I thought it was an innocent question. “The lymphatic system is often described as the ‘garbage disposal system for your cells,’” I began in my interview with one of the world’s foremost lymphatic experts, “is this an accurate way to think of it?” Dr. Chikly responds in an unflustered French accent, “where eezz the divine consciousness there?”
I just compared his life’s work to a garbage disposal. I hope I haven’t offended our esteemed guest.
But Dr. Chikly shows no sign if insult or injury (later, he admits he was teasing me!). He quickly moves on to an excited explanation of why the lymphatic system is so poorly understood even today. “I don’t think I would describe something like that,” he states. “It’s not recognized because it came very late in history.”
English Anatomist William Harvey is credited with the discovery of the blood circulatory system in 1628. But the mere presence of the lymphatic system was barely known at that time and its function was not understood until centuries later. Compared to veins and arteries, lymphatic vessels are usually transparent and difficult to see, even upon dissection.
The historical neglect of lymphatics continues in modern medicine. We are only beginning to discover the many functions of this pivotal system. But since you can cut a lymphatic vessel and not die from it, we tend to think it’s not important. According to Dr. Chikly, the progress is slow because, with the exception of lymphedema, medical companies don’t have surgeries or medications that target the lymphatic system so they don’t pay it much attention. “It’s going to explode very soon,” he predicts, “because it’s such an important system for your body and it’s still so mysterious.”
You might also like:
It’s Love Your Lymph Month at The Cellulite Investigation
Nutrition and Lymphatic Health: Interview with Dr. Thomas Cowan
What is the Lymph Theory of Cellulite
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Hi there! I found you on Mommoyologist and I loves the name of your blog. I did a post on cellulite and while back. It was when Dr. Oz was on OPrah and he asid there is absolutly no cure for cellulite. I absolutly refuse to believe that so let me know when you find the cure!
Hi, MTOT! You are a woman after my own heart. The Dr. Oz episode played a key role in launching the Cellulite Investigation. I wrote a post about it, too.
And as you concluded, I'm not buying it either.
What is Cellulite? The Conventional View (this is back from my anonymous blogging days…)
Very interesting. Just stopped by from SITS and now I'm going to nose around a bit. Good luck on finding the cure! I could use it!:)
Welcome, Tonya. We're giving it our best –it's definitely a group effort here. No way I could solve this case on my own! Thanks for stopping by!
Are there pharmaceuticals that treat lymph? If not, maybe that's why the medical community is slow to pay more attention to the lymph system.
You're right, Cameron. There's not much money in it for the pharmaceutical industry at this point. I think it's more of a preventative health care issue and they're not big on that sort of thing. It's not good for business.
So how did you hook up with this doctor for your interview? I am very impressed the lengths to which you will go for your readers.
When I was looking for a lymph drainage therapist for my problem with cystic acne, I discovered that I live nearby one of the foremost lymph drainage specialty centers in the world, the Upledger Institute. My therapist learned the technique from Dr. Chikly himself and offered to set me up with an interview for the Cellulite Investigation.
I must admit it's not ALL for the readers. I also have a vested interest in the subject
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