CHAPTER 1
History of the Lymphatic System and Why No One Seems to Know about It
Way back in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, there were many papers written about "a milky, white substance" found deep within the body. Lymph fluid is a milky, white substance when it is mixed with fat cells, but usually lymph fluid is a yellowish colour that you can see when you burst a blister or have a weeping wound.
These writings were documented in Ayurvedic (Indian) medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, and Greek and other European writings. The study of the lymphatic system never gained any momentum back then, because when they tried to extract the fluid for testing, the very small, fragile vessels would break. They became impatient with this and found an alternative: veins. Using the veins, they could extract blood and then study it under microscopes, which led to many discoveries. Thus, the study of the circulatory system came about, and most medicine and diagnostics are based around finding out what is in the blood.
Between the 1960s and 1980s, an Australian husband-wife team called Casley-Smith made ground-breaking work with the lymphatic system by using certain techniques to reduce swelling in the limbs. These are still taught today. They also started a lymphology association to assist in addressing these issues.
From the 1970s to 1990s, Dr. Vodder, a Denmark-born remedial therapist, brought lymphatic massage training to North America: first Canada and later the United States. His technique is the main technique still taught worldwide today.
In 1980, the Foldi Institute in Germany began research, treatment, and education of patients and professionals on the lymphatic system.
The lymphatic system is the largest system in the body and, as you read, has been skimmed over time and time again throughout history. No one really took any notice of its importance until the 1960s. You may well ask yourself, "Why don't I know anything about it?" or "Why doesn't my doctor know about it?" Well, that is a fairly easy question to answer.
You might only learn about the lymphatic system when or if it becomes "broken," and maybe not even then. I will cover this later.
If it does become "broken," there is no cure. It will remain that way for life.
There are no prescription medications that will assist in its functioning properly again, and there are only a few surgeries that will address chronic cases. There are some experimental surgeries being performed, but surgery generally creates more damage to the lymphatic system because of the effects of internal scarring.
This is where food and education for management begin.
As a lymphatic therapist, I treat patients with broken lymphatic systems and educate them on how to manage their condition, to the best of my knowledge and with the products that are available.
Management demands knowledge of anatomy, lymphatic aids such as compression garments and herbs, skin care, exercise, self-massage, and infection control. Travel and diet advice is also important, which should be provided by a specially trained lymphoedema therapist.
What I would like to see is education, beginning with this book, for stopping or deterring this system becoming broken in the first place. In some patients, this is unavoidable, but in the majority of people, it can be achieved with the right information and early intervention.
The lymphatic system has two main functions: waste removal and immune-system building.
Waste Removal
The lymphatic system is similar to your average plumbing system. As a therapist, my aim is clearing out fluid from larger pipes, so when I start moving fluid from smaller pipes, it has someplace to go.
Let's begin with the circulation system.
The circulation system consists of your arteries, veins, and capillaries. The blood is pumped around your body by your heart under blood pressure, similar to a watch battery that makes the hands move and the watch tick.
Veins are parallel and have valves that open and shut to move the blood around and prevent backflow. When a valve becomes broken, the blood will backflow slightly. This is called a "varicose" vein.
When the blood is pumped out of the heart, it needs to be re-oxygenised and cleaned in order to keep the major organs working properly. Some of this fluid seeps into the area between cells. Because cells are round, there are gaps in between, and this is where this fluid goes. Then it is picked up by the lymphatic system.
The lymph collectors soak up the fluid like little mops and buckets and begin transporting the fluid to lymph vessels.
Lymph vessels act similar to veins. They have valves that open and close when the fluid builds up, which moves the fluid on. However, unlike the circulation system, lymph fluid is not moved around by the heart but by smooth muscle that is attached to the walls of the lymph vessels. The muscle contracts and expands from movement, and this pushes the fluid on to its next port of call. Movement and breathing move lymph fluid around your body, and just like a watch without a battery, if you are not wearing the watch and put it away in the cupboard, it ceases to tick. This is the same with the lymphatic system. If you cease to move, it will too. It stops working during surgery and when patients are in a coma. There are special mattresses for comatose patients to lie on so their lymph fluid moves.
Lymph vessels are similar to a spider web. They are approximately the same size and strong yet fragile. They sit just under the surface of the skin. This forms the superficial lymphatic system, and it covers you from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. It is this system that is mainly treated by a lymphatic therapist. Remember that whatever you put on your skin or in your mouth will find its way to the lymphatic system for screening and cleaning.
When the lymph fluid has been picked up by the lymph collectors, the little mops and buckets, and transported to the lymph vessels, it goes along specific pathways to lymph nodes. Lymph nodes look and filter like little kidneys.
There are approximately 600 to 1,500 lymph nodes in your body, and just because someone is bigger than another, it doesn't mean he has more lymph nodes. (A horse has fewer lymph nodes than a dog.) It is all based around when you were coming through the Pearly Gates and God was handing out lymph nodes as to how many you were given. It has just been discovered that the lymphatic system is individual to each person, just like a fingerprint is.
Lymph nodes sit at various locations in the body and...
