Intro To The Lymphatic System

The lymphatic system is a part of the body that doesn’t get a lot of attention, but works tirelessly in the background to keep us healthy, moving comfortably and feeling full of life!

​The lymphatic system is a key player in our immune health. This system consists of a network of blood vessels and lymph nodes as well as primary and secondary organs.

 Lymph is the liquid that travels through these vessels, nodes and organs, and serves as a drainage or filtration system for our body to dispose of waste and other un-needed substances. Keep in mind, this is no easy task! Our lymphatic system must not only work to dispose of the by-products of the body’s day-to-day functioning, but is also required to filter toxins from the air we breath, the foods we eat, the products we put on our body and use to clean our house and so much more!
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The lymphatic system works closely with our circulatory system that consist of the arteries and veins carry blood. However, the arteries in our body rely on the pumping of our heart to move this blood around, and, similar to our veins which use valves instead of a pumping motion, the lymphatic vessels also use valves rather than a pump system. This is important to understand because without a pump, this system relies on the movement of our body, more specifically, the movement of our musculoskeletal system, to circulate the lymph fluid.  Therefore, movement and exercise are one of the most important ways in which we can keep our lymphatic system running smoothly.

Unlike the cardiovascular system, which can be thought of as flowing in a circle, around and around our body, the lymphatic system only flows one way – collecting fluid from the tissues, and then dumping them into the cardiovascular system.

This amazing system does so much to keep us living a happy and joyful life – later this month, we’ll learn more about what actions we can take to ensure that this system flows smoothly!