If you struggle with your weight, there’s a good chance you haven’t considered the health of your lymphatic system. If congested, toxins will build up and can significantly slow your metabolic rate. People with a sluggish lymphatic system typically eat very little food, yet still struggle with their weight.

The lymphatic system is made up of glands, lymph nodes, the spleen, the thymus gland and tonsils.  It bathes the body’s cells and carries the waste or cellular toxins away from tissue to the blood where it can be filtered by the liver and kidneys. The cellular toxins are made up of by-products of normal bodily processes, medication, illicit drugs, cigarette toxins, airborne pollutants breathed in, food additives, pesticides and other toxins.

Your body has three times more lymph fluid than blood, yet no organ to pump it!  Blood is pumped around the body by the heart. The lymph system relies on the contraction and pressure of muscular action such as movement, deep breathing and exercise to help it transport toxins into the blood before the toxins are processed by the liver to then move into the kidneys for excretion.

Strategies for improving the health of your lymphatic system

  • If you haven’t been taking care of your health and you’d like to get back on track with healthy eating, the eating plan in my book called The Ultimate Detox will give you more energy, better quality sleep, and kick start the weight loss process.
  • Exercise, or at least some movement each day ensures the lymphatic system flows properly.  Sitting or standing in one spot all day are not ideal.
  • Drink plenty of water; without 8 to 10 glasses of water a day, lymph fluid cannot flow properly. Herbal tea and regular tea and coffee contribute to fluid intake.
  • Ensure you are eating adequate healthy fats such as avocado, olive oil, coconut oil and the fat on grass fed meat. Healthy fats will ensure your body gets enough essential fatty acids to nourish not only every cell but the entire lymphatic system too.
  • A high quality liver tonic will ensure optimal liver function so that the years of toxins that are liberated from the lymphatic system and fat stores are efficiently eliminated and not left in the body and blood stream to settle back in. I formulated Livatone Plus to contain all the ingredients your liver cells require to be an efficient fat burner and detoxifier.
  • Eliminate processed foods with added sugar, and seed oils high in omega 6 fats from your diet. These foods increase oxidative damage throughout your entire body, and promote lymphatic congestion.
  • Eat plenty of green vegetables to get adequate chlorophyll to help purify the blood and lymph glands. Green leafy vegetables are also high in magnesium, which improves circulation and the health of your muscles. If you regularly get muscle aches and pains or muscle cramps, you are probably low in magnesium.
  • Congestion of the lymphatic system can be caused by Iodine deficiency; Iodine helps protect against the toxic environments in which we live (e.g. radiation and other pollutants that we are subjected to), and iodine supports the lymphatic system at a cellular level, so be sure to get plenty of wild seafood in your diet.  Supplements can also be taken to ensure adequate Iodine is contained in the diet. Thyroid Health capsules contain iodine because it is also needed for thyroid hormone production.
  • Dry skin brush before showering is fantastic for stimulating your lymphatic system. Using a hard bristled brush, brush skin in an upward motion, being the same direction lymphatic fluid flows, naturally, up toward the heart.
  • Finishing off your shower with 30 seconds of cold water can be wonderfully invigorating for your blood circulation and lymphatic system.
  • Lymphatic drainage massage is a specific massage to clear the lymphatic system. You can either visit a professional, or watch an instructional YouTube video.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.