Lymph Care Using Foot Zone Techniques
The lymphatic system is a vital part of our circulatory and immune systems. It consists of a network of lymphatic vessels, lymph nodes, and lymphatic organs, including your spleen and tonsils.
How do I adequately describe the lymphatic system without needing as many pages as I print up when teaching about this body-wide system during the Foot Zone therapy classes that I teach?
Let’s begin today by imagining a team inside your body that is constantly working to keep everything—and I do mean everything!— in balance. That is our lymphatic system!
Unfortunately, the amazing lymphatic system has a downside, as well. Bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells that enter the lymphatic vessels can—and sometimes do, if the system is not healthy and working properly—use this system to travel throughout the body. This danger is supposed to be kept to a minimum as lymph fluid passes through the many lymph nodes situated throughout the body. If the immune system is healthy and the lymph fluid is moving as it should be, all will be well. Even cancer cells will be eliminated in an early, unnoticed stage. If not . . . .
Our lymphatic systems also contribute in very important ways to our ability to absorb dietary fats and fat-soluble vitamins. In addition, our lymphatic systems also transport cellular waste, debris, and toxins away from tissues, thus protecting tissues and organs throughout our bodies.
Caring for the various parts of the lymphatic system is precisely what we are doing during a very large portion of every foot zone that we give or get!
Some Simple Drawings of Foot Zone ‘Flows’ for Lymphatic Congestion as I Work Them.
(Shown only the right foot)
A Few Ways (Besides the Foot Zone) to Get Lymph Moving
1. Breathe deeply. There is approximately three times more lymph fluid moving through the body than there is blood, but the lymph has no pump to keep it moving. Deep breathing—the kind in which your abdomen moves with each breath, stimulates the flow of lymph, and energizes the immune system.
2. Add exercise to your breathing, and you will have turbocharged your lymphatic system and increased, in beneficial ways, your immune responses. A rebound exerciser is believed to be particularly good for your lymphatic system. Whole Body Vibration (I call it being jiggled and I love it!) seems to make my lymphatic system very happy. Involuntary muscle movement promotes lymph flow.
3. Drink plenty of water. Room temperature, or even hot water, sipped frequently throughout the day will re-hydrate the body and get the lymph moving.
4. Alkalize your diet. Simply eat more alkaline foods than you do “junk” or highly acidic foods. Avoid as much as you can sugary treats and beverages. Lessen the amount of meats, breads, grains, dairy, and processed foods that you consume each day. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Green, leafy vegetables provide chlorophyll, which will purify your blood and cleanse your lymph.
5. Add a few good-quality nuts to your diet. Raw, unsalted nuts and seeds are powerhouses of minerals, vitamins, protein, unsaturated fatty acids, and antioxidants.
6. Add herbs, especially lymph-building ones, to your life on a daily basis. A few suggested herbs include: astragalus, barberry, calendula, dandelion, echinacea, elecampane, garlic, ginger, goldenseal, myrrh, rosemary, sage, thyme, and white oak bark.
7. Use essential oils regularly. Regular use of essential oils helps to cleanse the body from toxins, free radicals, cellular debris, heavy metals, petrochemicals, bacteria, and a host of other unwanted things. Suggested oils include cypress, orange, grapefruit, rosemary, peppermint, lemon, and blends such as Butterfly Express LeSolace, LeAgeless, LeCherish, LeCinnamonBear, LeEndoRelief, LeLiteN, LeReflections, LeMillenia, LeRevitalize, LeSunburst, LeSynopsis, LeUnDone, and LeVitality. Which oil to use will depend a lot on where in the body the lymph clogging is most prevalent and what else needs to be accomplished.
8. Clay baths and foot soaks use the pores of the skin, especially the large pores of the feet, to cleanse the liver and move lymph fluid.
9. Gentle massage. It is believed that a gentle massage can push up to 75% of stagnant lymph back into circulation, freeing up trapped toxins.
10. Keep your skeletal structure aligned through chiropractic and/or the regular use of LeMillenia essential oil. LeMillenia, added to the bath or shower, can help the body realign itself or maintain a chiropractic alignment for a much longer time.
11. Dry skin brushing, especially before showering. Use a natural bristle brush. Brush your dry skin in circular motions upwards from the feet to the torso and from the fingers to the chest. The point is to work in the same direction that our lymph flows—toward the heart.
12. A shower in which hot and cold are alternated every few minutes. (Sorry, this one is not for me!) Heat dilates and cold contracts. The lymphatic and circulatory systems run alongside each other in the body. Alternate hot and cold increases both circulation and lymph drainage. Contraindicated for pregnancy and heart conditions.
The end of summer and the upcoming return to school for children, teens, and college students can be a stressful time for everyone involved, including parents. This seems to be true to some extent, no matter the age of the child or even how well the previous school year went. And then, the school day usually requires the student to focus and pay attention while sitting at a desk—something many children find quite difficult. Then there are the issues of getting homework done and back to school with the children, young or old!
The remedies focused on as specials and offered at discounted prices, were chosen with these issues in mind. However, as you will quickly see from the product descriptions, they address energy levels, the ability to focus and pay attention, and handling anxiety from any cause and in any type of situation.
Essential oils, herbs, and homeopathic remedies can be great natural options for keeping your skin safe in the sun and keeping bugs away. Products like lavender essential oil and Neutralizer help soothe sunburns, while things like Sun Shade lotion offer sun protection. For bug bites and stings, herbs like calendula or plantain can calm the itch, and essential oils like citronella, catnip, and kanuka help keep mosquitoes and other bugs at bay. Homeopathic remedies like Apis or Ledum can also help with swelling and itching if you do get bitten. It’s a simple, natural way to care for your skin and stay comfortable when you’re outside.
As I have said often and with emphasis over many years, “All drugs have side effects!”
As an introduction to this section on Alternative Pain Management, I am including parts of an “FDA Drug Safety Communication” issued on July 9, 2015. If you wish to read the entire communication (with pages of additional information for patients and consumers and even more information for Health Care Professionals along with a comprehensive Data Summary) I am providing the link to the FDA announcement itself on the U.S Food & Drug Administration’s web page.
This statement certainly is true of the drugs used for pain management, as is illustrated by these statements taken from the FDA website itself. The use of herbs, essential oils, and Blessed Water or Homeopathic remedies is an effective and safe way to manage pain.
The digestive system is a very intricate and complex system. To my mind, it is much like a fragile ecosystem. There is a constant need for balance in the digestive system, just as there is in nature. The balance between the organs and among the different types of healthy bacteria found in the digestive system is absolutely essential to good health. When the digestive system is not working properly, the body becomes either malnourished or toxic. As a result, all the woes of poor nutrition and/or a toxic system eventually show themselves in the overall health of the body and mind.
Due to the many different organs included in the digestive system and their specific roles in the body, there are a lot of essential oils and herbs which have an ability to impact this system and bring about improvements. This month’s newsletter targets only a few of them. (I know from the length of the article that it seems like we surely must have mentioned them all. Not so—but it did feel like that to me as I wrote it.) I hope you find something useful to you or your family in the information I have tried to present here.
September marks the beginning of flu season. The herbal world is full of so many wonderful things to help us build our immune system and combat the flu when it finds its way into our lives. This month we will focus on building your Immune System and the Herbs, Essential Oils, and Blessed Waters that are my favorite for the Flu Season. Some of the products discussed are particularly loved by children but can always be used for adults as well. See the full list of topics.
February is one of the hardest times of the year for many people, myself included. Depression and other mental challenges are often worse at this time of year. As a result, it is particularly important for each of us to give some focus to Boosting Mental Health. It is important to make sure we are giving ourselves, and those we care for, the nutrients necessary and the emotional support that will help us through the sometimes dismal days of winter. Essential oils, herbs, and homeopathics can do so much for each of us in these areas. I am frequently grateful for my herbal upbringing, particularly at this time of year and during times of these types of struggles.
See the full list of topics.
In November we will be talking about Women’s Health. Sometimes as women, we tend to take care of everyone else and put ourselves at the bottom of the list. It has been really fun to focus on women and their special and unique needs. There is something for every woman in this blog. From the young girl preparing to start to cycle to the seasoned woman in menopause. I hope this is a wonderful read for you that will improve your quality of life as well as the lives of other women in your life. See the full list of topics.
In October we will be talking about Respiratory and Flu. The flu season is already upon us so it is a good time to review the best essential oils, blessed waters, and herbal remedies to use when you are in the trenches of the flu. I am also excited to announce that there is a new product, Elderberry Nighttime, that I am sure you will love. Elderberry is well known for use with fevers and for strengthening the immune system. We have seen amazing results so far with Elderberry Nighttime helping people to sleep. Please take a few minutes and review what may help you and your family through the flu this year. See the full list of topics.
In July, we will be talking about DEHYDRATION and MINERALS. We are all aware that when you are extremely dehydrated, it is a serious situation. However, most of us do not realize how important it is to avoid being even slightly dehydrated. We also don’t really grasp how minerals work to help us stay hydrated. Water is only part of staying hydrated. Join us as we talk about the importance of minerals, and electrolytes. We will also talk about essential oils, herbs, and blessed waters. See the full list of topics.