In fact, dear friends, I could spend entire days describing and telling you about the wonderful Lymphatic System of our body and its star, the lymph! It is a fascinating, complex system, yet at the same time fundamental for the health and well-being of our body. Since this is not a medical column, I limit myself to raising awareness among all of you about an essential part of our body structure, to which we must give the utmost importance, as it is precisely the perfect combination of Health and Well-being — the heart of the work that Wellnessaround strives to offer every day.

A beautiful cartoon I used to watch as a child, titled “The Human Body,” portrayed the Lymphatic System as the control organ, the “police” of the law enforcement inside the human body. And precisely for this reason, we have the task of supporting, helping, and keeping our lymphatic system healthy. In the previous section, we already explored its components and functions; now we focus briefly on the Lymph!

LYMPH:

Linfa vitae, linfa floreale, linfa energetica… The flowing lymph! Wow, it seems this word is already part of our daily vocabulary, without us stopping to reflect on how fundamental it is for our well-being. But can we say it represents WELL-BEING IN EVERY SENSE? I would definitely say yes!

The lymph in our body contains lymphocytes, granulocytes (white blood cells), fat (fatty acids), water, glucose, mineral salts, sugars, and it does not contain platelets. Lymph forms when interstitial fluid penetrates the lymphatic capillaries, which, being very small, converge into lymphatic trunks, emptying into the left thoracic duct and the right lymphatic duct. I know this might sound complicated, but what is important to understand is that the control center of the lymphatic system is located in the Thoracic Duct, with a reference point in the internal jugular vein. Additionally, it is interesting to know that about 2 liters of lymph are formed in our body every day.

The lymph formation process occurs through the pressure of arteries and veins, which causes part of the plasma to exit from the tissues. Some of this plasma returns to the capillaries after supplying nutrients to the tissues, while the remaining part collects as lymph in the lymphatic system. This is the function of the lymphatic vessels: to remove interstitial fluid that has leaked from the capillaries and excess proteins.

Another fundamental function is that, thanks to muscle contraction — that is, muscle movement — the lymphatic vessels are compressed, pushing the lymph toward the larger lymphatic ducts.

THE MAXIMUM MOVEMENT OF LYMPH OCCURS DURING TWO PHASES:

sports and massage. These are the two main factors that favor lymph flow. The structure of lymphatic vessels is similar to that of veins, and they run throughout the body parallel to venous vessels, dividing into two systems: a superficial one located under the skin, and a deep one that extends into the pulmonary, gastrointestinal, urinary, thoracic muscular, and abdominal systems.

Dear readers, there is still much to say on this topic, but I hope what has been presented so far can further raise awareness of the vital importance of the Lymphatic System and the Lymph vitae. I invite you to reflect on how sports and massage can be fundamental allies for our well-being and for keeping the lymphatic system healthy.

If you want to delve deeper into this topic, feel free to write to me in the comments below! With Wellnessaround, awareness and information are always just a click away!