Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) Explained by a Doctor in 4 Minutes!
MCV is the average amount of space a red blood cell occupies. Red blood cells are made by the bone marrow using a standard recipe. They aren't clones, but are usually about the same size, between 80-100 femtoliters. When the recipe goes wrong (lack of iron, B12, folate, or other ingredients) the red blood cells come out all different shapes and sizes! Since the main job of red blood cells is to carry oxygen, they need to be well made in order for you to have optimal health. Low MCV is most commonly caused by iron deficiency anemia but may also be caused by thalassemia minor / thalassemia trait. Mild thalassemias are incidentally discovered on routine blood testing and are usually asymptomatic. The MCV in mild thalassemias can be VERY low, around 55-60 femtoliters with only MILD anemia. That is a big clue that you may have a thalassemia instead of iron deficiency anemia. The way to tell the difference for sure is by getting iron studies ferritin, TIBC, and percent transferrin saturation. High MCV is often caused by B12 or folate deficiency or heavy alcohol use. Folate and B12 help with DNA synthesis. When they aren't present, DNA synthesis stops, and the baby red blood cells don't lose their nucleus at the right time. The result is those large adolescent red blood cells are released into the blood, driving up the MCV. B12/folate deficiency diagnosis starts with B12 (cobalamin) and folate levels, but may also include homocysteine and methylmalonic acid levels, as well as a blood smear and other tests.

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🥗Folate

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0:00 Intro
0:34 What is MCV?
0:50 How Red Blood Cells are Made
1:38 Normal Mean Corpuscular Volume
2:02 What Causes Low MCV?
2:53 What Causes High MCV?
3:31 What to do Next?



This content is not medical advice and is for general informational purposes only. None of the information provided constitutes the practice of medicine, or any professional healthcare services. No doctor patient relationship has been formed. Information contained here is used at the consumer’s own risk. No one should delay or disregard in obtaining professional medical advice or treatment for any health related issue. The information provided is in no way a substitute for medical advice.

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Red Blood Cells are the most numerous cells in the body, with around 25 trillion floating around at any given time. They carry oxygen. They are measured on the complete blood count in 7 ways: Red blood cell count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, MCV, MCH, MCHC, and RDW. Hemoglobin is the most important red blood cell measure, and it determines whether or not you have anemia. You can diagnose different causes of anemia based on the mean corpuscular volume or MCV. If it is low, you likely have iron deficiency anemia or a mild thalassemia. If it is normal, you may have anemia of chronic disease. If it is high, you may have vitamin B12 deficiency, folate deficiency, or alcohol use as the cause.

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Iron Deficiency Guide: https://labstories.ck.page/iron

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#redbloodcells #completebloodcount #anemia #hemoglobin #irondeficiency

0:00 Intro
0:39 What are Red Blood Cells?
1:10 The 7 Red Blood Cell Measurements
1:38 The Importance of Hemoglobin
2:06 How Iron Deficiency affects the CBC
3:11 What to do next based on MCV
3:15 Low MCV
3:26 Normal MCV
3:43 High MCV
3:52 Consider Alcohol

This content is not medical advice and is for general informational purposes only. None of the information provided constitutes the practice of medicine, or any professional healthcare services. No doctor patient relationship has been formed. Information contained here is used at the consumer’s own risk. No one should delay or disregard in obtaining professional medical advice or treatment for any health related issue. The information provided is in no way a substitute for medical advice.

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Hemoglobin! Learn what hemoglobin is, what causes low hemoglobin, what causes anemia, what the symptoms of anemia are, how to fix anemia, as well as some good nutrition and supplement recommendations! Hemoglobin has 3 parts: Iron: heme, globins, and iron. It is the most important protein in the body, the main component of red blood cells, and carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues using iron. Low hemoglobin is anemia. The most common cause of low hemoglobin is bleeding. The symptoms of anemia are shortness of breath and fatigue. The signs of anemia are pale skin and eyes. You can fix low hemoglobin and low iron by stopping the bleeding, eating iron rich foods, and taking iron supplements.

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^^^Sorry I mentioned Feramax as heme iron in the video but meant Proferrin!

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Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:33 Hemoglobin Explained
1:22 Anemia
1:44 Most Common Cause of Low Hemoglobin
2:01 How Bleeding Causes Anemia
2:25 Symptoms of Anemia
2:52 3 Steps to Fix Hemoglobin & Iron
02:57 Stop the Bleeding
03:18 Eat More Iron
03:58 Take a Supplement
4:23 What to do Next

#hemoglobin #anemia #ironsupplements

This content is not medical advice and is for general informational purposes only. None of the information provided constitutes the practice of medicine, or any professional healthcare services. No doctor patient relationship has been formed. Information contained here is used at the consumer’s own risk. No one should delay or disregard in obtaining professional medical advice or treatment for any health-related issue. The information provided is in no way a substitute for medical advice.

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Hematocrit is a red blood cell test. It tells you how much of the blood volume is occupied by red blood cells. Blood has 2 main components: cells and plasma. There are 3 ways to measure hematocrit conceptually, by measuring the height of red blood cells in a centrifuged tube of blood, by multiplying red blood cell count x MCV, and by using the rule of 3's. The most common cause of low hematocrit is anemia. High hematocrit is caused by changes in plasma volume or red blood cells. Sleep apnea is a life-threatening cause of high hematocrit. Testosterone replacement therapy also increases hematocrit. Learn all about hematocrit in 5 minutes so you can optimize your health!

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Iron Deficiency Guide: https://labstories.ck.page/iron
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🩸For Iron Deficiency Anemia:

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0:00 Intro
0:19 What is Hematocrit?
0:41 Different Components of Blood
0:57 3 Ways to Measure Hematocrit
1:40 Theoretical Causes of Abnormal Hematocrit
2:17 Causes of Low Hematocrit (Anemia)
2:47 Causes of High Hematocrit
3:08 Sleep Apnea
4:04 Testosterone Use (TRT)
4:24 Your Next Steps

#hematocrit #completebloodcount #trt #obstructivesleepapnea #anemia

This content is not medical advice and is for general informational purposes only. None of the information provided constitutes the practice of medicine, or any professional healthcare services. No doctor patient relationship has been formed. Information contained here is used at the consumer’s own risk. No one should delay or disregard in obtaining professional medical advice or treatment for any health related issue. The information provided is in no way a substitute for medical advice.

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Folate (Vitamin B9) is a class of water-soluble B vitamins. Folic acid is the inactive, oxidized, supplement form of Folate. Tetrahydrofolates are the active forms. Our bodies must convert Folic Acid to the Tetrahydrofolates to be used. Folates function in 1 carbon metabolism, or methylation. I refer to methyl groups as cash money in the body's economy. They are used in DNA synthesis and many other processes. DNA synthesis is especially important in red blood cell production. Deficiency of folate leads to megaloblastic (large, immature precursor cells) anemia. There are 2 groups of people who MUST take folic acid or folate supplements: women who are planning to become pregnant or are pregnant & those who are folate deficient. Pregnancy folic acid requirements are 600mcg DFE (dietary folate equivalents) which is obtained through foods and supplements. Pregnancy supplements are usually dosed 400-1000mcg. Folate deficiency happens through truly insufficient diets, which is rare in the era of folic acid supplementation. Folic acid replacement supplements are between 1mg-5mg. Groups at high risk of folate deficiency are those who drink alcohol heavily and the elderly, as well as those who take certain medications (valproic acid).

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***************************************************************************************************
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:22 What is Folate?
0:29 What Foods Contain Folate?
1:01 The Difference Between Folic Acid & Folate
1:30 What is MTHFR?
2:06 What Does Folate Do?
2:57 Symptoms of Folate Deficiency
3:07 How to Diagnose Folate Deficiency
3:43 How to Raise Folate Levels
4:24 Why Pregnant Women MUST Supplement
4:42 Dose of Folic Acid in Pregnancy
5:20 What are Dietary Folate Equivalents (DFE)?
5:44 Folate Deficiency Treatment
6:19 Your Next Steps



#folicacid #folate #anemia
This content is not medical advice and is for general informational purposes only. None of the information provided constitutes the practice of medicine, or any professional healthcare services. No doctor patient relationship has been formed. Information contained here is used at the consumer’s own risk. No one should delay or disregard in obtaining professional medical advice or treatment for any health-related issue. The information provided is in no way a substitute for medical advice.

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Red Cell Distribution Width!! Learn what RDW is, why it may be abnormal, and what you can do to fix it. RDW has been traditionally used to differentiate the causes of anemia, but a new study has shown it to be PREDICTIVE of death, cardiovascular disease, and strokes INDEPENDENT of anemia!
The most common causes of abnormal RDW are anemias, including iron deficiency and nutritional anemias B12 & Folate Deficiency. BUT... elevated RDW independent of anemia reflects more old red blood cells in circulation, which are not as good as younger ones in terms of fighting infections. Normal RDW is really important in terms of optimizing your health!

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Red Cell Distribution Width!! Learn what RDW is, why it may be abnormal, and what you can do to fix it. RDW has been traditionally used to differentiate the causes of anemia, but a new study has shown it to be PREDICTIVE of death, cardiovascular disease, and strokes INDEPENDENT of anemia!
The most common causes of abnormal RDW are anemias, including iron deficiency and nutritional anemias B12 & Folate Deficiency. BUT... elevated RDW independent of anemia reflects more old red blood cells in circulation, which are not as good as younger ones in terms of fighting infections. Normal RDW is really important in terms of optimizing your health!

B12 & Folate Supplements Summary: https://labstories.ck.page/b12folate

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🥗Folate

For Folic Acid Deficiency: Thorne 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate: https://amzn.to/3Zs08xG

0:00 Intro
0:26 What is RDW?
1:01 Coefficient of Variation & St Dev
1:38 Normal Range
1:42 Actual RDW Calculation
2:27 Is Low RDW Bad?
4:09 Iron Deficiency
4:34 B12 & Folate Deficiency
5:08 Sickle Cell & Thalassemias
5:39 Mentzer Index (Beta Thal vs. IDA)
6:11 Quiz!
7:08 Does RDW Predict DEATH & Disease?
8:23 How to FIX RDW
8:50 Your Next Steps

This content is not medical advice and is for general informational purposes only. None of the information provided constitutes the practice of medicine, or any professional healthcare services. No doctor patient relationship has been formed. Information contained here is used at the consumer’s own risk. No one should delay or disregard in obtaining professional medical advice or treatment for any health-related issue. The information provided is in no way a substitute for medical advice.

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Ferritin is the body's iron storage protein produced by the liver. It is more than just a static iron warehouse, though. It's a dynamic iron buffer that responds to changes in the body. That helps keep you alive, but makes the diagnosis of high ferritin very frustrating! Low ferritin is specific for iron deficiency, but high iron can be many things, including iron overload, infections, inflammation, and cancer! The stepwise evaluation of high ferritin includes transferrin saturation and other iron studies, followed by an evaluation for autoimmune diseases, cancers, and MOST COMMONLY, metabolic syndrome, which includes type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and abnormal cholesterol. If you have high ferritin and metabolic syndrome, download my free weight loss checklist!

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#ferritin #irondeficiency #highferritin

0:00 Intro
0:23 What is Ferritin?
0:49 Why is Ferritin Measured?
0:58 Ferritin and Anemia
1:25 What do High Ferritin Levels Mean?
1:47 Ferritin Explained Using an Action Movie Plot
2:16 Iron Overload, Inflammation, Infection, Cancers
2:26 The Acute Phase Response
3:16 Normal Ferritin Levels
3:25 Elevated Ferritin Levels
3:45 Low Ferritin = Iron Deficiency
4:07 Approach to High Ferritin
4:17 Transferrin Saturation
4:40 Alcohol
5:02 Autoimmune Diseases
5:18 Cancer
5:59 Dialysis
6:05 Ferritin over 10,000
6:33 Metabolic Syndrome

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This content is not medical advice and is for general informational purposes only. None of the information provided constitutes the practice of medicine, or any professional healthcare services. No doctor patient relationship has been formed. Information contained here is used at the consumer’s own risk. No one should delay or disregard in obtaining professional medical advice or treatment for any health-related issue. The information provided is in no way a substitute for medical advice.

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What are platelets? What do they do? In this episode of Labstories, I'm going to use a really fun city emergency story to teach you all about platelets! These are audio tracks from the corresponding YouTube video, which you can find linked below. It has graphics, charts, and more text to help you understand all about platelets!

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0:00 Intro
0:13 Story About Platelet Plumbers
1:03 How Platelets Cause Problems
1:50 What are Platelets?
2:30 What do Platelets Do?
2:36 Platelets vs. RBCs vs. WBCs
3:37 Mean Platelet Volume (MPV) Explained
5:00 Causes of Low Platelets
6:22 Causes of HIGH Platelets
7:06 Video Recap


This content is not medical advice and is for general informational purposes only. None of the information provided constitutes the practice of medicine, or any professional healthcare services. No doctor patient relationship has been formed. Information contained here is used at the consumer’s own risk. No one should delay or disregard in obtaining professional medical advice or treatment for any health-related issue. The information provided is in no way a substitute for medical advice.

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