Don't Underestimate The Power of Your Blood

There is great power in your blood, and the strongest tides on the planet may actually be within your own body. Many times we underestimate the essential quality of our blood and our circulation, a vital mistake when evaluating any body condition. Without the body’s blood supply, your cells would not have food, oxygen, water or waste-removal. Your hormones would never reach their target tissues and power your physiology. Your food would never leave the intestinal tract. Your nerves would never tell you everything about the world around you. Your brain would cease to function. Your circulation is an amazing collection of tubes, fluids, tidal rhythms and a pump. It is the very source for nutrition, water and oxygen for all of your body’s cells while also removing waste products from those cells. This system also shares fluid with the lymphatic system in the form of plasma enabling immune cells to be transported through the blood. After all, transportation is a key aspect of circulation. And the most incredible thought is that this transportation system itself is made up of living, breathing cells and is critically alive throughout this process. This living system transports hormones, medicine, enzymes and other essential ingredients of our body chemistry.

But any mode of transportation is dependent on routes that are clear of traffic in the form of debris or excess cells, and pathways that are not closed off by tight muscles, scar tissue or plaque. This is even more important when you realize that the very system itself can become damaged because it is alive and dependent on the very blood that it transports to other areas. One common factor that creates transportation problems is the thickness of the blood. The thicker the blood is, the less likely it is to reach smaller capillaries and their dependent cells. This will be common with any parasympathetic dominance issues, such as severe fatigue or chronic stress. Low phosphorus in relation to potassium can be a sign of this situation, and so the thickness of the blood may be reduced by simply adding organic phosphorus to the body chemistry. chronic phosphorus depletion may also lead to calcifications in body tissue such as the breast, gallbladder, kidneys and thyroid.

Excessive blood thickness can also create higher blood pressure and more friction as the blood passes through the vessels, which can damage the vessels creating scar tissue. Herbs such as Coleus, Garlic, Ginger and Turmeric can help to reduce the thickness of the blood, but should never be used with any pharmaceutical blood thinning agents such as warfarin.

At the same time, if the water content of the blood is too high, it will be difficult for the blood to maintain heavier minerals and biochemicals in solution and significant amounts of minerals such as calcium and iodine may end up precipitating into hollow organs and interstitial spaces. Anemia is often simply excess water content of the blood changing the ratio of red blood cells to the plasma liquid content in circulation. One thing to consider is the F Factor in the blood. It has been suggested that this may be missing element that sustains mineral suspensions in the bloodstream. I use a complex that includes iodine which helps cells to absorb calcium from the bloodstream, which can reduce the strain on the parathyroid gland. So if there is a notable calcium loss, this may be the perfect treatment.

But there is more to the blood than just transportation. There is also regulation. The blood regulates pH levels through the action of buffering electrolyte minerals and our body’s own hormones. It also adjusts our body temperature through the movement of water. It also regulates the water content of cells through osmosis, a key self-regulating mechanism to deal with high blood pressure. The blood also has a high degree of protection for the body. We have a clotting mechanism that consists of blood cells known as platelets, that protects us against blood loss. We also have immune cells and plasma proteins that protect against foreign substances in the blood and also the body tissues.

So what is this miraculous fluid made of? Blood is heavier and thicker than water, although it contains water. It is slightly alkaline and has a higher temperature than the body as a whole. It constitutes about 8% of our total body weight and we have approximately 4-6 liters in our adult body. Whole blood is made up of two portions, blood plasma and blood cells. Plasma is a watery connective tissue, which carries the blood cells. It is about 91% water and 9% dissolved substances such as plasma proteins, electrolytes, nutrients, enzymes, hormones, gases and waste products.

Blood cells make up the rest of our blood. These cells can be complete functioning cells, or they can be cell fragments, which will then be recycled to make new cells. 99% of these cells are erythrocytes or red blood cells, in fact one third of our body’s one hundred trillion cells are erythrocytes. They contain the oxygen-carrying protein hemoglobin, which gives blood its red pigment and brings redness to the skin. Erythrocytes live only about 120 days because of the wear and tear they endure squeezing through blood capillaries. When they wear out, they are removed from circulation and destroyed in the spleen and liver.

Factors such as lack of iron, lack of certain amino acids and lack of vitamin B12 can cause the red blood cells to lose their ability to transport oxygen, a condition known as hypoxia. Usually ischemia (tissue restriction) causes hypoxia. This is where there is an obstruction to the blood which may weaken cells without killing them. This can be the case with Angina Pectoris, literally "strangled chest", is a severe pain that usually accompanies heart muscle ischemia.

The first thing to look at is copper levels in tissue. Copper helps to increase oxygen transfer from the lungs to the bloodstream and in so doing increases hemoglobin formation and function. It also minimizes the activity of free radicals in the blood. If, however there is chest pain or irregularity of heart rhythm, then supporting the heart muscle itself becomes important. I use Standard Process Cataplex E2 for oxygenation, Cardio-Plus and Hawthorn as heart muscle support and Cataplex G for vasodilation.

When someone seems to have low amounts of red blood cells, we say they are anemic. Anemia can be affected by levels of Vitamin B12, available iron, an overactive spleen or plaque throughout the arteries. My favorite treatment to address complex anemia is Mediherb Fe-Max Iron Tonic, Standard Process Allorganic Trace Minerals, For-Til B12, Ferrofood and Chlorophyll Complex. Allorganic Trace Minerals is an incredible formula thsat contains manganese lactate, kelp powder, alfalfa, buckwheat, peavine juice, bone meal and zinc-iron-copper liver chelate, providing all the factors for healthy blood production. Chlorophyll is essential because it provides the substrate for hemoglobin formation and will increase prothrombin in the blood.

Erythrocytes also have a very strong immune capability because of the specialized proteins that are found on their surface. They are called antigens and act as antibodies against blood that is not compatible with your own. This is what we mean by your blood type. These small glycoprotein markers are determined genetically through your parents. Oftentimes I have had patients with severe chronic anemia that actually was the result of a hospitalization where they received blood, pointing to a potential immune response, something that is easily addressed with liver cleansing and some Echinacea Angustifolia.

Leukocytes or white blood cells can generally live for several months or years, but many live only a few days or hours, especially during an infection. This is because our leukocytes are concerned primarily with mediating our body immunity and protection. Many illnesses are due to an insufficient number of leukocytes, a condition that can be remedied with Standard Process Biost or Ostrophin PMG. These connective tissue protomorphagens not only are essential for all bone and connective tissue healing, but help to increase white blood cell numbers, particularly segmented neutrophils. All leukocytes, except a type known as lymphocytes, remain in the blood stream until needed. Once they leave the blood and diffuse into interstitial fluid, they do not return to the blood, but instead are picked up by the lymphatic system.

The third type of blood cell is a platelet, also known as a thrombocyte. These cells help stop blood loss from damaged blood vessels by forming a sticky plug, while at the same time releasing chemicals that promote blood clotting. They have a very short life span, usually about 5-9 days. Blood loss must be quickly controlled, localized and stopped, in order to prevent our bleeding to death. Some people can bleed to death because of poor clotting factor, a disease known as hemophilia. There are also a number of clotting factor conditions where blood clotting can occur with surgery, injury or illness that can block essential blood pathways and create a life-threatening situation.

There are three basic mechanisms that reduce blood loss. The contraction of the muscular walls of arteries, which reduces blood loss; the adhering of the platelets to the exposed collagen of damaged blood vessels; and coagulation or blood clotting. Factors that aid clotting include calcium, enzymes synthesized by hepatocytes [this synthesis requires vitamin K produced from intestinal bacteria] and chemicals released from platelets. These work in a cascade effect with thrombin to gel the blood. Thrombin in the presence of calcium converts normally soluble fibrinogen to an insoluble form, which then traps blood cells in a damaged area. As the fibrin increases, it absorbs thrombin, thus reducing the size of the clot. Heparin is also used to block the action of thrombin, and is thus an anticoagulant.

Another factor in blood clotting are lipids. The presence of lipids trigger the production of another blood clotting factor called Factor VII which increases the thickness of blood within a matter of hours. This is especially notable after eating a fat-rich meal. It is this lipid action, which is the cause of doctors telling us that fat in our diet causes heart attacks. Actually this is more the case when lipids are inappropriately processed by the liver and gallbladder during digestion, and lipids are released into the blood without their essential protein transport mechanism.

Whenever I am dealing with high cholesterol issues, I will begin with liver and gallbladder treatment and then add Soy Bean Lecithin, one of the best ways to reduce cholesterol accumulation in the blood. Another great choice is Sesame Seed Oil which contains several compounds or lignins, which have powerful physiological results. They protect cell integrity and function, have strong vitamin E activity, protect the liver from damage, normalize blood fats and blood pressure and regulate autoimmune function. It does this by regulating eicosanoids that cause inflammation, clotting and other immune imbalances.

Stay tuned for more information in The Harmony of Hemodynamics...