If your blood isn’t flowing well, you’ll notice things like sock lines, swollen ankles, and even puffiness under your eyes.
You may call this inflammation, which is at the root of cardiovascular disease, but it’s also a sign of poor fluid movement in the body, aka circulation.
Recent research has discussed the increasing incidence of lymphatic vessel anomalies contributing to chronic health conditions like lymphedema and more.
And honestly, it makes perfect sense when you consider where the lymphatic system is located.
Your lymphatic system runs right alongside your arteries and veins throughout your entire body.
When your body can’t pump blood effectively and fluid starts to pool, you’ll tend to build up fluid in the lymphatic vessels and surrounding tissues.
Because the lymphatic system acts like a drainage ditch, it holds onto toxins and metabolic junk you don’t want hanging around for long, which is why it’s so important to keep it moving.
Jumping, walking, hopping, and playful movement are some of the best ways to pump lymph.
Now, I realize it’s not realistic for everyone to go out and “play,” but what if you could move your body on your own terms and gradually build up to fun movement again?
Because the lymphatic system spans the entire body, including the brain, total body movement in all directions, along with rebounding (bouncing) and vibration or shake plate movements, can be incredibly helpful.
What’s one of my favorite ways to move lymph throughout the body without having to crawl around on the floor contorting yourself into strange movements?
Acupuncture.
You can needle between the eyebrows at a point called Yin Tang and at the base of the skull at Gallbladder 20 to help stimulate lymphatic movement in the brain.
You can also needle points on the chest like Ren 17 (right in the center of your breast bone) and Ren 14 (just below the xyphoid process, the bone right where your rib cage comes together), along with abdominal points such as Stomach 25 (2 inches left or right from your belly button), and Ren 4 (about a hand’s width below your belly button) to support lymphatic movement through the abdomen.
And if that wasn’t enough, points like Stomach 40 (mid point of your leg about 1 1/2 inches to the outside of the leg), Spleen 9 (in an often sore spot inside of the leg just below the knee), and Kidney 7 (two inches above the ankle and behind the leg bone on the inside of the leg) can help round out lymphatic movement in the legs.
Not keen on acupuncture?
You can also use acupressure, tuning forks, tapping, essential oils, targeted red light therapy, or even laser therapy to stimulate many of the same effects.
There are many ways to encourage your body to take action for you, you just have to be willing to experiment and see what works best.
Curious where these points are located? Check out my Instagram this week @drjanninekrause
Here’s to becoming your own best guru,
Dr. J
