I want to start making some NEW high quality Blood films. Who wants to be my model patient?

I want to make some NEW blood videos.  I could do a new updated job with good lighting and gear.  Any ideas?

Check out my competition.  These are some simple older videos on YouTube:
Blood Culture Video

Old School Blood Culture video

Phlebotomy: Fainting / Patients DO faint!

Could a Blood Test Help Diagnose Alzheimer’s?

Blood Test News out of DC.

In a recent study published in Nature Medicine, researchers reported preliminary steps in the development of a blood test to predict a person’s Alzheimer’s risk by measuring 10 different lipid concentrations in the blood. Howard Federoff, a neurologist and lead author of the study, discusses the importance of a blood test for the incurable disease.

See link to hear audio:Info from Science Friday: I love Science Friday!!!

200 Blood Tests Per hour!

The Blood BEAST.  Just one of many amazing machines at our LAB!  Running 200 blood tests per hour!  We rarely get to see these giant beasts opened up for cleaning.

BeckmanCoulter.com -diagnostics & clinical-products website

Donate blood every 56 days!

Try donating blood every 56 days to help others.  Your blood equals life.  Your blood cells will rebuild quickly.  March is Red Cross month!  They need fresh blood to help save people so you both will benefit.

See the link below for more info:

RedCrossBlood.org website

Another wonderful sunrise during my mobile blood testing.  Headed to 2 more locations, then back to the Laboratory.

I'm the headband queen!  A little old lady showed her affection and squeezed my cheek today.  I want to start wearing cool brooches on my lab coat for gals like that.

A Great week!

An apple a day keeps the Vampires away.

I'm giving good energy and many THANKS to my team and to all of my wonderful patients.  It was another great week of early morning blood draws.

While meeting my patients this week, I attempted to chat about the natural blood cleansing foods they might like to add into their diet, one person said, "you should be a doctor".  Suggesting "An apple a day" is not enough to qualify me but yes, she is right.  It's my pleasure to be smart phlebotomist, who takes the time to make all my patients the most comfortable, while being superiorly helpful.  Creating a positive experience around a needle (blood test) gives me a feeling of success.

Winter blood tests:  I'm having to be extra careful while doing blood tests called PT/INR because of this cold weather.  The tube is designed to stop filling up all by itself using a built in vacuum.  My tubes that are exposed to "cold air" have been overfilling which is very unusual.  I've had to get into a vertical viewing position, using a butterfly needle & my headlamp to watch closely and pull the blue tube off just as it's hitting the black arrow.  A straight stick needle can't work, because if you're a drop or two off is to close to being overfilled.  The blood ends up being delicately mixed with the Sodium Citrate in my blue top vacuette.  Inside the lab and hospital the blue top has not experienced any vacuum changes and fills up perfectly.  In house I have it pretty easy.  

I've already written the vacuette manufacture "Greiner Bio-One" and they were very responsive.  An incorrect blood to additive ratio can lead to inaccurate test results and flawed patient management.  I won't let any of those mistakes actually happen but delivering good customer service and trouble shooting techniques do take time during the morning rush of blood testing.  Safely driving my blood tests back to the laboratory takes time too, so lucky I have a fancy GPS that helps me doge traffic jams.

What is a PTINR blood test*?  
Prothrombin Time with International Normalized Ratio.

Clinical Significance:

Used to monitor dosing of the anticoagulant Coumadin and to assess the extrinsic pathway of the coagulation system.  *Measures your Blood Thinners!

Cleanse your blood naturally.

To cleanse your blood naturally, snack on...

Apples. Because apples are high in pectin, a type of fiber that binds to cholesterol and heavy metals in the body, they help eliminate toxic build up and to cleanse the intestines.

Avocados. We rarely think of avocados as a cleansing food but these nutritional powerhouses lower cholesterol and dilate blood vessels while blocking artery-destroying toxicity. Avocados contain a nutrient called glutathione, which blocks at least thirty different carcinogens while helping the liver detoxify synthetic chemicals.

Beets. Time to whip up some delicious borscht soup since its main ingredient, beets, contain a unique mixture of natural plant compounds that make them superb blood purifiers and liver cleansers.

Blueberries. Truly one of the most powerful healing foods, blueberries contain natural aspirin that helps lessen the tissue-damaging effects of chronic inflammation, while lessening pain. Blueberries also act as antibiotics by blocking bacteria in the urinary tract, thereby helping to prevent infections. They also have antiviral properties and help to block toxins from crossing the blood-brain barrier to gain access to the delicate brain.

Cabbage. Cabbage contains numerous anticancer and antioxidant compounds and helps the liver break down excess hormones. Cabbage also cleanses the digestive tract and neutralizes some of the damaging compounds found in cigarette smoke (and second-hand smoke). It also strengthens the liver’s ability to detoxify.

Celery and Celery Seeds. Celery and celery seeds are excellent blood cleansers and contain many different anti-cancer compounds that help detoxify cancer cells from the body. Celery seeds contain over twenty anti-inflammatory substances. It is particularly good for detoxifying substances found in cigarette smoke.

Cranberries. Cleanse your body from harmful bacteria and viruses that may be lingering in your urinary tract with cranberries since they contain antibiotic and antiviral substances.

Flaxseeds and Flaxseed Oil. Loaded with essential fatty acids, particularly the Omega-3s, flaxseeds and flaxseed oil are essential for many cleansing functions throughout the body.

Garlic. Eat garlic to cleanse harmful bacteria, intestinal parasites and viruses from your body, especially from the blood and intestines. It also helps cleanse build-up from the arteries and has anti-cancer and antioxidant properties that help detoxify the body of harmful substances. Additionally, garlic assists with cleansing the respiratory tract by expelling mucous build-up in the lungs and sinuses. For the health benefits, choose only fresh garlic, not garlic powder, which has virtually none of the above properties.

Grapefruit. Add a ruby red grapefruit to your breakfast to benefit from pectin fiber that binds to cholesterol, thereby cleansing the blood. Pectin also binds to heavy metals and helps escort them out of the body. It also has antiviral compounds that cleanse harmful viruses out of the body. Grapefruit is an excellent intestinal and liver detoxifier.

Kale. Steam some kale to benefit from its powerful anti-cancer and antioxidant compounds that help cleanse the body of harmful substances. It is also high in fiber, which helps cleanse the intestinal tract. Like cabbage, kale helps neutralize compounds found in cigarette smoke and strengthens liver cleansing.

Legumes. Add a handful of cooked beans to your next meal since they loaded with fiber that helps lower cholesterol, cleanses the intestines, and regulates blood sugar levels. Legumes also help protect the body against cancer.

Lemons. Excellent liver detoxifiers, lemons contain high amounts of vitamin C, a vitamin needed by the body to make an important substance called glutathione. Glutathione helps the liver detoxify harmful chemicals. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (not the bottled variety) to pure water to support your cleansing efforts on a daily basis.

Seaweed. Seaweed could be the most underrated vegetable in the western world. Studies at McGill University in Montreal showed that seaweeds bind to radioactive waste in the body. Seaweed also binds to heavy metals to help eliminate them from the body. In addition, they are powerhouses of minerals and trace minerals.

Watercress. If you haven’t tried watercress add this delicious green to your next sandwich since it increases detoxification enzymes and acts on cancer cells in the body. In a study at the Norwich Food Research Centre in the United Kingdom, smokers who were given 170 grams of watercress per day eliminated higher than average amounts of carcinogens in their urine, thereby eliminating them from their body.

Eating a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables assists with detoxifying harmful substances from your body. Who knew cleansing could taste so good?

Get your blood tested people.

Your blood is important, it's your life.

I am a phlebotomist who can answer questions about how to get your blood tested at your home, workplace, or within your community.  

We usually do blood tests in the morning.  You can request a visit or come see me at our laboratory inside The University of Maryland St.Joseph's Medical Center in Towson. UMSJMC

The Gentle VAMP

Sun or Snow we do blood testing 24/7.

It's easy, call or visit your doctor to get a prescription for blood testing and bring it to us in the lab.