Lymphatic System  Between the cells in all tissues are minute channels where fluid collects.  The fluid is called lymph.  It is a colorless, odorless, absorbent substance which helps nourish the body by transporting various nutrients such as salts, minerals and proteins to all parts of the body. Most of the cells of the body never come in direct contact with the blood but receive their nutrients directly from lymphatic fluids that surround the cells.  Lymph also collects the waste products generated by the cells of the body and turns them over to the blood.  Lymph can also carry away proteins and large particulate matter, which can't be removed by absorption into the blood capillaries.  It is also possible for protein molecules, being larger, to block the lymph system.  Diets high in protein may congest the lymph system. Lymph is primarily extracellular, that is, it exists outside the cells.  It may return to the blood through thin-walled lymphatic vessels whose valves allow lymph to flow in only one direction, by means of muscular contraction and nerve impulses.  Lymph becomes white blood corpuscles by a simple chemical change as it flows into the bloodstream. The blood then carries the toxins generated by cell metabolism to the lungs, kidneys, colon and skin for elimination. The lymphatic vessels flow into the chest cavity and become larger in the thorax.  There they unite to form the thoracic duct which empties into the venous system near the heart.  Lymph manufactures most of the body's white blood cells, or lymphocytes.  Lymph glands or nodes are an additional lymphocyte manufacturing mechanism.  Lymph dumps material into the nodes, where it is refined for later absorption throughout the body.  Nodes also produce corpuscles.  The nodes are scattered throughout the body, with clusters in the throat, under the armpit, in the groin and along the spine.  Normally about the size of a small almond, when the body fights an infection, lymphocytes swell the lymph node by trapping invading disease microorganisms in the node.  They are the glands that can be detected during an infection by touching the upper part of the throat, near the jaw. The spleen is part of the lymphatic and circulatory systems, capable of acting as a reservoir to hold a fifth to a third of all blood;  it serves to regulate the volume of blood elsewhere in circulation.  It also produces white cells (lymphocytes) and destroys old red cells. Sources: Elements of Zoology, Storer, Usinger, Nybakken, McGraw-Hill, 1968. Own Your Own Body, Stan D. Malstrom, N.D., M.T., Keats Publishing Co., 1977. Peak Immunity, How to Fight Epstein-Barr Virus, Candida, Herpes Simplex and other Immuno-Depressive Disorders and Win, Luc De Schelppper, M.D., Ph.D., C.A., published by the author, Santa Monica, CA, 1989. The Colon Health Handbook, New Health Through Colon Rejuvenation, Robert Gray, Emerald Publishing, Reno, NV, 1990.