Breast Health (Lymphatic Drainage)

BREAST HEALTH (LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE)
 
By Loretta T. Friedman, RN, MS, DC, CCN, CNS, DACBN, DCBCN
 
The question is no longer “Am I toxic”, but rather “How toxic am I”! Unfortunately, we live in an extremely noxious world today. The foods we eat are full of pesticides, and the water we drink rates 3/ppm for chlorine. If this were pool water, the manufacturer would tell you not to swim in it. The air we breathe is full of microscopic particles that are affecting our health and well-being. We test 100% positive for at least half a dozen lethal compounds in our adipose tissue (1). 

According to the American Cancer Society, one in two men and one in three women will develop some kind of cancer in his or her lifetime (2). Our ill health is directly related to the assaults we face every day. The increasing stress and rise in hormonal levels are depleting our immune systems. We no longer get a cold or flu for a few days, we get sick for 3-4 weeks at a time. We start feeling better and then relapse. An important factor in maintaining a healthy immune system is an efficient lymphatic system, yet nowhere in the health community is anyone paying specific attention to it. 

The lymphatic system is the other circulatory system and is a vital part of our body. It manages the elimination of toxins from our body, functions as the body’s primary immune defense, and is the body’s primary system for waste elimination through the colon. It contains more than 600 “collection sites” called lymph nodes and has a network of connecting vessels more extensive than the venous system. Our lymphatic system is primarily responsible for carrying disease-fighting material to cells attacked by germs by transporting the dead germs away and supplying protein-rich plasma fluid back to the heart. 

When the system is blocked we become defenseless against attacks by fungi and bacteria because infection-fighting material is prevented from destroying germs.  Additionally, cell-nourishing material is prevented from reaching the bloodstream. The result is that germs grow, our blood loses necessary protein, and infectious diseases could potentially infect our bodies. Most chronic disease problems occur at the junction of lymph vessels, or lymph nodes. You can feel lymph nodes by pressing underneath the arms, just below the collarbone, abdomen, or in the crease between the thigh and pelvic area. 

There are 160 lymph nodes located in the face and neck region and over 300 lymph nodes in the trunk of the body. When touching these areas, most people feel small lumps and 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 lymph system and as a result, a breakdown in your immune system.

Women’s largest reservoirs of lymph fluid are located in their breasts. The lymph nodes in the axilla (under the arms) and breast tissue are probably the most palpable nodes in the trunk region. We are bombarded with all these toxic materials we spoke of earlier. “For the first time in the history of the world, every human being is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals from the moment of conception until death. In less than two decades of their use, synthetic pesticides have been so thoroughly distributed throughout the animate and inanimate world that they occur virtually everywhere (3).

Toxins carry electrical charges with them; some are electrons, others protons. These electrical charges are sometimes referred to as free radicals. Free radicals attach themselves to the neutral lymph fluid, which causes stagnation and pooling of lymph fluid in the nodes, and is felt with palpation. This stagnation and pooling causes disease and toxic buildup in the tissues, sometimes referred to as lymphedema. Do you wonder why your breasts are sore and achy even if you don’t have your period?  When your estrogen levels rise, as in the few days before menstruation, it will get even worse.  This is your lymph system talking to you. It’s telling you it’s time to clean up your act and relieve these reservoirs of that standing fluid.

The risk is even higher for those who have had a lymph node removed in combination with radiation to the area. Many patients have subtle clues that they are in the early stages of lymphedema, but they are not knowledgeable about the signs. Individuals may have a subtle fullness in the limb, a ring or shoe that is too tight, warmth, reddish tinge or blotchiness to the skin, tingling in the hands and fingers, an infection slow to heal, joint pain, or reduced range of motion. The literature states that lymphedema can occur many years after radiation treatment has ceased. A slight trauma, an infection, having your blood pressure taken, or receiving a flu shot in the affected limb can trigger an occurrence of lymphedema for those at high risk (4,5).

All is not lost. There is help and there is a solution. Traditional methods of manual lymphatic stimulation have proven to be minimally effective, but there is a better way. A tool called Lymph-Biologics™ and a technique named lymphatic drainage are designed to help get better results in less time with less stress. Lymph-Biologics™ is a tool that stimulates the neuromuscular systems directly and possesses many advantages. Lymph-Biologics™ concentrates on the process of transport. It can affect the deeper areas of concern like the thoracic duct and cisterna chili, which lie beneath the sternum and cannot be affected by hands-on work alone.

The three-part wave of Lymph-Biologics™ and its oscillating frequency can reach these areas and de-congest them, allowing the free flow of lymph and the elimination of toxins through the colon. The Lymph-Biologics™ can safely remove blockages so that the nodes are no longer swollen and painful. How much healthier will your immune system be when it can function as normally as possible? Not to be overlooked is the valuable benefit of the Lymph-Biologics™ in stressed or injured muscle cases, which reduces the danger of secondary injury by excess lymph buildup. It keeps the fluid moving rather than stagnating, thereby reducing swelling and edema. In the post-surgical setting, this can facilitate the transportation of wastes from the trauma site, promoting faster healing.
 
I invite you to experience the advantages lymphatic de-congestive therapy can offer. Who would not benefit from having a more efficient immune system?
 

For further information, please contact:
 

Dr. Loretta T. Friedman, Synergy Health Associates, 80 Fifth Ave Ste 1204, NYC 10011

Email: Drloretta@doctorloretta.com

Website: SynergyHealthAssociates.com

Instagram: SynergyHealthAssociates

Authors Page: https://synergyhealthassociates.com

  
Texts & General References:

1. U.S. EPA National Adipose Tissue Survey, 1982

2. American Cancer Society, 19 West 56th Street, NYC 10019-3984

3. Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, 1962

4. Swirsky, J. and D.S. Nannery, Coping with Lymphedema, Garden City Park, New York: Avery City Publishing Group, 1998

5. Bunt, J. and G. White, Lymph edema:  A Breast Cancer Patient Guide to Prevention and Healing, Alameda, CA: Hunter House Publishers, 1999.

6. https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/05/12/breast-cancer-lab-rats_n_5310113.html

7. https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/isee.2014.P2-550

Dr. Loretta T. Friedman

Synergy Health Associates

80 Fifth Ave. Ste. 1204

New York, NY 10011
212-243-5515

drloretta@doctorloretta.com