Moving lymph supports healing chronic illness

The healing power of lymphatic drainage

This post is updated from its original.

One of the best natural ways to support healing any chronic illness, especially Lyme disease, is to make sure lymphatic fluid is flushing your system daily. Most healthy people do this through exercise – as lymph has no internal pump, and is mostly pushed through the body through external movement. Unfortunately, for many of us facing illness and disability, exercise can be a challenge. This post will cover some alternative, gentler ways to make sure your lymphatic fluid is moving and supporting your healing process.

What is lymph and why is it important?

Lymphatic flow is one of our primary detox pathways. Lymphatic fluid flows through the entire body, including the brain, with the sole purpose of cleansing pathogens, toxins, cancerous cells, and debris. Lymph is collected from intercellular fluid throughout the body and gathered into lymphatic vessels. The flow begins at the periphery of the body – the hands, the feet, and the top of the head – and makes its way from there to the center, ending at the heart.

As lymph makes its way toward the heart, it’s collected in little holding pools called lymph nodes. Inside our lymph nodes live badass white blood cells that break down viruses, bacteria, toxins, and cancerous cells. After the fluid is cleansed in the nodes, it moves along through the lymphatic system, picking up more fluid along the way, and cleansing it in lymph nodes further along the route.

At the end of the road, the clean lymphatic fluid is released back into the bloodstream. From there, any remaining toxins are filtered out by the kidneys and excreted as urine. You can see why healthy lymphatic flow and function is essential to healing any chronic condition: lymph keeps us clean.

Healthy lymphatic flow lowers inflammation

If lymph is doing its job, inflammation will naturally lower. The less toxins and invaders present in our blood, the less aggravated our inflammatory immune response will be. (Chill, mast cells.) A healthy flow of lymph lessens pain, improves flexibility, relieves brain fog, and increases energy levels – all partly due to lessening inflammation.  

Here are a few gentle tools you can use to move your lymph, even if you’re not up for strenuous exercise.

Easy yoga pose (you can do in bed) to move lymph

Any kind of exercise moves lymph, even if it’s very gentle. If you’re moving, so is your lymph. However, fluid will tend to pool in the feet if you’re not getting enough exercise to really get things flowing. This easy yoga pose will help move lymphatic fluid back up toward your heart.

Lie on the floor (or on your bed) on your back, close to a wall. Snuggle your rear end up to the wall (this can be tricky and awkward). With your tail as close to the wall as you can get, straighten your legs up the wall. Ideally, you should be close enough to the wall to be able to relax with your legs extended in a gentle hamstring stretch (you’ll feel this along the backs of your legs). I like to flop my arms over my head as well, which adds a gentle stretch for the shoulders. Just the simple act of having your legs resting up a wall will send lymphatic fluid draining out of the feet and back toward the heart.

Self-massage moves lymph through the brain

You can stimulate the lymphatic flow in your brain directly with self-massage. For me, this is tremendously effective against headaches and brain fog. Here’s one way to go about this.

Take your fingertips and explore your sagittal sinus – the line from between your eyebrows over the top of your head that divides the left and right halves of the skull. The sagittal sinus is a lymphatic drainage pathway that flows through the brain itself – draining through the divide between the left and right halves of the brain. There’s no need to be exact with your touch, however, just feel along the line dividing your skull left to right. Gently pull the tissue from side to side. Imagine your touch extending gently down deep into your brain tissue. Do you find tenderness or stiffness? Follow pleasure, and let your body guide you.

Now begin to imagine that a soft, spring rain is beginning under your touch. The sweet, clear water flows down through your brain, washing it, cleansing it, clearing it. Explore any touch that encourages the feelings of gently cleansing your brain. Run your hands down your face, along the sides of your head, down your throat. Imagine the smell of rainwater. The soft sound. 

Continue as long as you like, following your imagination and your body's guidance. Notice how the feelings inside your brain change. You will improve with practice! I can tell you from my own experience with myself and with clients in my bodywork practice that this works. You may find you can eliminate a headache entirely, or clear brain fog. Trust your imagination, and enjoy.

There are also loads of lymph nodes along the underside of the jaw - you may have felt them swell, or at least get sore. Use your palms and fingertips to gently smooth the tissue along your jaw, from around your ears toward your chin. If you find sore spots, explore different kinds of pressure and movement to clear the soreness away. Again, it helps to visualize lymph moving along with your hands, clearing all debris.

Meditation for lymphatic drainage

There are one million free audio tracks available online of the sounds of water flowing, rain falling, ocean waves. These sounds are incredibly soothing, and will help you visualize your lymph. If you’d like a more descriptive meditation, try my Cleansing - Lymphatic Flow recording. It will take you on a journey through your entire lymphatic system, and in my experience, visualization can work just as well as movement to encourage lymph to flow.

Drink plenty of fluid to support the flow of lymph

The more you stay hydrated, the more your lymph system can do its amazing work. My favorite detoxifying and hydrating drink is a blended smoothie of coconut water and celery. (Celery may help with acid production in the stomach, as well as to cleanse and detoxify.) Throw coconut water and one or two celery stalks in the blender, and add lime juice to taste. 

Wishing you a lovely internal shower, sparkling clear.

Shona