Blood and circulatory health are necessary for a long and happy life. Now that Blood Disorder Month is upon us, let’s take some time to explore the different ways blood health can go wrong. Fortunately for most of us, blood health is something we can invest in through healthy living and care from a trusted physician. Learning about how some of the common blood disorders work can help you start living in a way that promotes blood and circulatory health for life.

High Blood Pressure - Nobody is quite sure exactly why high blood pressure happens, but we do understand the common risk factors that predispose people to HBP. Unhealthy lifestyle factors like sedentary living, obesity, poor and/or salty diet, alcohol and drug use, stress, and other chronic conditions can all contribute to high blood pressure. The reason HBP is bad is because it tends to portend narrowing of the arteries.

The increased pressure that results from pushing a static quantity of blood through a shrinking volume of blood vessels does damage to the arteries, and to the heart, which has to fight against the restricted flow. Fortunately, HBP can be regulated with various medications, as well as a common B12 supplement. Even though high blood pressure commonly crops up as we age, it doesn’t have to lead to stroke and heart attack like it did when we didn’t understand it as well as we do today.

Iron Deficiency - Iron deficiency is another common blood disorder. It’s a big deal when it occurs because our bodies need iron to create new red blood cells. The symptoms of early iron deficiency include weakness and listlessness, but the condition can be (though rarely is) fatal. Iron deficiency is most often seen in women during menstruation, but it can also result from a bone marrow disorder and other more serious causes. It’s easy to check for iron deficiency, so talk to your doctor if you’re feeling out of sorts. This can be easily diagnosed and, in most cases, corrected.

Blood Cancers - There are several kinds of blood cancer which, though not as common as the blood disorders so far discussed, are very serious. It’s important to understand how these diseases manifest in symptoms, so you can catch them early if you happen to develop one. The main three blood cancers are leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. Coughing, chest pain, fever, chronic infections, itchy skin, night sweats - all these and more can mean that you’re dealing with some kind of blood cancer. Of course, all of these symptoms can result from more benign causes. As always, if you have recurrent symptoms, get them checked out by an expert.

Blood Clots - There are several kinds of blood clotting disorders. Most commonly those with atherosclerosis can be at risk for blood clots, because their blood vessels become narrower and more prone to obstruction. Diabetes and obesity are two other significant risk factors. Healthy living and supplementation with products from Standard Process can definitely help.

There’s no way to be 100% sure that you’ll never develop a blood disorder, but it’s important to know that healthy living will go some way in preventing their development. Our bodies are complex machines, but they work according to rules that are fairly well-understood. If you have a family history of blood disorders, let your doctor know and have these checked out early and often. Find out about lifestyle and genetic factors which can put you at risk for these and related disorders. If you don’t have any imminent danger of developing a specific disorder, live as healthy a life as you are able and you’ll maximize your chances of staving off these illnesses for good.