If wellness had a buzzword right now, ‘lymphatic’ would be it. A growing body of research is confirming the role that the lymphatic system plays in immunity, recovery and more. From dry brushing to lymphatic massage, here’s how to care for yours…
Perhaps the first time you ever considered your lymphatic system was when you were sick and touched your neck to find swollen nodes. And, well, then you felt better, so you didn’t give those lumps another thought. Now, though? Nicola Peltz triggered a buzz when she headed for a depuffing rub-down before her wedding to Brooklyn Beckham in April, all in the name of cleansing the lymphatic system. And other clients of Rebecca Faria – the woman Peltz credited for her treatment – include Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Jennifer Aniston. Hey, Siri: explain to me the sudden obsession...
For the unfamiliar, the lymphatic system is a network of organs, fluids, vessels (and more) that does all sorts of work to keep your circulation going and your body free of invaders. ‘I call it the immune system’s best sidekick,’ says Leigh Wilfley, a physical therapist specialising in lymphoedema at Duke Health in the US. The whole system itself – as well as the concept in the wellness world of ‘draining’ it for better health – is becoming mainstream in a new, science-supported way. While sparse in the past, research on the lymphatic system and its role in disease prevention and management and overall wellbeing is vast, confirms Alexander Nguyen, a general and reconstructive plastic surgeon in the US.
