WBC] Question for anybody/everybody

[Guest guest]

CERTAIN MEDS CAN CAUSE AN INCREASE OF PRODUCTION OF WHITE BLOOD CELLS. The findings are published in the May 8 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Generated by the bone marrow and spread throughout the body, white blood cells (WBC) -- also called leukocytes -- are the immune's system key weapon against infectious disease. In the absence of disease, they normally make up just one percent of a person's blood. According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, a simple blood test can easily determine whether a patient's WBC count falls within the normal range of 4,500 to 10,000 cells per microliter of blood. While a below-normal WBC count may indicate bone marrow failure and/or liver and spleen disease, illness or invasion by a foreign body typically provokes a rise in white blood cells. Physical or emotional stress and certain chronic medications can also prompt an increase. In their study, Ruggiero and colleagues examined data collected during a multi-decade study on aging. They tracked the medical histories of more than 2,800 men and women from the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., area. Participants were healthy at the time of their entry into the study. WBC counts, body mass indexes, and cholesterol and blood pressure levels were tallied during biannual medical evaluations. The white cells are part of our mobile defense system, and they increase in numbers when stimulated by the entry of foreign material. The numbers of white cells in the human blood will fluctuate as they respond to one challenge after another, and as they move to and from the bloodstream and the tissues. Small variations will occur even with a walk in the cold or after a meal of cooked food, and in most people the white-cell count increases every afternoon, relating to the acupuncture meridian clock, based on the circadian rhythm of the planet’s rotation within its magnetosphere. The normal white count in healthy people is given a wide range—from 4,000 to

11,000 per cubic millimeter, though it does not ordinarily vary as much as this in one individual. When foreign organisms enter the body and multiply, their poisons activate the white-cell-forming tissue in the bone marrow, making it divide rapidly, and a stream of new white cells enters the bloodstream. Terry <nannaof2@...> wrote: I have lots of medical problems but the main ones right now that the doctor is concerned

with is my white cell count has stayed high despite antibiotics and also I am not getting any REM sleep plus the depression is out of this world. Has anyone else that has FMS or CFS had these problems? Mainly I am worried about the white cell count being really high. Isn't that a sign of leukemia? Have a great day! Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Search.

[Guest guest]

I am a Gulf War vet with CFIDS and Fibro as just part of Gulf War

Illness. My white blood count was high for several years, while my

body fought massive infections, chronic inflamation, systemic fungus

and parasites. I made 4 trips to the hospital emergency rooms the

year after the Gulf War cease fire. White blood count was through

the roof, and I was so dehydrated that they had to hook me up to IV

solution, sometimes with antibiotics.

Some of the drugs I was taking to combat infections and inflammation

just added to the stress on my body. All cortico-steroids and anti-

inflammatories raise the white blood count. Over-the-counter

medications for pain and inflamation (espeically Ibuprofin such as

Aleve) almost always elevate the white blood count.

Also, most CFIDS patients have hypercoagulation state, which clumps

red blood cells all along the vessel walls with a fibrin protein the

immune system produces as a result of invaders of the blood-stream.

So you may have low red blood count along with the high white blood

count, so that it mimicks leukemia or other forms of cancer. But

they never found cancer in me at all, not even after " exploratory "

surgery of my entire abdominal cavity.

Sleep deprivation keeps your immune system in the chronic battle

mindset. So my doctors told me that getting sleep through

prescription medications was absolutely essential for getting my

system back to a place where any other treatment would help. My

doctors prescribed clonazepam/trazadol and Lunesta. Also, all of my

treating physicians felt that Maximum Strength Benedryl for severe

headache and allergies was the best combination of both sleep

medication and safe anti-inflammatory. I never took antidepressants

because they suppress the immune system, but my doctors put other

patients on short-term Cymbalta for both depression and anxiety.

That's only good for about 6 months.

Also, if you are taking antibiotics, you should take some aggressive

prescription-strength antifungals. My doctors prescribed Nystatin

capsules (really harsh on the stomach), Diflucan tablets, and 2%

ketaconazole shampoo (penetrates the blood vessels in the scalp to

relieve inflammation in the sinuses and facial muscles and tissues).

Because you have CFIDS, there is really good chance that you also

have a heavy viral load: Chronic Epstein-Barr virus,

cytomegalovirus, chronic mononucleosis (monospot), and human parvo

virus, to name a few. You may need to get on some antivirals to

clear out some of the viral infection, as well. You can take both

antibiotics and antivirals at the same time if you are healthy

enough. Antivirals cause incredible fatigue and basically shut down

my digestive tract. Nonetheless, I stayed on them for an entire year.

To keep your mind off the worries of cancer, you should ask your

doctor about taking a daily supplement of selenium with vegetable

additives Vitamins A and E. Those are available at whole foods

stores and at www.immunesupport.org