bODY Swelling & Fluid Retention, Most Undesirable Symptoms!

So many people, both men and women, suffer with feeling swollen and bloated, not just in their belly but also all over the body.

This feeling can make you want to jump out of your skin. 

Depending on where there are issues or weaknesses in the body, different people swell in different places. For some it may be the belly due to digestive or reproductive issues. For others, it could be more of an overall fluid retention in the hands, arms and legs. There may be swelling due to injury or obstruction. There can be even be enlargement of the head that happens over many years.
 
Whatever the underlying issue, this swelling results from tissue expansion that can either be temporary, like an injury or obstruction, or it can be long term, developing behind the scenes over many years due to a sluggish and stagnant liver. 
 

THE LIVER & LYMPH

The liver is the filter but in today’s world this filter gets easily clogged from too many poisons, pathogenic waste and fats. This results in overspill into the lymphatic system, which then has to work much harder, but it isn’t really equipped to do so. There is only so much the lymphatic system can take.

Eventually, the overload of toxicity spills into the very core of the person, moving into the organs, connective tissue, skin, intestinal tract lining, joints, tendons and bones. The more toxins there are, the more fluid is required to mop them up, creating more swelling and enlargement. 
 
When swollen people start to cleanse, very often the swelling and body bloat begins to disappear, which can feel like rapid weight loss. But it wasn’t necessarily true weight gain to begin with, it was excess fluid, even though excess weight may also be present simultaneously.
 

LYMPHATIC MASSAGE

This is a popular measure for people who feel swollen and bloated, and while it can help temporarily, it is only truly effective if the liver is functioning well.
 
During lymphatic massage, toxins get pushed into the bloodstream, but those toxins don’t just disappear. They get pushed into the blood and from there back to the liver if the body can’t cope with them all at once. And once again from the liver, they get pushed back into the lymph. Now you have circulating toxins that move like this:
 
Liver ➜ blood ➜ lymphatic system➜ blood ➜ liver ➜ blood ➜ lymphatic system ➜ core 

Lymphatic drainage can help someone feel less swollen for a few days, as the toxins get pushed into the bloodstream but then the swelling comes back again, as the root issue of liver congestion hasn't been solved. Also, lymphatic massage and drainage for someone with chronic illness can create a big flare, as all those toxins swimming around are too much for the body to contend with.  

There is a place for lymphatic massage, it's just important to understand the process. 

INTERMITTENT FASTING OR REDUCED MEAL INTAKE

A common approach to feeling swollen, overweight and bloated is to intermittent fast, reduce meal intake or sometimes barely eat at all! But again, this is a temporary fix that doesn’t get to the root of the issue.

The reason why this helps in the short term is because by abstaining from food you are temporarily giving the liver a break from too many dense fats and proteins. But as soon as you start eating more of the same foods again, the same issue arises.

Also, intermittent fasters or food abstainers often live on caffeine and adrenaline, which further weakens the liver. We can’t just run on caffeine and adrenaline all day long to keep the swelling down, as it deprives the body of precious glucose and mineral salts, leading to even more issues down the road. 
 

WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?

In the health world, there is this idea that we don’t need to cleanse because the body does it anyway. But then why is it that people feel so much better when they learn simple cleansing techniques that support the body's natural detoxification processes?

The answer is simple really but we get ourselves in such a twist! 

We must learn to eat in a way that supports the liver and lymph, and this means learning to how to reduce dense fats and proteins in daily life. When you lower your fats and proteins, you can fill up abundantly with fruits and vegetables, wild foods, herbs and spices that provide all the glucose, minerals, vitamins, nutrients,  micro-fats and proteins that the body needs. 

If you never feel good when you eat, it creates so much confusion. But why live this way when there is path of abundance and joy that awaits. 
 
Wishing you much love, health & happiness, 
Rebecca