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What is the Lymphatic System? 

Between the cells in all tissues are minute channels where fluid collects.  The fluid is called lymph.  It is a colorless, odorless, absorbent substance which helps nourish the body by transporting various nutrients such as salts, minerals and proteins to all parts of the body. Most of the cells of the body never come in direct contact with the blood but receive their nutrients directly from lymphatic fluids that surround the cells. 

Lymph also collects the waste products generated by the cells of the body and turns them over to the blood.  Lymph can also carry away proteins and large particulate matter, which can't be removed by absorption into the blood capillaries.  It is also possible for protein molecules, being larger, to block the lymph system.  Diets high in protein may congest the lymph system.

Lymph is primarily extracellular, that is, it exists outside the cells.  It may return to the blood through thin-walled lymphatic vessels whose valves allow lymph to flow in only one direction, by means of muscular contraction and nerve impulses.  Lymph becomes white blood corpuscles by a simple chemical change as it flows into the bloodstream. The blood then carries the toxins generated by cell metabolism to the lungs, kidneys, colon and skin for elimination.

Fresh blood travels through the arteries to all parts of the body bringing oxygen and other nutrients. Used blood leaves the breasts through the veins and is pumped back to the heart and lungs to be refreshed. Then the cycle starts over again. The lymphatic vessels flow into the chest cavity and become larger in the thorax.  There they unite to form the thoracic duct which empties into the venous system near the heart. 

Related information:

What Are Lymph Nodes? 

Lymph manufactures most of the body's white blood cells, or lymphocytes.  Lymph glands or nodes are an additional lymphocyte manufacturing mechanism.  Lymph dumps material into the nodes, where it is refined for later absorption throughout the body.  Nodes also produce corpuscles.  The lymph nodes are scattered throughout the body, with clusters in the throat, under the armpit, in the groin and along the spine.  Normally about the size of a small almond, when the body fights an infection, lymphocytes swell the lymph node by trapping invading disease microorganisms in the node.  They are the glands that can be detected during an infection by touching the upper part of the throat, near the jaw.

The spleen is part of the lymphatic and circulatory systems, capable of acting as a reservoir to hold a fifth to a third of all blood;  it serves to regulate the volume of blood elsewhere in circulation.  It also produces white cells (lymphocytes) and destroys old red cells.

Diet and Lymphatic Health

The lymph system is affected by the foods you eat. There are foods that aid the flow of lymph in your metabolism and there are foods that actually block the proper operation of the lymphatic system. To begin a detox of the lymph, the first thing to do is to stay away from foods that are manufactured. Manufactured foods cover a wide spectrum that includes artificial colors and preservatives. One way of looking at it is the more ready-made the food is, the more propensity that food has to slow down natural movement of the lymphatic system. If the food you are purchasing is a fresh vegetable, a fruit you have to peel and prepare, or a grain that has not been bleached or purified, those foods are "lymph friendly" foods.

Foods that cleanse the lymphatic system include

• dark green vegetables
• onions
• garlic
• ginger
• seaweeds (kelp and kombu especially enhance lymph cleansing)
• wheatgrass juice and other vegetable juices
• citrus and other tart fruits (cranberry juice is excellent)
• bitter foods like radish, mustard greens and kale
• flax seed and other Omega 3 fatty acids

If you want to be kind to your lymph do not choose complex foods that challenge your digestion. What does this mean? If it's bleached or processed it's going to be hard on your lymphatic system. The best rule of thumb if you have to choose between white bread and whole grain, choose whole grain. If you have a choice between white sugar, candy bars, or a piece of dried fruit, choose the dried fruit. All the "white" foods elicit wild, unstable glucose levels in the blood. This is a completely unnecessary stressor on your lymph system.

The Lymphatic System and Disease

The lymph system is one of the primary defense mechanisms that the body has to deal with waste products. Body waste products can be dead cells that need to be washed away. Other body waste products also include improperly metabolized nutrients. When overworked by these conditions the lymph glands become swollen and start to ache. We have all seen this when we have a bad cold or sore throat. The lymph nodes in your neck swell up from the debris of dead cells that the body has produced fighting off the disease.

A doctor during an examination will very often palpate the various lymph nodes in the body to get a sense of how your natural defenses are functioning at any time. We need to take this often misunderstood and underestimated defense system of the body very seriously if we are to maintain optimal health.