A low red blood cell count, a condition known as anemia, can make exercising extremely difficult due to fatigue and a lack of energy. There are a number of different causes of anemia, and often it can be a symptom of a larger medical condition....
The number of circulating red blood cells in your body can decline following surgery or due to anemia, which is often caused by dietary deficiencies. For better health, re-balance your diet to add blood-building foods to those with broad-based...
Red blood cells carried oxygen from the lungs to the various muscles and organs of the body. The main component of red blood cells is the molecule hemoglobin, which binds to oxygen and later releases it. A red blood cell count is a measure of...
Folic acid is one of the vitamins in B complex. Folic acid is also known as B-9. It appears in foods in its natural form, which is called folate. Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate, which appears in vitamin supplements and fortified foods....
Vitamin B-12 is a water soluble vitamin. It is part of the B vitamin group that promotes and regulates many essential bodily functions. Vitamin B-12 can exist in several forms and contains the mineral cobalt, which is a trace mineral used by your...
Gluten is a protein found in a number of different grain products. Most people have no problem digesting this protein and wouldn't even be aware of its presence if not for the increasing habit of identifying gluten-free foods. These gluten-free...
Your red blood cells are expressly designed to perform one function: as they course through the tiny capillaries in your lungs, these oddly shaped discs capture life-giving oxygen from the air you breathe, transport it to the remotest corner of...
Abnormal periods can be a cause for alarm especially if it is not yet time for your menstruation. Abnormal periods can be classified as bleeding heavily, bleeding in between periods or not at all. Sometimes, an underlying medical disease causes...
A low blood count that occurs as a result of a deficiency of vitamin B-12 is called pernicious anemia. Vitamin B-12 contributes to the proper development of healthy red blood cells. When vitamin B-12 is lacking in the body, the body cannot...
Anemia is a health problem in which your red blood cell count is low. If you have anemia, you do not have enough hemoglobin -- an oxygen-carrying protein located within with your red blood cells. A significant number of people with anemia feel...
Mercaptopurine is a chemotherapy medication used to treat leukemia, a type of blood cancer. According to Drugs.com, mercaptopurine belongs to a category of drugs called antimetabolites. It is a medication that helps reduce the progression of...
Vitamin B12 is the largest vitamin in the body. It is used predominantly for DNA metabolism. Deficiency causes problems, including damage to nerves and blood cells. The damage results in symptoms that must be treated to halt the progression of...
White blood cells, also called leukocytes, function to protect the body from foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses. Five major types of white blood cells exist, each performing important functions in the immune system. An adult's normal...
Your blood contains three types of cells: red blood cells that carry oxygen, white blood cells that fight off infections and platelets that form blood clots. Cells in your bone marrow, known as stem cells, continually produce new blood cells....
A healthy body generates a normal supply of red blood cells from certain nutrients that it gets from foods. If a blood test has shown that your red blood cell count is low, improving your diet can help bring it up to par. Although your doctor may...
Sodium plays a vital role in maintaining the body's functioning. Sodium helps maintain blood pressure, supports the nerves and muscles and regulates fluid balance within the body. When sodium levels drop, excess water enters the cells causing them...
Vitamin B-12 is one of the eight water-soluble B vitamins essential to good health, and foods such as fish, meats and dairy products serve as dietary sources for it. Without an adequate amount of vitamin B-12 your body can't make healthy red blood...
Your cellular metabolism depends upon a constant supply of oxygen via the bloodstream for burning energy. If your red blood cell count is low, your metabolism can slow down. Fatty foods can further hamper nutrient transfer to cells. Foods to...
If you're underweight, you run the risk of health disorders caused by nutritional deficiencies. In the United States, 8 to 9 percent of the population is underweight, according to registered dietitian Elena Blanco-Schumacher. The American Dietetic...
Nexium is the brand name of the drug esomeprazole, which treats acid reflux by reducing gastric acid production. The condition is characterized by stomach contents reaching back into the esophagus and irritating the alimentary canal. Nexium may...
Dizziness can be symptomatic of many conditions and disorders. One of the most prevalent is iron deficiency anemia, also called anemia. According to the Iron Disorders Institute, iron deficiency anemia is the most prevalent nutritional deficiency...
If you are experiencing a loss of appetite, the cause may be traced to a problem in your gastrointestinal tract. Problems in the gastrointestinal tract, or GI tract, can lead to iron-deficiency anemia. A lack of iron can then cause a vitamin D...
The research on vitamin supplementation during chemotherapy is not conclusive. Some experts recommend avoiding certain types of vitamins during chemotherapy, while others say that a basic multivitamin may be OK. Your oncology team should have the...
Toxins in food can cause a variety of unpleasant illnesses, ranging from mild to severe. Toxins develop when food is contaminated with bacteria. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the most commonly recognized food-borne...
An enlarged heart, also known as cardiomegaly, is a condition with a number of causes, according to the Better Health Channel. It comes in both asymptomatic and symptomatic forms, and has been linked with negative heart events, such as fluid...
If you are diagnosed with a low blood count, you have lower than normal levels of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Low red and white blood cell count are the more urgent problems. Luckily, there are many natural ways to improve...
Cucumbers are botanically classified as a fruit, although they are typically perceived, prepared and eaten as though they were a vegetable. Cucumbers grow from a low-lying flowering plant and are actually considered to be a part of the squash...
Rituxan, the registered name for rituximab, is considered a frontline treatment for certain leukemias and B-cell lymphomas. Rituxan is also prescribed for patients with rheumatoid arthritis who do not respond to other therapies. Rituxan is given...
The term low blood count can refer to white blood cells, red blood cells or platelets. While low blood counts are often the temporary result of a treatable illness, low levels of blood cells can indicate a serious medical condition that cannot be...
