Exploring Life's Flow: A Journey through Lymphatic System, Health, and Wellness
John Ossipinsky is an author and lymphatic system health coach. John specializes in working with a Lymph-Brain Connection to help improve how clients feel mentally and physically.
Leslie: So, how did you start doing what you do and working in this space? What was your journey?
John: I'm a retired New York City firefighter. And when I retired I moved to Arizona with my wife, Eileen. I got bored, and I went to a year-long massage therapy school. And then over the next seven years, I learned the work of three world-renowned doctors. Dr. Upledger, who works with craniosacral therapy. People may have tried that therapy; it's wonderful, very healing. The visceral manipulation from Dr. Burrell. He's a French physician who deals with organ problems. And then I learned from Dr. Bruno Chikly about the lymphatic system– it’s everywhere.
This system is ignored and that, to me, is crazy. In 2006 I published work that explains how most diseases are due to compromised lymphatic systems and the resulting buildup of cellular waste, fats, and fluid in the body and brain. Our lymphatic system system is a system that must move immune cells around in our bodies. Otherwise, our bodies have a very weak immune response. It has to remove fat. It has to remove parts of cells, and it's devastating our health and it's really only thought about in medicine until we get cancer. We need to start thinking about this much earlier. I would not be here today if I didn't realize I had to maintain my lymph.
Leslie: So tell us, what exactly is the lymphatic system?
John: We all have this tiny network of vessels and nodes throughout our bodies, just like our circulatory system. It's a whole secondary system that must complete circulation, detox us, and help to complete circulation so we can bring oxygen and nutrients and supplements to our cells. And when the lymph system is clogged, your body starts to fill– your brain starts to fill, your jaw, your TMJ, your heart. Your thyroid is the first organ to go, and that's why so many people have thyroid issues because the thyroid is right next to the major lymph vessels Every health problem is dependent on your lymphatic system, and we need to start taking personal accountability because we can take control over this system with our lifestyles– using our hands, eating well, and exercising.
Leslie: So this is really interesting and I don't know anything about the lymph. You're talking about circulation– what liquid is in there exactly? Where does it come from? Where does it go?
John: it's the liquid that's around your cells. It's called interstitial fluid. It's blood without the red platelets and so basically is clear yellow. Skin problems like eczema have to do with this fluid being held in the superficial lymphatic system. We see these as inflammation, but we just say, it's inflammation. But what is inflammation? It's really what your lymphatic system is not clearing from your body.
Leslie: Tell us more, you were kind of touching on the importance of clearing toxins out. Can you talk more about that?
John: : If your lymph system can't clean the dead cell material, the fats, then it devastates– it limits circulation. It’s our own waste building up in our bodies that causes most of our diseases and inflammation. When our cells stop replicating, getting stuck in parts of our bodies, and actually decay instead, it gives off a component to damage and kill the cells around it. It brings out the autoimmune response, which devastates our bodies.
Leslie: That is fascinating, and when you describe it that way it makes complete sense. we exfoliate our skin, we brush our hair to get kind of dead cells off, but there's nothing that we can do on the inside other than this lymphatic system. But how would someone know that they maybe are having blocked lymph nodes or having an lymphatic system issue?
John: Typically you'll see some swelling, you'll see some inflammation, some redness, right? When the lymph system can’t clean an area, fats, cellular waste, fluids, actually build up in our bodies and cause all sorts of diseases. Where you have least circulation, maybe due to how you sit for example, is where you’re going to have your disease. Most diseases are linked to build up in our cells. If you can get control over cellular waste in your body, your health can improve rather quickly.
Leslie: You mentioned lymphatic system inflammation is linked to many different diseases. We've talked a lot during this summit about gut and health. What is the link between the lymphatic system and gut health?
John: So I have IBS, and diseases like this– IBS, leaky gut, Crohn’s– affect a lot of people. When your intestines can't be cleaned by this waste, remember, every cell in your body is always making waste right– and if that waste can't be picked up, then it's gonna inflame the intestines.
A new study just came out that verifies that the lymphatic system is so important for gut health they found that to heal the intestines– this was after chemotherapy because chemotherapy damages the body– they saw that you have to include the lymphatic system because this system promotes a molecule that makes healthy stem cells which repair our cells.
Leslie: You've mentioned supplements a couple times. Are there specific supplements you recommend?
John: Magnesium is the simplest one, right? We need magnesium. If you don't have magnesium in your body, there are many chemical reactions that won't work in your body. You can't make nitric oxide; it just doesn't work. So most people– and most people what they do with magnesium is they take one pill at night– need to take a little bit more. But, when you start incorporating more magnesium in your diet– at low levels, we don't need to take humongous levels at first. What happens is when people take high doses of magnesium, they get loose bowels and then they get scared off and they never do it again. So it’s better to take it throughout the day; take a little bit throughout the day, right, and that weight doesn't offend your body with such high doses and you do better. Then we need things like potassium, we don't think about it– magnesium potassium– these things that help to balance the body and we just don't get it. And most important is probiotics. They help enzymes go and break down waste in your body. They break down fats and carbohydrates. I mean probiotics are something and you can even eat some sauerkraut, eat some kimchi– but having probiotics is really life-changing. We're all dealing with cellular waste and it will help with that.
Leslie: I'm glad you mentioned I put magnesium in this product– the immune support– and we did 30% daily value. So nothing too crazy, but even just that amount is as much as five cups of spinach. It's a miracle vitamin, it helps with so many things– sleep; muscle cramping, like to relax those muscles you're talking about; just general cellular reproduction– and it's hard to find it in nature without a lot of effort because it's like those dark leafy greens. That kind of thing can be hard to get every day, and I'm glad you mentioned potassium and probiotics which are both in our gut health product. This has a ton of potassium from the banana puree, and then also as much probiotics as two cups of yogurt. So it's exactly what you said is what the vision was with these; it's not supposed to be really intense or crazy. It's just like a little bit here, in your smoothie or for a snack.
Leslie: We talked about a lot of things, but where can people find you? You mentioned YouTube. Is that where you're most active?
John: No, I am more active on Facebook. I have a fan page; it's John Ossipinsky Lymphman on Facebook. I have a Facebook group on Wednesday nights. I will go over a different topic this week. I’ll be talking about something like fatty liver, and that's also due to the lymphatic system.
