{"id":322,"date":"2014-06-25T18:14:50","date_gmt":"2014-06-25T18:14:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/knowyourblood.com\/?page_id=322"},"modified":"2016-01-21T23:26:33","modified_gmt":"2016-01-21T23:26:33","slug":"3-steps-to-understanding-high-elevated-white-blood-cell-count-wbc-count","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/knowyourblood.com\/3-steps-to-understanding-high-elevated-white-blood-cell-count-wbc-count\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Steps to Understanding High (elevated) White Blood Cell Count (WBC Count)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WBC<\/p>\n

What does my high WBC count mean? What caused it? What can I do about it? These are all questions you might be asking.?We’ll cover all of them in this post?and i’ll?give you some?answers for what to do next.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  1. First, we’ll develop an?understanding of what our white blood cells do and why they’re so important.<\/li>\n
  2. Then we’ll go over what causes us to develop high levels of white blood cells.<\/li>\n
  3. And finally, we’ll discuss different ways we can bring your elevated WBC count down to a normal range.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    1.) What?do my?white blood cells do?<\/h1>\n

    The purpose of your white blood cells is to support?your bodies defense\/detoxification system.<\/p>\n

    They are?very important to your health even though they make up only about 1% of the blood in your system. (They share space with?red blood cells, platelets, and plasma – which are far more abundant)<\/span><\/p>\n

    White blood cells specialize in attacking pathogens and keeping them from surviving in your body. Your white blood cells are also activated every time your body undergoes stress and inflammation. Stress does not just mean an injury, it can result from a wide variety of causes. This means that your white blood cells are constantly being made, activated for a specific purpose, then dying.<\/p>\n

    Your body is constantly making new cells, and during times of stress your body will produce far more white cells to deal with the threat. When the threat is high and\/or constant, your body will respond by producing high levels of white blood cells.<\/p>\n

    2.) The?different types of white blood cells & what causes elevated levels<\/strong><\/h1>\n

    There are three different types of white blood cells:<\/span><\/p>\n

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    1. lymphocytes<\/strong>?(lymphs) usually increase in viral infections<\/li>\n
    2. neutrophils<\/strong>?primarily active in bacterial threat response<\/li>\n
    3. eosinophils,?<\/strong>primarily active in?in allergic response.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      I’ll quickly go over what it might mean to have elevated levels of these specific?types of white blood cell. It is important to understand which white blood cells are more prominent in the body, as the more abundant cells will cause your WBC readings to be more drastic than the less abundant ones.<\/p>\n

      Elevated<\/strong>?lymphocytes<\/h2>\n

      The three major types of lymphocyte are?<\/span>T cells<\/a>,?<\/span>B cells<\/a>?and?<\/span>natural killer<\/a>?(NK) cells. They focus on cell immunity, creating anti-bodies against infection and fighting off viral infection.<\/span>?A high lymphocyte count is also called?Lymphocytosis.<\/span><\/strong>?<\/span><\/p>\n