Introduction
As Bio-Testing and Therapy therapists our goal is to work in harmony with the immune system, to help restore balance to every cell in the body. We use the thymus gland to allow the body to speak with us and we use the indicator muscle located between our thumb and fore finger to amplify and decipher that communication.
When we sit down with our client’s we ask simple questions. One at a time. Then we allow them all the time and space they need to answer. We listen to what they have to say. It is important for our clients to have a voice and to be heard. Our clients must feel safe and relaxed before they share deep information. This is also true of the thymus gland. We should treat our client s thymus gland with the same respect. Build trust and establish a space where every communication is heard.
Bio-Testing and Therapy is based around tapping into the knowledge which the thymus gland possesses about what is causing dysfunction in the immune system. We use our Bio-Testing and Therapy kits to ask questions and we listen to the answers. We present solutions to the thymus and we listen to the answers.
We need to understand and work in harmony with our own immune system, before we can work successfully with others. In the short piece below I have included information that will hopefully provide you with a deeper understanding of the thymus gland and provide you with self-help techniques to enhance the function of every immune systems you have the pleasure of communicating with…
Development of the Thymus Gland
During the fourth to the sixth week of gestation – when the embryo is a little less than ½ an inch long – the thymus gland starts to develop as two outgrowths. At the same time as the thymus growths are making an appearance the parathyroid glands are also developing in the same area ( third pharyngeal pouch of the embryo). Usually the thymus gland ends up in the lower neck and upper thorax area, while the parathyroid migrates to the thyroid gland.
Not long after this, in week ten, lymphoid cells appear in large numbers in the thymic epithelial tissue. The epithelial cells in the thymus are secretory and produce hormones that strongly influence T- cell behaviour in the thymus and throughout the developing body. It is worth noting that the lymphocyte precursor or stem cells that come exclusively from the bone marrow in an adult, arrive into the cortex of the thymus from the yolk sac, liver and spleen at this time.
By the time a baby is born, the thymus gland should way about twelve grams. By the age of two the thymus is fully grown and weighs approximately thirty five grams. These weights are only guidelines which have been extracted through autopsy – so it is lightly that a healthy thymus would weigh slightly more. The thymus is approximately 5cm long, 4cm wide and just 1/2cm deep.
A mature thymus gland is pinkish-gray in colour and consists of two lateral lobes held together by a bridge of connective tissue. It extends from the lower area of the thyroid gland in the lower neck to the level of the fourth costochondral junctions in the upper thorax.
The right lobe of the thymus is typically larger than the left lobe and tends to cross over the midline of the body slightly.
The thymus gets its nerve supply from small branches of the sympathetic nerve ganglia in the neck and thorax and from the vagus nerve as it passes by.
Thymus has a close relationship with the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system and therefore any stress on the body will compromise immune function.
As we get older it tends to atrophy and this seems to affect the left side of the organ first.
Thymus Gland Function
The function of the immune system is paramount to achieving optimal health and the thymus gland is at the core of this operation. Our thymus has areas like our current schools. Classrooms, where it teaches T lymphocytes how to recognize “self” from “non self”. Some learn to be “killers” while others learn to be “helpers”, “suppressors” and “messengers” and this is only one aspect of the thymus.
The thymus also carries out experiments on borderline cells to decide which cells should be allowed to survive and then acts accordingly to the findings of the tests.
The library section of the thymus stores all the information that it has gathered on “non self” cells over its lifetime. This function is present and operational since the end of the first trimester of gestation.
It is the combination of the functions mentioned above that make the thymus gland the most efficient gland in the body to communicate with when seeking to boost overall health.
Exercises to support the thymus
Physical Exercises
The thymus gland works best without restriction.
In order to improve mobility and remove restrictions from the throat, neck and chest area you can use these simple exercises every day.
- Sit up straight, towards the front of your chair and relax your shoulders. Make sure that your sternum is stacked on top of your sacrum. Tighten your tummy muscles. Now, glue your elbows to the side of your body and make a 90 degree angle with both elbow joints and position your palms to face upward. Rotate your palms outward to their maximum and draw your shoulder blades together. Hold for three seconds and move back to the start position. Just 6 reps please.
- While still sitting in the same position, with shoulders relaxed, gently rotate your head in a clockwise direction to complete six full turns – then reverse the direction for six more turns.
- Make sure you are still holding the correct posture towards the front of the chair. Take a full breath in and as you exhale slowly lift your chin upward as far as possible concentrating on lengthening your throat and neck , while at the same time pushing your spine forward.
On the exhale, start to tuck your chin down into your chest and bend lengthen your spine by rounding your shoulders forward and pushing your lower back towards the back of the chair. Remember to maintain strong in your core muscles with good lower back posture as described above. Six complete cycles of this exercise please.
Meditation
In order to regain balance and achieve a centered feeling we should work to restore balance to our thymus. We should take steps to re-energize and reignite our thymus.
So take a nice deep breath right to the very top of your ability – hold it for three seconds and then as you exhale smoothly relax your shoulders down away from your ears. Take another deep breath, hold it for three seconds, and this time allow your eyes to close as you exhale.
You should then follow your own process to bring your whole body into complete relaxation.
Now, start bringing your attention towards the space just below the base of your throat. You may wish to place your hand on your thymus at this stage.
To establish a connection with your thymus, simply ask your thymus how it is feeling and wait for a reply.
Listen to what it has to say
Ask thymus how it is feeling / does it need help?
Listen to what it has to say
How is it physically and emotionally?
Listen to what it has to say
When thymus has provided you with your information you can then proceed to heal the gland.
Start to visualize the pure feeling that you had in this organ when you were a baby.
Encourage a beautiful, soft white light into the area surrounding your thymus. A feeling of comfort and relaxation will start to emerge and radiate outwards, permeating deep into every cell.
Now, as your body starts to absorb these feelings, you may find issues around authority coming up, or other feelings that would have been present during adolescence.
Allow the soft pure light that you activated earlier, to clean, clear and heal any negative residue left in your body from that part of your life.
Feel the energy rising in your thymus. Allow your thymus all the time it needs to re-balance and when you are ready – In your own time and at your own pace – open your eyes and start to come back to the room.
Once your thymus has been reignited it can then be used to clean the dirt from and energize your whole body.
Five ways to boost your immune system
- Take more Vitamin C. You will be happy to hear that Vitamin C is available in foods like parsley, broccoli and bell peppers. It is also found in rosehip tea. Strawberries, oranges and lemon juice also have good amounts of Vitamin C in them. The most obvious choice of source for most of you will be in tablet or capsule form. But please be aware that there are natural foods that can make a difference too.
- Take herbs that boost your immune system. The best way to add more herbs into your diet is to add them to your cooking and drink more herbal teas. Both sage and thyme are very good to boost the immune response and can easily be grown in a garden or on a sunny window
- Take fresh ginger tea every morning and this will help to strengthen your immune system. This will help to act as a decongestant and keep your sinus space clear. It also boosts your metabolism and helps you to absorb the nutrition from your foods.
- Exercise makes an important contribution to your immune system boost. When you exercise you improve your blood circulation. This combined with the extra heat you generate while exercising will greatly help you to burn toxins and filter any unwanted bugs out of your body. It also serves as a mood enhancer and will make you feel a lot more positive about life. Include the exercises mentioned above in your daily routine.
- Try and eat more foods that will keep your body warm if you live in a cold damp winter climate such as Ireland. We should start our day with porridge and eat soups and stews during the day when the weather is very cold. Our water intake should not drop below our RDA, but make sure its room temperature