March 17, 2025 • 18 mins
Your lymphatic system might be the hidden key to better hormone balance during perimenopause and menopause. While we often focus exclusively on hormone levels, this extensive network of vessels, nodes, and organs silently influences how our hormones function and how we feel day to day.
The lymphatic system transports hormones to their target tissues, helps regulate immune responses that affect hormone function, removes toxins that disrupt hormonal balance, and prevents fluid retention that many women experience during hormonal transitions. One fascinating study even found that a single lymphatic drainage massage significantly reduced cortisol levels in menopausal women, improving symptoms like mood swings, fatigue and bloating.
What makes lymphatic support so powerful is its accessibility. Simple practices like regular movement (the lymphatic system has no pump except muscle contraction), dry body brushing, proper hydration, and elevating the legs can yield noticeable results. One client reported losing seven kilograms of fluid retention within just ten days of implementing these strategies. The beauty of lymphatic support lies in its gentleness—you don't need intense interventions to create meaningful change in how you feel. Whether you're experiencing unexplained puffiness, mood fluctuations, fatigue, or simply want to optimise your hormonal health, giving attention to this remarkable system might be exactly what your body needs to find its natural balance again. Join me in this episode to discover practical ways to support your lymphatic flow for better hormonal health.
Are you a woman feeling stressed, flat and experiencing the challenges of perimenopause?
It’s time to reclaim your youthful energy, radiance and self-assurance (and your ideal weight).
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Susie Garden and this is the Ageless and
Awesome podcast.
I'm an age-defying naturopathand clinical nutritionist and
I'm here to bust myths aroundwomen's health and aging so that
you can be ageless and awesomein your 40s, 50s and beyond.
The Ageless and Awesome podcastis dedicated to helping women
(00:24):
through perimenopause andmenopause with great health, a
positive mindset and outrageousconfidence.
Hit, subscribe or follow nowand let's get started.
Hello, gorgeous one, andwelcome to this week's episode
of the Ageless and Awesomepodcast.
I'm so glad to have you heretoday.
(00:45):
Today, I'm going to be talkingabout a topic that I don't think
I have talked about before,which always makes me happy when
I find a topic that I haven'ttalked about before, because
I've been doing this podcast fora number of years now, and I
guess it was only really sincethe beginning of last year I
think that I pivoted it oh gosh,mate, it was even the year
(01:07):
before to be really focusedaround perimenopause and
menopause, and so, yeah, I'vecovered a lot of topics.
So if you are actually everlooking for a topic, just please
do have a look through.
If your podcast app has asearch function, you can have a
look through that to find aparticular topic that you want
(01:29):
information on.
If you can't find anything,please do message me.
You can message me on Instagramat theperimenopausepath, you
can email me hello atsuzygardencom, and I always love
suggestions for topics.
But today's topic I thoughtit's kind of an interesting one
(01:52):
and it's all about the lymphaticsystem and how it works with
our hormones.
And it is actually quiteinteresting because it's
probably a system that you don'treally think about too much
unless you've got somethingwrong with it.
So, for example, like if youhave inflamed lymph nodes, if
(02:17):
you're getting sick and you geta bit of, you know your lymph
nodes play up a little bit, theyget a bit sore, they get a bit
tender, particularly under thejaw, maybe in the armpit.
That's often the first timepeople are thinking about their
lymphatic system, and so Iwanted to talk about that today
and why it's important to lookafter our lymphatic system and
(02:37):
it's actually really, reallyeasy to do.
But you know it does help ifyou're actually to do, but it
does help if you're actuallykeeping it in mind.
I guess when you're looking atyour own health, did you even
know that your lymphatic systemand hormone health are closely
connected?
Because I suspect many peopledon't actually know this.
(02:58):
So I'm going to start with somebasics like what actually is
your lymphatic system?
So your lymphatic system it'sactually a bunch of different
organs and it's a network oftissues.
So when we're talking about thelymphatic system, it's our
lymph nodes.
So, as I mentioned before, someof these are under, like your
(03:21):
jaw and in your neck, under thearmpits, in the groin.
There are multiple, multipleplaces where we have these lymph
nodes.
We also have lymph vessels thatthe lymph fluid travels through
.
We have the thymus gland.
So the thymus gland not to beconfused with the thyroid gland
(03:42):
and again, many people probablydon't know even about the thymus
gland it's part of your immunesystem, also part of your
lymphatic system, and the thymusgland is actually in your chest
.
So it's about like if you findthe sternal notch just at the
base of the neck and you go andfind your breastbone, it's about
(04:04):
halfway-ish is your thymusgland.
It's actually a decent sizedgland too.
So that's there.
You've got your spleen, whichyou've probably heard of before.
Your tonsils and your adenoidsare also a part of this.
So if you've had them removed,that's actually an important
part of your lymphatic systemthat you don't have anymore.
So it's probably even moreimportant that you have some
(04:26):
awareness of how to support yourlymphatic system.
The primary roles, I guess, ofthe lymph or the lymphatic
system is to maintain fluidbalance.
So if your lymphatic system isnot working very well, that's
where you can get some fluidretention.
People that have had lymph nodesremoved, for example under
(04:47):
their armpits this happens a lotwith breast cancer, breast
lumps being removed.
Sometimes I'll take some lymphnodes to check them out or
sometimes I'll do a fullclearance of the lymph nodes if
there is cancer present.
And when people have theirlymph nodes under their armpits
removed, they cannot have theirblood pressure taken on that arm
(05:10):
because that can reallyinterfere with the flow of lymph
and cause swelling, quite nastyswelling in the arm, and anyone
that has had that procedure andhad that removed, those glands
removed, will know this.
And also they probablyexperience swelling in the arm
from time to time and have towear a compression sleeve to
(05:33):
help kind of prevent that fluidfrom building up in the arm.
So that's something that youknow is people who have that
situation know how to manage.
They get taught how to managethat, but it is.
I remember when I was nursingthat was one of the first things
they taught us when they taughtus about taking blood pressure
is always check to make surethat they haven't had lymph
(05:56):
nodes removed on their side thatyou're taking the blood
pressure.
So that is really important.
So they help maintain fluidbalance.
They also have a reallyimportant part of the blood
pressure, so that is reallyimportant.
So they help maintain fluidbalance.
They also have really importantpart of the immune system, so
they have the lymph system.
Lymphatic system helps defendagainst infections and also is a
very important detox,detoxification pathway, so it
(06:17):
helps remove waste products fromthe body.
So let's talk a little bitabout it.
So the lymphatic system is animportant, or has an important,
role in our hormone transportand distribution.
So, because you know, there isthis network of vessels, the
lymphatic kind of vessels, thatare all around our body.
(06:40):
The lymphatic system helps totransport hormones throughout
your body, so really helps toensure that these hormones reach
their target tissues and organsefficiently.
Also, as I mentioned, there'san immune system regulation role
that the lymphatic system hasand how that works with hormones
.
So hormones like cortisol,estrogen and progesterone
(07:04):
regulate immune responses andthe lymphatic system, being a
key player in the immune systemhelps to maintain a balanced
response.
I mentioned detox before.
So the lymphatic system removestoxins, waste products and
excess fluids from tissues,preventing buildup that can
(07:26):
really disrupt your hormonebalance.
When I talked about fluidbalance before and I talked
about edema, lymphedema thelymphatic system regulates fluid
balance by returning thisexcess fluid that we have, that
we're producing all of the time,returns it to the bloodstream,
(07:47):
preventing swelling andmaintaining tissue health.
Also, as part of, I guess, itswaste removal function in terms
of the lymphatic system, ithelps to manage inflammation and
clear immune cells from sitesof injury or infection.
So if you have a cut orsomething and we have, all of
(08:08):
our immune system gets activated.
It sends nutrients and it sendsa whole bunch of different
cells to that area to help makesure we're fighting off
infection and to heal the area.
So then there's lots of wastethat gets kind of produced when
that happens.
So the lymphatic system,through the vessels, helps
(08:28):
manage inflammation, helps clearup immune cells after they've
been used, from sites of injuryor infection and it supports a
balanced inflammation response,which is really essential for
hormone health.
And the thing is, you know, whenwe're looking specifically at
(08:49):
perimenopause or menopause,obviously the hormone link is
really important but, in fact,at any stage of a woman's life,
it does impact your hormonebalance.
Interestingly, there was astudy done in 2017 that looked
at the impact of lymphaticdrainage so that's a massage
(09:13):
technique on women experiencingmenopausal symptoms, such as
fluid retention, mood swings,insomnia and fatigue, and they
found that after one, just one,lymphatic drainage massage, the
stress hormone cortisol, whichI've spoken of a little bit
lately, was significantlyreduced significantly reduced
(09:44):
and that also produced mentaland physical impacts that were
positive for women in menopause.
So, while the lymphatic massageitself doesn't actually
directly impact hormone levels,its ability to promote overall
relaxation and supportive immunefunction may indirectly
contribute to that sense ofbalance during menopause.
So that I found reallyinteresting.
(10:08):
So, yes, any, probably any kindof relaxation massage will help
in terms of reducing the stresshormone cortisol, because when
you get from a stress response,your opposite nervous system is
your relaxation response andthat's when cortisol drops back
(10:29):
and that will help sleep and itwill help digestion and it will
help probably you're feelingsoft fatigue.
But it was really interesting.
It was a very specifictechnique that they use for
lymphatic drainage and that theysaw these results, so that
might be something if you aresomeone that's feeling kind of
bloated, feeling like you'reretaining fluid.
(10:50):
Um, I've had a client recentlythat within the first I think it
was the first 10 days of doingher glow protocol, she said she
was noticing differences inpuffiness in her face, her neck,
she said really all over herbody.
She had described on herinitial consult that she felt
(11:10):
bloated, but all over, not justsort of in her tummy, that she
had this sense of being bloatedall over.
And within the first 10 days ofbeing on her glow protocol that
puffiness and that sense ofbeing bloated had disappeared
and she actually lost I can'tremember the number, it was like
some ridiculous like six orseven kilos.
(11:31):
So clearly there was a lot offluid that got released and
that's why she just had thissense that this puffiness had
gone.
Now if you can get that just byreducing inflammation and
getting the food right andgetting your water intake
optimal, then I can absolutelysee that if you're having a
(11:53):
lymphatic drainage massage thatyou would get those really
positive effects.
Often it doesn't take longperiods of time to actually see
really positive benefits.
So I guess, as you know, in mypodcast I always like to give
some solutions, as it were, tothe different things that I talk
(12:14):
about.
So, in terms of lymphatichealth, what can you do to
support that?
So I've just kind of mentionedone of those things which is
potentially lymphatic massage,particularly if you are feeling
like you're retaining a lot offluid, and maybe that's not just
in the center of your body,although that might be the case
but if you're feeling like yourlegs are really kind of puffy
(12:35):
and your arms are puffy and yourface and neck, then maybe a
lymphatic massage, specifically,would be of value to you.
That's one thing.
The other thing that is one ofthe other things that's really
important and many of you, ifyou've done a first aid course,
you might know this is if youget bitten by a snake, that the
(12:58):
snake venom actually movesthrough the lymphatic system.
It doesn't go through thebloodstream.
So that's why, with the firstaid that we're taught for snake
bite, immobilization of the limbis super important.
You don't put a tourniquet onbecause the poison isn't going
through the blood, it's goingthrough the lymphatic system.
So you need to immobilize theentire limb because movement is
(13:22):
what actually activates the flowof the lymphatic fluid through
the lymphatic vessels.
So by moving your arms movingyour legs.
It just has that like a bit ofa pumping action.
I guess that moves that fluidor that lymphatic fluid through
the lymphatic system.
So when you think about that,if immobilization stops that
(13:45):
fluid moving, then obviouslymovement is going to be really
beneficial to get that lymphaticflow and so that can be walking
, that can be dancing one of mypersonal favorites because it's
a whole body movement but anysort of movement is going to
help with that lymphatic flow sothat you're removing those
(14:08):
toxins, you're helping in asense to balance out hormones in
that way.
Another way you can stimulatelymphatic fluid shift is through
dry body brushing and that issomething that you know I see
clients having incredibleresults with and I mean I've had
(14:29):
some clients actually cause Ido really encourage dry body
brushing in my programs and aspart of the gift pack in my glow
protocol is is a dry body brushand instructions and I've had
some clients even have to stopdoing it for a few days because
they get really enthusiastic.
(14:49):
They're doing it every singleday and they start feeling
really nauseated because they'vereally accelerated their waste
product removal and perhapstheir liver's not quite ready
for it.
So you do have to be a littlecareful.
If you do decide to get intodry body brushing is start doing
it, and daily works well formany people.
But maybe if you start feelinga bit sick, then I'd suggest
(15:12):
dropping it to maybe twice aweek, three times a week and
slowly build yourself up so thatonce you've kind of shifted
that fluid.
Initially, doing your dry bodybrushing regularly means that
you won't get that buildup offluid.
It gets a good kind of amaintenance program.
Obviously, drinking lots ofwater is going to be another
(15:33):
thing that I'm always going to.
Drinking lots of water is goingto be another thing that I'm
always going to recommendbecause it flushes your kidneys,
helps your liver work moreeffectively.
They're both fantastic organsof detoxification and if you are
shifting some of that lymphaticfluid around, you may be
increasing the amount of wastethat you're sending to those
organs.
So you want to make surethey're able to clear that.
(15:55):
And yeah, that's probably themain ones.
It's a really simple oneMovement, dry body brushing,
lymphatic drainage, massage,drinking lots of water.
Probably, if you're looking also, if you really find, if you
spend a lot of time on your feet, if you work in retail, if
you're a flight attendant.
If you're a nurse, you find andI've certainly when I was a
(16:17):
nurse you do find that your legsfeel very heavy at the end of a
shift, and so it can be usefulto raise your legs in yoga we
call it legs up the wall andthat can be very helpful also to
just help drain that fluid.
So I really recommend that aswell.
(16:40):
You don't have to do it forvery long.
In fact, when you first startdoing it, sometimes you can't
really tolerate doing it forvery long.
It can really make your legsache.
So just even a couple ofminutes can be really effective,
and then you just sort of startlengthening that time out to
whatever feels good for you.
It's actually a very relaxingpose to get into, and it's often
(17:03):
one that we recommend forpeople before they go to bed,
because it can help with gettingyou relaxed, getting you into
your parasympathetic nervoussystem and reducing that stress
response so that you are able tosleep more easily.
So I'd love to know did you knowthat much about the lymphatic
(17:25):
system?
This is a really top lineamount of information I've
provided on this pretty complex,a bit more complex system than
I'm talking about today, becauseI just think about.
You know what is probably ofinterest to you.
I know if you're anything likeme, your brain's pretty full and
you just kind of want the topline points.
(17:46):
So I hope that's been helpful.
But yeah, I'd really love toknow if you have found that
useful so you can message me attheperimenopausepath or hello at
suzygardencom.
Enjoy the rest of your week andI'll be back next Tuesday with
some more content for you.
Thanks so much for joining meon the Ageless and Awesome
(18:08):
podcast.
If you liked this episode,please make sure you click the
little plus button if you're onApple Podcasts, or the follow
button if you're on Spotify, sothat you get each new episode
delivered to you every singleweek.
If you feel like writing me afive-star review, you would
absolutely make my day.
If you found this episoderesonated with you, head over to
(18:30):
my Instagram and DM me attheperimenopausepar.
I would love to connect withyou.
Hi, I'm Susie Garden and this is the Ageless and
Awesome podcast.
I'm an age-defying naturopathand clinical nutritionist and
I'm here to bust myths aroundwomen's health and aging so that
you can be ageless and awesomein your 40s, 50s and beyond.
The Ageless and Awesome podcastis dedicated to helping women
(00:24):
through perimenopause andmenopause with great health, a
positive mindset and outrageousconfidence.
Hit, subscribe or follow nowand let's get started.
Hello, gorgeous one, andwelcome to this week's episode
of the Ageless and Awesomepodcast.
I'm so glad to have you heretoday.
(00:45):
Today, I'm going to be talkingabout a topic that I don't think
I have talked about before,which always makes me happy when
I find a topic that I haven'ttalked about before, because
I've been doing this podcast fora number of years now, and I
guess it was only really sincethe beginning of last year I
think that I pivoted it oh gosh,mate, it was even the year
(01:07):
before to be really focusedaround perimenopause and
menopause, and so, yeah, I'vecovered a lot of topics.
So if you are actually everlooking for a topic, just please
do have a look through.
If your podcast app has asearch function, you can have a
look through that to find aparticular topic that you want
(01:29):
information on.
If you can't find anything,please do message me.
You can message me on Instagramat theperimenopausepath, you
can email me hello atsuzygardencom, and I always love
suggestions for topics.
But today's topic I thoughtit's kind of an interesting one
(01:52):
and it's all about the lymphaticsystem and how it works with
our hormones.
And it is actually quiteinteresting because it's
probably a system that you don'treally think about too much
unless you've got somethingwrong with it.
So, for example, like if youhave inflamed lymph nodes, if
(02:17):
you're getting sick and you geta bit of, you know your lymph
nodes play up a little bit, theyget a bit sore, they get a bit
tender, particularly under thejaw, maybe in the armpit.
That's often the first timepeople are thinking about their
lymphatic system, and so Iwanted to talk about that today
and why it's important to lookafter our lymphatic system and
(02:37):
it's actually really, reallyeasy to do.
But you know it does help ifyou're actually to do, but it
does help if you're actuallykeeping it in mind.
I guess when you're looking atyour own health, did you even
know that your lymphatic systemand hormone health are closely
connected?
Because I suspect many peopledon't actually know this.
(02:58):
So I'm going to start with somebasics like what actually is
your lymphatic system?
So your lymphatic system it'sactually a bunch of different
organs and it's a network oftissues.
So when we're talking about thelymphatic system, it's our
lymph nodes.
So, as I mentioned before, someof these are under, like your
(03:21):
jaw and in your neck, under thearmpits, in the groin.
There are multiple, multipleplaces where we have these lymph
nodes.
We also have lymph vessels thatthe lymph fluid travels through
.
We have the thymus gland.
So the thymus gland not to beconfused with the thyroid gland
(03:42):
and again, many people probablydon't know even about the thymus
gland it's part of your immunesystem, also part of your
lymphatic system, and the thymusgland is actually in your chest
.
So it's about like if you findthe sternal notch just at the
base of the neck and you go andfind your breastbone, it's about
(04:04):
halfway-ish is your thymusgland.
It's actually a decent sizedgland too.
So that's there.
You've got your spleen, whichyou've probably heard of before.
Your tonsils and your adenoidsare also a part of this.
So if you've had them removed,that's actually an important
part of your lymphatic systemthat you don't have anymore.
So it's probably even moreimportant that you have some
(04:26):
awareness of how to support yourlymphatic system.
The primary roles, I guess, ofthe lymph or the lymphatic
system is to maintain fluidbalance.
So if your lymphatic system isnot working very well, that's
where you can get some fluidretention.
People that have had lymph nodesremoved, for example under
(04:47):
their armpits this happens a lotwith breast cancer, breast
lumps being removed.
Sometimes I'll take some lymphnodes to check them out or
sometimes I'll do a fullclearance of the lymph nodes if
there is cancer present.
And when people have theirlymph nodes under their armpits
removed, they cannot have theirblood pressure taken on that arm
(05:10):
because that can reallyinterfere with the flow of lymph
and cause swelling, quite nastyswelling in the arm, and anyone
that has had that procedure andhad that removed, those glands
removed, will know this.
And also they probablyexperience swelling in the arm
from time to time and have towear a compression sleeve to
(05:33):
help kind of prevent that fluidfrom building up in the arm.
So that's something that youknow is people who have that
situation know how to manage.
They get taught how to managethat, but it is.
I remember when I was nursingthat was one of the first things
they taught us when they taughtus about taking blood pressure
is always check to make surethat they haven't had lymph
(05:56):
nodes removed on their side thatyou're taking the blood
pressure.
So that is really important.
So they help maintain fluidbalance.
They also have a reallyimportant part of the blood
pressure, so that is reallyimportant.
So they help maintain fluidbalance.
They also have really importantpart of the immune system, so
they have the lymph system.
Lymphatic system helps defendagainst infections and also is a
very important detox,detoxification pathway, so it
(06:17):
helps remove waste products fromthe body.
So let's talk a little bitabout it.
So the lymphatic system is animportant, or has an important,
role in our hormone transportand distribution.
So, because you know, there isthis network of vessels, the
lymphatic kind of vessels, thatare all around our body.
(06:40):
The lymphatic system helps totransport hormones throughout
your body, so really helps toensure that these hormones reach
their target tissues and organsefficiently.
Also, as I mentioned, there'san immune system regulation role
that the lymphatic system hasand how that works with hormones
.
So hormones like cortisol,estrogen and progesterone
(07:04):
regulate immune responses andthe lymphatic system, being a
key player in the immune systemhelps to maintain a balanced
response.
I mentioned detox before.
So the lymphatic system removestoxins, waste products and
excess fluids from tissues,preventing buildup that can
(07:26):
really disrupt your hormonebalance.
When I talked about fluidbalance before and I talked
about edema, lymphedema thelymphatic system regulates fluid
balance by returning thisexcess fluid that we have, that
we're producing all of the time,returns it to the bloodstream,
(07:47):
preventing swelling andmaintaining tissue health.
Also, as part of, I guess, itswaste removal function in terms
of the lymphatic system, ithelps to manage inflammation and
clear immune cells from sitesof injury or infection.
So if you have a cut orsomething and we have, all of
(08:08):
our immune system gets activated.
It sends nutrients and it sendsa whole bunch of different
cells to that area to help makesure we're fighting off
infection and to heal the area.
So then there's lots of wastethat gets kind of produced when
that happens.
So the lymphatic system,through the vessels, helps
(08:28):
manage inflammation, helps clearup immune cells after they've
been used, from sites of injuryor infection and it supports a
balanced inflammation response,which is really essential for
hormone health.
And the thing is, you know, whenwe're looking specifically at
(08:49):
perimenopause or menopause,obviously the hormone link is
really important but, in fact,at any stage of a woman's life,
it does impact your hormonebalance.
Interestingly, there was astudy done in 2017 that looked
at the impact of lymphaticdrainage so that's a massage
(09:13):
technique on women experiencingmenopausal symptoms, such as
fluid retention, mood swings,insomnia and fatigue, and they
found that after one, just one,lymphatic drainage massage, the
stress hormone cortisol, whichI've spoken of a little bit
lately, was significantlyreduced significantly reduced
(09:44):
and that also produced mentaland physical impacts that were
positive for women in menopause.
So, while the lymphatic massageitself doesn't actually
directly impact hormone levels,its ability to promote overall
relaxation and supportive immunefunction may indirectly
contribute to that sense ofbalance during menopause.
So that I found reallyinteresting.
(10:08):
So, yes, any, probably any kindof relaxation massage will help
in terms of reducing the stresshormone cortisol, because when
you get from a stress response,your opposite nervous system is
your relaxation response andthat's when cortisol drops back
(10:29):
and that will help sleep and itwill help digestion and it will
help probably you're feelingsoft fatigue.
But it was really interesting.
It was a very specifictechnique that they use for
lymphatic drainage and that theysaw these results, so that
might be something if you aresomeone that's feeling kind of
bloated, feeling like you'reretaining fluid.
(10:50):
Um, I've had a client recentlythat within the first I think it
was the first 10 days of doingher glow protocol, she said she
was noticing differences inpuffiness in her face, her neck,
she said really all over herbody.
She had described on herinitial consult that she felt
(11:10):
bloated, but all over, not justsort of in her tummy, that she
had this sense of being bloatedall over.
And within the first 10 days ofbeing on her glow protocol that
puffiness and that sense ofbeing bloated had disappeared
and she actually lost I can'tremember the number, it was like
some ridiculous like six orseven kilos.
(11:31):
So clearly there was a lot offluid that got released and
that's why she just had thissense that this puffiness had
gone.
Now if you can get that just byreducing inflammation and
getting the food right andgetting your water intake
optimal, then I can absolutelysee that if you're having a
(11:53):
lymphatic drainage massage thatyou would get those really
positive effects.
Often it doesn't take longperiods of time to actually see
really positive benefits.
So I guess, as you know, in mypodcast I always like to give
some solutions, as it were, tothe different things that I talk
(12:14):
about.
So, in terms of lymphatichealth, what can you do to
support that?
So I've just kind of mentionedone of those things which is
potentially lymphatic massage,particularly if you are feeling
like you're retaining a lot offluid, and maybe that's not just
in the center of your body,although that might be the case
but if you're feeling like yourlegs are really kind of puffy
(12:35):
and your arms are puffy and yourface and neck, then maybe a
lymphatic massage, specifically,would be of value to you.
That's one thing.
The other thing that is one ofthe other things that's really
important and many of you, ifyou've done a first aid course,
you might know this is if youget bitten by a snake, that the
(12:58):
snake venom actually movesthrough the lymphatic system.
It doesn't go through thebloodstream.
So that's why, with the firstaid that we're taught for snake
bite, immobilization of the limbis super important.
You don't put a tourniquet onbecause the poison isn't going
through the blood, it's goingthrough the lymphatic system.
So you need to immobilize theentire limb because movement is
(13:22):
what actually activates the flowof the lymphatic fluid through
the lymphatic vessels.
So by moving your arms movingyour legs.
It just has that like a bit ofa pumping action.
I guess that moves that fluidor that lymphatic fluid through
the lymphatic system.
So when you think about that,if immobilization stops that
(13:45):
fluid moving, then obviouslymovement is going to be really
beneficial to get that lymphaticflow and so that can be walking
, that can be dancing one of mypersonal favorites because it's
a whole body movement but anysort of movement is going to
help with that lymphatic flow sothat you're removing those
(14:08):
toxins, you're helping in asense to balance out hormones in
that way.
Another way you can stimulatelymphatic fluid shift is through
dry body brushing and that issomething that you know I see
clients having incredibleresults with and I mean I've had
(14:29):
some clients actually cause Ido really encourage dry body
brushing in my programs and aspart of the gift pack in my glow
protocol is is a dry body brushand instructions and I've had
some clients even have to stopdoing it for a few days because
they get really enthusiastic.
(14:49):
They're doing it every singleday and they start feeling
really nauseated because they'vereally accelerated their waste
product removal and perhapstheir liver's not quite ready
for it.
So you do have to be a littlecareful.
If you do decide to get intodry body brushing is start doing
it, and daily works well formany people.
But maybe if you start feelinga bit sick, then I'd suggest
(15:12):
dropping it to maybe twice aweek, three times a week and
slowly build yourself up so thatonce you've kind of shifted
that fluid.
Initially, doing your dry bodybrushing regularly means that
you won't get that buildup offluid.
It gets a good kind of amaintenance program.
Obviously, drinking lots ofwater is going to be another
(15:33):
thing that I'm always going to.
Drinking lots of water is goingto be another thing that I'm
always going to recommendbecause it flushes your kidneys,
helps your liver work moreeffectively.
They're both fantastic organsof detoxification and if you are
shifting some of that lymphaticfluid around, you may be
increasing the amount of wastethat you're sending to those
organs.
So you want to make surethey're able to clear that.
(15:55):
And yeah, that's probably themain ones.
It's a really simple oneMovement, dry body brushing,
lymphatic drainage, massage,drinking lots of water.
Probably, if you're looking also, if you really find, if you
spend a lot of time on your feet, if you work in retail, if
you're a flight attendant.
If you're a nurse, you find andI've certainly when I was a
(16:17):
nurse you do find that your legsfeel very heavy at the end of a
shift, and so it can be usefulto raise your legs in yoga we
call it legs up the wall andthat can be very helpful also to
just help drain that fluid.
So I really recommend that aswell.
(16:40):
You don't have to do it forvery long.
In fact, when you first startdoing it, sometimes you can't
really tolerate doing it forvery long.
It can really make your legsache.
So just even a couple ofminutes can be really effective,
and then you just sort of startlengthening that time out to
whatever feels good for you.
It's actually a very relaxingpose to get into, and it's often
(17:03):
one that we recommend forpeople before they go to bed,
because it can help with gettingyou relaxed, getting you into
your parasympathetic nervoussystem and reducing that stress
response so that you are able tosleep more easily.
So I'd love to know did you knowthat much about the lymphatic
(17:25):
system?
This is a really top lineamount of information I've
provided on this pretty complex,a bit more complex system than
I'm talking about today, becauseI just think about.
You know what is probably ofinterest to you.
I know if you're anything likeme, your brain's pretty full and
you just kind of want the topline points.
(17:46):
So I hope that's been helpful.
But yeah, I'd really love toknow if you have found that
useful so you can message me attheperimenopausepath or hello at
suzygardencom.
Enjoy the rest of your week andI'll be back next Tuesday with
some more content for you.
Thanks so much for joining meon the Ageless and Awesome
(18:08):
podcast.
If you liked this episode,please make sure you click the
little plus button if you're onApple Podcasts, or the follow
button if you're on Spotify, sothat you get each new episode
delivered to you every singleweek.
If you feel like writing me afive-star review, you would
absolutely make my day.
If you found this episoderesonated with you, head over to
(18:30):
my Instagram and DM me attheperimenopausepar.
I would love to connect withyou.
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