Gerald M. Lemole - Lymph & Longevity: The Untapped Secret to Health

Renowned integrative physician Lemole explains why our lymphatic system is a key factor in longevity and preventing disease. This book is more important than ever. Dr. Mehmet Oz

Lymph & Longevity

The Untapped Secret to Health

Gerald M. Lemole, MD

With a foreword by Mark Hyman, MD

After Cancer Care (with Pallav K. Mehta, MD, and Dwight L. McKee, MD)

The Healing Diet

Facing Facial Pain (with Emily Jane Lemole, MA)

This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its author. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subjects addressed in the publication. It is sold with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering medical, health, or any other kind of personal professional services in the book. The reader should consult his or her medical, health, or other competent professional before adopting any of the suggestions in this book or drawing inferences from it.

The author and publisher specifically disclaim all responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.

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Copyright 2021 by Gerald M. Lemole, MD

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First Scribner hardcover edition October 2021

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.

ISBN 978-1-9821-8025-6

ISBN 978-1-9821-8027-0 (ebook)

To John Daly, MD (19472021), Dean of Temple University School of Medicine, taken from us suddenly and unexpectedly on March 26, 2021. A brilliant dean, teacher, scholar, and administrator, and a superb surgeon and researcher, but most important, a true friend and noble human being

While Western medicine often thinks of the body solely in terms of its partsthe weakened heart, the aging brain, the arthritic kneethe reality is that the body isnt about the parts. Its about the whole.

This whole is made up of systems that work togethersometimes in concert, sometimes not. And for optimum health, wellness, and youthful energy, all of those bodily interactions should work together and do have influence over everything that we do.

In Lymph & Longevity, Dr. Gerald Lemole explores a system that truly has been untapped. Most of us hear the word lymph and associate it with the word cancer. But as Dr. Lemole explains, the lymph system is a majestic and crucial one, as its responsible for keeping our many systems working properly, efficiently, and optimally.

Dr. Lemole, a pioneering cardiothoracic surgeon and one of the first doctors to see how lymph influences all aspects of our health, explains that the lymphatic system is a secret river of health. And its true. The lymphatic systemmade up of nodes, vessels, and fluidshas not been well studied or well understood in mainstream and medical circles for a variety of reasons. For one, we havent figured out how to measure itto quantify whether you have good flow or low flow. But as Dr. Lemole spells out, the role of lymph works by protecting organs, blood vessels, and systems from cellular trash, toxins, and other threats to the way we function.

The crucial point: Have a strong lymphatic flow, and live healthier.

Have a stagnant or slow flow, and youre at higher risk for disease and dysfunction.

In this book, Dr. Lemole will take you through the biology of this system to teach you about its significance and its influence on the whole body. Hell do this by showing you:

• The importance of the lymphatic system as its own entity and not just as a supporting cast member to such star performers as the circulatory and digestive systems
• How it plays a role in the management of many conditions associated with aging, such as diseases of the brain, heart, and immune system
• How to use lifestyle techniques to improve your flow to help quiet chronic inflammation, which lies at the heart of many conditions associated with aging, low energy, and overall dysfunction

Dr. Lemole shares my passion (backed by scores and scores of research) involving food and its power to heal. In this book, he outlines the foods and associated nutrients that have been shown to influence the lymphatic system. In addition, he shares some cool and fun ways to improve the function of your lymphatic system (who would have guessed that a good joke could actually turn on the faucets for better flow?).

The story of the lymphatic system is a fascinating oneone that hasnt been told in the context of overall health. And Dr. Lemole, who has spent his entire career as a pioneer, is at it again: teaching us about a system that hasnt been well understoodbut should be.

Mark Hyman, MD, Pritzker Foundation Chair in Functional Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine

Anyone who has seen a picture of a skeleton or looked at a poster of the human body on a doctors office wall has a basic understanding of how the body is structured: Weve got a lot of hard stuff (our bones), a lot of soft stuff (our organs), and a bunch of tunnels and highways that carry substances from point A to point B. Our blood travels in and out of the heart, our thoughts and movements travel from one neuron to another, and our food travels in through one orifice and out another.

While you can make a case that most people dont need to have a PhD or MD to live a healthy life, it turns out that understanding the systems of the body is important. In fact, research has shown that one system in particularthe lymphatic systemis the key factor in longevity, disease prevention, and living a healthy and vital life. Yet nobodynot the research community, not the medical community, certainly not the publicknows much about it.

I want to change that, because after decades in the medical community as a cardiovascular surgeon, I have seen the effect and the promise of a healthy lymphatic system. And I see what an impact it can havefor better or worseon your health, wellness, and longevity.

In Lymph & Longevity, I have teamed up with two of my most trusted and valued colleagues in integrative medicineDr. Dwight McKee and Dr. Sandra McLanahanto explain the power and potential of the lymphatic systemsomething I often refer to as the secret river of health.