Rare does a Halloween go by that you don’t see at least one vampire right!?! And probably the classic vampire line of all time is “I vant… (that’s “want” with the eastern European accent to be convincing,) I vant to drink your blood.” I don’t know about you, but “YUCK!!!” However, while blood might not be appetizing to drink, it is AMAZING for so many other things!!
Your blood is a life-sustaining fluid, which means you literally could not live without it. The main function of blood is to deliver oxygen (and nutrients) from the lungs to your cells and to carry carbon dioxide and other waste products away from the cells to the liver and kidneys, which filter and clean the blood. And while that is super important, your blood does SO MUCH MORE!!!
Your blood consists of plasma and blood cells. Plasma is the fluid part of your blood that has the nutrients and waste products in it. The blood cells are truly AMAZING!!! There are three different types of blood cells, red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, and they all have different jobs.
Red blood cells contain hemoglobin, a protein that is able to carry the oxygen molecules. The bright red color of blood comes from the presence of oxygen. You may notice that veins in your arms and legs don’t look red though. They look blue. That’s because veins carry blood away
from the cells where the oxygen has already been delivered. Red blood cells live for about 115 days, but each day your AMAZING body is making more of these vitally important cells inside your bone marrow.
White blood cells have a completely different job. They function as part of your immune system to fight off germs, including bacteria and viruses. Some white blood cells make antibodies which are special proteins the recognize foreign materials and help the body get rid of them. Different types of white blood cells have different life spans, some live only a few hours, others live for years. White blood cells make up only about 1% of your blood, but when an infection occurs, different parts of your body (the spleen, thymus, and lymph nodes in addition to the bone marrow) will automatically step up the production of these AMAZING cells to keep you well.
Platelets are tiny oval-shaped cells that help in the clotting process to keep you from losing too much blood. When you cut yourself, you also break the vessels that carry the blood underneath your skin. Platelets respond by accumulating in the area and to seal off the leak. Platelets work with proteins (clotting factors) to help seal off the break and stop the bleeding. These breaks can also happen inside the body without cutting the skin and the platelets work in the same manner. Platelets live only about 9 days and are constantly being replaced by new ones made in the bone marrow. AMAZING!!
Interestingly, blood cells are some of the only cells that are not directly connected to the nerve system (obviously because they are floating around in your blood.) However, for your body to manufacture these incredible cells does require clear communication from your brain, down your spinal cord, and out along your nerves to the
individual sites that produce these magnificent cells. Sometimes the bones of the spine can disrupt that communication. Your family chiropractor can help you with that. If you want your AMAZING body to be its best, you need this life-sustaining fluid working at its best. See your family chiropractor regularly and have a safe and happy Halloween!!!
—By Judy Nutz Campanale, DC, ACP
