The lymphatic system is recognized by doctors in Europe and the Far East for its importance to preventive health care. They understand how lymphatic function supports every other system in the body, including the immune, digestive, detoxification and nervous systems. In fact, many believe that poor lymph health underlies a host of conditions, from cellulite to cancer.

By contrast, in America our practitioners don't think much about the lymph system until something goes wrong - usually when infection causes a swollen lymph node, or worse, when we develop cancer in a lymph gland, or cancer elsewhere that metastasizes through the lymph vessels.

The reality is that you have twice as much lymph fluid in your body as blood. The lymph continuously bathes each cell and drains away the detritus in a circulatory system powered only by your breathing and movement. If the movement of the lymph stopped entirely you would die in a matter of hours.

What can you do to ensure your lymph system stays healthy? There are a number of ways to support lymphatic function that should be part of every woman's health habits. Let's start by exploring this amazing system.

Anatomy of the lymph system

The first thing to understand about your lymph system is its vast extent. Like the circulatory system that supplies blood, the network of lymph vessels serves almost every cell in your body.

The reality is that you have twice as much lymph fluid in your body as blood. The lymph continuously bathes each cell and drains away the detritus in a circulatory system powered only by your breathing and movement. If the movement of the lymph stopped entirely you would die in a matter of hours.

What can you do to ensure your lymph system stays healthy? There are a number of ways to support lymphatic function that should be part of every woman's health habits. Let's start by exploring this amazing system.