Low White Blood Cells: When Conventional Medicine Ignores, but DCIM Takes Note

“Why are my WBC’s low and no one is concerned?” This is a common question we get at DCIM. Stepping back : White Blood Cells are part of the Immune System and are also referred to as leukocytes. There are sub-types of WBC’s and often one can have low total numbers of WBC’s, but what’s referred to as the “differential” is normal (which basically means the sub-types look fine). It’s typically in this latter case that a doctor may move past it without much concern.

Now, there can be more serious reasons to have low WBC’s that include certain types of infections and/or bone marrow suppression. But, the reason you may have a low WBC and it’s not flagged as a problem may be more because of how conventional medicine manages problems. If there is not an acute issue — we let it rest.

However, low WBC’s can be a *clue* into patterns in your body. We often have low WBC’s with normal differentials connected with the presence of autoimmunity OR chronic stress. In my mind, this is hugely helpful to know b/c it can be an effective way to practice preventive medicine and/or optimize the health of an individual (with or without a concurrent acute issue!)

This is why I love Functional Medicine….it allows me to be a true detective on behalf of a patient…in this moment, and in looking out for future health hiccups.