If you are suffering from injuries, excess weight or cellulite, or pain disorders like arthritis, bursitis, headaches or others, a sluggish lymphatic system may be playing a role.  Here are 11 ways you can get your lymph flowing smoothly.

1.  Breathe deeply. 

2.  Get moving. 

3.  Drink plenty of water. 

4.  Forget the soda, trash the neon-colored sports drinks, and drop the fruit “juices” that are more sugar than fruit. 

5.  Eat more raw fruit on an empty stomach. 

6.  Eat plenty of green vegetables to get adequate chlorophyll to help purify your blood and lymph.

7.  Eat raw, unsalted nuts and seeds to power up your lymph with adequate fatty acids. 

8.  Add a few lymph-boosting herbal teas to your day, such as astragalus, echinacea, goldenseal, pokeroot or wild indigo root tea.

9.  Dry skin brush before showering. 

10.  Alternate hot and cold showers for several minutes. 

11.  Get a gentle massage.

To get the scoop on why these tips work, read the entire Care2 article, or just try them and see how much better you feel. Jumping on a trampoline or rebounder is also a particularly good way to get that lymph moving.

From Kevin Gianni's RenegadeHealth Blog - "Ashwagandha has been shown to increase the amount of hormones secreted by the thyroid gland. It’s unknown why this happens, but it has some type of regulating effect on thyroid hormone secretion."

Ashwaganda is good for adrenal support too, and who doesn't need that in our stress-filled world? The article continues - "Aside from the thyroid, ashwaganda also is effective for adrenal support. What this means is, one, that it is a true adaptogen, since most adaptogens are very good at supporting the adrenals, and two, it confirms its ability to work with the entire endocrine/hormone system. Ashwaganda seems to be an effective endocrine system modulator."

How much should you take?
"When you take ashwaganda you want to use a high quality extract and – as per Dr. Williams’ recommendations – take 200-1200 milligrams per day."

Because hormone imbalances are becoming more and more common in our modern world, due to pesticides, plastics, and hormone supplementation in livestock, Ashwaganda may be one of the most important herbs we can take. Our adrenal glands are pushed to their limit by our hectic way of life, and many people, particularly women, have thyroid issues. Ashwaganda can help bring these hormones back into balance in a safe and natural way.

Ashwaganda has been used in India for thousands of years and can be taken long-term without unpleasant side effects.

Did you know that horses are natural healers? A lot of kids know it these days. Horses are used in numerous programs to help autistic children and adults, as well as those with emotional or mental problems. But you don't need to have problems to benefit from hanging out with horses. They can be amazing teachers for anyone.

One of the most amazing things about horses is their ability to read and respond to our intentions. When we exhibit clear intention and strong leadership, horses will willingly fall in line with whatever we ask them to do, whether we are riding, or walking on the ground with them. 

As Lissa Rankin says in her article titled Lessons Learned About Life & Leadership From a Horse: "When I got into Wordlessness, tapped into Oneness, and got clear on my intentions for what I wanted the horse to do, the horse followed me exactly. When I got graspy or panicky or anxious or fuzzy in my intention, the horse backed away and looked at me like I had two heads."

It's called horse whispering, and if you haven't tried it, I highly recommend that you look for someone who offers classes and sign up. I will never forget the first time a horse "joined up" with me. It feels like being connected with everything around you, and if that is not a healing experience, I don't know what is.

The reference to "Wordlessness" and "Oneness" is from Martha Beck, author of the wonderful book Finding Your Way in a Wild New World, describing what she calls the first two technologies of magic. Martha is one of many horse whispering teachers. You may find classes called Leadership Training with Horses, or some other title, but they are all designed to teach us about ourselves at least as much as how to work with horses.