Iron status plays a significant role in premenstrual health. Research shows that higher dietary iron intake is associated with a substantially lower risk of developing PMS, while iron deficiency—common among menstruating women—can worsen symptoms through its effects on energy, mood, and physiological function.
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In a meta-analysis assessing the mineral intake of approximately 3,000 women. It found that eating an iron-rich diet (20mg per day) was linked to a 30-40% lower risk of developing premenstrual syndrome when compared to the lowest intake of iron (around 10mg per day) (Am J Epidemiol. 2013 May).
Menstruating women lose around 40% more iron per day when compared to men, with some studies stating how heavy menstrual bleeding is one of the leading causes of anemia in the developed world (Liu Z, et al. 2007).
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey indicates that 12-16% of non-pregnant women (aged 16-49 years) have iron deficiency, with 2-4% having anemia.
Increasing iron intake through diet and supplementation for two months has been shown to reduce PMS symptoms considerably in all anemic women (Mitesh Sinha et al. 2013).
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What is the Lymphatic System?
The lymphatic system is becoming increasingly more talked about but is still, in my opinion, one of the least appreciated and under-utilised systems in the restoration of movement dysfunctions and chronic health complaints.
Everybody, including health practitioners and those in the fitness industry, could benefit from understanding and implementing lymphatic techniques. You can consider that a homeostatic balance of the internal environment can be a true measure of health.
Lymphatic techniques can, therefore, aid the body in moving towards more of an internal state of homeostasis.
How does the lymphatic system function?
The lymphatic system is, in essence, the sewage system of the body.
It has the incredible ability to trap nearly all soluble antigens, roughly 99%, with its role in waste removal. This is significantly important for the other body systems to not become overwhelmed and develop issues as well.
The lymphatic system contains the thymus, an endocrine organ which is responsible for the development of T-lymphocytes, immune cells that are involved in fighting infection through the process of cell-mediated immunity.
The spleen plays a key role in the lymphatic system as the largest lymphatic organ, having a vital role in a host of detox processes, such as:
Filtering blood
Removing old dead red blood cells
The maturation of lymphocytes and macrophages to aid in fighting infection
The splenic communication of the tenth cranial nerve, the Vagus nerve, is crucial in reducing inflammatory cytokine production.
The tonsils also form part of the structure of the lymphatic system. With the tonsils formed of lymphatic tissue, housing lymphocytes and macrophages, they protect the digestive system and lungs from pathogens entering through the nose or mouth.
There is also a deep association with the gastrointestinal system through gut associated lymphoid tissues (GALT) known as Peyers Patches, with the role of the gastrointestinal system intrinsically linked to the immune system. Estimates suggest that roughly 70-80% of immune function is beholden to gastrointestinal health.
This amazing system also comprises millions of lymphatic vessels which, if placed end to end in a continuous line, would circle the earth four times! Alongside these vessels there are over seven hundred lymph nodes within the body, with the most populated areas being the neck, skin and the intestines.
This mass of lymphatic vessels works in uniform direction towards the heart, with valves interspersed to prevent any backflow from occurring. This one-way system is aided by the structure of the vessels which allow fluids to flow in the direction of clearance, but with numerous valves preventing backflow. Allowing the system to be cleared, very much how a filtration device on a fish tank would work.
The ability to regulate fluid homeostasis is a key aspect of the lymphatic system. The body contains fifteen litres of lymphatic fluid, predominantly of water, and roughly 10% of proteins, hormones and waste products. Comparing this to the five litres of circulating blood that we have, the body wouldn’t contain three times more lymphatic fluid than blood if it wasn’t a critical component of our survival!
From the five litres of circulating blood, over the course of a day, three litres of plasma leaks out into the interstitial space.
If not appropriately removed through the lymphatic system this can lead to swelling outside of the cellular space due to the increased fluid concentration and alterations in pressure.
Without effective drainage this can create stagnation in the fluids; Let’s go back to the fish tank analogy above, we know that stagnation of fluids is detrimental to the ecosystem, the same being the case for our health.
In a system with appropriately functioning lymphatics, this plasma is removed from the interstitial space into the lymphatics system and circulated upwards towards the subclavian vein. This is where it flows into the venous system, before returning to the liver, detoxifying and purifying the blood.
Taking a deeper look into the pathway of the lymphatic vessels will give an understanding into the application of treating the lymphatic system.
As a one way system drains into the venous system at the bilateral sites of the subclavian veins, all lymphatic vessels are required to flow in this direction. The right upper quadrant of the body drains through the right lymphatic duct and into the right subclavian vein, whilst the remainder of the body drains through the thoracic duct into the left subclavian vein.
The thoracic duct is responsible for the majority of lymphatic flow and also houses the largest lymph node, the cisterna chyli, which is a major site of drainage for the liver. It’s crucial to keep this node functioning well as between 25-50% of the returning lymphatic fluid through the thoracic duct is returned from the liver.
There is an important bidirectional relationship between the cisterna chyli and the liver, with an overburdened liver that can’t move or function optimally placing more load on the cisterna chyli. Having a lymphatic system that can’t drain well, especially at the cisterna chyli, increases the potential to create stagnation around the liver. A lymphatic vessel that is unable to drain will not be able to receive fresh supply creating this backlog.
A fairly recent discovery reveals that the lymphatic system also continues up into the central nervous system through the glymphatics, more commonly known as the glymphatic system.
The glymphatic system has the same role as the lymphatic system, however it is only situated in the brain. This helps to reduce inflammation and drive the removal of waste products which is essential for overall brain health. Additionally, the protective benefits of this system helps to distribute fuel sources and various other vital components around the brain.
Below are alternative methods which have been studied for their efficacy and effectiveness in combating postpartum depression.
Saffron
A double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial was conducted on 60 new mothers diagnosed with PPD. After 8 weeks, results showed that the saffron group experienced a 96% remission rate for postpartum depression from just 15-mg Saffron per day, more than double the remission rate of placebo group ‘Researchers concluded that saffron can have a safe and significant mood-elevating impact for those suffering from postpartum depression who want to safely breast-feed their newborns’ (8)
When compared with antidepressant medications, saffron has been found to have similar efficacy – without the side effects.
Folate
In placebo-controlled trials, folate has been used as an adjunctive treatment to fluoxetine. Findings indicated significantly greater improvement in the folate group, a difference most pronounced in women (14)
94% of women who received fluoxetine, with the addition of folate 500 mcg per day, were treatment responders, compared with 61% of those who received fluoxetine and placebo
It is recommended that women of reproductive age consume 0.4–1 mg folate daily to reduce the risk of neural tube birth defects.
Exercise
Exercise is integral to optimal health in pregnancy, as well as in the prevention of heart disease, obesity, and diabetes, along with other comorbid diseases. Regular physical activity (after selectively auditing through 216 studies) during pregnancy, pregnancy, and puerperium, or in the postnatal period itself as compared to inactivity, was found to reduce the risk of developing depression in pregnant women and after the birth of a child (6)
Massage
A meta-analysis of 17 RCTs of massage therapy in depressed people concluded that massage therapy is significantly associated with reduced depressive symptoms (11), decreased urinary levels of cortisol (12); and increased urinary levels of serotonin and dopamine (13)
The purpose of this post is to raise awareness and display the vast array of possible paths one could take in supporting their own mental well-being when combatting PPD.
Infant Massages
Infant massage improves mother-infant interaction for mothers with postnatal depression (7)
Seafood
In a large Danish prospective cohort study of more than 54,000 women, participants who were in the lowest quartile of self-reported fish intake during pregnancy were at increased risk of being treated for depression with an antidepressant up to 1-year postnatally (9). Rather than extrapolating this solely to benefits Omega-3, it is important to take into account that sociodemographic characteristics not only influence food availability in house-hold diets but also emotional statue
Bright Light Therapy
In participants who received at least three weeks of bright light therapy each morning for 1-hr had improvements in their depression scores by a mean of 49%; among participants who completed at least 5 weeks, scores improved by 59% (10)
Caveats in this field of research are that the study pools are low most likely due to the ‘cost vs return’ of investing into studies in this sector
Strom M, Mortensen EL, Halldorsson TI, et al. Fish and long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intakes during pregnancy and risk of postpartum depression: a prospective study based on a large national birth cohort. Am J Clin Nutr 2009; 90:149–55.
Oren DA, Wisner KL, Spinelli M, et al. An open trial of morning light therapy for treatment of antepartum depression. Am J Psychiatry 2002;159:666–9.
Hou WH, Chiang PT, Hsu TY, et al. Treatment effects of massage therapy in depressed people: a meta-analysis. J Clin Psychiatry 2010;71:894–901.
Field T, Diego M, Hernandez-Reif M, et al. Pregnancy massage reduces prematurity, low birthweight and postpartum depression. Infant Behav Dev 2009;32:454–60.
Field T, Diego MA, Hernandez-Reif M, et al. Massage therapy effects on depressed pregnant women. J Psychosom Obstet Gynaecol 2004;25:115–22.
Coppen A, Bailey J. Enhancement of the antidepressant action of fluoxetine by folic acid: a randomised, placebo controlled trial. J Affect Disord 2000;60:121-30.
Mischoulon D, Fava M. Role of S-adenosyl-L-methionine in the treatment of depression: a review of the evidence. Am J Clin Nutr 2002;76:1158S 61S.
Roder C, Schaefer M, Leucht S. Meta analysis of effectiveness and tolerability of treatment of mild to moderate depression with St. John’s Wort [in German]. Fortschr Neurol Psychiatr 2004;72:330–43.
If you are unfortunate and have had your palatine tonsils removed or have reoccurring infections with your tonsils, this may just help …
The group of tonsils provide:
Protection against pathogens and toxins
Lymphatic detox
Excretion organ
One of the greatest immune modulators
Supporting the brain's glymphatic system
This last point is massively overlooked, here’s why …
The glymphatic system is essential in mitigating risk against neuro-developmental disorders and degeneration, this ranges from Autism, Alzheimer’s through to some categories of depression.
This system clears the brain during sleep (mostly delta-wave sleep) of harmful proteins (such as amyloid-beta) and waste products by pumping the cerebral spinal fluid through the brain’s tissues. This flushes the waste into the body’s circulatory system in which it eventually reaches the liver where it can be eliminated.
This process is roughly 10 times more active during sleep as opposed to when awake. The brain also shrinks by around 60% of its original size to increase the efficiency of waste removal.
The removal of tonsils will also reduce the efficiency of the immune system, resulting in an increased chance for the development of food intolerances and possibly acting as a contributing factor towards autoimmune diseases (the severity of this risk is not currently quantifiable). If you have had your tonsils removed, there are several options you can do.
In my opinion, here are two of the most important:
Massage the intracranial lymph (around the jaw and neck) to improve glymphatic circulation and possibly decrease neuroinflammation
Ensure you have a good duration and quality of sleep (promoting delta wave sleep through binaural beats, gratitude logs or specific devices may help)
* The group of tonsils provide direct lymphatic drainage through the cribriform plate to Waldeyer’s Ring – this is a formation of lymphatic tissue situated in and around the:
Pharyngeal tonsils (adenoids)
Two tubal tonsils (posterior to Eustachian tu)
Two palatine tonsils (this is what the tonsils is most commonly referred to)
Lingual tonsil (base of tongue)
Laryngeal tonsil (near the vocal cords in the larynx)
