The Lymphatic System Against Cancer & More

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Ask Not What Your Lymphatic System Can Do For You…

Just kidding; we’ll cover that first, as it’s definitely not talked about enough.

The lymphatic system is the system in the body that moves lymph around. It’s made of glands, nodes, and vessels:

  • The glands (such as the tonsils and the adenoids) and nodes filter out bacteria and produce white blood cells. Specific functions may be, well, specialized—beyond the scope of today’s article—but that’s the broad function.
  • The vessels are the tubes that allow those things to be moved around, suspended in lymph.

What’s lymph? It’s a colorless water-like liquid that transports immune cells, nutrients (and waste) around the body (through the lymphatic system).

Yes, it works alongside your vasculature; when white blood cells aren’t being deployed en masse into your bloodstream to deal with some threat, they’re waiting in the wings in the lymphatic system.

While your blood is pumped around by your heart, lymph moves based on a variety of factors, including contractions of small specialized lymphatic muscles, the pressure gradient created by the combination of those and gravity, and the movements of your body itself.

Here’s a larger article than we have room for, with diagrams we also don’t have room for:

Modelling the lymphatic system

To oversimplify it in few words for the sake of moving on: you can most of the time: think of it as an ancillary network supporting your circulatory system that unlike blood, doesn’t deal with oxygen or sugars, but does deal with a lot of other things, including:

  • water and salt balance
  • immune cells and other aspects of immune function
  • transports fats (and any fat-soluble vitamins in them) into circulation
  • cleans up stuff that gets stuck between cells
  • general detoxification

There’s a lot that can go wrong if lymph isn’t flowing as it should

Too much to list here, but to give an idea:

  • Arthritis and many autoimmune diseases
  • Cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome
  • Obesity, diabetes, and organ failure
  • Alzheimer’s and other dementias
  • Lymphadenitis, lymphangitis, and lymphedenopathy
  • Lymphomas and Hodgkin’s disease (both are types of lymphatic cancer)
  • Cancers of other kinds, because of things not being cleaned up where and when they should be

Yikes! That’s a lot of important things for a mostly-forgotten system to be taking care of protecting us from!

What you can do for your lymphatic system, to avoid those things!

Happily, there are easy things we can do to give our lymph some love, such as:

Massage therapy (and foam rolling)

This is the go-to that many people/publications recommend. It’s good! It’s certainly not the most important thing to do, but it’s good.

You can even use a simple gadget like this one to help move the lymph around, without needing to learn arcane massage techniques.

Exercise (move your body!)

This is a lot more important. The more we move our body, the more lymph moves around. The more lymph moves around today, the more easily it will move around tomorrow. A healthy constant movement of lymph throughout the lymphatic system is key to keeping everything running smoothly.

If you pick only one kind of exercise, make it High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT):

How To Do HIIT (Without Wrecking Your Body)

If for some reason you really can’t do that, just spend as much of your waking time as reasonably possible, moving, per:

Exercise Less; Move More

For ideas on how to do that, check out…

No-Exercise Exercise!

Get thee to a kitchen

This is about getting healthy food that gives your body’s clean-up crew (the lymphatic system) an easier time of it.

Rather than trying to “eat clean” which can be a very nebulous term and it’s often not at all clear (and/or hotly debated) what counts as “clean”, instead, stick to foods that constitute an anti-inflammatory diet:

Eat To Beat Inflammation

Take care!

Don’t Forget…

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  • 10almonds Tells The Tea…

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Let’s Bust Some Myths!

    It’s too late after puberty, hormones won’t change xyz

    While yes, many adult trans people dearly wish they’d been able to medically transition before going through the “wrong” puberty, the truth is that a lot of changes will still occur later… even to “unchangeable” things like the skeleton.

    The body is remaking itself throughout life, and hormones tell it how to do that. Some parts are just quicker or slower than others. Also: the skeleton is pulled-on constantly by our muscles, and in a battle of muscle vs bone, muscle will always win over time.

    Examples of this include:

    • trans men building bigger bones to support their bigger muscles
    • trans women getting smaller, with wider hips and a pelvic tilt

    Trans people have sporting advantages

    Assuming at least a year’s cross-sex hormonal treatment, there is no useful advantage to being trans when engaging in a sport. There are small advantages and disadvantages (which goes for any person’s body, really). For example:

    • Trans women will tend to be taller than cis women on average…
      • …but that larger frame is now being powered by smaller muscles, because they shrink much quicker than the skeleton.
    • Trans men taking T are the only athletes allowed to take testosterone…
      • …but they will still often be smaller than their fellow male competitors, for example.

    Read: Do Trans Women Athletes Have Advantages? (A rather balanced expert overview, which does also cover trans men)

    There’s a trans population explosion; it’s a social contagion epidemic!

    Source for figures: The Overall Rate Of Left-Handedness (Researchgate)

    Left-handed people used to make up around 3% of the population… Until the 1920s, when that figure jumped sharply upwards, before plateauing at around 12% in around 1960, where it’s stayed since. What happened?! Simple, schools stopped forcing children to use their right hand.

    Today, people ask for trans healthcare because they know it exists! Decades ago, it wasn’t such common knowledge.

    The same explanation can be applied to other “population explosions” such as for autism and ADHD.

    Fun fact: Mt. Everest was “discovered” in 1852, but scientists suspect it probably existed long before then! People whose ancestors were living on it long before 1852 also agree. Sometimes something exists for a long time, and only comes to wider public awareness later.

    Transgender healthcare is too readily available, especially to children!

    To believe some press outlets, you’d think:

    • HRT is available from school vending machines,
    • kids can get a walk-in top surgery at recess,
    • and there’s an after-school sterilization club.

    In reality, while availability varies from place to place, trans healthcare is heavily gatekept. Even adults have trouble getting it, often having to wait years and/or pay large sums of money… and get permission from a flock of doctors, psychologists, and the like. For those under the age of 18, it’s almost impossible in many places, even with parental support.

    Puberty-blockers shouldn’t be given to teenagers, as the effects are irreversible

    Quick question: who do you think should be given puberty-blockers? For whom do you think they were developed? Not adults, for sure! They were not developed for trans teens either, but for cis pre-teens with precocious puberty, to keep puberty at bay, to do it correctly later. Nobody argues they’re unsafe for much younger cis children, and only object when it’s trans teens.

    They’re not only safe and reversible, but also self-reversing. Stop taking them, and the normally scheduled puberty promptly ensues by itself. For trans kids, the desired effect is to buy the kid time to make an informed and well-considered decision. After all, the effects of the wrong puberty are really difficult to undo!

    A lot of people rush medical transition and regret it!

    Trans people wish it could be rushed! It’s a lot harder to get gender-affirming care as a trans person, than it is to get the same (or comparable) care as a cis person. Yes, cis people get gender-affirming care, from hormones to surgeries, and have done for a long time.

    As for regret… Medical transition has around a 1% regret rate. For comparison, hip replacement has a 4.8% regret rate and knee replacement has a 17.1% regret rate.

    A medical procedure with a 99% success rate would generally be considered a miracle cure!

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  • How Not To Get Sick: A Cookbook – by Dr. Benjamin Bikman and Diana Keuilian

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    We’ve previously reviewed Dr. Bikman’s excellent “Why We Get Sick”, and if you haven’t read that yet, we recommend doing so.

    Nevertheless, you don’t need to have read it to benefit from this one, which is about cooking with those learnings (from the other book) in mind.

    Before getting to the recipes, we get a section recapping what we learned previously, as well as adding some more general lifestyle advices beyond the kitchen. The science is also expanded a bit, to include such things as the two-way relationship between insulin and aging, as well as the interplay with other metrics of health, including blood lipids, for example.

    The authors then provide a plan, in the three stages: reverse (insulin resistance), prevent (insulin resistance), maintain (insulin sensitivity).

    The recipes themselves, of which there are 70, are of course tailored to do the above three things; they’re also quite diverse, albeit if you are vegetarian or vegan, you should know in advance that most of these recipes are not.

    Bottom line: if the above doesn’t apply to you, and you would like to improve your insulin sensitivity, this book can indeed help.

    Click here to check out How Not To Get Sick, and stay well!

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  • Edamame vs Soybeans – Which is Healthier?

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Our Verdict

    When comparing edamame to soybeans, we picked the soybeans.

    Why?

    You may be thinking: aren’t edamame soybeans? And yes, yes they are. But just like our many instances of pitting Brassica oleracea vs Brassica oleracea (one species, many cultivars e.g. broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, etc), there are still differences. In this case, edamame and soybeans aren’t even different cultivars, what are conventionally called edamame are just the young beans of the plant, while what are conventionally called soybeans are the mature beans of the plant.

    The main nutritional difference is: as they get older, they lose vitamins and gain minerals. More on that later. But first, “main difference” isn’t “only difference”, so…

    In terms of macros, edamame have more carbs, while soybeans have a little more fiber and a lot more protein. An easy win for the mature soybeans.

    In the category of vitamins, edamame have more of vitamins A, B1, B3, B5, B9, C, E, K, and choline, while soybeans have more of vitamins B2 and B6. A clear win for edamame, this time.

    When it comes to minerals, the nutritional tables are turned, and edamame have more manganese and zinc, while soybeans have more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and selenium. An easy win for soybeans.

    Adding up the sections makes for a two-to-one victory for soybeans, but by all means enjoy either or both; diversity is good!

    Want to learn more?

    You might like to read:

    What’s Your Plant Diversity Score?

    Enjoy!

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Related Posts

  • Revealed: The Soviet Secret Recipe For Success That The CIA Admits Put The US To Shame
  • Is there anything good about menopause? Yep, here are 4 things to look forward to

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Menopause is having a bit of a moment, with less stigma and more awareness about the changes it can bring.

    A recent senate inquiry recommended public education about perimenopause and menopause, more affordable treatments and flexible work arrangements.

    But like many things in life the experiences of menopause are on a continuum. While some women find it challenging and require support, others experience some physical and emotional benefits. These are rarely reported – but we can learn from the research available and, importantly, from people’s lived experiences.

    Here are four changes to look forward to once you reach menopause.

    Insta_Photos/Shutterstock

    1. No more periods or related issues

    Menopause is considered “complete” 12 months after the final period of a woman (or person assigned female at birth) who previously menstruated.

    Perhaps unsurprisingly, the benefit at the top of the list is no more periods (unless you are taking hormone therapy and still have your womb). This can be particularly beneficial for women who have had to manage erratic, unpredictable and heavy bleeding.

    At last, you don’t need to keep sanitary protection in every bag “just in case”. No more planning where the bathroom is or having to take extra clothes. And you’ll save money by not purchasing sanitary products.

    There is also good news for women who have had heavy bleeding due to uterine fibroids – common benign gynaecological tumours that affect up to 80% of women. The evidence suggests hormonal changes (for women not taking hormone therapy) can lead to a reduction in the size of fibroids and relieve symptoms.

    Women who suffer from menstrual migraine may experience an improvement in migraines post-menopause as their hormonal fluctuations begin to settle – but the timeframe for this remains unclear.

    For some women, no more periods also means more participation in social activities from which they may have been excluded due to periods. For example, religious activities or food preparation in some cultures.

    2. Getting your body and your groove back

    Throughout their reproductive lives, women in heterosexual relationships are usually the ones expected to be proactive about preventing pregnancy.

    Some post-menopausal women describe a re-emergence of their sexuality and a sense of sexual freedom that they had not previously experienced (despite contraceptive availability) as there is no longer a risk of pregnancy.

    A participant in my research into women’s experiences of menopause described the joy of no longer being child-bearing age:

    I’ve got a body back for me, you know, coz I can’t get pregnant, not that I haven’t enjoyed having [children] and things like that and it was a decision to get pregnant but I feel like, ooh my body isn’t for anybody now but me, people, you know?

    For women who have chosen to be child-free there may also be a sense of freedom from social expectations. People will likely stop asking them when they are planning to have children.

    3. A new chapter and a time to focus on yourself

    Another participant described menopause as an unexpected “acceleration point” for change.

    Women told us they were more accepting of themselves and their needs rather than being focused on the needs of other people. Researchers have previously tracked this shift from “living for others” to “a life of one’s own”.

    Some women find the strength of emotions at this time a challenge, whereas others find their potency can facilitate liberation – enabling them to speak their minds or be more assertive than at any other time in their lives.

    4. Increased self-confidence

    A new sense of liberation can fuel increased self-confidence at menopause. This has been reported in studies based on in-depth interviews with women.

    Confidence boosts can coincide with changes in career and sometimes in relationships as priorities and self-advocacy transform.

    Life on the other side

    It can be hard to think about what is good about menopause, particularly if you are having challenges during perimenopause – but these can get better with time.

    In cultures where women are valued as they become older, women describe themselves as positively contributing to the community. They find they gain power and respect as they age.

    We need to work towards more positive societal attitudes on this front. Our bodies change across the lifespan and are remarkable at every stage, including menopause.

    Yvonne Middlewick, Nurse, Lecturer & Director of Post-graduate Studies in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Edith Cowan University

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

    Don’t Forget…

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  • Clean – by Dr. James Hamblin

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Our skin is our largest organ, and it’s easy to forget that, and how much it does for us. All things considered, it’s good to take good care of it! But what if we sometimes take too much “care” of it?

    Dr. James Hamblin, a medical doctor-turned-writer, has explored this a lot both personally and in research. Through such, he has come to the conclusion there’s definitely a “sweet spot” of personal hygiene:

    • Too little, and the Bubonic plague sweeps through Europe, or other plagues sweep through other places when European invaders came.
    • Too much, and we strip our skin of one of its greatest qualities: the ability to protect us.

    Dr. Hamblin asks (and answers) such questions as:

    • What is good hygiene, and what is neurotically doing ourselves multiple levels of harm because advertising companies shamed us into doing so?
    • Is it good or bad to use a series of products, each to undo the problem caused by the previous?
    • What the difference between a 5-step skincare routine, and a series of gratuitous iatrogenic damage?
    • Which products clean us most helpfully, and which clean us most harmfully?
    • How often should we bathe/shower, really?

    If the book has a weak point, it’s that it’s written mostly with his body in mind. That makes a difference when it comes to hairwashing, for example. He’s a white guy with short hair. If you’re black and/or have long hair, for example, your haircare needs will be quite different. Similarly, many women engage in shaving/depilation in places that most men don’t, and the consequences of that choice (and implications for any extra washing needs/harms) aren’t covered.

    Bottom line: notwithstanding the aforementioned blind-spots, this book will help readers reduce the amount of harm we are doing to our bodies with our washing routines, without sacrificing actual hygiene.

    Click here to check out Clean and help your skin to help you!

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  • 7 Invisible Eating Disorders

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    It’s easy to assume that anyone with an eating disorder can be easily recognized by the resultantly atypical body composition, but it’s often not so.

    Beyond the obvious

    We’ll not keep them a mystery; the 7 invisible eating disorders discussed by therapist Kati Morton in this video are:

    • OSFED (Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder): a catch-all diagnosis for those who don’t meet the criteria for more specific eating disorders but still have significant eating disorder behaviors.
    • Atypical Anorexia: characterized by all the symptoms of anorexia nervosa (especially: intense fear of gaining weight, and body image distortion) except that the individual’s weight remains in a normal range.
    • Atypical Bulimia: similar to bulimia nervosa, but the frequency or duration of binge-purge behaviors does not meet the usual diagnostic criteria and thus can fly under the radar.
    • Atypical Binge-Eating Disorder: has episodes of consuming large amounts of food without compensatory behaviors (e.g. purging), but the episodes are less frequent and/or intense than typical binge-eating disorder.
    • Purging Disorder: purging behaviors such as self-induced vomiting or laxative abuse without having binge-eating episodes (thus, this not being binging, and nothing obvious is happening outside of the bathroom).
    • Night Eating Syndrome: consuming excessive amounts of food during the night while being fully aware of the nature of the eating episodes, which disrupts sleep and leads to guilt.
    • Rumination Disorder: repeatedly regurgitating food, which may be rechewed, reswallowed, or spat out, without nausea or involuntary retching, often as a self-soothing mechanism.

    For more on each of these, along with a case study-style example of each, enjoy:

    Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

    Want to learn more?

    You might also like to read:

    Eating Disorders: More Varied (And Prevalent) Than People Think

    Take care!

    Don’t Forget…

    Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!

    Learn to Age Gracefully

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