Tag Archives: lymphatic

Is your brain draining?!

Is your Brain Draining???

Hello Warriors!!

Its that time again for some health tips!!  We’re going to dig into the topic today of your brain drain…

Your brain like everything in your body, is surrounded by fluids.  Our body is bathed in what is called lymph fluid, but your brain and nervous system are bathed in spinal fluid (called cerebro spinal fluid), also called the glymphatic system.  These fluids are basically the plumbing system of our body.  The fluid is essential to get out dead, dying cells from the brain, and nervous system, inflammatory molecules and proteins, old toxins, pathogens, chemicals, and additionally to bring in new cells and food to the brain.

The CSF has other functions as well:
The brain has four fluid compartments: cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), interstitial fluid, intracellular fluid, and the blood. The blood is kept separate from the CSF by the blood-brain barrier and blood CSF barrier. Tiny junctions between cells exist in the blood that create the blood-brain barrier, restricting molecules’ access to the brain. The blood-CSF barrier is also formed by tight junctions between choroid plexus cells. The choroid plexus is an area in the brain where a big pool of cells produce the CSF fluid. CSF comprises 10% of the total volume within the cranial cavity, and once it goes through the channels of the brain, it exits into the cervical lymphatic system. Recent studies show that the CSF and interstitial fluid (fluid in the space) are continuously interchanging.

Your brain is made of a lot of fat, and 25% of the cholesterol in the human body is in the brain. However, the blood-brain barrier that prevents molecules from entering also prevents fats from the blood from entering the brain. The brain, unlike the rest of the body, doesn’t receive cholesterol from the liver. The brain synthesizes its cholesterol. A well-managed system transports its supply of cholesterol to the neurons. This transport of cholesterol takes place through the glymphatic system. Fat is essential for our nervous system to work properly, (your nerves in particular are covered in fat) because it transfers signals from one neuron to another. The glymphatic system is very important for the health of our nerves and our brain!!

This system is mostly active at night, so adequate DEEP restful sleep is required for a healthy brain.  If you aren’t sleeping well, let’s talk. Additionally, in order for this important system to flow, there are a few mechanisms that need to take place. CSF is constantly being made in the choroid plexus, which creates a pressure gradient. Respiration is also very important to move the CSF along as well as pulsing arteries in the brain. The chemicals involved in the firing of neurons, called “ions,” drive a process of osmosis which helps pull the fluid through the brain tissue. Such an intricate system requires—you guessed it—balance. Stiff arteries do not allow pulsing, which causes a decline in fluid. This decrease may be why the elderly, in general, are more susceptible to neuro-cognitive conditions, because the lack of pulsing arteries decreases the ability to flush out the brain. Not being able to flush different substances out of our brain, such as tangles of tau in Alzheimer’s disease, a-synuclein in Parkinson’s disease, and superoxide dismutase in ALS, is a major risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases.

What’s the best method ???
Cranial work is the BEST known source to move the CSF and to drain your brain!!  When the joints of the cranium are not moving properly, it creates stagnation in the flow of this fluid, and then the brain is sitting in a toxic soup of fluids.  Proper nasal breathing and diaphragm breathing is also KEY to make sure your brain is draining.  If you are a mouth breather, you have a toxic brain with depleted oxygen.  If you are clenching and have TMJ issues you also have stagnation in this fluid.

In addition to cranial work, manual lymphatic drainage working from the outside in is also helpful, although not as impactful as working from the inside out with cranial maneuvers.  Dry brushing and manual lymphatic techniques are extremely helpful to get your pump moving!  There’s many tools and techniques that can utilize these methods from massage therapies, to lymphatic specialists to just some handheld fascia tools.

IT is CRITICAL, to always work on fluids and movement before nutritional work.  The brain needs to DRAIN in order to even absorb the nutrients and detoxing you are trying to do through nutritional work.  Brain fog and headaches are symptoms of a toxic brain.  So, get this system moving, get your breathing better, and watch your brain function improve!!

You’ll find more on this topic in my book Freedom Brain Uncover the Secrets to Transformational Health!!!

That is all for now.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy week.

Dr. Rachel

A strong backside revolves around function of this system.

Hey Warriors.
Happy Monday!  I hope you are thriving in this season.  I know this last week especially here in California is getting really crazy.  I will say, I am proud of people standing up for what is right through this and finally seeing the backstory behind it. I hope for the sake of our economy and so many businesses that took so long and so many tears to build will begin to regain strength again.  And for those corrupt in high places to come down! AMEN!

_____________________________
We’re gonna take a break from all that immunity talk and regeneration talk, and talk about something that you are probably all interested in, your backside!! LOL. 

I’m sure with working from home, we’ve all been in positions that aren’t our norms, but I have seen people be way more active during this season which is great!

A common scenario I see in my practice is patient’s coming in with an inability to activate their backside. 
That means the back and the glutes(butt).  The muscles that keep us upright. 
If you read my last blog, I talked extensively about how airway compromise causes problems in the backside, always trying to keep you upright.  With airway people they have this forward head posture because they can’t adequately breathe, which means their backside is constantly tight (tight muscles mean weak nerve input) trying to keep them upright to fight gravity.

As you can imagine, most of my airway people are going to be the main candidates for this blog, but it also applies to many that have tightness in their back, shoulders and pelvis.

This is the key to proper activation of your backside:  Bloodflow and Lymphatic Flow. 

Let me explain.
Strong muscles, ANY muscles that are strong need blood flow.  The actual best way to grow a muscle’s strength is to increase blood flow to that area. 
One of the best ways to increase blood flow to the backside, is to get blood flow working better, which comes from the FRONT.

If you have struggled with weakness or pain in your Glute muscles (butt muscles) or your back after all the exercises and therapy, it’s probably time to change your strategy right?! 
Muscles only work as well as they BREATHE, which means oxygen and blood flow have to be able to reach them to work like they are supposed to.
Here is an analogy:  Rivers and Streams.  Streams will dry up if the source (the river), gets depleted.
We start working not downstream, we start at the top, which is our arteries and the capillaries in our circulatory system. 

Most individuals that don’t have good blood/lymph flow to the glutes will say: “when they do hip and glute muscle work or strengthening that they get increasing tension in their groin area or in the front of their hip (thats the front side). ”

Let me explain why:

There is a region in the anterior part of the body where a lot of buildup happens in circulation and lymphatic flow.
This is the area where the biggest lymph node is in our body, which is about 3-4 inches above your belly button. Thats the green dot in the picture.


(not my image)
That green line (representing the lymphatic system) then has to drain up and under the left collarbone into our subclavian vein.  That is the transferred into the heart, stomach and other organs. 
If there is a BIG blockage here, the lymphatic and furthermore circulation will be impaired.
Working this area, will help open up this channel and the streams down below it.

Another example.  The inguinal/groin area.


(not my image)

All of the draining from the lower body has to come through the groin area. See those two red areas?  Big Rivers there.  We need the FRONT open and flowing to help the back.

No muscle or organ in the body works alone. 

If you want a stronger backside, yes you do have to engage it and activate those muscles properly (nerve help and trainers), but first you have to make sure that the “flow” is getting to that muscle! 
 Ok, doc.. How do we do that?

Well, you might have got the hint by now, but you have to work on the FRONT side. 
Constantly working the backside and stretching the backside won’t be your answer if it’s a frontside issue. 

Most commonly, when someone has a glute or low back issue, most physical therapist and trainers will say they have a “weak core”, which could and is usually true, but strengthening the core can be difficult when there is a backup in circulation.  We need to work first on making those stuck “flow” areas free then can stabilize.

For most of you airway people that means we have to address the entire front line from your head, tongue tie (if you have it), neck and collarbone, down to that big lymph node near your belly button (diaphragm tension), your hip flexors and down to the front of your shins.  LOTS of blood flow and lymphatic stuff is in there!

I do this first by realigning your entire body.  Remember a stuck joint (even in your head), prevents blood flow.  This also will ensure that the muscles are getting proper information from the nerves.  So we just do this first:)

Then, we can work on getting the lymphatic system working more with work right along the surface of the skin including the lymphatic organs. This is done through gentle work along those nodes and organs, and sometimes doing muscle work if the fascia is stuck around where the nodes are.

NOTE here:  There are some places I cannot get to and refer out for.  For instance, if there is internal scar tissue or pelvic floor imbalances, I must refer for this section to get that anterior pelvic section working better.  Pelvic Floor therapists can be HUGE resources for this part. With internal scar tissue, it will be a huge problem for blood flow to the glute region.

Additionally, maybe a restriction in the flow is because one of those organs isn’t draining properly?  You can work on them doing body work to get the “flow” happening, but also sometimes nutritional protocols are needed to help take the burden off those organs and get digestion working more efficiently.

I’ve had so many patients over the years say that after working with their airway and front side of their body that they feel they can activate their glutes so much more!  

So, I encourage you.  If this is You.  It’s time to change your strategy!  You need a proper front AND back sides working together to create balance within your body.  Usually the issues are never where you think they are.
Problem with your backside?  Work on the front side (loosening and getting circulation flowing) then stimulate and strengthen those back muscles and see how you feel!

That is all for now.

 

Have a happy and healthy week.

 

 

Best,

Dr. hamel

 

The Spleen- Master of our Immune System

Hey warriors.  Hope you are all making the best of this season of being home.  It’s definitely a weird season to say the least. If you’ve been following along my social media, i’ve been trying to bring real truth of what’s happening, and just hoping the hype will decrease and we can get back to our economy!

Needless to say, this season and all season we should always try and keep our immune system strong as much as we can! We really are surrounded all the time from different infections, and now with the increase in radiation from 5G and so many chemtrails, our best bet is to boost our immune system as much as possible.

Even though we are talking about the spleen today (it’s an organ), what’s also important to mention is that no system and no organ act alone.  So, even though we will focus on the spleen I’m going to add in information of other systems that can be affected as well.

Mantak Chia says ” unless an organ problem is truly serious, it will usually show up first within a muscle”
How true! This could build up for many years, soreness or buildup in muscles, tightness protection or guarding with an organ with underlying inflammation, then the body recruits the muscular system to tighten up and protect you.  Usually we treat this as a muscle problem when it is an organ problem.

The spleen is on the left hand side of our rib cage, next the the stomach and pancreas.
The spleen does many many things and is the largest organ in our lymphatic system (our sewage system/detoxification system).
-It also filters the blood removing old dead red blood cells from the body
-It creates White blood cells, very important for removing infections (ALL INFECTIONS)
Lymphocytes and macrophages to fight infections all the time (currently fighting                 infections right  now you probably don’t know that you have).
-saves iron so it can be used by other red blood cells (does this by removing dead ones).       A lot of  people have iron deficiency, and instead of taking supplementation, it could be         because of a spleen issue not working well.
part of the vagal splenic pathway (cranial nerve 10), puts you into relaxation so that           you can heal, decreases cytokines (inflammatory markers) in the entire body.
sympathetic vagus nerve connection, which is helpful for people that have                               fibromyalgia and chronic  fatigue.  You can get someone into parasympathetic (calm)             just  by working with the spleen!

Most people have GI issues from stress and toxic load which creates leaky gut. The spleen is a big part of the lymphatic system and when it can’t keep up with all the excess stress and toxins we are under it starts to tighten and has dysfunction…

Here are some signs of possible spleen and stomach issues:

  • recurrent candida infections tied to low stomach acid (could be genetic!) and low spleen function.  Chronic UTI’s are common here (most UTI can be from fungal, which antibiotics will make it worse).
  • allergies from making antibodies to fight underlying antigens (TH2 immune system response) Puffy and Bloated.
  • high blood pressure from too many old RBC’s and not enough WBC’s makes for thicker viscosity and harder to move.  (hard time delivering oxygen to the tissues)
  • decreased range of motion in the shoulder, neck, hip and thoracic spine- WHAT? YES.
  • oblique muscle dysfunction– usually both work together
  • tiredness, fatigue, lethargy, poor oxygenation from too many old red blood cells
  • indigestion
  • poor lymphatic drainage– gain a lot of excess body fat, you become more toxic
  • Swollen tongue, with teeth ridges on the sides (can also be from tiny mouth) scalloping
  • lines, ridges and marks on outside corners of your eyes
  • jaundice from increased bilirubin
  • chronic tightness/aching from left side ribcage
  • easy bruising/bleeding
  • overload of the liver because of insufficient spleen, more toxins because the liver is already sluggish
  • EMOTION– excessive worry/anxiety.  THIS IS WHY WE SHOULDN’T STRESS ABOUT VIRUSES.
The lymphatic system is our soldiers of defense. Lymph nodes trap viruses, bacteria, toxins, cancer cells and metabolic waste.
(not my image)

If all those above are not able to get out of your body, it stays in your body, and makes your musculoskeletal system more vulnerable because now you are in a state of chronic inflammation, which will manifest as pain.  It will also settle in the area where you’ve had a problem for a long time.  Inflammation always goes to your weakest link. 

When oxygen is available for every unit of fatty acids(lymphatic system/spleen shuttles them) through our energy cycle in our body, we create 38 molecules of ATP, without oxygen we make 2.   ATP=ENERGY.  If you’ve been following me awhile I talk about energy ALOT, it’s so important.  Not only do we want to look at genetics of how your energy pathway is working, but also look at organ motion.

If you want all your toxin strategies in your body to work, you want to take care of the center which is the blood/lymph.  Which organ plays to most part in this?  Spleen. 
You can live without your spleen, but all the surrounding organs and systems have to work about 10X harder to make up for not having one.

Anytime you move, your organs SHOULD move as well.  The organs in general are pretty jammed packed into the abdominal cavity, but are really reliant on the diaphragm moving.

(not my image)

So, one of the first things you can do for your spleen and organs is to get efficient at diaphragmatic breathing, which is used the most through nasal breathing. It helps pain everywhere because all the organs are getting movement! They like that:)

Check out this video for proper diaphragm breathing.

ATTACH VIDEO HERE.

Attachments:

The spleen attaches to your diaphragm, large intestine, pancreas and left kidney. If we move the spleen we can affect all these organs.  They all move together.  But look up again at the location of all those organs we are talking about under the rib cage.  IF those organs don’t move, guess what else won’t move effectively?  The middle back (or thoracic spine) and your hips with rotation.  Most people have a problem with rotation that I see, because of the tension in the abdominal cavity.


(not my image)

All these planes of motion, even just bending down touching toes, those organs have to glide meaning lifting and lowering for you to do that!  If you can’t, maybe it’s that those organs aren’t moving well, or the blood flow into your muscles isn’t adequate because of not enough oxygen?  We know that sitting definitely causes tight muscles, causing lack of blood flow and oxygen, but these are other options.

Since the spleen is on the left side of the body, and it is restricted it can actually cause restriction on the entire side of the body!. There’s something called fascial lines that all these systems connect together (see below). I’ve seen organ restriction causing left sided neck/shoulder pain, or left hip pain/weakness. Usually the Oblique muscles are weak.

(not my image)

You have to think in bigger terms here.  The body when it compensates definitely doesn’t always makes “sense” to us.  Why are you treating here, when I have pain here?  Is a common question.
You have to get out of your head making “sense”.  All these connections make your body compensate however it wants in that weakest link!

If someone comes in with some of those symptoms listed above, we look at possible spleen involvement.  You can have injuries on the inside (organs) and outside.

Of course we would deal with the actual sites and make sure they are good, but we want to actually start to reset the spleen as well. 

1. The first I mentioned is that diaphragmatic breathing
2. Go to your big toe on each side, on the corner nail bed and rub with a finger- 30 seconds to a minute
3. Underneath the armpits, about halfway down your arm (to find the spot), there’s another spleen point, you will want to rub that. It can be extremely tender here, a lot of lymph is there! 30 seconds to a minute
4. Put your fingers underneath your left ribcage and scoop your hand down about 5 times toward the opposite hip (you’ll need someone to help you).
5. Pump the spleen, I will have to help you with this one, but it’s a vibration that gets the spleen moving.
6. NASAL BREATHING!  If you can’t nasal breathe, you need to, LET’S talk. You will probably need cranial care!! When you breathe through your nose, you breathe through your diaphragm, and into the lower part of your lungs (create platelets).  You need nitric oxide to vasodilate your blood vessels, less stress on your heart and more oxygen for you! It’s important!
7. If the spleen is a constant issue for someone, we need to look into genetic factors, detoxification issues and hidden pathogens.  Movement helps tremendously, but other things clog it up as well, so we must also look at the entirety of the picture.   GOOD NEWS as well!  I’m able to do virtual online genetic testing sessions!!  I created a youtube video about how that process works, so you can take a look here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGCrtIt31Q8

That is all for now.

Have a happy and healthy week!
Dr. Hamel

 

Sinus Pressure, Headaches and Puffy Eyes oh MY!

Happy Monday Everyone. It seems like EVERYONE is getting sick or has been this winter. There is definitely some big super bugs going around.  If you read my blog last time, you know that the 5G radiation we are around is definitely a huge contributor to this.  Another I think is that it’s literally in our environment.  You can read more about that in the link below about the corona virus.

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Often with infections it can cause backing up of our lymphatic system. Your lymphatic system is your drainage system. Lymph nodes for instance, function as filters, trapping viruses, bacteria and other causes of illnesses before they can infect other parts of your body. It’s extremely important and I think second most important system in our body after the nervous system for function. This is often why you hear of detoxing, detoxing, detoxing.

In order for us to properly get rid of infections, as well as to prevent them, we must have our lymphatic system FLOWING continuously. But what make it move?  Our movement.  This system relies on our body movement and organ movement.  If we aren’t physically moving, or if our organs aren’t moving (because the lymphatic system goes through every part of our body and organs) this system won’t be working well.  Almost every chronic disease has a lymphatic issue. 

Most people think of the lymphatic system as just lymph nodes or your tonsils… In fact, the lymphatic system is HUGE. It’s a network of nodes, vessels and organs which drains lymph from the tissues into the blood. There’s even lymphatic tissue in our small intestine called Peyer’s Patches.

So, since this system depends on movement, it’s pretty important that movement in the body is balanced.

Let’s go back to the head for a second.

(Not my image). Picture of the lymph system in the head and neck.

THERE IS A LOT going on in the head and neck right?!!
It’s definitely more than just tonsils.  This interweb actually continues through your ENTIRE body as well, all around your organs.  The most lymph nodes are actually in our abdomen, so that’s another area I focus on a lot for this system.

Puffy eyes and swelling in the face is usually a sign that this system is congested.  But again, this system can’t flow effectively unless movement happens.  If you’ve been with me for awhile, you know that the Cranial System (Head) moves every breathe that we take. Sometimes these joints in the head though are not moving well.  That means this fluid will back up, like a pump backing up, which causes pressure changes. Additionally, our brain has it’s own unique lymphatic system as well that drains into this lymph system, so we must address it first!

This can often cause individuals to get sinus pressure, congestion, increase in actually getting infections, headaches and allergies. The key is to get this system moving, but in order to do it effectively, we have to make sure the cranial system is moving!  If you just do things like lymphatic massage or dry brushing, which are helpful, but often stagnation will return because the cranial system has not been balanced.  You see in the above picture how much nodes and vessels are close to the jaw joint as well.  This can cause pressure changes in the ear and eustachian tube, which can also affect hearing/balance.

Swelling in any of this system often will have a system effect.  I’ve had individuals with liver stagnation feel a release in their head and sinuses when we started normalizing the lymphatic movement in their liver.

Another point here is oxygen.  With swelling and stagnation in the lymphatic system, there often will be a depletion in oxygen.  Congestion means less nasal breathing and inflammation in the sinuses and respiratory systemThis provides an OPTIMAL environment for infections to live in.  Most infections that we get are what are called anaerobic meaning (hate oxygen).  So naturally when there is an environment with less oxygen, they will move in..

We have to get the cranial system open FIRST, and get oxygen flowing.  Sometimes there is actual structural issues like narrowing of the sinuses and deviated septum for instance.  This definitely also has to be addressed or you will find you or your children constantly fighting infections.  Again, a lack of oxygen will harbor infections. Many individuals with many teeth infections also have airway issues. Of course diet and hygiene come into play, but many individuals that always have continual teeth infections you will find have airway issues, tongue tie and difficulty nasal breathing.

So…. Long story short.  We have to change that pressure system.
First and foremost:

1. Get Craniopathy Care regularly to make sure the FLOW can happen for this fluid. This could often also result in co-managing with a functional dentist to help change that structure.  Remember your nervous system controls your immune system!  If you clench your teeth, you will constantly have congested lymph in your head and neck!
2. Keep your body moving.  Regular exercise and infrared Saunas are great ways to continually take care of your lymph.
3. Eat a low inflammation diet. Get rid of inflammatory foods, like sugars and processed foods/grains.  These cause inflammation in this system.
4. Clear that liver and gut.  Since most of the lymphatic system resides in the gut, it must be important right?  Stop eating toxic foods, or come in for a genetic nutrition session to help clear your detox organs. We can also evaluate and give you immune system support to help keep you protected.
5. Kill the Infections.  CRANIOBIOTIC TECHNIQUE is what I use most in my office to help your immune system kill infections.  Most in the head and neck I find are mold infections because of lack of oxygen.
6. Decrease EMF exposure.  I’ve found that EMF’s are really clogging the liver and lymphatic system.  Go back to my last blog for tips on this matter, get RID of airbuds and bluetooth headphones near your head!
6. Dry Brushing.
7. Lymphatic Massage. 

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For those of you you have been terrified about the corona virus, I got an Infection Vile to check for this infection using CranioBiotic Technique. But just so you know, I would check out this article about its origin.  You won’t find it on the mainstream news.

https://www.naturalnews.com/2020-02-04-dr-francis-boyle-confirms-coronavirus-an-offensive-biological-warfare-weapon.html?fbclid=IwAR0IvYB6W2HQIajJgdztj1ca0bYQanSeDG9DRSbL2TyinoW442fyZSLNzAQ

OIL OF THE WEEK

This week I’m giving you a recipe for a great sinus opener!!

This one can get your eyes watering so be careful!  Super Tip, I use this while flying.  I just ask the flight attendant for a cup of hot water and while on the plane, put a drop of each in and it clears the air and keeps the bugs away!

That is all for now
Have a Happy and Healthy Week.
Dr. Hamel