Is your White Blood Cell Count HIGH or LOW? What does that mean? AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE?
Why You Should Check Your White Blood Cell Count
Your white blood cell count is intimately tied to your immune system. Some people have higher white blood cell counts, others have low counts. The conventional system often tells patients this range is normal, or just how their body works. Patients will go for years with an improper white blood cell count.
The truth is your white blood cell count is very critical. Just like levels of almost everything else in your body, there is a sweet spot range. A count outside of this range likely indicates an underlying condition that needs to be addressed.
The easiest way to identify any cause of an abnormal white blood cell count is through detailed blood work.
The “normal” range for white blood cell counts goes from 4 to 11 on most lab reports. The “sweet spot,” however, is between 5 and 6.5. Even small deviations can be symptoms of underlying conditions.
For example, if a reading comes back at 7, then I would say there is likely some mild condition raising your count. A reading of 4.5 would lead me to believe there is some kind of chronic infection going on weakening your immune system.
White blood cell count comes in five different categories: neutrophils, lymphs, monocytes, eosinophils, and basophils. These five components contribute to your overall white blood cell count. These all are different types of white blood cells, which all perform different tasks.
The Types of White Blood Cells
● Neutrophils fight and kill bacteria. They also attack foreign debris in your system.
● Lymphocytes fight viruses and make antibodies.
● Monocytes clean up damaged cells. These white blood cells increase drastically when a patient is suffering from mononucleosis (AKA “mono” or “the kissing disease”).
● Eosinophils fight parasites and cancer, and are some of the cells involved in allergic reactions. High levels of these cells often indicate the presence of some kind of parasite.
● Basophils, similar to eosinophils, are mainly involved in allergic reactions.
High white blood cell counts indicate the presence of too many white blood cells. This might include only one or two of the individual kinds of white blood cells or all of them.
When your immune system is suppressed, you have lower levels of these white blood cells. A low white blood cell count puts you at greater risk for every disease known to man.
Another Way to Explain
If this is still confusing for you, try to use this analogy to help it make sense:
Let’s say your white blood cell count is represented by the Ford Motor Company. Ford is going to make many different types of cars: the Edge, Explorer, Focus, Taurus, and more. These are all different cars, but all are part of the Ford lineup.
Just like Ford makes different types of cars, so does your immune system.
And just like all of these cars serve different purposes (an F-150 can haul much more than a Focus, but the focus gets better mileage), the different types of white blood cells serve different purposes.
The Makeup of Your Blood
When doctors take blood samples for lab work, your blood is spun around in a machine. This helps separate your blood into the various different components it contains.
On average, 45% of your blood is composed of red blood cells. Plasma (the fluid containing the water, salts, minerals, and proteins in your blood) makes up another 55%.
Your white blood cells only compose around 1% of your overall blood composition. Since your immune system is only given that small amount of your blood to work with, that means your white blood cell count is extremely important. Any kind of imbalance is likely going to lead to drastic negative consequences.
These negative consequences can result in:
- Increased risk of autoimmune disease
- An increased immune system
- A suppressed immune system
If you are suffering from an autoimmune disease, you probably have some kind of white blood cell dysregulation. Understanding the caus