There are two different circulatory systems in our bodies. One is which everyone knows about, and how important it is. That is the bloodstream. The bloodstream is essentially a roadmap of blood vessels which allow our blood to circulate. The second circulatory system is alittle bit different and alittle bit more unfamiliar than the first. It is the Lymphatic System.
This system circulates the lymph. Unlike blood the lymph is colorless, is a fluid, which travels though the body cleaning your tissues and keeping them well-nourished. Blood circulates back to the heart though our veins, the lymph must also, be recycled and returned to the heart, which it does so through what is called, the Lymphatic System.
Like the blood circulatory system it is composed of a series of vessels and tubes. The major difference between the 2, the circulatory system and the lymphatic system is that the lymphatic system lacks a pump to move the fluid it carries. For the blood that pump is the heart. For lymph, the flow back to the heart is achieved through a more passive process involving muscle contractions and gravity.
If you have ever noticed a swelling in your feet during a long ride or sitting a long time, this is due to lack of movement, that your muscles have not been able to circulate the lymph, so because of gravity, it collects at the lowest part of your body. The feet.
There is another condition due to this, called an edema. Which is what I suffer with, with my arm. Edema occurs when excess fluid cannot be returned back into circulation. This by the way, can be very painful, and I had to wear a compression bandage to encourage the lymph to circulate. My edema was due to the removal of lymph nodes under my arm and on my arm several times due to Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.
Our bloodstream is massive, extensive, reaching out into our body in various parts, but there is still a large enough portion of our tissues that the cappillaries can’t reach. Because of this, our lymphatic system must intervene and help by transporting the necessary nutrients in the lymph fluid. If this was not possible, a swelling or edema would occur.
Lymph nodes act as filters making sure nothing passes through that shouldn’t. The Lymphatic system could easily provide a way for any germ or microbe to enter our heart and bloodstream. The lymph nodes are composed of T cells and B cells which attack before that can happen. When a problem arises, the nodes will become enlarged, if you have ever had swollen glands they are is because they stopped access of something wanting to filter into the back of the throat or lungs or even, the bloodstream. Lymph nodes can become swollen anywhere in the body.