Blood does much more than just flow through your body aimlessly. Many people are not aware that blood consists of several different types of particles and cells that have very different functions and are essential to basic life processes. In fact, many sicknesses and conditions can be prevented by seeking to promote the healthy count of those blood components. You don’t need to be suffering from sickle cell anemia, diabetes, or HIV to take your blood’s health seriously. Even if you have no real complaints about your health, taking a few minutes to learn about enriching your blood’s CBC, or Complete Blood Count, can make a huge difference in how you feel day to day.
Your CBC and How Your Body Reacts to It
As I mentioned above, your Complete Blood Count is composed of the relative amounts of several different cells and cell particles, namely, platelets, white blood cells, and red blood cells. To find out your CBC numbers schedule an appointment with your primary care physician or go to a local licensed testing facility near you that offer blood tests.
Each different component of your blood carries out its own distinctive function. Thus, boosting the numbers of those components enables the performance of that function to multiply in effectiveness, making you healthier. Platelets are the primary particle within blood that is not a complete cell in itself. This cell fragment is composed of proteins and aids cell growth, repair, and is the primary agent in clotting when you are cut or injured. People who do not have a sufficient platelet count are considered anemic, or thrombocytopenic, and experience regular bleeding in sensitive areas and have a hard time healing after suffering injury.
White blood cells, as their name insists, are one of the two major cell groups in your blood, functioning as your immune system. These cells prevent sickness in your body by consuming harmful pathogens and other cells that could make you sick. It goes without saying then that low white blood cell count is dangerous as it leaves you exposed to sickness.
Finally, and most notably, are your red blood cells. Red blood cells are what makes your blood red, first of all, and also what distributes oxygen throughout your body’s circulatory system. When oxygen in your lungs is fixed to these cells in certain masses of capillaries in the lungs, called bronchioles, it is spread via your circulatory system to every tissue and organ that requires the element for many of their essential functions, such as cell respiration, oxidization of compounds, and purging your body of cellular waste and toxins. If red blood cells are low in number, your body receives less oxygen, your metabolism is less efficient, and you begin to store up more harmful materials in your body, thus inducing sickness. People who suffer from low levels of red blood cells get tired easily and experience rapid heart rate.
Here Are Some Things You Can Do
Whether you actually suffer from a diagnosed blood or immunodeficiency disorder or are otherwise healthy, the following tips can benefit your blood count (although, for those with formal illness, treatments from an actual doctor are the only ways to really reverse your symptoms). Again, begin by getting your CBC analyzed by a trained professional. From there, take steps to boost any areas of weakness in your blood count.
To ensure that your platelet count is up, ensure that you are getting your daily value of calcium and Vitamin-K. Platelets are made in the bone’s marrow, and so bone health is of central importance. Calcium and Vitamin-K are both essential to both bone health and the blood clotting process. Calcium is found in abundance in dairy and chia seeds, while you can get your daily value of Vitamin-K by eating a cup of broccoli or a half cup of kale.
Like platelets, white and red blood cells are made in the bones marrow, so the above suggestions are helpful all around. White blood cells, however, are also bolstered by Vitamin-A and Vitamin-C. Fatty and sugary foods can weaken your white blood cell count as well as alcohol, so it is suggested that for a healthy immune system, you eat plenty of leafy greens and meat with low fat content. Additionally, while your white blood cell count is linked to nutritional input, it is also related to more emotional issues. One of the biggest killers of blood count is stress. Stress contributes to lack of sleep and a low immune system. Therefore, getting plenty of exercise and taking time to de-stress is essential. Some people have found that even things like counseling greatly diminish the onset of illness and personal stress.
In a person who is otherwise healthy, red blood cell count can be improved by making sure to ingest plenty of iron. Iron is so central to the composition of blood and its oxygen-fixing properties that you may have noticed your blood even tastes somewhat metallic! People who have an iron deficit almost always have low blood count. This leads to dizziness, headaches, fainting, and difficulty in processing cellular waste. This was the case for my wife recently. Her physician told her to start taking iron tablets and other iron rich foods in order to improve her blood’s ability to transport oxygen. She noticed quite a bit of improvement within a few days! If you notice these symptoms, or would like to ensure that you never do, look for iron supplements in the vitamin section of your grocery store and stock up on green leafy foods as well as red meat (it’s red for a reason!) and eggs.
So, whether you experience symptoms, have a diagnosed illness, or are perfectly healthy, your health will be significantly improved by ensuring that the most important fluid in your body is health, plenteous, and functional!
Author Bio: Kevin Wayne writes for Health Testing Centers, a medical testing facility which has been offering direct access to health testing for 30 years.