Understanding the Lymph System

[Victoria_H]

Sharing an article I found interesting:

lifespa.com/the-miracle-of-...

[Hpmt1]

Not sure this is about understanding the lymphatic system! There are a lot of people using the internet to claim knowledge of the system, which seems to involve picking certain fashionable aspects which they think will appeal to anxious and vulnerable people. Funny how they go on about congested and stagnant systems yet never mention lymphoedema, and frequently compare the system to a biological sewer! Don't they realise it is essential to life that some of the so called waste products they refer to are returned to the blood stream to be utilised by the body? By far the quickest and easiest way to detoxify the body is to go to the toilet but presumably there is no profit to be made from this! I do feel that when people blame their 'stagnant' systems for all manner of trivial things they are insulting to people who suffer from lymphoedema, though they've probably never heard of it and don't realise this.

There has been a big increase in scientific understanding and appreciation of the lymphatic system in the last few years, but unfortunately also a big growth in self defined expertise which unfortunately can sound very convincing. It is even possible to buy a 'qualification' as a lymphologist through the internet, how are people going to know that this 'expert' has no basis for treating them? Yes, we need more factual based information about the lymphatic system, written in ways that make it accessible, available to people seeking it, so that hopefully they will not waste time, energy and money and hope otherwise.

As an MLD practitioner I can say it is also heartbreaking to be approached by a potential client who is dying, due to a life long preference for seeking 'alternative healing' than conventional medical advice, imperfect though it may be.

[lovesradio]

Interesting article. Ayurveda is a completely different approach to the issue of lymph flow and congestion from our Western system.

[Microsurgeon]

I'm sorry but I have to leave a response to this internet page.

It makes me sad that there are people who write this information to sound like knowledge when most it is speculation or myth. There are so many mistruths within this article I cannot list them all. There is no evidence presented, little scientific basis for the claims and a lot of it doesn't make biological sense. Please explain what 'toxins' are. What is 'brain fog' and why is it related to lymphatic dysfunction, red foods etc etc.

It falls into the category of 'pseudoscience' that is to prevalent on the internet and in the media. It sounds plausible but is made up, I'm afraid. I would recommend to take everything is says with a large dose of scepticism.

Ben Goodacre has an excellent website

badscience.net

that attempts to highlight and explain why web pages such as these exist. He also has a book I would recommend as essential reading for life, Bad Science, that summarises these distortions of science.

Whatever you take away from this, please don't believe for one minute that 'If a squirrel ate broccoli during a cold Vermont winter they would alkalize their systems, trigger a lymph detox, and likely freeze to death! '

Please, please please! Anyone with even basic GSCE biology can see that this is completely crazy. Anyone who would write that on a website bearing their name cannot be believed or trusted. BEWARE.

Rant over

AR

[vickyg45 in reply to Microsurgeon]

agree....there really scarey

[lovesradio in reply to Microsurgeon]

As a scientist (chemist) and a yoga student and teacher I am also vexed by the lack of evidence-based studies into ayurvedic claims! It's part of the problem.......in general 'alternative' systems are not so well represented in double-blind randomised controlled trials but there isn't any reason why this should be the case.