Your Lymphatic System and Immunity – Why Lymphatic Support Is Excellent Cancer Prevention
Are you familiar with all the ways your lymphatic system and immunity work together to protect you? Together they keep dangerous diseases – specifically cancer – out of your body.
The lymphatic system is an incredibly powerful (yet often overlooked) system. It keeps your body in check. It keeps you free from disease and toxins. It even creates white blood cells that fight foreign invaders.
Today we’re focusing on the lymphatic system and immunity. You'll walk away knowing why lymphatic support is one of the best natural ways to prevent cancer.
Whether you’ve battled cancer before (or currently are), nobody wants to go down that road if they don’t have to. And we don’t want you to either!
Stay one step ahead + understand how your lymphatic system and immunity work.
What Is the Lymphatic System?
The lymphatic system doesn’t get much attention (or credit) for its role in our general health. However, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has always acknowledged the importance of lymphatic flow. Western medicine is just starting to understand the vital role your lymphatic system and immunity play for your entire body.
A Network of Tissues, Vessels, + Organs
The lymphatic system is a network of tissues, vessels, and organs. They all work together to move a colorless, watery fluid called lymph back into your circulatory system (aka your bloodstream).1
This system stretches across your entire body to protect you from toxins. Here’s what each part of your lymphatic system does:
- Lymphatic vessels move excess fluids and toxins from your lymph fluid to your nodes or lymphatic organs for processing.
- Lymph nodes are the filtering stations that capture unhealthy cells + toxins.
- Lymphatic organs continue the detoxification process to remove lingering toxins. Your lymphatic organs include:
- Spleen
- Thymus
- Tonsils
- Adenoids
- Bone marrow
- Peyer’s patches
- Appendix
In other words, your lymphatic system sends toxins out the door!
How Your Lymphatic System and Immunity Provide Natural Cancer Prevention
For the lymphatic system to work correctly, the lymph fluid needs to flow freely without blockage.
Unfortunately, life is full of toxins, irritants, chemicals, and stress that clog our lymphatic system and immunity. This affects our body’s ability to fully cleanse + detox.
We know cancer is usually caused by a buildup of abnormal cells and toxic build-up. So it makes perfect sense that lymphatic support would also boost your immune system, to prevent cancer naturally.
What Else Does the Lymphatic System Do?
It doesn’t stop at filtering out toxins. Your lymphatic system plays a massive role in your health – especially in natural cancer prevention. Keep reading to see how.
- Monitors + regulates your body fluid levels and returns excess fluid to your bloodstream.1
- Absorbs fats from the digestive tract, transports them to the proper areas, and sends proteins back into the bloodstream.1
- Supports + forms the foundation of your immune system by producing white blood cells that fight disease and infection. Your lymphatic system and immunity work together in harmony to protect your body.
- Eliminates waste and abnormal cells (that can lead to cancer) in your body.
- Eradicates harmful bacteria in your gut.
The lymphatic system is a much bigger and more complex system than most of us realize. It’s no wonder it’s closely tied to our health.
Your Lymphatic System and Immunity Can’t Exist Without Each Other
The lymphatic system is an intricate, foundational part of your immune system. Your lymph nodes create your white blood cells that help your body fight infection.2
After all, you have 600 lymph nodes in your body. If we have that many "filtering" stations in our body, it must mean the lymphatic system is essential, right?1
A healthy “flow” of the lymphatic fluid supports your body’s systems to function optimally. Proper flow recycles nutrients and fully removes toxins, harmful bacteria, and cancer-causing cells.
Even though the lymphatic system provides powerful, natural cancer prevention, it doesn’t have an automatic “kickstart” (like the circulatory system has our heart) to keep things moving. WE are the kickstart! ;)
Our bodies are designed to bring flow to the lymphatic system through movement! But with our culture’s Netflix binging and prioritization of work over play, we aren’t moving like we used to.
Let’s lean on ancestral wisdom for a minute. It’s no doubt that even our grandparent’s generation moved FAR more throughout their days. Just imagine if they had a Fitbit to track their steps.
They’d school us.
Your Swollen Lymph Nodes Signal a Buildup of Toxins or Infection
Remember how your doctor would feel for swollen lymph nodes in your neck when you were sick? Swollen nodes are sometimes felt in the neck, under the arms, and groin, indicating an infection or issue.2
Doctors have been using the lymphatic system as a powerful indicator of health for centuries.
→ Swollen nodes? “You're sick, here’s your medicine.” (eye roll.)
Here’s why your lymph nodes swell: Bacteria are recognized in your lymph fluid. This signals your lymph nodes to make more infection-fighting white blood cells. And in turn, your nodes swell.2
Over time, excessive exposure to toxins “clogs” your lymphatic system significantly. This makes it harder for your body to eliminate waste.
Since the lymphatic system’s primary role is to eliminate harmful substances, it makes perfect sense. There's an undeniable link between your lymphatic system and immunity to cancer.
It’s all coming together!
Next up: healthy lymphatic flow. Let's keep your body’s detox pathways alive + well to keep cancer far away.
How to Boost Lymphatic Flow for Natural Cancer Prevention
Boosting lymphatic flow in your body sounds far more complicated than it is. Thankfully there are several easy solutions you can incorporate into your daily routine:
- Move more – Though we appreciate stillness, movement is crucial for your lymphatic system. Try to start moving more every day, even down to small habits.
- Breathe deeply – It activates the parasympathetic nervous system. You'll slow your heart rate, boost your mood, and improve your overall health.
- Rebound for fun – Return to your inner child and have fun on a personal trampoline! Bounce to music to start your day or for an energy boost on your lunch break.
- Practice yoga – The benefits of yoga are endless. Inversions are especially good for lymphatic flow. Yoga also relaxes and stretches muscles providing better circulation.
- Exercise more – Challenging your body eliminates toxins through sweat and moves fluids.
- Stretch throughout the day – Even small stretches every few hours are helpful to keep your lymphatic flow strong.
- Dry brush for flow – A two-for-one that increases circulation and lymph flow – win-win! It also activates your parasympathetic nervous system for calming effects, improving immunity. (Bonus: reduces cellulite + exfoliates your skin.)
- Get a lymphatic massage – Many studios offer lymphatic drainage-focused massages. We love this relaxing form of lymphatic drainage. It gets stagnant fluids moving – you’ll feel the results immediately.
- Take a hot Epsom salt bath – An easy, relaxing way to sweat and soak up magnesium to soothe aches and pains. Relaxed muscles = better flow.
- Hydrate like you mean it – Since the lymphatic system is made of 95% water,3 it makes sense. Hydration helps keep your lymph flowing to filter waste and eliminate cancerous cells. Try adding gel waters for quick absorption.
- Create a gua sha routine – gua sha is a powerful stimulator for your lymphatic system, boosting flow and opening pathways for proper drainage.
Adding a few of these into your daily routine slowly will boost your general health and help support your body in naturally preventing cancer.
Support Your Lymphatic System and Immunity Will Follow
By now, it’s clear the lymphatic system plays a big role in your immune system function + natural cancer prevention. Equipped with this knowledge, you can take a stand against the nasty C word and prevent cancer from ever touching you and your loved ones.
Support your lymphatic system, and immunity will follow, my friends.
Take the first step today.
This is your sign for health + healing,
XO
Sources:
- Cleveland Clinic | Lymphatic System
- Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia | Lymph System
- Teach Me Anatomy | The Lymphatic System
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