Heart Conditions

Ever­yone knows that the heart is a vital organ. We cannot live without our heart. The primary function of the heart is to serve as a muscular pump propelling blood through blood vessels to and from all parts of the body.

Did you know:

• The heart is one of the most important organs in the human body, continuously pumping blood around our body through blood vessels. Your heart beats around 100,000 times a day, 36,500,000 times a year.

• The heart is made up of four chambers, the left atrium, right atrium, left ventricle and right ventricle. There are four valves in the human heart. They ensure that blood only goes one way, either in or out. Blood that leaves the heart is carried through arteries. The main artery leaving the left ventricle is the aorta while the main artery leaving the right ventricle is the pulmonary artery.

• Blood going towards the heart is carried through veins. Blood coming from the lungs to the left atrium is carried through the pulmonary veins while blood coming from the body to the right atrium is carried through the superior vena cava and inferior vena cava.

• Heart attacks cause scar tissue to form amongst the normal heart tissue. This can lead to further heart problems or even heart failure.

• A lifestyle consisting of an over consumption of trans fatty acids and refined carbohydrates, combined with inadequate exercise plus protein and micro nutrients, sets the stage for cellular inflammation which in turn creates a predisposition for hypertension, diabetes and heart disease.

• Though Lymphatic Enhancement Therapy does not directly work with the heart, it is working with the lymphatic system and elimination processes of the body (bowel/kidney etc) and therefore assists the body in its removal of waste products. The build-up of these wastes is part of the predisposition to heart complaints.

Lymphatic Enhancement

Lymphatic Enhancement Therapy assists you by improving the function of your lymphatic system, bowel and kidney by encouraging the removal of toxicity. Along with the therapy the Lymphatic Enhancement practitioner may give you dietary advice and self-care.

Weight Issues

Time and time again we are seeing new ‘diets’ being advertised and yet so often no matter how hard some people try, they cannot seem to reduce their weight, despite a structured diet and exercise plan.

It is documented that your blood capillaries leak large proteins into the tissue spaces at about 0.1% every hour. At the end of the day this makes about 100 grams of lost protein in the tissue, which is almost half of the quantity of protein circulating in the blood. Ironically the lymphatic system is the only system that can recuperate these proteins. It is also documented that excess protein, remaining in the interstitial area, will attract water thus creating oedema.

Based on this theory, could the weight issue be a fluid issue due to the large amounts of protein within the tissue spaces attracting fluid? If we take this a step further, could that then mean that the problem is with the lymphatic system and its inability to recuperate those lost proteins?

Here are the signs that your weight may be lymphatic based:

• Always fluidy, e.g. swollen ankles, hands.

• You hold a lot of fluid just below the rib cage/stomach area or sometimes so lovingly named the muffin!

• You exercise a lot, eat well but still do not lose weight.

Lymphatic Enhancement Technology

Lymphatic Enhancement Therapy assists you by improving lymphatic function as well as the elimination processes of the body e.g kidneys/bowel etc, whilst educating you in dietary advice and self-care. This form of therapy for weight loss is focusing on a lifestyle change that brings overall health and well-being and is a fantastic adjunct to any weight loss program that you are currently on.

Breast Health

Part of the lymphatic system’s role is draining lymphatic fluid from the vessels within the breast tissue. Over 85% of lymphatic fluid from the breast lymph vessels enters the axillary (armpit) lymph nodes and these vary from 20 to 30 in number. The lymph nodes' function is to remove microorganisms and foreign substances.

This is also where the immune system is activated. The lymphatic system is responsible for removing toxins, cell debris, cancer cells, viruses, bacteria and other unwanted matter.

So what occurs when the lymphatic fluid in the Breast is congested?

• Pain and/or tenderness.

• Lumps or fluid filled cysts.

• Cancer

• Swelling in the axillary (armpit) lymph nodes.

• Increased breast size.

• Extra breast tissue occurring in and around the axilla (armpit) area.

• Lumpy underarms where the toxins continue to build up.

• Discomfort in the sternum when parasternal nodes are blocked.

• Oedema or lymphoedema

The reason these conditions can occur is due to toxins and other unwanted matter becoming trapped in the breast tissue and therefore is unable to be flushed out through the lymphatic system. Often an ill fitting Bra can be the culprit.

Lymphatic Enhancement

The Lymphatic Enhancement Technology Therapy assists the client by improving the function of Lymphatic vessels by encouraging the removal of toxicity. Along with the therapy the Lymphatic Enhancement practitioner may assist you in dietary advice and self-care that can allow you to maintain healthy breast function. This therapy is a excellent adjunct to any detoxification regime.

Digestive Health

Small Intestine

The small intestine is an extremely vital organ in your gastrointestinal system. Along with the stomach, it is the major organ involved in the process of digestion. A large variety of nutrients such as carbohydrates, protein, fats, and many vitamins and minerals are absorbed by your small intestine. If your small intestine were to stop functioning properly, you would rapidly become malnourished.

Measuring over 6 meters in length, the small intestine stretches from your stomach to the beginning of your large intestine. Despite its great length, the surface area of the small intestine is not sufficient to absorb all of the nutrients your body needs. Therefore, the structure of the small intestine contains millions of microscopic folds which act to increase the surface area. These folds increase the available surface area to absorb food and water.

The inner surface of the small intestine contains numerous finger-like projections, known as villi. There are also blood capillaries and special lymph capillaries, called lacteals in the centre of each villus. The blood capillaries absorb most nutrients, but the fats and fat soluble vitamins are absorbed by the lacteals. This mixture of lymph and nutrients is carried by the lacteals to lymph vessels in the intestinal wall. It is then collected into the larger vessels and is carried to the cisterna chyli. In the small intestine, there is also an abundance of lymphatic tissue in order to filter out pathogens that might be brought into the body through eating and drinking. One type of lymph nodule grouping located in the small intestine is called Peyer’s patches. In the small intestine, the Peyer’s patches work to remove pathogens that are invading the body through the digestive system.

Large Intestine

After passing through the small intestine, ’food’ passes into the large intestine. By the time food reaches the large intestine, the work of absorbing nutrients is nearly finished. The large intestine’s main function is to remove water from the undigested matter and form solid waste that can be excreted. Many microbes (bacteria such as Bacteroides, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella) in the large intestine aid in the digestion process.

During the past century our lifestyle has changed dramatically regarding hygienic measures, diet, standards of living and usage of medical drugs. Our diet is largely comprised of industrially produced sterilized food and the use of different kinds of preservatives. The widespread use of antibiotics in healthcare and agriculture, antibacterial substances in toothpaste, deodorant, food etc. have an effect on the human body. Constipation is a common complaint along with other conditions like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s disease etc

Lymphatic Enhancement

Lymphatic Enhancement Therapy assists you by improving the function of both the small intestine and large intestine by encouraging the removal of toxicity. Along with the therapy the Lymphatic Enhancement practitioner will educate you in dietary advice and self-care that can allow the client to maintain a healthy bowel function. This therapy is a fantastic adjunct to any detoxification regime.

Adrenal/Kidney Function

Kidneys

Rarely do we get any nutritional advice for the benefit of our kidneys. Your kidneys are the most important organ for controlling your fluid balance. If you had no kidneys, all the fluid you drink would accumulate in your blood and around your body cells, and all the waste products normally excreted by your kidneys would stay inside you and poison you.

Kidney stress over many years can lead to kidney damage and to a constant reduction of their ability to siphon excess fluid out of your body. The major causes of kidney stress include eating too much sodium, sugar, protein or fat and a deficiency of B6 and the minerals magnesium and selenium.

All the blood in the body passes through your kidneys about twenty times an hour. Your kidney’s job is to filter your blood, removing excess fluid and the waste substances dissolved in it and sending it to your bladder from where it is eventually released as urine.

Adrenals

• Our adrenal glands provide us with crucial hormonal support that we all need to go through the day with energy, enthusiasm, and efficiency. If your adrenals are depleted from chronic overproduction you are much more likely to suffer from fatigue and in women, menopausal symptoms.

• The adrenals are the body’s primary ‘shock absorber’. They are two little thumb size glands that sit on top of your kidneys and are designed to produce hormones that allow you to respond to your daily life.

• Here are the signs that your adrenals may need attention:

• You awaken feeling groggy and have difficulty getting out of bed;

• You can’t get going without that first cup of coffee:

• You rely on sugary snacks and caffeine to get you through the day;

• You are particularly tired late afternoon;

• At night, though exhausted, you have difficulty falling asleep;

• You wonder what happened to your interest in sex.

Adrenal dysfunction usually comes about as a result of chronic emotional, nutritional, or other kinds of stress. It is when the frequency of the stresses in your life, from inside yourself (thoughts/ideas), or outside yourself (surgery or working night shift), become too great, so over time your adrenal glands will become exhausted.

Lymphatic Enhancement Technology

Lymphatic Enhancement Therapy assists you by improving kidney function as well as educating you in dietary advice and self-care that can assist you to support both kidney and adrenal health. Lymphatic Enhancement therapy stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the relaxation part of your autonomic nervous system, thus assisting the adrenal system in slowing down.

Prostate Health

Recent studies from the National Cancer Institute on Prostate Cancer show that men have the same rate for Prostate Cancer as women have for Breast Cancer.

Our body has a vital, but little understood circulatory system which is critical to managing the elimination of toxins from our body. This system is called the lymphatic system and is the primary immune defence and waste eliminator system for the body. When looking at the lymph system, most chronic (disease) problems occur at the junction of lymph vessels called “lymph nodes”. One can feel lymph nodes, by pressing under the arms, or in the crease between the thigh and pelvic area. When touching these areas, most people will feel small bumps and sometimes pain. The bumps and pain are symptomatic of blocked lymph nodes. Blocked lymph nodes indicate a breakdown in the “mechanical” functioning of the lymphatic system.

When sex hormone residues (naturally originated) are not removed quickly, an imbalance occurs and the sex hormone by-products become destructive due to the high rate of lipid peroxidation they create in tissue. In men, testosterone tends to concentrate in the genital area, including the prostate. Although testosterone is a very important male hormone, once it has completed its job, it must be removed quickly from the body! A group of lymph glands (called the inguinal lymph nodes) are primary in removing testosterone from the prostate.

In men, special attention must be given to the inguinal lymph nodes (located in the groin region) as they are responsible for helping the prostate gland stay in balance. They prevent the accumulation of excess protein and hormone metabolic by-products in the prostate.

It is very common now for men to be in roles where they are required to sit at desks for great lengths of time. This causes a reduction of fluid movement due to the lack of activity and blocking of the lymph nodes.

Lymphatic Enhancement

Lymphatic Enhancement Therapy assists you by improving the function of your lymphatic system and drainage of the inguinal nodes. Along with the therapy the Lymphatic Enhancement practitioner may guide you in self-care for this condition.

Lyphoedema

Lymphoedema is a swelling caused by failure of the lymphatic system to remove a normal load of protein and fluid from the body tissues.

Lymphoedema can occur because of some malformations or poor development of the lymphatic system, which may be present at birth (genetically inherited) or arise later around puberty or age 30-40. These are referred to as primary lymphoedemas, which according to most research accounts for 5-10% of all lymphoedemas.

The lymphatic system may also fail as a consequence of surgery or radiotherapy which removes or destroys lymph vessels and nodes, or because tumours or other structures are pressing on the delicate vessels. This is known as secondary lymphoedema. Research indicates that around 30% of women (though this may vary) who have treatment of breast cancer, which involves removal of lymph nodes and radiation, will develop this swelling as will about 30% of men and women who have lymph glands removed during treatment for the reproductive system or bowel cancers.

Signs and symptoms of lymphoedema

• Some of the symptoms that can occur are:

• A swelling that comes and goes with exercise or other physical activity;

• Feelings of heaviness, pain or tension in the limb;

• A “bursting” feeling (tightness and fullness) in the limb;

• Pins and needles;

• Numbness;

• Redness and a sensation of heat.

Some of these symptoms might be a natural after effect of surgery or radiotherapy, and lymphoedema may not develop. They do, however, warrant a consultation with a health professional who is knowledgeable about the diagnosis and treatment of lymphoedema, or with a breast care or other specialist nurse.

Recent research from America (Stout et al 2008) indicated that lymphoedema diagnosis could be obtained on average at 6.9 months (if present) when an initial measurement of fluid was done prior to surgery. Currently this initial measurement is not practiced but it does highlight that lymph oedema does occur early and usually starts in the forearm area post breast cancer surgery. Early intervention at this stage is important and can have a significant impact on the course of lymphoedema.