Aging and The Lymph System
Aging is a choice that we make everyday. We wake up and choose to age by what we do and what we think. If we want to age better, and more intelligently, we need to move more.
When your body doesn’t move, it becomes sluggish. Systems slow down. Think about slouching on a sofa watching television, or sitting at a computer all day. Lymph fluid doesn’t move along the accumulation of waste: parasites, viruses, toxins, infection, old, dead cells. One of the ways that the lymph nodes and liver get rid of waste is through respiration, as well as the skin (perspiration), the kidneys and colon. But the lymph system needs muscle contraction to move along waste. There are no valves and pumps, like the heart. The lymph system relies on movement to keep it running efficiently. By not moving, the lungs don’t expand and contract fully.
Why do we care about something very little of us know anything about? The lymph removes waste from the body, and that’s a big deal. The longer waste sits in the body, the more damage it can do. Blood carries nutrients and oxygen to our cells, lymph fluid removes waste residue. Think of it as the waste water sewer system, the metabolic garbage can of the body, the oil that keeps the engine running.
The lymph system consists of the spleen, thymus, tonsils, plus the lymph nodes, fluid, and vessels. It is four times larger than the blood system, probably because of all the waste that has to be moved and ultimately removed. What? You thought you had no waste? Cells regenerate all the time; the old dead cells have to go somewhere.
Signs that you may have a lymph issue include swelling or edema (think long plane trips), psoriasis, chronic fatigue, constipation, arthritis, and clogged skin pores. That could include acne. Too much waste creates a lymph backup. The immune system weakens, and this is not good news. Performance and daily functioning are compromised. And your brain fogs because your waste system is clogged. Makes more sense, now?
So…here’s a thought: laugh more, breathe more deeply, jump up and down and act more crazy. The life you are saving is yours. And it will slow the aging process by keeping everything tip top and running smoothly. Even if I am wrong, and I am not, what do you lose by moving more in your life?