Why Bother With A CBC Blood Test?
A commonly prescribed medical test currently used to decipher if you are ill, having difficulties, if you aren't sick at all or to best find why you are in discomfort or medical red-flag is a blood test known as a Complete Blood Count Test, or more often explained as, CBC, its acronym.
Humans could not exist without blood flowing from top to bottom within our bodies. Thus it makes perfect sense it is one of the first places to look when figuring out diagnosis. A CBC blood test is often called out by doctors in television shows these days, which may be a bit of an overkill, but in actuality, it is a crucial step in being sure what's right and what's abnormal with you, at least, on the inside.
CBC blood tests can be requested by your physician simply when you're not feeling well, always tired, or even if you simply have a flu. You need not be at death's door, nor obviously ill to have CBC blood tests ordered.
But, that said, every year when you visit your doctor, physician or alternative practitioner for your annual physical, if your doctor doesn't order a CBC Blood Test, by all means, ask he or she does. It is the cheapest, easiest, maybe even life-saving thing you can do and should do at least once a year.
Your complete blood count test is a representation of your overall health and if there is trouble, odds are, great clues will be found within your blood and its makeup. Not always, but more often enough. A number of determining variables are examined in CBC Blood Tests: white blood cells and red blood cells or levels, the HCT (or Hematocrit, which basically is defined by the volume of space which your blood takes up), Hgb (or Hemoglobin that accounts for the oxygen inside your blood cells), and platelet counts which makes it possible for your blood's ability to clot.
Too many of one or too few of another ingredient of your blood, depending on what numbers reveal themselves can be a 'red-flag' that reveals to your medical team what's really happening inside you. While the diagnosis variables can be vast and cover a wide spectrum, having your CBC Blood Test at least per year, after visiting your doctor can supply you the answers to many questions about your overall health, that physical touch, listening to your heart, checking your lungs and using a tongue depressor just can't do.
A CBC (Complete Blood Count) Test (or Tests) can give you specific answers to why you're fatigued, not feeling 'normal', bruising more often than normal, having chest pains, have an infection, are having adverse reactions, plus a mountain of other potential issues. But, perhaps even more important, these blood tests allow you the possibly life-saving, longevity stretching benefit of detecting early alerts and signs of potentially debilitating and life threatening trouble if ignored. Write this down now for you and those you love to regularly (at least once a year) take part in a CBC Blood Test or Complete Blood Count Tests. It may save your life, but even if nothing is terribly out of order, it's an easy method to boost the quality of your current lifestyle.
A regular author of the independently owned healthy living web site, Dave Whitsom, strives to contribute with his readers the importance of healthy living eating and its impact on your quality of living.
Published December 5th, 2007
