The lymphatic system includes the lymph nodes -- located alongside large blood vessels in the neck, underarms, groin, abdomen, and pelvis -- and other organs that generate immune-system cells, blood platelets, and red blood cells (i.e., the spleen, thymus gland, bone marrow, adenoids, and tonsils). 

At one time I was not sure whether the lymph network  was directly involved with the blood flow of the main trunk lines on each side of the neck (the carotids),  but there have been recent images we have uncovered that indicate it.  The paragraph above stating the lymph nodes located alongside of the various key areas of the body is enough of a confirmation that the lymph system is directly integrated.   When you see in illustrations 3 prominent nodes on each side of the neck directly over and on the carotids,  you would have to conclude a direct integration.  There could be small tributaries coming off of the carotids,  but I can't see them in the illustrations I have.

The lymph vessels in every part of your body transports excess waste-charged fluid away from the cells and returns it to the bloodstream, but not via the general arteriole net work. It is a little more complicated than that. This is where the nodes come in to play, "the garbage cans." Lymph is an intermediary for the transfer of vital materials from the blood to the cells. Thus, the blood feeds the lymph, and the lymph feeds the cells. As stated above and worth repeating, one role the nodes have is to trap cancer cells as well as other pathogens. Any blockage at any level of the lymphatic system will result in congestion and disease throughout the whole lymphatic system.

              Lymph Node Locations and Flow

Below is an illustration of lymph nodes and flow. There are many primary areas of major lymph node concentration, with a few in the elbow and knee areas. This is besides the gut which has a heavy concentration. The neck, armpits, groin and the chest appear to be very important areas. The chest is the final destination and is served by the other primary locations. There are about 600 lymph nodes in the body and they all have a different level of importance.  Some can be sacrificed and are when cancerous.  There is the chest lymphatic vessels that flow toward the nodes in the armpits, but then you have the armpits and other major node areas that are directly tied into a serious amount of chest nodes embedded deeper than the surface vessels and these nodes tie into the thoracic blood network that channels wastes to the kidneys, liver and eventual elimination.

                                                                                                                                    
The lymph net work does not have the luxury of a pumping heart and relies on other means for flow movement. There is an ingenious vacuum mechanics stimulated by body movement as in the foot, that takes place with a series of check valves that allow one way fluid flow toward the nodes, but will not allow back flow with the check valves. This is where  stretching of the skin and certain exercise comes in and the best analogy I can think of  is squeezing a tube of toothpaste with just the pressure of your fingers.  When you constrict an area  (breathing in to the max is a great stretching example)  as described in some of the procedures below that are under pressure, when you release the constriction you will in most cases have a temporary increase over the normal pressure. This increase propels fluids and this is the objective, as foreign material is loosened and removed in the process.

         Measures to Enhance Lymph Flow

"Caution.  We are not massage professionals.  Information below is material that others use, some on their own and some with professional guidance.  We recommend before you employ any measures  below to clear it with your Doctor as you could have particular issues that would conflict with the practice of moving lymphatic fluids though the body , especially in an accelerated fashion."

Allergic Reactions and Acid Wastes/Inflammation

Allergic reactions and inflammation can have a dramatic effect on the lymph system and we strongly suggest that you check out the link and feature below.

Below is an excerpt from a feature we have just completed on inflammation.  It zeros in on allergic reactions and testing.  The link to the full feature follows the excerpt.

"Allergic reactions are distinctive because of excessive activation of certain white blood cells called mast cells and basophils by a type of antibody called Immunoglobulin E (IgE). This reaction results in an inflammatory response which can range from uncomfortable to dangerous. 

A variety of tests exist to diagnose allergic conditions. These include placing possible allergens on the skin and looking for a reaction such as swelling. Blood tests can also be done to look for an allergen-specific IgE."

http://www.blueeyedcurse.com/inflammation.htm 

                                            Exercise

We have observed the role of the feet in relation to the movement of lymph fluids especially in the lower extremities that are prone to problems simply based on gravity. This is one of the outstanding benefits in walking and I might add doing a tread mill in stocking feet with an exaggerated heel to toe motion, which is a pet practice of mine.  I have advised walkers to do heel to toe actions to increase the lymph flow as the foot was designed to implement this essential dynamic.  In fact I believe in the case of walking that a pair of footwear should be at a minimum structure. The lighter the structure the more dynamics can take place.  When you are not doing heavy running or participating in sports, I don't believe it is necessary to have the footwear absorb the full impact of a walk to a large degree, as a toe to heel motion will naturally absorb the impact.  Be comfortable with your footwear,  but again depending on how much impact should dictate the degree of cushioning of the footwear.

Don't underestimate the value of a good walk with a good heel to toe action. The foot is a miracle in design with its diaphragm structured arch for absorbing and pumping fluids northward.                                   

I think that at this point of time June of 08 we can pick out 3 particular cases of prominent individuals, Tim Russert for one that dropped dead the other day at 58 years old.  The other two are Ted Kennedy who had a deadly brain tumor and John McCain who had melanoma cancer on the side of his face and in the process had to have I believe 30 lymph nodes removed because the cancer had spread either to them or from them.  I say possibly from them because I believe the lymph nodes (the garbage cans) being one of the chief neutralizers of cancer cells, could very well become a cancer source if they are not functioning properly. 

What I am saying here is that it is logical that if the nodes are not functioning properly and cancer cells have been directed to them, is it out of the question that these nodes not only can become cancerous, but actually be responsible in spreading the cancer to other parts of the body?

Now in the case of Tim Russert who most everyone admired,  had a blood clot, DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) and they believe it could have been one of these venous clots in his leg, that traveled to his heart.  He had just got off a red eye flight from Europe and this speaks profoundly about people traveling long distances and not moving around, even just the feet and legs in place.  My wife had an incident a few years back after a long trip that scared the beJesus out of us.  We believe now that it could have been  a DVT.  It cleared because the Good Lord decided it was just not time to take her. Phewwwwww.  In any event the lymph systems job is to filter out these potential problems and it appears Tim's lymphatic network could have failed him at some stage of the game.  Of course diet plays a huge role in the cardiovascular system.  We write a ton about that in our http://www.blueeyedcurse.com/antioxidants.htm feature, check it out.

In the case of Ted Kennedy, again we relate to Alzheimer's in our feature and brain tumors certainly are caused by a malfunctioning of the filtration system.  The filtration system being the lymphatic network.

Now to make a point here lets go to John McCain.  Now we are told there are about 600 lymph nodes in the body concentrated in key areas.  Now if he had about 30 removed from one side underneath his chin, there is most likely 30 more on the other side.  This amount of lymph nodes concentrated in these areas certainly reflect the importance of them in those specific areas.  You are talking about 10% of the total amount of lymph nodes in a couple of small areas under your chin.  In fact if you scroll back to the Illustration Lymph 1 you will notice the concentration of lymph nodes in the neck area and along the carotid arteries that supply the brain as well as returning  the blood diastolically/brachially.

Now before we give you the special combination exercises that you should do every day of your life, lets not forget those nodes under the arms.  I believe all of those nodes are there for a couple of purposes.  First they are in an area where there is physical movement that is necessary to move lymph fluid,  because as we know the lymph system does not have the benefit of a pumping heart.  Second I believe the good lord placed them there because the blood returns brachially from the brain, past these lymph nodes (They call them sentinels for a good reason) and down the arms (One of the reasons you have arm pain during a heart attack) and I am sure the blood finds its way across to the thoracic net work in the chest.

Now with all this information above I am going to give you the mechanics of  the special exercise that you should do every day for the rest of your life and if you do, I guarantee that it will extend your life.  If it doesn't,  we can have St. Peter arbitrate our differences at the pearly gates.

Special exercise.

So below is a procedure that I personally do  in a total exercise and recommend to everyone to do every day to move fluids. 

You will see in the series of photos below that part of the regimen is where an isometric type of a dynamics is applied to the upper extremities using the school exercise and the A-E-I-O-U vowels.  In fact each when practiced you can feel the energy from the head, through the neck and down into the clavicles.  Each letter  will produce a slightly different dynamics to the upper extremities, but gentle enough not to cause undue impact.  The nodes can be easily impaired with over aggressive methods.

There are 3 other parts to this exercise that are done in tandem. 

There is the “chicken wing” part mentioned above where the elbows are brought forward to the nipples and during the process are very very gently dragged to the rear of each breast and down in the areas that I believe are directed  to the lymphatic net work and discharged through the normal body functions.

In this process breathing in and total expansion of the chest is effected.  One of the most effective ways to move lymph fluid is chest expansion to the max. 

The last part before the next cycle and letter is the full exhaling of air from the chest.  

So basically when you  put all of the parts together it is one flowing motion. 

You start with the first vowel, hold it through the entire cycle, bring in the “chicken wings” elbows at the nipple and gently dragging from front of the breast to the rear.  At the same time you are breathing in to the max.   

The last part would be the exhale process and relieving the tension of the  dynamics of each vowel at the same time.  

Keep in mind each cycle is only a matter of seconds, perhaps  5 to 8 seconds. 

We have a separate feature dedicated to Lymph flow and exercise

Lymphedemaexercises.htm

 
Skin Care
 

With the lymph vessels in and just under the skin (the largest organ in your body) you don't have to be a brain surgeon to conclude that the health of the skin would be critical in how well your lymphatic system is functioning and actually how much sun you can safely absorb.  If your skin through poor nutrition alone does not allow to  safely receive enough sun  that is really compounding the problem.

You’re Skin, the Sun and Maintenance

More people die of the lack of sun than

                            too much!

We invite you to open up our AloePlus e-book for the complete process in growing, preparing and using our AloePlus skin cream. We do not recommend sun blockers unless you are forced into it, long periods in the sun due to occupation for one. A good skin cream with antioxidants is a better way to go in our opinion, but of course this is our opinion.

Doing your own skin cream with off the shelf antioxidants, your own home grown Aloe Vera and a great skin cream off of the shelf (St. Ives with Collagen and Elastin) is fun and guarantees a potent cream at a very reasonable cost. Good skin creams are expensive if you can find them.

Note: The off the shelf products above in particular the anti-oxidants are not sold to use on the skin.  They are sold to ingest.  Putting these anti-oxidants on the skin is our idea and if you have reservations about doing this,  check with your Doctor.   We are just telling you what we do.  The ingredients detailed above are used in the better skin creams.  Now whether our ingredients derived from off the shelf products for ingesting is the same as other skin creams we do not know.  We do know that in 4 years of doing this process after a bout with 25 areas of skin cancer we have not encountered any negative effects from the skin cream.   We have not encountered any more skin cancer as well.  We did change our diet too and eliminated most refined sugars.  Refined sugars feed cancer. So what the major contributor is regarding the elimination of skin cancer from my life, I don't care, I am just going to play it safe and cover all the bases.

        The link for the book is http://blueeyedcurse.com/apbook.htm

  It's free! compliments of the Peacedale Farms Family

                      Diet and your chemistry.

We have numerous features on our website http://blueeyedcurse.com on diet and pH, your chemistry.  Rule of thumb, if you eat a diet consisting of 65% alkaline foods (raw fruits and vegetables) and 35% acid forming foods as in  Omega 3 essential fatty acids (Salmon, sardines, shell fish in moderation, freshly ground up Flax Seed, a good Fish Oil supplement , Walnuts and Almonds in particular are high in Omega 3's) you will establish a good chemistry.  You have little room if any for the bad acid forming foods from “The whites” sugars, pastas, breads, cookies and all of the other junk and this includes booze.  Over consumption of meat is an acid producer,  4 ounces at a sitting is more than enough and as important as protein is, you shouldn’t rely on meat alone for it.  Beans, nuts, seed, eggs, protein powders are other good sources of protein.  

The lymph system is foreign to being subjected to an acid environment.  In fact lymph fluids being referred to as "White blood" is actually a milky substance.  It is milky because it is fatty, it is fatty because fat transports nutrients to all of your cells  and good fat as detailed above especially in the Omega 3's promotes the removal  of bad fats from your liver,  as well as your entire cardiovascular system.  Now if that is bad mouthing fat, perhaps you should read it again.  Good fats simply attach themselves to bad fat, especially bad fat manufactured by the "whites".  The misconception of Low Fat this and Low Fat that is a commercialism half truth tragedy, as sugars make you fat and instead of publishing on most labels "Low Fat" it should be "Low Fat from the whites"   Sure there is a downside to too much animal fat simply because of the way they raise cattle, but we advocate a good percentage of fat in the diet from again, fish, fish oil supplements, flax seed, nuts and my favorite pumpkin seed.  Don't forget the extra virgin Olive oil. The Mediterranean diet uses a lot of olive oil and I must admit some of those Italians, Greeks and Spaniards are a little on the plump side,  but there is one thing absent to a large degree, heart disease.  There are other aspects of their lifestyles that contribute to it though.  Like hard work!

Now good fats have calories and the cumulative factor of your daily calorie intake and managing your weight is critical.   A half a dozen nuts on cereal, or a salad is ample.  You don't need much fat to do the job.

You can monitor your acid state via your urine pH using pH test strips and you can purchase these from  www.ph-ion.com  They are inexpensive and invaluable. The best time to test your urine is first thing in the morning.  A urine pH under 6.5 usually indicates that you are over acid and your kidneys are not doing the job overnight that they are intended to do.  Readings close to 6.0 or less, you better get on the stick.  We have a couple of good allied features on the website, alkalize.htm and pH.htm They are listed on the main menu of www.blueeyedcurse.com

It is not common to over alkalize, but monitoring your urine pH and keeping it in the 6.75 range at any given time of the day will assure you of not over alkalizing (Alkalosis).  There is book out "Alkalize or Die".  An adequate amount of alkalinity derived for the most part from plant sources is the best alkaline supply, although I believe that certain supplements that may not be directly from plant sources,  if ingested with plant sources will compliment one another.

While we are on monitoring, my experience after introducing a generous amount of "good fat" into my diet was a marked decrease, not increase in my triglycerides,  which I am told is a marker of how much fat is in your bloodstream and I assume your lymphatic white blood stream that incidentally is the identical pH of blood 7.37.  Yes it is worth repeating, good fat can decrease the bad fat build up in your body and that isn't just your rump.  Fatty substances lining your artery walls is also a target of good fat.  What do they say  "Birds of a feather fly together"  I think you can make a good case for the sophisticated nature of good fats, scavenging the bad ones.  The same principle applies to anti-oxidants derived from plants.  They are called complex carbohydrates because they are complex.  The more complex, the more they have an affinity for the bad guys and for the most part the bad guys are free radicals that roam your body that don't have all of their marbles and raise havoc.

Usually these ad campaigns that  profess the lack of trans fatty acids and that is good,  but they neglect to tell you that the sugar in the crapola they are selling you without trans-fats is the true terrorist that is hunting you down.
                                                 

           Maximum Lymphatic Drainage

We have researched and have developed different massage techniques that enhance lymphatic drainage.  There are various methods in stretching the skin (toward the nodes, the garbage cans) that actually enhances the movement of lymph fluid.  Expanding the chest to the max with a deep breathing constriction action is extremely beneficial and moves fluids in the very critical area of the chest and thoracic area.  Facial exercises move fluid.  Those chin protrusion exercise that the little lady does to make her so beautiful,  is a blessing in disguise,  as it is also giving those lymph nodes under the chin a little workout.

There is a special exercise that we have developed regarding the armpits.  The half circles with the arms extended out and rotated alternately in two directions with a little stretching on the lymph node area under the arms should be beneficial.    So basically we are bringing our elbows and the inside of the arms  against the area and actually stretching the skin in the arm pit area.  Warning... You do not need a great deal of pressure.  Go very gently because over doing it will be counter productive,  as you can actually compress the vessels and the nodes and put them out of commission for awhile.  You don't want to do that!


                                 Skin Brushing

 
There are special skin brushes that are on the market for massage. We have obtained 3 different brushes. They are on the right.  From left to right the first one is a very stiff brush and this is referred to as a foot brush to use in the   calloused areas, although I use it on my entire foot and up the legs.  I believe this brush is made from the sisal plant. They don't recommend synthetic brushes for skin massage. You can use it on the legs, but again it is stiff. The brush in the middle is made from Tampico fiber. If you enter the term Yerba Prima on Amazon.com in your search condition box you will come up with this brush.  It is a firm brush,  but not as stiff as the first one. You can use this brush on most parts of the body with perhaps the exception of the face. You will notice the detached handle to the right of it.  You can use this brush with or without the handle and this comes in handy for certain applications.  I like this brush. The last brush is a rather soft brush and not bad for the upper extremities, especially the head and face area and a little more tolerable in the delicate areas where the major lymph nodes reside, back of the knees, the groin, the arm pits, the elbows back and front, under the chin, along side of the neck  and the chest area.  I interchange all three brushes, but if you just want to spring for one brush the middle one is the ticket.  I found it on Amazon.com again the Yerba Prima.

Note:  We have read and do use a wet fairly course washcloth for massage. We believe this can be effective for areas such as the legs etc.   Direction of skin stretching with a wash cloth is just as important as any method.  If you forget direction just massage toward the heart, although the critical array of armpit nodes should be recognized.  Once you direct to the heart area, it is important that you then massage toward the armpits.  From the armpit areas is where you have a direct link back to the deeper areas of the chest and blood supply/tie in.  Just go easy with the wash cloth because if you can effect a good massage in your chest by breathing in deeply, with your shoulder blades pulled back as far as you can, this should tell you that applying a great deal of pressure with a washcloth in a skin stretching procedure is unnecessary and counter productive. 

"Caution.  We are not massage professionals.  Information below is material that others use, some on their own and some with professional guidance.  We recommend before you employ any measures  below to clear it with your Doctor as you could have particular issues that would conflict with the practice of moving lymphatic fluids though the body , especially in an accelerated fashion."

Incidentally the recommended sequence of skin brushing is quite fascinating.  They claim that the initial sequences is where you stimulate the major node areas mentioned above, before you branch out into the extremities,  with 7 or so gentle circular motions in two directions or 14 motions one side and then the other.   After that you start the general body massage the first area is the upper torso or the area where the "garbage cans" the nodes are drained and integrated toward the critical thoracic blood network.

                                  Breast Massage    

Note:  The following is an excerpt from a woman's magazine concerning massaging of the breast.   Blueeyed comment... As we have stated the lymph vessels and nodes are delicate.  It is easy to rupture at least temporally these elements.  GO EASY.   I would advise any woman that does not have a breast cancer issues,  to do breast massage in any way that your Doctor and yourself are comfortable with.    Excerpt follows. 

If there is a breast cancer issue do not massage without professional advice.

               "Improve breast circulation with a massage"

To remove pain triggering toxins that can build up in the breast tissue, stimulate the flow of lymph (breast fluid) with a massage.  Using three fingers, make small circles starting at the outer part of the right breast, and work inward to the nipple.  Then cup the breast, gently pull it from the chest wall and rotate it in a circular motion.  This moves stagnant lymph into the mammary space behind the breast and out into the armpit.  Finally, lift your right arm and  squeeze the armpit with your hand 10 times so lymph fluid flows out of the armpit.  Repeat on the left side.  End of excerpt.

So after you brush the upper torso over the breast bone and under it toward the arm pits, you can then extend outward toward the farther areas of your body. The idea is to clear the areas in front of the path first and  essentially reduce a log jam if you want to call it that.  The farther areas would be the feet first and then legs brushing toward the groin. The head and face areas down toward and under the chin area. 

I very lightly hit my carotid areas on both sides of my neck, but I would check with your doctor on this, especially if you haven't had an ultra sound on these critical areas of blood flow that can be a problem.  My wife recently had a precautionary ultrasound on the carotids and it proved to be clear going.

The following link brings up about every critical area of the body and how the lymphatic network and nodes tie in with the thoracic blood flow.  This is an unbelievable piece of work as the effort compiling these illustrations and information must have been huge. 

http://www.netterimages.com/image/list.htm?s=lymp+nodes

The following link is an excellent description of the lymph system and how critical the pH in the body is to the proper functioning of  it.  A 150 lb. man has 22 lbs of lymph in his body.  The pH governs how much oxygen resides in the body and the oxygen content determines how well you resist disease (like the bird flu)  and to maintain good health.  check it out....

http://www.liferesearchuniversal.com/lymph_ph.html   

       Injuries and the Lymph System

As we know flesh type injuries result in inflammation and in most cases depending on the severity,  a clogging of the area takes place.  As far as we know there is only one vehicle to remove this foreign material and that is the lymph system,  although I suspect perspiration could play a part as well.    As we have discussed  different means of brushing the skin to clear the lymph nodes followed by a general brushing toward the closest major node area is the recommendation from  the experts in this field.  I think some of them including certain ultrasound devices could be dangerous if not used prudently.  Will explain below.

This process could be used for injuries,  but we believe in a very cautious approach.  We have a granddaughter that had and still had a bunch on her butt from falling off a horse.  Our daughter took her to a lymph drainage specialist.  During the process she was told to expect  frequent urination.  This could have been associated with the recommendation to increase her liquid intake,  along with the stimulation during the process.

We are not sure if it is related,  but she came down with a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection)  It is our theory that an aggressive treatment process could loosen up excess matter and overburden the nodes,  but in the process because of the excess burden trigger off a UTI.   This is why I personally have recommended a very modest approach to these treatments.

Keep in mind that although the lymph nodes are known as the "garbage can collection and distribution points" of the body there is much written on the added role they play.  There is evidence that the lymph nodes serve as a processing area to denature and  detoxify the pathogens and many other foreign substances before the processed fluid is sent on to the Kidneys, Liver and ultimately the elimination system.   You can overload these critical organs too, hence the lymph nodes role.    We believe that aggressive brushing of the lymph nodes could prematurely push material out of the nodes before they are adequately processed and cause problems, possible UTI problems.  If this is the case again prudent use of  draining the lymph system is strongly recommended.

This may be one of the reasons why a simple expansion of the chest is one of the best means to move lymphatic fluid.  To me this reflects the delicate aspects in moving fluid.  Walking, another great means to move fluid along especially from the difficult lower extremities with very mild brushing toward the closest nodes.  In the case of the feet and legs we are talking the nodes in back of the knee and the huge groin complex.

CONTRAST BATHING

We believe that contrast bathing could enhance the drainage process.

We will be adding more to this feature as our research continues so please stay tuned.

http://www.needakrebounders.com/index.php?ath=23741

This information is intended to heighten awareness of potential health care alternatives and should not be considered as medical advice. See your qualified health-care professional for medical attention, advice, diagnosis, and treatments.

Great feature on Lymph pH  http://www.liferesearchuniversal.com/lymph_ph.html

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