3 SIMPLE TIPS TO RELIEVE BLOATING AND INDIGESTION by clearing the lymphatic system


If you are dreading the negative effects of partying and large meal celebrations over Xmas, if you suffer from bloating and indigestion after rich food or in fact any meal, some simple deep breathing techniques to clear the lymphatic system can make a real difference.

Because breathing is so natural to all of us we never think of how we breathe and the huge impact it can have on our lives if we breathe incorrectly. Many of us take shallow breaths, sucking in our bellies and raising our shoulders.

Deep breathing not only allows us to take in more oxygen and expel more carbon dioxide it also has a huge impact on other areas of our health. As a deep breath is taken in, the bottom of the diaphragm actually massages the liver, stomach and other organs as well as massaging the heart on its return. This process of up and down, in and out allows for a natural detox of our body through the promotion of blood flow and lymphatic pumping. Our lymphatic system is vital for removing toxins from our body and plays a key role in our immune system. Other than massage and muscle contraction the lymphatic system has no other means of inducing movement.

You can do this breathing exercise standing up or lying down. I particularly recommend to my clients to do this last thing at night when going to bed in order to clear the lymphatic system before sleeping.
1. Before you start, place your hands high on your chest (touching the collarbone) with right hand on the top of the left.
2. Then breathe very slowly doing the following 3 things simultaneously:
i)   deep SLOW breathing in
ii)  turning your head to the right
iii) opening your arms wide from the chest to fully horizontally outstretched

Do this all AT THE SAME TIME.
 
3. Hold for 3 seconds and then SLOWLY breathe out, turning your head back to the front and bringing your arms back to your chest.

Repeat 4 to 5 times with emphasis on slow, gentle breathing and slow wide movement of the arms to open up the chest wall and lift the ribs. If it has not worked within a minute or so, repeat the sequence again – remember to do it SLOWLY.

What could this possibly do?

This breathing technique does 3 things:
- Moving your arms from the chest to outstretched position lifts and moves the diaphragm (the pump of the body) which stimulates and helps to clear the main trunk of the deep lymphatic system.
- By turning your head to the right (not the left) it opens up the main supraclavicular point on the left hand side of the neck where the lymph system moves into the venous system. This is a point that that often blocks and therefore the whole lymphatic system blocks.
- Inhaling slowly, holding your slow deep breath and exhaling deeply allows for more oxygen to penetrate deep into the lungs and then to completely remove the carbon dioxide.

How does this help bloating and indigestion?
As there is three times more lymph fluid then there is blood in the body and at least half of those lymph nodes surround the gut, bloating occurs when the lymph system is unable to cope and move the food proteins and fat molecules through the system for detoxification. But while blood has a pump - the heart- to keep it moving, lymph must be pumped by the movement of our muscles. As the biggest pump is the diaphragm, deep breathing becomes very important in preventing blockage of the whole system.

Second, bloated tissues prevent cells from properly absorbing nutrients and oxygen. In a sense, the cells begin to starve. And as cells starve for nutrients, they send out signals of intense hunger and cravings will set in. Worse, without adequate oxygen to ignite the metabolic process, fewer calories are burned and less energy is produced.

Deep breathing also instigates relaxation. Deep breathing slows things down which in turn signals our parasympathetic nervous system and promotes a relaxation response. This is a great stress reliever and also helps to harmonise our system and promote overall long lasting health.

So as deep slow breathing with arm movements is so simple and easy to do, this might be the one thing that makes a real difference between an enjoyable Xmas and an uncomfortable one.

Also check out Gutmatters Bloating and Flatulence How to Guide which provides many more answers to serious and chronic Bloating.

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