Reflecting on the lesson
Choose one concept in our lesson today, give a brief explanation about the concept, and cite how you would apply this learning in your everyday life.
The lymphatic system's primary functions helped me understand its importance and relation to other body systems. It was mentioned that the lymphatic system assists in protecting the body from pathogens and other microbial substances that are harmful to our body. Aside from that, the lymphatic system also has a transportation mechanism. But the function that I can primarily relate to what I am thinking about is the lymphatic system as a system that helps drain excess interstitial fluid. This function of the lymphatic system explains how it is related to the cardiovascular system, as the blood that didn’t circulate back to the heart is sent again by the lymphatic system after filtering it.
Recently, my grandmother experienced a minor brain stroke. After recovery, we observed that her left upper limbs and left leg were always swollen. Learning about the lymphatic system drove me to understand what mechanism is involved in why my grandmother’s arms and legs are swelling. I think that my grandmother was experiencing peripheral edema, mainly because the left part of her body was the one that was affected by the stroke. Due to minimal to no movements during recovery, lymph flow in those areas decreased, which led to fluid build-up in some of the tissues in her arms and legs. Being able to learn the functions of the lymphatic system provided me with an explanation as to why the swelling of my grandmother’s arms and legs happened.