Applied Lymphology

Lymphatics of the Brain

When Dr. Vodder discovered the undividable teamwork between the immune system and the lymphatic system around 1930, he also came to the conclusion that there had to be a connection between the lymphatic system and the detoxification of the brain. Without having reliable scientific proof available, Dr. Vodder developed a manual treatment protocol to stimulate the lymph flow, including inner mouth drainage, which he presented at a medical conference in Paris, France, in 1935. Manual lymphatic drainage has been taught and applied throughout Europe ever since with great success for various ailments. Thanks to Dr. Jonathan Kipnis, director of the Center for Brain Immunology and Glia at the University of Virginia, who recently came across the scientific evidence of how the lymphatic brain detoxification is accomplished, which is basically via lymph capillaries piggybacking on the back of the ophthalmic and olfactory nerves. (By simply applying a full-body manual lymphatic drainage, the average speed of lymph flow is temporarily increased by 20 percent.) Despite all technological accomplishments in medicine, the importance of the lymphatic system has been broadly overlooked. Because we are surrounded by chemicals, most of them toxic, I will explain how important a well-functioning lymphatic system is for maintaining overall health.