On Wednesday, I discussed my journey of healing my relationship with my center using a grippy pliable air-filled ball, called the Coregeous ball. Did you know that the gut area is the most abundant site in your body for lymph? Your lymph system stores the majority of your disease-fighting cells. Your lymphatic ducts and tubing create an odd, one-way highway; there is no upward movement out of the ducts and tubes other than being pressed and squeezed through motion, position, palpation or muscular contractions. Motion surrounding your lymph ducts helps propel those disease-fighting cells into your bloodstream, where they can then fight off infection.
Your abdominal lymph is loaded with immune-rich cells. The white blood cells within it have been highly sensitized by the gut’s bacterial environment and thus are the superheroes of your lymphatic system. Helping your gut lymph move north into the larger blood vessels is not the easiest proposition. You can do so by inverting your body or doing intense abdominal contractions and mobilizations, or you can use a squishy soft ball for self-massage.
Sources and More Information:
Lisa Hodge[1] shared her breakthrough studies on rats at the 2012 International Fascia Research Congress. She infected rats with lung cancers [LT1] and then created a seven-day protocol of rhythmic massage on their bellies for four minutes at a time, with a break between rounds. She found that the rats that received the abdominal massage saw a decrease in the size of their lung tumors and contracted far fewer pneumonias.
Deep, deliberate abdominal breathing while lying belly-down on top of a ball, coupled with movement, is quite similar to the actions Dr. Hodge induced on the rats’ bellies. She claims that myofascial release, or traction and release of the diaphragm, helps remove restrictions to lymphatic vessels. The mobilization of white blood cells was done through deliberate motion and made a massive difference in these animals.
Your ability to affect your own immune system is not magical thinking; it is literally in the power of your own hands. So perhaps you can skip the antibiotics; just get down and roll.
And if your desire to get thin has blown apart your self-esteem and overwhelms your thoughts day and night as mine used to, please consider finding support and professional help.
For more specifics on how to best practice self abdominal massage for a myofascial immunity boost, please see my new video Treat While You Train or check out the video below.
[1] “Osteopathic lymphatic pump techniques to enhance immunity and treat pneumonia.” Lisa M. Hodge, PhD. International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine, March 2012.
Portions of this blog are excerpted from my new book The Roll Model.
[Reprinted with permission from Gaiam Life]
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Just this morning I was thinking a lot about self-massage (likely because I have been had the good fortune to roll with Jill!!).
Thinking about how it can be a life altering habit, and such an accessible one at that (the kind of life altering habits I am most interested in).
This post and Dr. Hodge’s research are certainly a sign for us to strengthen that delicious habit: endorsed by this post, Ayurveda, and the delicious nourishing feel it comes with instantaneously! Makes so much sense to help our lymphatic system out!
Fascinating! I love learning more about our amazing immune system, thanks for the research!
The information is accessible in its presentation and its application.
Thank you for writing this Jill. My desire to get thin has been on my mind, every day for 30 years. This is the first year that I finally understand the power of the gut in relation to inflammation. I now understand the importance of lymp, breath, movement and I am so excited to have found another way to stimulate the gut and lymph! The best part, it’s working <3
The Coregous ball is fast becoming my favorite tool! I’ve used a similar ball for years through Pilates practice, but you’ve opened my eyes to so many other (even greater) values of physical and emotional health and wellness brought by this amaing prop!