Swelling, cellulite, and bloating are three things that nobody is a fan of. Feeling puffy or “too big” for your body can cause immense discomfort. It can also make you feel frustrated, self-conscious, or confused about how to solve the problem.
While there are many reasons you may have these symptoms, one that many people overlook is that all of these are signs of a congested lymphatic system.
If you’d like to test out a few ways to make a difference in your lymphatic health, we’ll share the fastest ways to cleanse your lymphatic system. However, if you’re in need of an even more extensive fix, we’ll share what next steps to take if these don’t work.
What is the lymphatic system?
The lymphatic system is a network of vessels, nodes, and organs. It’s the body’s drainage system, and it removes waste, toxins, and excess fluids from the tissues. The lymph fluid that the system moves is a colorless, watery fluid that moves white blood cells to your organs and carries cellular waste away. The lymphatic system is crucial to our immune system. It removes toxins and fights infections, and lymph nodes remove impurities from the lymphatic fluid. It’s one of your body’s “silent heroes”– it’s critical for your health, but it’s not often spoken about or acknowledged unless things go wrong.
So, how can you aid the movement of your lymph fluid on your own?
Staying Hydrated
While you may be tired of reading this advice all the time for everything, it’s true! Dehydration is one of the most common causes of lymph congestion, as your lymph fluid becomes denser and harder to push through your system. Try a few days with a bottle of water or cup of tea constantly by your side and see if your symptoms improve.
Dry Brushing, Gua Sha, or Facial Massage
As you may have seen on Tiktok or social media, these lymphatic drainage techniques are all the rage with beauty gurus. By using these tools to manually stimulate the movement of lymph fluid, doing this every morning or night can help you decrease puffiness and swelling instantly.
Work on Your Breathing
Most people don’t notice that they are breathing shallowly, meaning that they aren’t engaging their chest or diaphram in daily breath. Because there is no organ to pump lymph fluid through your body, the lymphatic system relies on the breath as a pump to keep it moving.
Holistic Herbs or Tea
Certain herbs help cleanse your lymphatic system and are easy to find in supplement or tea form. We love using teas– and it’s another way to keep you hydrated.
Some of the best herbs for lymphatic health are: cilantro, astragalus, echinacea, parsely, and wild indigo root.
However, make sure to do your own research concerning herbs and supplements or work with a holistic doctor to ensure you are using them responsibly and safely.
Hydrotherapy
Alternating hot and cold water is a great way to cleanse the lymphatic system, as it helps create a pump. The hot water dilates your blood vessels while the cold water causes them to shrink, creating movement throughout your entire body that helps your lymphatic system function.
You can find plunge pools at a spa or recovery center near you– or, opt for a faster and cheaper option by alternating between very hot and very cold water while showering. You should notice a difference in congestion and puffiness, along with mood and energy, right afterwards.
However, you may be looking for professional help in draining your lymphatic system. If you’re hoping to invest more effort into your lymphatic care, keep reading for the best uses of your time and money.
Lymphatic Drainage Massage
This is a physical massage done by a specialist that focuses on your lymph nodes and vessels. A masseuse essentially pushes lymph fluid through your lymphatic system to stimulate its flow.
If you are hoping to begin a more serious lymphatic health regiment, starting wih a lymphatic drainage massage is a great way to stimulate your lymphatic system and see results in only one hour. You should notice a different in swelling or puffiness after one session.
Infrared Sauna
The heat and infrared light from the sauna helps your body release toxins, especially from within our fat cells. This process helps your lymphatic system flow and your body to detox, especially from substances like heavy metals, alcohol, and nicotine.
While all of these practices are helpful on a day-to-day basis to help keep your lymphatic system healthy, if you’re lymphatic system isn’t functioning properly you may need to do a deeper dive into lymphatic care to truly detox and heal your body.
To learn more about lymphatic health and things like:
- Connections between your gut, brain and lymphatic system
- How to get your lymph moving and create healthy immunity
- Ways to address chronic pain through the lymph system
- How to do your own lymphatic drainage for instant relief
- Simple approaches to transform your lymphatic health
- How toxic beauty impacts your lymphatic system
- 6 reasons your lymph gets stagnant
…consider joining our Lymphatic SOS & Rescue Summit. It includes eight masterclasses and three interviews with eleven lymphatic health experts to enlighten you about the role your lymphatic system could be playing in your journey towards health.
