Our lymphatic system has an enormous impact on our health, yet most of us are not familiar with this critical system in our body. The extent of many people’s knowledge is that the lymph nodes are somehow related to cancer and lymphoma. But there is so much more, and understanding how to properly detox your lymphatic system can dramatically improve your health.

“Lymph fluid is your cellular waste (bacteria, germs, etc.), and the lymphatic system is the network of highways that these toxins and bodily wastes travel through for eventual elimination from the body.”

Lymph fluid is your cellular waste (bacteria, germs, etc.), and the lymphatic system is the network of highways that these toxins and bodily wastes travel through for eventual elimination from the body. For example, when you have strep throat, your immune system forces the strep bacteria into the lymph nodes so that it can be removed from your body. The lymph nodes enlarge during this process, commonly referred to as “swollen glands” in your neck. If your lymphatic system is working properly, the contents of those lymph nodes will be moved out and eliminated from your body.

For a visual, let’s assume Texas is your body and all the highways in Texas make up your lymphatic system. The lymph nodes are the various truck stops. The panhandle in the north is your head, Dallas (north central part of the state) is your heart, and Houston (south, on the Gulf of Mexico) is your bowels. (HA! That’s a superfluous jab at my husband who is always trying to get us to move to his beloved Houston. In truth, I love the diversity, amazing parks, and incredible food scene in Houston. I just also love “poking the bear” whenever I get the chance).

Back to the analogy of roads and your lymphatic system. There is a truck with a toxic load in west Texas and it needs to make its way to Houston so the toxins can be eliminated from your body. At all the major truck stops along the way (i.e. lymph nodes), the truck picks up additional cellular waste and then keeps driving south. When it reaches Houston, the load is quite large and the toxins are properly disposed of, keeping the beautiful state of Texas beautiful.

But what if there is a back up in one of the truck stops – maybe in the Austin lymph node? The truck (and all of its toxins) hangs out there for a long time because traffic isn’t moving and there is congestion. Not only did this truck bring extra toxins to the Austin area, but it also wasn’t able to pick up the waste in Austin that was tagged for removal. The waste in Austin continues to grow and grow (i.e. the lymph node enlarges). One of the ways to clear this congestion and keep the toxins (i.e. lymph fluid) moving is through a lymphatic massage.

“One of the ways to clear this congestion and keep the toxins (i.e. lymph fluid) moving is through a lymphatic massage.”

A lymphatic massage is a very light touch massage where the masseuse’s hands move strategically over your skin in the same direction that the lymph flows, thus encouraging the lymph along and pushing through congestion. The lymph fluid is located immediately beneath the skin so it doesn’t take much force. Just the simple friction of the light touch keeps it moving, but the direction of flow is critical to move it in the right direction.

“A lymphatic massage can be done with a masseuse but you can also do it at home using a dry skin brush or silk gloves.”

A lymphatic massage can be done with a masseuse but you can also do it at home using a dry skin brush or silk gloves. Rather than paying $30 each time I want to experience the detox benefits of a lymphatic massage, I now perform my own lymphatic drainage at home using one of these tools. You simply start at the feet and work your way up in short strokes, always moving in a motion toward the heart so that you’re moving in the direct of lymph flow. After doing my feet, legs, and torso, I then move to hands, arms, shoulders, back, neck and chest, always moving toward the direction of the heart.

You have more than twice as much lymph fluid as you have blood in your body. While you have an internal pump to keep your blood circulating (your heart!), there is no pump that keeps the lymph circulating so that it can efficiently be eliminated from the body. It can become stagnant, thereby increasing your own personal toxic load and eventually contributing to disease.

“As an added benefit, dry skin brushing also exfoliates dead skin, increases circulation, and reduces cellulite.“

As an added benefit, dry skin brushing also exfoliates dead skin, increases circulation, and reduces cellulite. Cellulite is just areas of fat where your body has deposited toxins that it wasn’t able to eliminate. So go ahead and dry skin brush those areas to break up the deposits and get them moving out of your system! With the toxic load we are exposed to every day through our air, water, food, and environment, it’s critically important to help your body in its detox efforts. It will love you for it!!

My personal experience: I did a 15 minute lymphatic massage with a masseuse twice a week for three months during my intense detox during Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW), which resulted from years of using steroid creams to treat eczema. You can read about my healing journey here. For my TSW warriors out there, if you get a lymphatic massage, avoid the areas of skin that are broken out and painful. And definitely don’t use a dry skin brush or silk gloves on top of these areas!! I began using the dry skin brush only after my skin was healed and I was through the worst of Topical Steroid Withdrawal. But I did get lymphatic massages with a masseuse during TSW and simply avoided my hands (my worst area) and avoided other areas when they were broken out and raw.