How-to: Personal Hygiene for Low WBC

Hi peter. I took the liberty of adding a photo to your wonderful recipe. Not wishing to impose on your creativity, please feel free to delete the photo I have submitted and leave it blank, or change it to one you would rather see there.

to drLove: Both theories seem sound. I suspect it's some of both for me. The last six months, I had been not exercising enough, not eating enough fruits and veggies, not sleeping as soundly (due to our offspring), sitting down too much (due to this website), and hardly ever taking Vitamin C or other supplements. All of that probably supports the "biological terrain" theory. But also, the fact that I infrequently changed clothes, showered, or washed hands, and exposed myself to poison oak multiple times, during the same time period supports the "germ theory". Bottom line for me: time to get my act together on all fronts. I'm glad the warning bell that got me moving was merely some numbers on a page, versus a feeling of illness.

to drLove: Thanks for the suggestions. I'll get the Ferretin tested. We do cook in cast iron pans, and I do take Vit C in 5g doses from time to time. However, I was doing all that last Fall when I went to donate blood but they rejected me because my iron was too **low**. That surprised me at the time. But I had been eating very litte meat around that time. The last 6 months (Winter and early Spring) saw a reversal in my meat intake.

to peter: If I were you I would get your Ferritin tested. High iron is one risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Multiple vitamins with iron should be avoided, cooking in cast iron pots should be avoided, high doses of vitamin C should be avoided.

to drLove: My serum iron was 195 ug/dL. Last year it was 85. Convntional reference range is 40-155. I don't think Ferritin was one of the 55 things tested for.

to drLove: Yeah, I'll do that. Plus, I'm instituing new changes as I write (e.g. organizing my clothes so that I wear new clean clothes every day, rather than say, evey 4-7 days).

My vote is for the lowering of your immune system with poison oak that caused a low WBC. Why not just get your WBC repeated in 6 months when your body's not fighting something?

What was your Ferritin? What was your serum Iron?

Some of the things you suggest is quite helpful. However, it only addresses the "germ theory" of disease. While helpful, there is another theory that creates decreased immune function and that is called the "biological terrain" theory. This theory postulates that it's not so much the bugs that are the problem (except lethal ones), it's more about the host's strength and mileu that provides the environment for bacterial growth or bacterial decline. (i.e. mind, love, wisdom, intake, elimination, exercise, rest!)