We talk a lot about drainage in our practice. Drainage is important because we need elimination pathways open to allow for the free flow of fluid and debris in our bodies. When those pathways are closed or clogged, it’s inevitable that we will experience symptoms because there is nowhere for the waste and toxins to go.
The lymphatic system is a subsystem of the circulatory system (most well-known for moving blood throughout your body). It is a network of tissues, vessels, and organs that move fluid through your body. Lymph carries nutrients to your cells and takes toxins and waste from the cells into the bloodstream to the kidneys and liver for elimination through urination or bowel movement.
If your lymphatic system is slow moving or blocked, you may experience puffiness, congestion, and inflammation. Symptoms such as back pain, constipation, fatigue, and weight gain are common. Our current lifestyle doesn’t jive with actively moving lymph and encouraging drainage. We are mostly sedentary, we are indoors, we are dehydrated, we sleep poorly, and we are eating processed foods.
The detoxing of chemicals and substances and the elimination of pathogens is a process. The more attention we give to the drainage pathways during this process, the more comfortable the experience. Keeping elimination pathways open and supported while you move through your Nutrition Response Testing program will not only speed up the process of healing, but will lessen any symptoms you may experience (because nobody wants to feel worse than they need to!).
Drainage is so important that I’ve got a whole section of my At-Home Health Care Manual dedicated to moving lymph and reducing puffiness, inflammation, and congestion. Be sure to download a free copy.
The Drainage Funnel
Let’s take a look at the drainage funnel. At the bottom of the funnel is the colon. Most people aren’t moving their bowels frequently enough. You’d be surprised at how often I ask how a client’s bowels are doing, they say, “great”, and I later find out I didn’t ask a clear enough question because they’re only going once every few days! The colon should be emptying 1 – 3 times per day for a healthy individual. Our goal is to first get bowels moving once daily, if they aren’t already, then work to increase that to 2 – 3 times per day. It’s normal for the body to then balance out, and we find that 1 – 2 times per day becomes normal for people.
Up next we have the liver and bile duct. The liver’s job is to clean out the impurities in the blood, then to send that via bile through the bile ducts and into the small intestine. In many people, the liver is congested and our bodies create a way for the excess to find its way out. As drawn in the graphic below, what will happen is the liver/bile duct will find a trap door for toxicity and waste by pushing it through one or more of these areas:
- The skin (think hives, rashes, eczema, red bumps)
- The kidneys (think low back pain, UTIs, bladder issues)
- The lungs (think respiratory illnesses, bronchitis, pneumonia, coughs, asthma, allergies).
Another Way to Think About Drainage
Imagine you’re going for a walk in the woods. You come to a murky pond covered with algae. There’s no sign of life or movement. Then you come upon a clear pristine pond — there’s movement, water flows in and out, it’s clear, and you can see the bottom. Now imagine your body as as a pond. What do you want your pond to look like?
How Do We Encourage Drainage?
Actions you can take at home to support drainage include:
- Dry brushing
- Rebounding (small in-house trampoline)
- Castor oil packs (buy yours here)
- Coffee enemas
- Tuning fork
- Exercise or gentle movement therapies
- Fiber rich diet
- Good, consistent sleep
- Hydration (I recommend drinking distilled water)
- Gua sha stone or lymphatic massage
- Sauna (buy a Therasage at-home portable sauna here and use code mhbthera2021 for 10% off)
In terms of supplementation, Cellcore’s carbon technology is helpful in creating a healthy microbiome. BioToxin Binder is quite helpful here. HydrOxygen helps to repair and heal the gut, and Bowel Mover itself has herbs to support moving the bowels. Additional helpful support in keeping drainage open are KL Support, LymphActiv, and Advanced Tudca. These high-quality supplements are available only through a practitioner. Contact us for more information.
Whatever you do, the key is consistency. Get started today. Book a free Discovery Call.
