My friend Sue Carter Ansari has developed a wonderful concept for a program tailored to breast cancer survivors. Combining intentional laughter, movement, breathing, nutrition and relaxation, JOYFITtm is gaining in popularity. And with good reason! It’s not only effective in chasing away the stress and gloom that often set in permanently, it also encourages healthy lifestyle habits. In fact, JOYFITtm could be used by anyone, but it was originally developed for women with this type of condition. <\/p>\n
Did you know that the simple act of laughing has a wonderful effect on the lymphatic system? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n It’s really a question of increasing lymphatic flow, which then produces more lymphocytes to kill cancer cells. The lymphatic system is a meshed network of very fine vessels, separate from the blood vessels, but interwoven with the venous system. This network lies beneath the skin and above the muscles, and carries “cleaned” lymphatic fluid back to the vascular system on either side of the neck. <\/p>\n Unlike the cardiac system, where the heart acts as a pump, circulating blood to all parts of the body in a continuous circuit, the lymphatic system is a simple system – without a pump. Lymphatic fluid moves by inertia (very slowly, about 3 beats \/ minute) in a semicircular fashion. It’s a highly effective efficient cleansing process that forms the backbone of the immune system, <\/em><\/strong>as it collects waste from the whole body and cleanses this fluid before<\/strong> returning it to the bloodstream in the neck. Lymph nodes are groups of“cleaning stations<\/strong>” scattered along the lymphatic pathways, mainly in the armpits, neck, chest, abdomen and groin.<\/strong> Lymph nodes specialize in the production of white blood cells<\/strong> (lymphocytes) to clean fluid,antibodies<\/strong> to defend against future predators, and macrophages to eliminate all kinds of unwanted waste. <\/p>\n