If you are not sure about your lymphatic system and the role it plays in your body, then this episode is for you!

We have been following Chelsey from Chelsey Jean Lymphatics for a little while now and have already learnt so much that we just knew we had to get her on our podcast show.

Chelsey is a Sports Therapist, Naturopathic Practitioner, and the creator of the Advanced Natural Health Clinic and her own label of products.

What does our lymphatic system do?

“The lymphatic system is a network of tissues, vessels and organs that work together to move a colorless, watery fluid called lymph back into your circulatory system (your bloodstream).”

The lymphatic system is part of our immune system and has many functions, including:

👉🏻 Maintaining fluid levels in the body
👉🏻 Absorbs fats from the digestive tract
👉🏻 Protects our body against foreign invaders
👉🏻 Transports and removes waste products and abnormal cells from the lymph

Our lymphatic system consists of:

👉🏻 Lymph
👉🏻 Lymph nodes
👉🏻 Lymphatic vessels
👉🏻 Collecting ducts
👉🏻 Spleen
👉🏻 Thymus
👉🏻 Tonsils and adenoid
👉🏻 Bone marrow
👉🏻 Peyer’s patches
👉🏻 Appendix

For a more in-depth look at what our lymphatic system does, have a read of this article HERE.

Image credit: Cleveland Clinic

Our lymphatic system carries around 15 litres of lymph fluid (simply called lymph) in our body.  Compare that to the 5 litres of blood our bodies contain, and that makes a lot of lymph.

The lymphatic system is how our bodies get rid of waste.  It picks up all the nasties, pathogens and toxins lurking in our bodies and takes them to our lymph nodes.

Not many people are aware that we have around 600 lymph nodes in our body. The most commonly known ones are the ones in our neck, under our arms and in our groin which can become inflamed if we are unwell. These nodes are fighting off the pathogens that have built up in our bodies either from sickness, the foods we eat, what we drink etc.

So not only is the old saying true in that ‘we are what we eat’ but also… ‘we are what we can’t get rid of’.

If our bodies can’t get rid of all these excess toxins, then all this sludge is just sitting stagnant in our bodies resulting in feeling unwell, unable to think clearly, low energy, inflammation in the body, swelling in the body, hormone imbalances, brain fog… basically our bodies just won’t work properly.

But… if you can get that filtration system flowing and get rid of all that toxin build up, your body will work more optimally.

It’s worth noting that our brains have around 8 grams of protein waste a day and if we are not going to get rid of that, then our memory is affected, and it can lead to Alzheimer’s, Dementia, stress and anxiety.

It’s not all doom and gloom though as there is a lot we can do to help our lymphatic systems.

What happens if you have lymph nodes removed?

It ends up putting more pressure on the remaining lymph nodes because your body has to carry the lymph around to find a node to send it to, to filter it.  This is why it is very important to do all you can to support your lymphatic system, including dry body brushing.

How do we get all that lymph waste out of our bodies?

🚽 Poo

Yep… getting our bowels functioning regularly (at least 2 times a day) is incredibly important to be able to get rid of that waste.

Ideally, we need to move our bowels the same amount of times we eat each day i.e., if you have 3 meals a day then ideally you want to be pooing 3 times a day.

Babies, for example, poo multiple times a day in line with this theory because their systems are working optimally.

Unfortunately, the older we get, the more clogged up we get by not having enough fibre, or too many parasites in our bodies which affects our gut, or too stressed, not drinking enough water, not getting enough magnesium which all contributes to this waste building up and only coming out once a day or less.

At the end of the day, if you are pooing multiple times a day, that’s great, but it is best to at the very least aim for moving your bowels once a day.

🚽 Wee

This is another way our bodies get rid of waste and something we need to do multiple times a day.

💦 Sweat

Our bodies get rid of waste with sweat, so getting out in the sun or in an infrared sauna gets our sweat going to excrete further waste.

How do we get rid of fat?

You may not know this, but we get rid of fat with our breath. Sounds weird huh?!

That’s why it’s important when we exercise to breathe well from our diaphragm and why breathwork is incredibly beneficial.

By doing this breathwork, whether intentionally or through exercise, we are pumping our lymph and blowing out fat.

So, by now, we imagine you’re as blown away as we are! Yep, Chelsey was dropping truth 💣’s all over the place!

It begs the question….

Why aren’t we taught any of this about our lymphatic system?

We should be taught this in schools or by our Doctors as just being general facts of our body so we can learn how to make it work optimally.

What can restrict lymph flow in our bodies?

Our lymphatic system drains from our extremities into our heart.

But there are things that can impede and/or restrict this flow, such as:

Wearing a bra

This can impede flow from the stomach to the heart by creating a blockage due to the tight band underneath the bust. Be mindful of how tight your bra is and give your breasts a rest from wearing a bra as often as you can.

Tight underwear

Wearing the same type or exact same underwear can impede flow.

Do you have multiple pairs of the same brand and style of underwear? We know we do!

These elastic band lines can restrict lymph flow up to the heart because they’re sitting in the same spot everyday impacting the flow. Try wearing different types/styles of underwear regularly and be super mindful not to wear tight underwear.

Stress

Our lymph system cannot flow like the river it needs to if you are wound up so tight from stress.

Operations

Leftover scar tissue from operations can impede the flow to the heart.

Because all these things can impact flow, it’s important to help drain this lymph more often.

Which brings us to…

How do we drain our lymphatic system?

Just like you brush your teeth every day, you also need to dry brush your body every day.

But there is a systematic way to do it so that it flows correctly and doesn’t get stuck.

Here’s a handy sequence guide thanks to Chelsey Jean, which you can get HERE.

For a written breakdown on how to dry body brush, check out Chelsey’s blog HERE.

If you learn more visually, then check out Chelsey’s video HERE on how to do it.

To get a pair of Chelsey’s gloves which she invented for lymphatic drainage, head HERE.

If you find Chelsey’s gloves a little powerful and scratchy, just start small with pressing or sweeping strokes. You don’t have to go hard; light touch is fine.

When is the best time to dry body brush?

Before you shower is the best time because this will also help to exfoliate and brush away any dead skin cells and keep the skin clear from being clogged up, allowing sweat and toxins to escape.

If you already exfoliate regularly, you could dry body brush after showering if you prefer, but the best time is before showering.

How long does it take to dry brush your whole body daily?

It really only takes a few minutes a day once you get the hang of it. It’s not a big time commitment at all.

Should you dry body brush nude or can you do it with clothes on?

If you are doing it just before showering, then it’s best to do it nude.However, you can incorporate it into your daily routine with clothes on too.  For example, if Chelsey is going out and knows she’s going to have a few drinks, she takes her gloves with her and will dry body brush over her clothes to help push the lymph around and promote flow which helps to alleviate any headache from alcohol consumption.

Here’s some other ways you can incorporate it into your daily routine:

Planes to help keep lymph flowing when you’re cooped up and not moving much and being in a dehydrating environment.

On road trips or caravan trips, again for the same reasons.

Before going to the gym to stimulate the lymph, waking it up ready to receive, and then after the gym to push it through.

Should we be brushing more than once a day?

Some people may need to brush more than once a day.

Chelsey had a patient who, due to chronic illness, was on 10 different painkillers a day. Her patient got up to dry brushing 17 times a day at one point which saw her eliminate her need for painkillers and only needed to take magnesium daily. How amazing is that?!

The things to note for those who are affected by toxins in their bodies or have chronic illnesses, when you start moving this lymph and sludge around, you won’t feel great initially.  In fact, you’ll probably feel pretty awful and may get a runny nose, runny eyes, and headaches, which are all classic body detox symptoms.  But they are necessary to clear waste and get your body detoxifying and flowing better again.

It’s good at this time to incorporate high fibre into your diet, good leafy greens to support the liver and good supplementation. Chelsey believes that food alone won’t fix it because the reality is most bodies are deficient in something.

What supplements to take will depend on your body. Everybody is different so seek the assistance of a health professional such as a naturopath or see Chelsey if you live in the Springfield or Capalaba areas in Queensland where her clinics are.

What about sensitive skin areas like your face and neck, etc?

This is covered by a whole other system called the glymphatic system…

“The glymphatic system is a recently discovered macroscopic waste clearance system that utilizes a unique system of perivascular channels, formed by astroglial cells, to promote efficient elimination of soluble proteins and metabolites from the central nervous system. Besides waste elimination, the glymphatic system may also function to help distribute non-waste compounds, such as glucose, lipids, amino acids, and neurotransmitters related to volume transmission, in the brain. Intriguingly, the glymphatic system function mainly during sleep and is largely disengaged during wakefulness. The biological need for sleep across all species may therefore reflect that the brain must enter a state of activity that enables elimination of potentially neurotoxic waste products, including β-amyloid.”

Source: The Glymphatic System – A Beginner’s Guide

It seems to be widely known that when applying moisturiser to your face you should apply in upward strokes, but in fact this goes against the detoxification flow of the glymphatic system as these also need to be draining to your heart, so you should be applying in downward strokes.

To dry brush on your face and neck, get yourself a soft toothbrush and brush from the centre of your face out to your ears and then downward strokes down your neck.

Should men dry body brush also?

Absolutely! A male body can be more toxic than a female body because they aren’t always eating well and/or looking after themselves.  They are also not good at expressing their emotions and keeping things trapped inside which leads to a clogged up lymphatic system.

How do you know when a lymphatic system is blocked up?

Obvious inflammation signs, inflammation from injury, fat deposits around the back bra area and under the breasts.

How can you incorporate dry body brushing if you are super busy?

You don’t necessarily need to dry body brush each day, there are targeted movements you can make each day to help your lymph system flow, such as:

👉🏻 Beat your chest (yes, think Tarzan style – but you don’t need to beat hard)
👉🏻 Stamp your feet
👉🏻 Wave your arms around above your head like you’re screwing in a light bulb
👉🏻 Brush your face – you can do this in the car when stuck at traffic lights
👉🏻 Take some deep breaths
👉🏻 Relax your shoulders and move them around

The biggest thing to note is that you don’t have to do the whole dry body brushing sequence everyday if you don’t have the time, although it is ideal.  You can incorporate the above movements into your daily routine or when at work because something is better than nothing!

That’s it for Part 1 of this deep dive into our lymphatic system with Chelsey from Chelsey Jean Lymphatics.

In the meantime, you can find Chelsey

Facebook
Instagram
Website

Stay tuned for next week when we continue with Part 2.

Much love,
Jo & Tracey x