The Immune System and How It Works.
At first appearance, it might look like the lymphatic system doesn’t do a huge amount – just transport lymph around the body and back into the veins.
But look a bit deeper and you will see its true benefits and that it does so much more:
1 it drains the interstitial fluid to prevent tissues from becoming waterlogged and blood levels dropping
2 helps large molecules enter the blood such as hormones and lipids
3 protects the body against invasion
I want to focus on point three, our immune response.
Protection – our immune response
- The lymphatic system houses special tissues and organs that are there to protect the body against invasion.
- Our first line of defence is both mechanical and chemical barriers. These include for example, the skin (mechanical) and perspiration (chemical).
- If microbes or foreign matter do manage to enter the body, they then face natural killer cells (a type of lymphocyte (white blood cell) that can kill a variety or microbes). Or they are ingested by phagocytes (literally meaning ‘eating cell’).
- But this still doesn’t necessarily get everything. So, there is inflammation. The purpose of this is to help prevent the spread of further damage and prepare the site for repair and clear the toxins.
- Next in line is fever! This is the body’s way of dealing with an infection. By some, it is seen as a good thing and as an important part of the healing process. During a fever, all healing reactions speed up – such as, the heart beats faster therefore carrying the blood quicker to all organs, breathing can speed up therefore increasing the intake of oxygen; you can sweat which is allowing the body to rid of toxic waste and also naturally cool it down. Your best bet during a fever is to rest (in bed and not in front of the TV), keep fluids up, use a cold compress if necessary and avoid any other toxins like tea, alcohol or coffee.
Reflexolgy and the Immune System.
Through the pressure and flowing moves, this stimulates the circulation of blood circulation and the lymphatic system. It is helping the system work at it’s optimal giving you the best chance of a stronger more robust immune response (along with other factors too - this is a holistic therapy after all!)
The other benefits of the Lymphatic System.
Draining Interstitial Fluids
Everyday about 21 litres of blood plasma and it components leak out of the blood vessels and into the interstitial fluid. Most of this is reabsorbed back into the bloodstream but about 3 litres isn’t. If this isn’t returned to the bloodstream, then tissues will become waterlogged and blood volume will decrease.
Transportation of dietrary lipids
Located inside the lining of the small intestine are finger-like porjections call villi. Inside of of the villi are blood capillaries and specialised lymphatic vessels called lacteals. The lacteals absorb lipids and lipid-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E & K) and transport them into larger lymphatic vessels and eventually ending in the bloodstream.