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Why is Immunity important?
Our immune system is like the police department of the body, in charge of protecting its citizens which are the different cells within the system. Keeping the cells strong and healthy from external pathogens or internal mutations, our immune system is kept busy 24/7. One particular type of white blood cells that protects the body are the lymphocytes and they represent 20-40% of the circulating white blood cell population. Do you know where they reside? Up to 99% reside in the lymph, which we are going to talk about.
In a healthy adult, there are approximately 5×1011 lymphocytes residing in the body and they go about their daily function of keeping the cells safe from harm. The B cells, formed in the bone marrow, are typically in charge of clearing the body of pathogens that enter from our skin/mouth/nose/wounds. B cells are stimulated by antigens carried on these pathogens, forming antibodies and triggering the humoral immunity response.
T cells, on the other hand, are dependent on thymus for its production and development. T cells bring about the cellular immune response as their purpose is to destroy cells in the body that are taken over by viruses or have mutated and become cancerous.
Therefore, when your immunity is weak, your body’s B cells and T cells are not working optimally and unable to trigger the required response to combat the disease and your health deteriorates.
How does Lymphatic system play a part with your immunity?
These lymphocytes that we have mention, B cells and T cells, are present and reside in your lymphatic system. 65% of them reside within the lymphoid organs like the lymph node and your spleen, 15% lies along the mucosal lymphoid tissues, thereby forming a defensive network to protect the body from harm.
How vast is this network? As your circulatory system nourishes your body with oxygen, the blood flows from arteries to capillaries before collecting back in the veins. Some of these fluids are lost in the interstitial space, unable to reach back to the vein, and they can amount up to 3 litres per day. Imagine losing this amount of blood if they are not collected back into the circulatory system!
These interstitial fluids are collected by a network called the lymphatic system. Once these fluids enter a lymph capillary, it is considered lymph which then moves along the valvular system of pre-collectors, then collectors and onto nodes, trunks and ducts before eventually entering the circulatory system again via the subclavian vein. With this network, it provides a medium in which the immune system functions.
The immune system, heavily present within the lymphatic system, works on removing foreign particles, filtering and clearing proteins from various sources like antigen-antibody complexes, dead cells, lipoproteins etc so that they do not enter the circulatory system.
Lymph nodes round or kidney-shaped stations where your lymphocytes and macrophages (another type of white blood cell) undergo filtration and purification functions. They filter lymph to prevent the spread of microorganisms and toxins that may have entered the interstitial fluids. Macrophages destroy bacteria and toxins via its phagocytic actions, while lymphocytes produce antibodies through the activities of B cells.
The Spleen is similar in shape and structure to a lymph node except that it is much larger. It is the largest lymphoid organ in the body. Our spleen filters blood the way lymph nodes filter lymph as the lymphocytes (B and T cells) and macrophages react to pathogens present and destroys them.
Why is it important to have good lymphatic drainage?
As we have seen how your lymphatic system and immune system work hand in hand to keep the body safe from pathogens, having good lymphatic flow allows our lymph to be constantly filtered.
In cases whereby patients have their lymph nodes removed, other than poor flow of lymph fluids leading to swollen limbs, their immune system will also be compromised. This is due to lack of residing places for lymphocytes and macrophages and thus lymph fluids do not undergo filtration, purification and removal of toxins and dead cells. Undergoing lymphatic drainage massage helps to move lymph fluids along to other lymph nodes to prevent stagnation.
Electro-Lymphatic Therapy (ELT) does not only ensure a good flow of superficial lymph, which accounts for 70% of lymph fluids, but it also has the penetrative depth to move the deep level of lymph fluids. Why is this important as some of you may ask? This is because up to 70% of our immune system resides in the deeper levels of the lymphatic system. ELT not only work on what other therapies have achieved with good lymphatic drainage, but it is also capable of assisting our immunity as we try to ensure our lymphocytes and macrophages at the deep levels are filtering our lymph fluid effectively.
Disclaimer: Electro-Lymphatic Therapy using LymphDrainage XP-II, as well as any wellness devices mentioned, is intended for use only for general well-being purposes or to encourage or to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and is not intended to be used for any medical purposes (such as detection, diagnosis, monitoring, management or treatment of any medical condition or disease). Any health-related information provided by this device should not be treated as medical advice. Please consult a physician for any medical advice required.
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