All Those Red and White Blood Cells!
All those red and white blood cells are driving me crazy!!!! If you get sick and you use some of your white blood cells do you get some back?
Your friend,
Ashley
Dear Ashley:
You asked, "If you get sick and use some of your white blood cells do you get some back?"
Yes, the white blood cells are constantly being replaced. Most white blood cells are formed in the bone marrow (along with red blood cells), but some are formed in the lymph nodes and spleen.
Although I am Your Key Pal,
Mr. D
You can call me - Luke O. Site
Dear Mr. D,
Hello! How are you??? I have some questions for you.
your pal,
ASHLEY
P.S. VERY FUNNY!!!!! (THE DOUBLE AA STUFF)(A2)
Dear A2:
No, you do not always have enough RBC's. There is a medical condition called "anemia" where more RBC's are needed. There are several medical conditions that can lead to, or cause, anemia. Perhaps you could look up some of the causes of anemia and get back to me with them.
Medicine does make you better. The worse it tastes, the better you will get. Medicine is not *always* necessary because the body provides a pretty good defense all by itself.
Mrs. Weeg's cold is probably caused by a virus. The WBC's will try to come to the rescue and gobble up as many of the virus particles as they can. A cold is a very good example of letting the body take care of itself. Antibiotics have *no effect* on viruses and we must depend on the WBC's to do the police and clean-up work. Some medicines can *make us feel better* but, with a cold, they only relieve the symptoms, they do not kill the virus.
Usually, a cold will not affect your arteries, venous system or slow your heart. In fact, a cold may cause your heart to speed up. This is especially true if you also have a fever. The heart will try to push more blood around to help *cool* things off.
You Key Pal with no cool initials,
Mr. D
Dear Mr.D,
How many blood cells are there in peoples body altogether? I there a difference of blood cells between adults and children? Are there more white than red blood cells? If you get sick do you lose or gain blood cells? If you lose them how do you get them back? How does medicine and white blood cells work togehter to make us better?
Your Friend,
Lisa
Dear Lisa:
Believe it or not, there are about 30 trillion red blood cells in the *adult* body. Each cubic centimeter (get somebody to show you how much that is) contains 4.5 to 5.5 million. There are between 5,000 and 9,000 white blood cells in each cubic centimeter. Platelets, blood cells that help with clotting, range from 250,000 to 450,000 per cc. When you see how much a "cc" is, you will be amazed.
Adults and children have pretty much the same types of blood cells.
When you get sick, depending upon the illness, you can loose or gain blood cells. If you have an infection, your body works hard to make more white blood cells.
The body is always making new blood cells. We're not completely sure, but we believe that red blood cells last about 4 months. White blood cells and platelets do not give up their secrets easily. We are not sure how long they last. It doesn't matter though, the body keeps making what it needs as long as you eat right, drink lots of fluids and stay well.
Your last question is very difficult to answer. Sometimes all you need is medicine to make you well. Other times, your white blood cells get the job done, just fine, thank you. A medicine that fights infection is called an "antibiotic." These medicines, like Penicillin and Vibramycin, can kill the bacteria that cause infections. The WBC's come along and, acting as garbage truck, take care of what's left.
Stay well,
Your Biotic Key Pal,
Mr. D
Dear Mr. D,
Hello. How are you? I have a few questions for you.
Your Friend,
Caitlin
Dear Caitlin:
Animals with pacemakers include, but are not restricted to, dogs, kangaroos, and horses.
Pacemakers are *only* made for humans. Animals that get pacemakers, get them because their owner are willing to spend any amount of money to keep their pets well.
It is usually pretty boring to be in a pacemaker operation. The doctor and the scrub nurse have the good views. I usually stand at the end of the table and run a special machine called a 'pacemaker systems analyzer' and just read out numbers.
We hardly ever really hurt anybody when a pacemaker is put in. The patient is sore for quite a while after the procedure. If you know anyone with a pacemaker, ask her about it. I've been doing this a long time (over 20 years) and I've seen anybody die getting a pacemaker put it. It is considered a minor surgical procedure.
Your Bored Key Pal,
Mr. D
Delos Johnson
