system is a linear network of lymphatic vessels and secondary lymphoid organs.
The lymphatic system is a blunt-ended linear system, in which tissue fluids, cells, and large extracellular molecules, collectively called lymph, are drained into the initial lymphatic capillary vessels that begin at the interstitial spaces of tissues and organs; are transported to thicker collecting lymphatics, which are embedded with multiple lymph nodes; and are eventually returned to the blood circulation through the thoracic or lymphatic ducts that join to the subclavian veins.
Any failure to effectively do so results in lymphedema, a chronic, disabling and disfiguring condition. That mechanical force on the lymph to "drain it. Put simply, the above quotes tell us that lymph is a fluid that flows throughout the body, like blood. Unlike blood, though, which is limited to arteries, veins and capillaries, lymph flows through "interstitial" spaces - that is, spaces in the body where nothing else is present.
Kind of the "empty spaces" our bodies are full of. The reason lymph flows freely this way is because it's function is to move any foreign matter from one area of the body where it may enter to lymph nodes, where potential dangers are mitigated.
For example, if you cut your ankle and dirt gets in to the cut, lymph is there to pull any dangerous substances to the lymph nodes, where it's cleaned and then circulated back throughout your body. A: "Detox" has become a bit of a buzzword lately, but the fact is, if there are "toxins" present in your body, they're filtered by your lungs, liver and kidneys.
