You are probably reading the title of this post and might be thinking, “What does a dry brush have to do with lymph flow? What the heck is lymph anyway?” or, “Ouch, I don’t want to put a dry brush anywhere near my skin!”
So during blood circulation, there is a balance between hydrostatic pressure and oncotic pressure that helps to circulate blood plasma and fluids throughout the tissues and tissue space. Hydrostatic pressure is on the arterial end (red) of the capillary bed, and has a higher pressure, forcing fluid (blood plasma) and small proteins out of the vessel and into the tissues. Large proteins and Red blood cells (RBCs) cannot pass through the capillary blood membrane. As the blood flows through the extensive network, concentration increases within the venous side (blue) of the capillary bed, acting as an osmotic/oncotic gradient, pulling back any plasma or fluid that has been leaked out due to high hydrostatic pressures.
However, this is not a fully efficient process. Any blood plasma or extracellular (outside of the cells) fluid that does not get reabsorbed into the venule side of the capillary bed, is absorbed into the lymphatic system.
The lymphatic system is really important in collecting extra tissue fluid, draining toxins, housing immune cells to present foreign proteins to our innate defenses, as well as other things. General lymph flow moves from the extremities towards the heart, to be pumped to the liver for detoxification and to the spleen to remove harmful pathogens, if present. The right arm, right side of the chest, neck, and face are all drained by the right lymphatic duct, while the rest of the body is drained by the thoracic duct, which empties its contents to the left subclavian vein (left vein below the clavicle), to return the blood volume to normal.
Normal muscle contractions help to move lymph fluid as well. As mentioned earlier, by moving this important fluid along, we can increase drainage of toxins by increasing circulation, stimulate cellular regeneration, stimulate our immune system, and even can wipe away dead skin cells, in addition to eliminating cellulite.
The best time to dry brush is right before a shower. Start with the most distal (farthest out) part of your arms and legs. Start with the right foot, brush with a firm, but comfortable strokes up the lower leg, up the thigh, then move to the left foot, repeating the same strokes. Make sure to cover all areas of your body! Do the hands, forearms, and upper arms, always moving towards the heart. Make sure to do the abdomen and chest as well as back and shoulders (as much as you can), including the neck. There are various specialized techniques that can also be read about, but this is just a general way to dry brush that can have marked benefits. Follow dry brushing with a shower, perhaps even a contrast shower (3 minutes hot, 30 seconds cold) to increase blood flow and wash away dead skin cells that have sloughed off. Avoid the facial area for dry brushing.
First time that I had tried dry brushing, it was pretty ticklish, and an interesting experience, since I had never done it before. It definitely takes some getting used to! It’s just like riding a bike, the more that you practice and the more that you do it, the better you will be at it, and who knows, you may even be able to teach someone else how to skin dry brush, as well!
Have you tried dry brushing before? Please share your story, I’d love to hear what you have found as a benefit!
You are probably reading the title of this post and might be thinking, “What does a dry brush have to do with lymph flow? What the heck is lymph anyway?” or, “Ouch, I don’t want to put a dry brush anywhere near my skin!”
So during blood circulation, there is a balance between hydrostatic pressure and oncotic pressure that helps to circulate blood plasma and fluids throughout the tissues and tissue space. Hydrostatic pressure is on the arterial end (red) of the capillary bed, and has a higher pressure, forcing fluid (blood plasma) and small proteins out of the vessel and into the tissues. Large proteins and Red blood cells (RBCs) cannot pass through the capillary blood membrane. As the blood flows through the extensive network, concentration increases within the venous side (blue) of the capillary bed, acting as an osmotic/oncotic gradient, pulling back any plasma or fluid that has been leaked out due to high hydrostatic pressures.
However, this is not a fully efficient process. Any blood plasma or extracellular (outside of the cells) fluid that does not get reabsorbed into the venule side of the capillary bed, is absorbed into the lymphatic system.
The lymphatic system is really important in collecting extra tissue fluid, draining toxins, housing immune cells to present foreign proteins to our innate defenses, as well as other things. General lymph flow moves from the extremities towards the heart, to be pumped to the liver for detoxification and to the spleen to remove harmful pathogens, if present. The right arm, right side of the chest, neck, and face are all drained by the right lymphatic duct, while the rest of the body is drained by the thoracic duct, which empties its contents to the left subclavian vein (left vein below the clavicle), to return the blood volume to normal.
Normal muscle contractions help to move lymph fluid as well. As mentioned earlier, by moving this important fluid along, we can increase drainage of toxins by increasing circulation, stimulate cellular regeneration, stimulate our immune system, and even can wipe away dead skin cells, in addition to eliminating cellulite.
The best time to dry brush is right before a shower. Start with the most distal (farthest out) part of your arms and legs. Start with the right foot, brush with a firm, but comfortable strokes up the lower leg, up the thigh, then move to the left foot, repeating the same strokes. Make sure to cover all areas of your body! Do the hands, forearms, and upper arms, always moving towards the heart. Make sure to do the abdomen and chest as well as back and shoulders (as much as you can), including the neck. There are various specialized techniques that can also be read about, but this is just a general way to dry brush that can have marked benefits. Follow dry brushing with a shower, perhaps even a contrast shower (3 minutes hot, 30 seconds cold) to increase blood flow and wash away dead skin cells that have sloughed off. Avoid the facial area for dry brushing.
First time that I had tried dry brushing, it was pretty ticklish, and an interesting experience, since I had never done it before. It definitely takes some getting used to! It’s just like riding a bike, the more that you practice and the more that you do it, the better you will be at it, and who knows, you may even be able to teach someone else how to skin dry brush, as well!
Have you tried dry brushing before? Please share your story, I’d love to hear what you have found as a benefit!