Have you recently had a blood test for your white blood cells? If not, you should. These immune cells are critically important for helping your body fight infections. Having abnormally low white cells is extremely common. I see it frequently in my patients. This can seriously compromise your immune system, making it much harder for your body to fight infections.

It is not uncommon to see a patient whose blood count shows low numbers of white blood cells and they may have had this for years. They have often seen a blood specialist known as a haematologist and no specific cause is found.

The two most important types of white blood cells for fighting infections are neutrophils and lymphocytes and either or both of these types of cells may be lower than normal.

  • The condition of low neutrophils is known as neutropenia
  • The condition of low lymphocytes is known as lymphocytopenia

Causes of low white blood cells

Causes of low white blood cells include –

  • Poor production of neutrophils or lymphocytes in the bone marrow
  • Destruction of neutrophils and lymphocytes outside the bone marrow
  • Capture of white blood cells by an enlarged spleen
  • Infections such as Lyme disease, HIV, hepatitis, Epstein Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, tuberculosis or fungal infections
  • Some medications
  • Chemotherapy or radiation therapy for cancer
  • Exposure to toxic chemicals
  • Heavy metal toxicity, particularly with gold, arsenic or mercury
  • Autoimmune disease, particularly systemic lupus erythematosus
  • Hereditary factors so you are born with it
  • Cancer and blood disorders such as Hodgkin’s lymphoma
  • Blood disorders
  • Deficiencies of vitamin B12, folate or copper

Special tests

Special tests may be done which include –

  • The lowest normal range of neutrophils in the blood is 1,500 to 1,800 neutrophils per microliter of blood and can be checked with a full blood count.
  • Lymphocytopenia is diagnosed when the number of lymphocytes falls below 1,000 per microliter of blood and can be checked with a full blood count.
  • Complete blood count with differential and flow cytometry which measures the levels of the different types of lymphocytes, including T cells, B cells and natural killer cells
  • Bone marrow biopsy to see if the bone marrow is producing enough white blood cells
  • In all cases a physical examination will be done to exclude serious underlying causes such as enlarged lymph nodes or an enlarged spleen or signs of infection.
  • Blood tests to measure Anti-Neutrophil-Cytoplasmic Antibodies (ANCA) may be worthwhile as high levels are associated with autoimmune neutropenia. ANCA testing should be considered in cases of unexplained neutropenia, and a positive ANCA should make one look for possible underlying exposures to toxins or autoimmune diseases.

Risks of low white blood cells

Risks of low white blood cells include –

  • Repeated infections. When lymphocytes are very low this may cause recurrent fungal, viral or parasitic infections.
  • Infections that do not go away.
  • Sores or mouth ulcers that do not heal.

General advice for those with low white blood cells

  • Avoid people with contagious infections and crowded places.
  • Wash your hands frequently with hot water and soap.
  • Keep an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with you when you are outside your home.
  • Wear disposable gloves in dirty or crowded places such as the gas station or store or work gloves when gardening.
  • Practise good oral hygiene to avoid gum infections.
  • Do not share eating utensils, food, toothbrushes, razor blades or towels with other people.
  • Put 1/2 teaspoon of tea tree oil in the washing machine per wash when you wash your clothes.
  • Wash your food produce well – you can use freshly made ozone water if you have an ozone generator, as ozone kills all forms of microbes. You can also gargle with ozone water.
  • Make sure all your meat, eggs and seafood are very well cooked.
  • Check with your doctor if any of the medications you are taking could be causing your low white blood cells.
  • Get more deep sleep.
  • Check your blood vitamin D levels – you want them to be at the higher limit of normal and not just average.
  • Improve your liver and spleen by eating plenty of raw fruits and salads.
  • Use natural antibiotic herbs and foods to clear up hidden infections – these include garlic, radish, onions, chives, and rocket. Bacto Clear capsules contain natural antibiotic herbs.
  • Sometimes antibiotic drugs will be needed, but prevention of infections is the best strategy.
  • Cover and treat cuts and abrasions with iodine (betadine) solution.
  • Wear solid, safe practical shoes to avoid injuries that may get infected. Do not walk around barefooted.
  • Use tea tree oil soap and body wash to keep numbers of bacteria on the skin low.
  • Avoid tattoos and body piercing.
  • Do not swim in ponds or lakes.
  • If you feel unwell and get a fever, cough, or sore throat see your doctor.
  • Be on the lookout for signs of infection such as fever, sweating, shortness of breath, diarrhea or redness, swelling, heat and pain in any part of your body. Other signs to look for are painful or frequent urination or headaches. These symptoms can signal infection which must be treated early.
  • If you need dental treatment tell your doctor so you can get antibiotic drugs before the dental treatment.

Nutritional medicine

  • Gut health is important in all chronic health problems including low white blood cells. If you have a leaky gut or the wrong type of gut bacteria this could worsen any inflammatory problem that is causing the low white blood cells. If you have a family history of autoimmune disease this is significant, and you may need to avoid gluten and dairy products in your diet. It will take 6 to 12 months to see the benefits of a gluten and dairy free diet. If you have a leaky gut, I recommend my Ultimate Gut Health powder.
  • Antioxidants can be boosted with raw vegetable juicing – see my book Raw Juices Can Save Your Life.
  • Make sure your body is not deficient in iron as you do not want low red blood cells as well as low white blood cells.
  • Make sure your vitamin D levels are adequate because vitamin D helps to regulate the immune system and reduce infections.
  • To help your immune system and bone marrow I highly recommend Selenomune capsules in a dose of one daily. The ingredients in Selenomune will reduce inflammation and make your immune system better able to fight infections, especially of a viral or parasitic nature.
  • Ensure you have adequate vitamin C which has proven fighting infection properties.
  • If you have signs of inflammation in your body or have had exposure to heavy metals or toxic chemicals, I highly recommend supplements of N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC). This will boost levels of glutathione which can reduce damage to cells and promote liver and spleen health. NAC is also excellent for those with chronic infections associated with excess mucus or exudate (known as biofilm).

People with a compromised immune system

  • Some people may need injections of immunoglobulins which contain antibodies to fight infections if they become frequent.
  • Stem cell transplants are being investigated for more severe cases of low white blood cells.
  • Drugs that stimulate the production of white blood cells called growth factors or colony-stimulating factors can be injected.

Prognosis

In many cases of low white blood cells there are no symptoms or signs and the patient feels well. They only discover that they have low white blood cells on a routine check-up with their doctor. In most cases the patient lives normally with this problem for their natural life span. It is important to have a 6 monthly blood count if you have low white blood cells to monitor any deterioration.

Mild cases can improve on their own especially if our advice on nutritional medicine is followed.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.

References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1070837/
https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/204821-overview#a10

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