So just what are we talking about here?
We’re talking about why blood donation should be first on your list of volunteer efforts if your health will allow you to do so. Blood donation isn’t just important; it’s life saving.
Consider this alarming statistic. The average person donates about a pint of blood in one sitting. That’s just one pint. However, a victim of an automobile accident may need as many as 100 pints of blood.
And that’s not all. A single donation of blood may be able to save the lives of up to three people. In other words, the blood of one person can give life to a small family.
Makes you think, right?
Reasons like this prove that it doesn’t take much to be a hero. You don’t have to do anything drastic. In fact, you can save a life today. All you have to do is take one to three hours of your time to donate your blood.
There are a number of reasons why blood donation will never go out of style – and always be in demand. For starters, unlike many medical necessities, blood can’t be made. It’s true! You can manufacture an artificial bone, but you can’t manufacture blood. About 36,000 units of red blood cells are needed on a daily basis in America, all of which come from a caring donor.
Blood donation is also needed to reap the life-saving benefits of plasma. According to Donating Plasma, plasma is what remains after other aspects of the blood have been removed. It’s a straw-colored liquid that is left after professionals strip the blood of red and white blood cells as well as platelets and other aspects of the blood. Your blood is more than half plasma, with blood consisting of 55 percent plasma. This can be used to create therapies for diseases like hemophilia and genetic lung disease. In addition, it can help trauma and burn victims.
Blood donation can also involve donating platelets. Platelets are an important part of the treatment of cancer. Further, platelets are used in those who have received organ transplants and in preventing too much blood loss in some surgeries.
That said, the American Red Cross says that all of these procedures take a different amount of time. The process by which various aspects of blood are harvested may also be different. For example, whole blood donation is what you think of in the way of a simple blood donation. The actual donation often takes less than ten minutes, with about an hour’s time needed to complete the entire process. You can do this every 56 days. But plasma donation, also called plasma apheresis, takes a little more time. This process, which uses a machine, takes about an hour and fifteen minutes. Volunteers may also partake in platelet donation, a process known as platelet apheresis. This takes between an hour and a half to two and a half hours. One can also participate in double red cell donation, which generally takes about a half an hour longer than whole blood donation. Each of these aspects of blood donation involve different amounts of time between donations, which means it’s essential to do your research before scheduling multiple appointments.
There is also another good reason to give blood. Giving blood doesn’t just help others. It can improve your health too.
The first health benefit of blood donation comes in the way of cardiovascular health. A well-known prediction found that blood donation can theoretically reduce the risk of myocardial infraction, otherwise known as heart attack. Predictions showed that blood donation could potentially reduce the risk of heart attack by about 88 percent. This is thought to be because blood donation forces the body to produce new red blood cells. In addition, iron levels are lowered. Experts say that this process improves blood viscosity, which makes you healthier.
Donating blood may also reduce your risk of cancer. Daily Mail UK reports that research published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute associates one’s iron levels with the risk of cancer. A lengthy study of more than a thousand people found that those who donated blood twice a year demonstrated fewer instances of cancer due to lowered iron levels.
Blood donation even burns calories. In fact, it rivals the calorie burn of an hour-long workout. According to Medical Daily, research shows that donating blood can burn up to 650 calories. That’s more calories than most people would burn jogging for 60 minutes.
Plus, those who donate blood can learn important things. Not only will you learn your blood type, your blood will be tested for various diseases free of charge. Some of these tests include hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, antibodies that indicate leukemia and neurological diseases, West Nile Virus, and even syphilis.
If you do decide to donate blood, there are a number of things you will want to do prior to your appointment. To begin, eat an adequate amount of foods with iron. You may also want to consider taking multivitamins that contain iron or a supplemental form of iron. This is because donating blood decreases iron levels, and iron is needed by the body to replace red blood cells lost during donation. You will also want to drink two glasses of fluids prior to your donation to ensure that you are well hydrated. If you are donating platelets, wait 48 hours between the time you take aspirin and the time you donate. And don’t forget to bring ID. You will need to show a driver’s license or two other forms of ID.
In addition, you will be asked a number of questions about your health and history. It is important to be upfront with the staff regarding which medications you take, as some may disqualify you from donating. You will also need to tell professionals which countries you have visited, as this may predicate whether or not you are eligible to donate. And of course, you will need to be honest when it comes to answering questions about your sexual history.