#42- What exactly is the Lymphatic System? Learn about what it is and how we can optimize it.

This is a piggyback episode to #41.
I go in a little deeper on how the lymphatic system functions and what exactly it does for our body.
How can we best optimize this very important system in our body? There is so much to learn on the lymphatic system. This is just the tip of the iceberg. I hope this episode sparks some curiosity for you to do more research. It is a vital part of keeping our body healthy.
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Let's Move that lymph!

Transcript

 Hello. Hello my friends. I am Jenny Lynn and this is my show. I am a wife and mom of two crazy kiddos. I have struggled many years with chronic illness and pain. I have a passion to find out as much as I can while navigating through life, not always feeling 100%. I have realized that having a positive mindset is a must in today's crazy.

You deserve to live this life showing up as your best self, and I can help you get there. If you've been feeling lost after becoming a mom, you're not alone. I know that incredible woman is still in there just begging to be found. I am here to create a safe, non-judgmental space for like-minded women.

Let's empower each other. I am so happy you're here. Now let's jump into the 1 23 Mom Squad podcast with. Jenny Lynn.



Hello, my beautiful, healthy friends. And welcome back to another episode of 1, 2, 3 moms squad. So last week I spoke a tad bit about the lymphatic system and I really kind of wanted to. Kind of just explore that a little bit more. I realized the, that the lymphatic system is, is just this massive, massive thing that we don't talk about enough and that we all don't know enough about. And as I get more and more. 

Into learning about our body. And how it works. I am absolutely fascinated by this lymphatic system. It is so important that we all know a little bit about how it works and  what it actually is and what it does for our body. I had a sack of lymph nodes removed from. My left armpit. A few years back and  didn't really know much about the lymph nodes. You know, you always hear them, like if somebody has cancer or you ask, oh, well, did it spread to the lymph nodes? Yes or no, not yet. But what is a lymph node? What is the lymphatic system? We really need to know how it functions and how important it is for our ultimate health. , 

And I didn't even know that the lymph nodes were like a sack. I don't know. I think of now. As they described it to me, like, like a garlic clove, you know how, when you get a garlic clove, and then there's like all these little, other little pieces of the actual clove within the big chunk of garlic. 

That's how you can think of like a lymph node. So I am missing. A lymph node. Underneath my left armpit. I had originally started feeling some pain and tenderness in my left breast and it wouldn't go away and it, it was there throughout my entire cycle. So it didn't just, you know, it didn't just hurt. 

The week before and during my cycle, it just continued to hurt. It just felt like a big bruise. And I didn't, I can't say that I really felt like something was enlarged because it actually felt like it was in my breast and not under my arm. So, what I've been learning now is that when you do feel a breast tenderness, what it does is when you have something that is clogged or not moving correctly, it will move itself to this, to the closest lymph node. 

Where that problem is. So like if you have strep throat, That lymph node that is closest to where your throat is. That's the closest one that is going to feel inflamed. . So if there's an issue going on in the body, , the lymph node SAC that is closest to that problem area. That's what will get swollen. 

So what ultimately is the function of the lymphatic system? Well, It transports lymph. So lymph is a fluid that contains infection, fighting white blood cells throughout your entire body. And it consists of lymphatic vessels, which are similar to the veins and capillaries of our circulatory system. 

, I'm reading some of this research because I really want to make sure that I get it right. And that you guys get the correct information. And I just, I'm gonna put in a little bit of commentary here and there, but I really just want you all to understand how important our lymphatic system is to our overall health. 

So the lymph nodes. There are small bean shaped organs and they do support our immune system. They trap foreign agents and they kill them. But the main function of the lymph node is to fight the infection. They do so by filtering the bacteria or viruses or other disease causing agents circulating in the lymphatic system. 

 The lymphatic system, it does work with our cardiovascular system. To return the body fluids to the blood. 

 The organs that are included in the lymphatic system include the tonsils. Thymus gland and the spleen.   One, should you be worried about lymph nodes? So if your lymph nodes are red, or like I said, they're painful to the touch. Or swollen. 

If they remain in large after two to three weeks of an illness, then you should definitely go and see your doctor for that. They were most likely do a CT or a ultrasound to make sure that they are within the right size. 

if a lymph node appears to be painful or swollen. At that means that there is an overproduction of the white blood cells, which is also called lymphocytes. Another cause of swollen lymph nodes, which can trigger pain is infection and inflammation of the glands. 

 Most likely if you have a tooth infection and abscess those are responsible for the lymph nodes underneath your jaw So when it comes to lymph nodes how big does it mean with it's bad right So when it comes to the lymph nodes Like lymphoma it depends really on where the lymph node is so on a ct scan some nodes are over eight millimeters and that's considered abnormal but some need to be over 10 millimeters If you have more than one area Of lymph nodes that are swollen That suggests that you might have a problem throughout your whole body it could be something like chickenpox, hiv or a cancer such as leukemia or lymphoma Your lymph nodes are so important they play a vital role in your body's ability to fight off infections they function as the filters that do trap the viruses and bacteria before they can get into other parts of our body  When your body is healthy the lymph nodes will shrink back to normal size and then your body will be healthy again However not all infections can trigger swollen lymph nodes there are times that your body might have an infection or inflammation but your lymph nodes are not affected In some cases they can also be a sign of a more serious medical condition 

what Oregon's are part of our lymph system. The bone marrow, the spleen. I mentioned the thymus gland. Lymph nodes and then near our tonsils. 

I mentioned it last week's podcast. Well, how do we start moving our lymph? If our lymph gets stagnant, then it just sits there and collects over time. And then that can cause a blockage. And then that's what can cause. Uh, other illnesses throughout our body. So it is very important that we keep this lymph fluid moving. So our body is most optimized and can perform as healthy as we are supposed to be performing. So how do we do that?  How do we stimulate our lymph system? 

So. Diaphragmatic breathing. It's the easiest and freeway to stimulate your lymphatic system. Big big belly breaths. If you are still trying to take a, when people say, take a deep breath, and if you think that you're lifting your shoulders,  in debt is not diaphragmatic breathing. You need to put one hand on your chest and the other hand on your belly. 

Take a deep breath. As you inhale, your belly should be moving forward. Not in a lot of us thinking we have a deep breath, our shoulders go up. No wrong. Please go to YouTube and please. Google diaphragmatic breathing. It is very important. That you are breathing correctly.  Your belly should be extending out towards like out of your body. Not in. 

Increase your water intake. Exercise. Now vibration plates. Now , this is something. If you like to sing, that is amazing singing in the shower, singing in the car, singing whenever you can't any type of vibration within your vocal chords, we'll go ahead and stimulate that section of your lymph nodes. And then that gets your lymph moving over there. 

So that is super, super duper. Good to help your lymph move in your throat. Singing. Any type of vibration you can own. You know, like at the end of yoga, they always make that Alma. Sound. And there's so much behind that as well. I can't get into that cause I really don't know the specifics behind the yoga, but that owns sound that is meant for a calming effect. It helps move your lamp. It's vibrating your throat, and that is very helpful as well. So any type of. 

Vibration within your throat. You can do that. Um, rebounders, trampolines, you know, them little exercise trampolines. I think I had mentioned that I had my husband bring one up from our basement and I just started jumping on it. When you're moving and jumping, exercising, you're moving all the fluid within your body. And it's an amazing exercise workout for those of us that maybe can't like run or do a lot of like cardio work. 

Um, Jumping on a trampoline is super duper easy, and it's super duper quick being you get your heart moving. Really fast and I really love it. So when I take my dogs outside, I'll just start jumping and wait for them to come in and I'm having fun. I'm moving my lymph. And I'm getting a little bit of workout here, whether it's two minutes, you know, I don't know, a few times a day, it really adds up and I like that. I am doing something good for my body. 

Now, are there any type of herbs or anything that we can do to help support our lymphatic system? So Turkey, rhubarb. That helps encourage a healthy immune system response. It contains antioxidants and it also helps cleanse and protect our lymphatic system. It also helps support bacterial balance within our gut. 

We really need to keep our lymphatic system. Healthy. 

So our lymphatic system is essential for the production of our white blood cells. And it's important for the control of inflammation and the production of antibodies. As we all know, most of chronic illness is caused by. Inflammation throughout our body. So this is why it is so important for us to really understand how important this lymphatic system is. 

Please do any and all research on it. I promise you, it is going to fascinate you. I couldn't possibly go through everything. Like I said, I am just doing some research myself and I really want to get you guys the right information. And I'm also going to have a guest on talking specifically about the lymphatic system so they can get more in depth. 

But. If you have poor circulation or you're overweight, or you have any type of metabolic disorders. Um, that can all be problems with your lymphatic system. So get that lymph moving. 

More herbs that can help. Okay. Red Clover. 

Red Clover helps remove toxins from the blood and it helps improve the function of Ireland phatic system. 

Walnuts, did you know, the walnuts contained an eye accident and a diarrhetic substance that helps to cleanse our lymphatic system and improve its function. 

And it also helps. Eight in the production of the lymphatic fluid and optimize our kidney and liver functions as well. 

We all know, or if you've heard the whole thing on celery juice,. Let me tell you, I did buy a juicer. It does not taste amazing, but it's not horrible. If you can kind of. Get past the fact that celery is better to begin with celery juice is amazing and you really want to have it on an empty stomach. Preferably first thing in the morning. 

It really helps your blood moving and helps get rid of toxins and heavy metals that can affect your cellular health. . 

If someone, you know, has been diagnosed with breast cancer, that usually means that their lymph nodes are often tested for signs of cancer cells. But it's usually because the lymph nodes are typically the first place that the breast cancer cells spread to when they travel outside the breast. Again. 

That is the closest sack of your lymph nodes. To the breast, which is why they travel. Underneath your armpit. Your lymph nodes get larger. When more blood cells come to fight off the invading infection. Essentially, they kind of pile in causing pressure and swelling, which is why they swell up. And then it will be close to the infection site. 

.  . All right guys so i know i didn't cover too too much but it maybe will give you at least get you some curiosity so you can hop on your computer And do some more research  in regards to this lymphatic system it is so so deeply involved But it is a crucial part of our immune system and we really need to be aware Of everything that it's doing for us we want to keep our lymph moving and we want to keep it healthy. Keep trying to exercise as much as you can i know that it's hard on days that your body doesn't feel like it and days that it doesn't feel like it maybe you can give yourself a nice lymph massage i mentioned last week the big six Um go on youtube there are so many wonderful videos about there on how to do a lymphatic massage you're going to and you have to do them in order  from top to bottom okay if you don't do them in order then all you're doing is the lymph doesn't know where to go okay so it'll go up it'll go down and then it'll get stuck at those points so you have to go from top to bottom and work that lymph the right direction So the first one that you're going to do  Okay so the first one that you're going to do you're going to rub tap stroke massage above and below the clavicle all right so your collarbone Just tap it massage it get it going and you don't have to do it for long just do it for as long as you can tolerate it and once you're done there you're going to move to your jaw line all right so just underneath your ear right behind your jawline tap massage give it just rub it Get that lymph moving After your jawline you're going to move to your chest okay And then you're going to tap and move that lymph in your chest after you're done with your chest you're going to go ahead and do your abdomen tap rub do your abdomen after your abdomen you're going to do near your groin that is like your underwear line or right. the creases in your leg you're going to do both sides there and then after you're done there you're going to go behind your knees get those moving like i said top to bottom there are so many wonderful videos on youtube Watch. Watch. those they're amazing And just you guys just I encourage you to just go ahead and  do some research on this okay.

I just really want to get you guys healthy okay Or at least if we can't get healthy we want to at least feel better right And doing these things Doing these different modalities of You know learning as much as we can about our body about how it works about how everything is connected it all has to move and flow and being balanced in order for our health to be optimized and that's what we want to do So i hope that that helped you a little bit and if anything i hope that it sparked your curiosity don't forget to  do your own research as well. i've got a lot of this research out from lymphoma.org, also the cleveland clinic website and it's that's what i have been reading off of as well as wikipedia so i really hope that that helped you.

. Also i have a new program out called the connect and reflect program for anybody who's out there who wants to further their passion and purpose  I know that you can live and love your life again despite any health conditions that you have going on I am proof of that and i am here for you every step of the way Reach out to me on any form of social media or you can email me at 1, 2, 3 moms squad@gmail.com. Until next time my friends Stay healthy.



 Thank you all for being here. I am so glad we found each other. See you next time. Have an incredible day. My beautiful friends.