I did not want to hijack the post below. In my family the males have been giving blood for years as a treatment for polycythemia. This seems to be a genetic condition passed down to only the males in our family.
Polycythemia is a higher than normal red blood cell count. It usually is caused but other heath issues like a tumor but it can be genetic as well.
We first found out about it in the early 1950s. My Great Uncle had fatigue real bad. HE could sleep ten hours and fall asleep at the breakfast table. He Doctored for several years for other things and finally the University of Iowa found out what was wrong. For us it is a simple treatment, just give blood. He always told of how they took two pints from him the first time and how he felt like he was on SPEED the next day. LOL
My Father has it as well so one of the few "good" thing he did was to regularly give blood. He claimed it made him feel much better.
I had it just a little bit when I was younger. I never had the fatigue symptoms that my Father and Great Uncle did.
With my sons, two do and two don't have it. Non of the female off spring seem to have it in any of the generations.
The Red Cross always like to get my Father's blood as they told him it was very good for burn victims with the higher count. Also it help people clot better.
It always fascinated me that for polycythemia the common treatment was giving blood. The equivalent of the blood letting that they used years ago to "cure" people of many things, which actually weaken most people.
I encourage anyone to give blood or platelets as you never know when you maybe the one that need either of these things.
Polycythemia is a higher than normal red blood cell count. It usually is caused but other heath issues like a tumor but it can be genetic as well.
We first found out about it in the early 1950s. My Great Uncle had fatigue real bad. HE could sleep ten hours and fall asleep at the breakfast table. He Doctored for several years for other things and finally the University of Iowa found out what was wrong. For us it is a simple treatment, just give blood. He always told of how they took two pints from him the first time and how he felt like he was on SPEED the next day. LOL
My Father has it as well so one of the few "good" thing he did was to regularly give blood. He claimed it made him feel much better.
I had it just a little bit when I was younger. I never had the fatigue symptoms that my Father and Great Uncle did.
With my sons, two do and two don't have it. Non of the female off spring seem to have it in any of the generations.
The Red Cross always like to get my Father's blood as they told him it was very good for burn victims with the higher count. Also it help people clot better.
It always fascinated me that for polycythemia the common treatment was giving blood. The equivalent of the blood letting that they used years ago to "cure" people of many things, which actually weaken most people.
I encourage anyone to give blood or platelets as you never know when you maybe the one that need either of these things.
