How to Increase Platelets Through Nutrition
The smallest components of blood, platelets are formed within the bone marrow. Certain foods and micronutrients nourish the growth and development of blood cells through their impact on the marrow. Increasing the platelet count, or measurement of...
About White Blood Count
The complete blood count is a commonly ordered lab test that measures the cellular components in the bloodstream. The white blood count is a major component of this test and can supply important information concerning a patient's state of health...
Iron Deficiency & Blood Count
Iron is an important trace element necessary for the production of red blood cells and adequate oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. Deficiencies can arise from either inadequate dietary intake or excessive loss of iron due to bleeding. Iron...
What Are Normal CBC Test Results?
A physician may order complete blood count (CBC) for many reasons. Often, it is ordered as part of a routine checkup or as part of the hospital admission process. It can give a clue to your general health or expose signs of a wide array of...
Tests for White Blood Cells
Blood contains several types of cells including red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body, white blood cells that provide immunity and platelets that aid in clotting. White blood cells, also called leukocytes, function to fight...
How to Read the Results of a CBC Blood Test
A complete blood count, also known as a CBC, is a common blood test. The test measures the number of white cells and the number of red cells in a measure of blood. The test also measures the amount of hemoglobin in the red cells, the ratio of red...
How to Diagnose Hypertension
Hypertension (also called high blood pressure) is a serious cardiovascular disease that affects over 73 million Americans over the age of 20. Often called one of the silent killers, hypertension often times has no noticeable symptoms and can...
Diagnostic Tests for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Although rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diagnosis typically requires careful observation of symptoms by a physician to discern RA from other types of arthritis and autoimmune conditions, several diagnostic tests are available to supplement the clinical...
Can I Eat Before Blood Tests?
Blood tests are highly sensitive tests that you doctor can order for a variety of reasons. To ensure accuracy, some blood tests require that you fast before testing. Prior to having a blood test, your doctor will provide you with specific...
Foods to Avoid Before Having a Blood Test
Blood tests are commonly used to measure various components in the blood that can detect disease or disease risk. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, blood tests can be used to measure blood components such as hemoglobin,...
Kinds of Blood Tests
Blood tests can provide a wealth of information about your health. These diagnostic tools help in the determination of disease. Some diseases can change the number of certain types of blood cells, while others can destroy cells or change their...
Tests for Thalassemia
The inherited blood disorder thalassemia can range in severity from mild to severe. Mild cases, usually caused by a single defect inherited from only one parent that affects one of the genes controlling the production of alpha or beta globulin,...
How to Check Iron Level
Iron is an essential mineral to the human body; iron transports oxygen to red blood cells and aides the body in cell growth and development. The body receives iron by consuming foods high in the mineral, such as meat, beans and lentils. A variety...
How to Increase Your Blood Count With Food
A blood count measures the components in your blood, including red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Commonly referred to as a complete blood count, or CBC, this test is ordered to determine if anemia, or low blood count, is present....
Diagnostics for Anemia
Adult men have the diagnosis of anemia if their hemoglobin level is below 13.5g/dL, and women are anemic if their level is below 12g/dL, according to Charles Linker, M.D., clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, in "Current...
Cardiac Enzymes & Pericarditis
Pericarditis is an inflammation of the pericardium, the sac that surrounds the heart. Chest pain is a common symptom with pericarditis that can mimic the pain seen with heart attacks. Distinguishing pericarditis from a heart attack requires...
Acute Renal Failure & Sodium Phosphate
Acute renal failure is the inadequacy of the kidneys in filtering blood, which results in the accumulation of waste and abnormal concentrations of electrolytes in the blood. Acute renal failure may result from very low blood pressure or from...
Fibromyalgia Symptoms & Diagnosis
The Mayo Clinic estimates that approximately 2 percent of the population of the United States is living with fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a chronic illness that causes widespread muscle pain or discomfort, fatigue, and body tenderness...
How to Calm Down an Overactive Immune System Naturally
When the immune system works perfectly, antibodies travel throughout our body to kill off germs and other foreign substances. Usually this system knows the difference between good and bad, killing off only the bad particles. But when something...
Normal WBC Range in Children
White blood cell (WBC) counts are indicative of the immune status of your child. Total white blood cell counts are similar for children and adults; however, newborns have greatly raised WBC ranges, which typically approach normal adult levels,...
Do Normal CBCs Mean You Have a Healthy Heart?
A complete blood count, or CBC, is a panel of tests that will help identify anemia, infection and other blood disorders. The CBC will measure the value of red and white blood cells, hemoglobin and hematacrit, and platelets, but the CBC does not...
What Does it Mean If I Have a Testosterone Level of Below 200?
A testosterone level below 200 is called hypogonadism, and can lead to several medical conditions, including fatigue, low sex drive and reduced muscle mass. Risk for developing hypogonadism increases with excess weight gain, trauma and severe...
Diet for a Low White Blood Cell Count
A low white blood cell count manifests in one of two conditions: leukopenia or neutropenia. In leukopenia, the total overall number of white blood cells decreases, while neutropenia involves a low count of the most abundant type of white blood...
Nutrients for Shiny Hair
Most shampoos and conditioners promise shiny hair with regular use, but you can turn up the natural shine in your hair from within by eating healthy foods that nourish the hair follicles in your scalp. Your hair follicles secrete sebum, your...
Will Taking Megadoses of Vitamins Make My Hair Grow Faster?
Generally speaking, you need a balanced diet that includes proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables and essential fatty acids to grow long, healthy hair. When you don't get the nutrients you need from your everyday diet, vitamin supplements can help...
Recurrent Stomach Aches in Kids
If your child complains of any type of abdominal discomfort or pain, take it seriously. Pain that is consistent or comes back frequently is considered recurrent, explains the American Family Physician. Recurrent stomach aches can indicate that...
Diet Changes That Can Help Low Hematocrit Levels
Hematocrit is a type of blood test that determines how many red blood cells there are in your blood and what size they are. Hematocrit is part of a complete blood count, which also includes hemoglobin, white blood cell count and platelet count....
What Is the Nutritional Significance of a Low MCH and a Low MCHC?
Nutritional deficiencies can cause anemia; if you are anemic, your lab tests show a low MCH, or mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and low MCHC, or mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration. MCH and MCHC are used to diagnose anemia and can help...