What can give you more joy than seeing a person getting back to life as your blood flows through his/her veins? The world needs millions of blood donors to step up and donate blood to save numerous lives. The significance of this great cause increases even more in countries such as India where a person requires blood every two seconds. In other words, our nation needs four crore units of blood every year, however, we can avail only 40 lakh units per year. The cause behind the lack of enthusiasm among the Indian population may be some myths as they are prevalent in every domain. Let’s debunk some myths and reveal some facts about blood donation through this blog.
Myth 1: Donating blood hurts.
Fact: Donating blood does not hurt and one experiences just a little pain of the needle pricking through the skin. The affected arm heals within just one or two days.
Myth 2: If one donates blood, he/she may not have enough blood left for his/her bodies.
Fact: As per the experts, an average adult boasts approximately 10 pints of blood and only 1 pint out of which is collected at the time of blood donation. Drink lots of liquids to replenish lost fluids in the body post blood donation. Your system replaces all the white cells within 3 weeks and red blood cells within 3 to 4 days.
Myth 3: Only higher weight people can donate blood.
Fact: Don’t worry before donating blood as long as you weigh over 50 kgs. According to the medical experts, a person below that weight may have weakness issues post blood donation.
Myth 4: Women cannot donate blood.
Fact: There cannot be gender bias in the amazing cause like blood donation. Women lose blood through menstrual bleeding every month so how they cannot be strong to donate blood? Hence, a woman should not resist donating blood unless she is pregnant, anaemic, lactating or has lower haemoglobin count due to a medical condition.
Myth 5: A person can donate blood only once a year.
Fact: Blood takes some time to replenish itself, however it does not take as long as a year. The lost plasma in the body gets replaced within 24 hours. Red blood cells take around four to six weeks to get completely replenished in the body. Thus, one must take at least 56 days interval before donating blood again.
Myth 6: HIV can be contracted by donating blood.
Fact: Blood donation has nothing to do with HIV unless the needle is infected. Just make sure that the needle is new and sterile before donating the blood to stay safe.
Myth 7: Vegetarians cannot donate blood.
Fact: It is said that vegetarians’ iron levels are lower and they cannot donate blood. However, vegetarians can also donate blood if they are healthy and maintain a balanced diet post blood donation.
People also think that they cannot play sports after blood donation. You are advised to stay away from rigorous exercises and doing strenuous tasks to stay healthy for only a day. Be informed and aware and step ahead to donate blood to give a gift of life to someone.