Let’s Talk Drainage Pathways
LET’S TALK DRAINAGE PATHWAYS
To detox safely and effectively, drainage pathways need to be open. If you are draining regularly, this means you have good bile flow, lymph movement, mitochondrial function, and having 2-3 bowel movements per day. Let’s consider a funnel and its shape. The top is wide and as you go down, it gets more and more narrow. The drainage pathways are like a funnel. If the bottom, or narrowest part is clogged, everything above will be clogged too. Now in the drainage pathways, we have the colon at the very bottom, or narrowest part, the liver & bile ducts, the lymphatic system, tissues & organs, at the top of the drainage pathway are the cells. This funnel system all works together to flush the body of harmful toxins & substances to keep your body healthy, happy, & balanced. If any of these pathways gets clogged, the system doesn’t work as effectively as it can, or should, the toxins get stagnant, creating inflammation, symptoms, & feeling unwell.
COLON
In the drainage pathway, or funnel, the colon is the number one way the body eliminates waste, toxins, pathogens, bacteria, hormones, etc. When you are constipated, & the colon is clogged so to speak, toxins aren’t able to be eliminated, & in turn, end up being reabsorbed back into the body. Contrary to popular belief, being constipated is not normal & you should be having a minimum of 1-2 bowel movements daily.
LIVER AND BILE DUCTS
The main pathway of detoxification is through the liver. Bile is one of the main drainage fluids made by the liver cells, & gets released down the pathway of bile ducts. It helps carry toxins and waste away from the body & assists in digestion by neutralizing acidity, & breaking down fats for proper elimination. The liver is responsible for filtering toxins constantly throughout the day. When overburdened, & unable to drain toxins from stagnation, it can eventually cause damage to the organ itself. When the drainage funnel is clogged through the liver and bile ducts, toxins are unable to flow out of the colon, toxic bile gets pushed into the bloodstream, & can even end up traveling to other organs including the kidneys and skin, leading to a wide range of toxicities.
LYMPHATIC SYSTEM
As we’ve already mentioned, issues in the drainage funnel upstream will always affect everything downstream. The lymphatic system is part of the circulatory system & a main component of your immune system health. Among them are your glands, lymph nodes, spleen, thymus gland, & tonsils. Unfortunately, the lymphatic system is a common imbalance in a lot of people due to deficiencies of nutrients, high intake of processed foods, heavy metals, & low, or even a lack of physical activity. The lymph does not move automatically with it’s own active pumping system, but rather is manually moved. Because of this, it requires the body to move, & exercise, deep breathing, intestinal activity, & muscle activation to create this flow to eliminate toxins from the body. When these toxins pile up, stagnation occurs, & can lead to a number of serious health conditions & chronic issues that require serious detoxification & healing. Here are some of those health concerns, signs & symptoms that can occur when lymphatic drainage is not flowing properly– arthritis, skin conditions, digestive disorders, headaches, sinus problems, excess weight, inflammation, swelling, & chronic fatigue.
ORGANS & TISSUES
Your brain is the main organ for drainage of organs & tissues, called the glymphatic system– the brain’s own detox system. So if you have ever wondered why Sleeping Beauty got her name, here’s the very nerdy, scientific reason for that beauty after a good night’s rest. While we sleep, our body is at work cleaning, & sweeping waste, toxicity, & unwanted garbage away from the brain, organs, & tissues, for a fresh start to look & feel focused for the day ahead. Cellular & neurological toxic waste are eliminated like our computers trash bin… we think and process information all day long, so as we sleep, it’s the time our body can reprogram, process, and eliminate waste to make room for the next day. When we have headaches, can’t think straight, have poor memory, or brain fog, these are all an after effect of brain drainage being poor quality. And as a reminder, if the colon, liver, & bile ducts are clogged, this portion of the funnel, or drainage pathway will be clogged as well. It’s a snowball effect when you don’t address one, all get affected.
CELLS
At the very top of the drainage funnel are cells, specifically the mitochondria. Mitochondria are the so-called battery of the cell, and cells make up the body. They are for immune defense and DNA repair. For the detoxification process to run smoothly, mitochondria have to be functioning properly for true root cause healing and elimination of toxins.