Hands up if you think that your lymphatic system could do with a boost? If you suffer from any of the conditions which can make you accumulate fluid, or fat, on your thighs and upper arms, it’s not always an obesity thing, it could be that your lymphatic system is trying to tell you something.

The lymphatic system has an important waste regulation function in the body, and if it doesn’t get optimum nutrition or support, it can slow down, making conditions like lymphoedema and lipoedema worse.

• Focus on your breathing – the lymph system needs the pumping action it gets from deep breathing to help it transport the waste and toxins into the blood so that your liver can filter and clean it. Think of it like breathing in oxygen and breathing out toxins, if it helps.
• Move around a bit! Yes, exercise crops up in so many different healthy living articles, but that’s because it’s good for you, no matter how much you might prefer to sit indoors on Facebook. If you want to give your lymph a real boost, the best exercise you can do is rebounding on a mini trampoline. If that doesn’t appeal, normal stretching and aerobic exercises are also great.
• Water, water, water. You need the stuff to get your lymph flowing freely, so guzzle as much as you can. You can add lemon juice if you don’t like it plain or a squeeze of lime – but knock it back anyway!
• Fill up on raw fruit – and eat it on an empty stomach. The enzymes and acids in fruit are excellent cleansers, and if you try to eat your fruit part of the daily five (or is it seven) a day on an empty stomach, they will be more easily digested.
• Vegetables are king…of course, where fruit goes, veggies follow. The chlorophyll in green vegetables will do wonders for purifying your lymph fluid.
• Go nuts – stock up on raw, unsalted nuts and seeds, so that you get the right amount of fatty acids.
• Try a few herbal teas, too. These are much easier to get hold of than they used to be, and your best bets for a bit of a lymphatic boost are; Echinacea, astralagus or goldenseal (some herbs should be avoided if you’re pregnant or breast feeding, so if you’re not sure, do ask.)
• Try a little dry skin brushing. Brush skin in circular motions with a natural bristled brush, starting with the feet and working to your torso, then moving inwards from your fingers to your chest. Lymph flows towards the heart so you want to work in the same direction.

Not sure how to dry skin brush? Here’s a few tips.

• Have a massage – there have been studies that show massage can push up to 78 percent of stagnant lymph back into circulation. If you want to go a little deeper you could also try a lymphatic drainage massage, specially designed to get things moving…they are available in most spas and salons.

Trying as many of these tips as you can will help stimulate your lymphatic system, hopefully make it work more efficiently and may even help to relieve some of your symptoms – every little helps!