Ways to reduce erythrocyte sedimentation rate

Author: John Stephens
Date Of Creation: 21 January 2021
Update Date: 1 July 2024
Anonim
Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR or sed rate) Test
Video: Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR or sed rate) Test

Content

Red blood cell deposition rate (ESR) is a test that can indicate the level of sedimentation and inflammation in the body. This test measures the time red blood cells settle to the bottom of an ultra-thin test tube. If your ESR is relatively high, then your body is probably inflamed too and needs treatment. Inflammation can be treated with diet and exercise. You should also consult your doctor to rule out other conditions that cause an increase in ESR. You may need to have several ESR tests.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Reduce inflammation and ESR with diet and exercise

  1. Get regular, intense exercise if possible. To get high intensity exercise, you will have to really exert effort when exercising. The activity you choose should make you sweat, increase your heart rate, and you'll have to say, "Oh, it's hard!" Exercise for at least 30 minutes, and at least 3 times per week. This activity has been shown to have a significant reduction in inflammation.
    • High-intensity activities can include jogging or brisk cycling, swimming, aerobics or climbing slopes.

  2. Use medium intensity exercises instead of high intensity exercise. If you have never had a real workout before or your health condition does not allow high intensity exercise, you can exercise lighter for as little as 30 minutes. Even a little movement each day can reduce inflammation. Try to practice until you feel like you have reached the point of "Okay, this exercise is quite heavy, but I still haven't put in too much effort."
    • Walk around the neighborhood at a brisk pace or sign up for an underwater aerobic class.

  3. Practice yoga meditation for 30 minutes a day. Yoga meditation is a form of yoga that puts you half awake and half asleep. This yoga style helps you to completely relax physically and mentally. At least one study has demonstrated that this activity significantly reduces the increase in ESR. How to practice yoga meditation as follows:
    • Lie on your back on a training mat or a comfortable surface.
    • Listen to your yoga instructor's instructions (download an app or search for audio or video if you can't find a yoga studio that teaches the genre).
    • Allow to breathe in and out of the body naturally.
    • Do not move your body during exercise.
    • Allow the mind to drift from point to point, maintaining consciousness but not concentrating.
    • Reaches the state of "sleeping under consciousness."

  4. Avoid processed and sugary foods. These foods contain a harmful type of cholesterol (LDL) that can cause inflammation in the body. Inflammation can also increase ESR. In particular, you should avoid french fries and other fried foods, white bread, pasta, soft drinks, processed red meat and pork, margarine or lard.
  5. Eat fruits, vegetables, nuts, and healthy oils. These foods are all basic components of a healthy diet along with lean meats like chicken and fish. There are also anti-inflammatory fruits, vegetables and oils that you should incorporate into your meals several times a week, which include:
    • Tomato
    • Strawberries, blueberries, cherries and / or oranges.
    • Green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, and collard greens
    • Almonds and / or walnuts
    • Fatty fish (high in oil) such as salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines
    • Olive oil
  6. Add herbs like oregano, cayenne pepper, and basil to your dish. These ingredients have natural anti-inflammatory properties, so you should add them to your main meals whenever possible. Fortunately, herbs are also great spices that can add flavor to a dish. You can also take ginger, turmeric, and white willow bark to help reduce inflammation and lower ESR levels.
    • Search online for recipes you like using herbs.
    • With ginger and white willow peel, you can use a teapot to make herbal tea.
    • Do not use white willow bark if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
  7. Drink plenty of fluids every day. While dehydration may not make the inflammation worse, getting enough fluids in your body is essential to avoid muscle and bone damage. If you are increasing your activity level to reduce inflammation, it is important to drink plenty of fluids to avoid injury. Try to drink at least 1-2 liters per day. Drink water as soon as you have any of the following symptoms:
    • Extremely thirsty
    • Exhaustion, dizziness, or confusion
    • Less urination
    • Dark color urine
    advertisement

Method 2 of 3: Treatment for high ESR test results

  1. Ask your doctor to understand test results. As with most tests, the normal range can vary by laboratory. When you receive your test results, talk with your doctor to get to know your condition. In general, the normal range would be:
    • Less than 15 mm / hr (millimeters per hour) for men under 50 years of age.
    • Less than 20 mm / hr for men over 50 years old.
    • Less than 20 mm / hr for women under 50 years old.
    • Below 30 mm / hr for women over 50 years old.
    • 0-2 mm / hr for infants.
    • 3-13 mm / hr for children from birth to puberty.
  2. Ask your doctor if your erythrocyte sedimentation rate is high or very high. Several conditions can cause ESR levels to rise above normal, including pregnancy, anemia, thyroid disease, kidney disease, or cancers such as lymphoma or multiple myeloma. A very high ESR level can indicate lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, or a serious infection in a part of the body.
    • Very high ESR levels can also be a sign of very rare autoimmune disorders such as allergic vasculitis, giant cell arteritis, hyperfibrinogenemia, macromolecular globulin, necrotizing vasculitis, or polymyalgia. due to rheumatism.
    • Infections associated with very high ESR levels can be found in the bones, heart, skin, or the entire body. This condition can also be a sign of tuberculosis or rheumatism.
  3. The doctor will order other tests to diagnose the disease. Increased or high ESR levels can indicate many problems, so the doctor will almost certainly order other tests to check the body condition. While you wait for your doctor to determine what tests to do, relax and don't panic. You can raise your concerns with your doctor, and talk to family and friends to feel more secure with the support of others.
    • An ESR test cannot provide a diagnostic result.
  4. Get an ESR test several times. Elevated ESR levels are often associated with chronic pain and inflammation, so you may need to be checked often. Monitoring your ESR level during routine visits will help your doctor know about your pain and inflammation. Hopefully, with the right treatment, your illness will get better!
  5. Aids in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with medications and physical therapy. Unfortunately, rheumatoid arthritis cannot be completely cured. However, you can treat and relieve symptoms. Your doctor will likely prescribe a combination of slow acting anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, and a class of steroid medications.
    • Physiotherapists or occupational therapists can help you learn exercises that maintain joint mobility and flexibility. They can also teach you alternative methods to perform everyday tasks (like pouring water into a cup) in case of severe pain.
  6. Stop lupus flare-ups with NSAIDs and other medications. Every case of lupus is different, so you need to talk carefully with your doctor to determine the most appropriate treatment regimen. The NSAID group of drugs can relieve pain and reduce fever, and the class of corticosteroid drugs can control inflammation. Based on the symptoms, your doctor may also prescribe anti-malarial and immunosuppressive drugs.
  7. Treat bone and joint infections with antibiotics and / or surgery. An increased ESR level may be a sign of a number of different infections, but most accurately indicate an infection in bones and joints. These infections are especially difficult to treat, so your doctor will do some other tests to determine the type and cause of the problem. In severe cases, surgery may be needed to remove the infected tissue.
  8. Ask your doctor for a referral to an oncologist if you are diagnosed with cancer. Very high ESR levels (above 100 mm / hr) may be a sign of malignancy or the presence of cells that can invade the surrounding tissues and spread the cancer. In particular, a high ESR level may indicate multiple myeloma cancer. If you are diagnosed with other blood tests, screening and urine tests, your oncologist will work with you to develop a special treatment regimen. advertisement

Method 3 of 3: ESR level test

  1. See your doctor if you think you need an ESR test. ESR tests are the most used to find out if any infection is causing your pain. If you have an unexplained fever, arthritis, muscle pain, or significant inflammation, an ESR test can help your doctor better understand the cause of the problem and the severity of the problem.
    • An ESR test can also be helpful in diagnosing unexplained symptoms such as loss of appetite, unexplained weight loss, headache or neck pain.
    • ESR testing is rarely done alone. Usually at least the doctor will order a quantitative C-reactive protein (CRP) test. This test is also used to check for inflammation in the body.
  2. Talk to your doctor about the medications you are taking. There are many prescription and over-the-counter medications that can increase or decrease the rate of natural erythrocyte sedimentation. If you are taking these medications, your doctor may ask you to stop taking them one week before your blood test. Do not change medicine without consulting your doctor.
    • Dextran, methyldopa, oral contraceptive pills, penicillamine, procainamide, theophylline, and vitamin A can increase ESR levels.
    • Aspirin, cortisone, and quinine can lower ESR levels.
  3. Let the medical staff know you want take blood in any arm. Usually, blood is drawn from the inside of the elbow. Although there will be no pain or swelling after the blood test, you should also ask if you can draw blood from your non-dominant arm. Health care workers also need to find the vein that is easiest to draw blood.
    • Choosing the right vein will make the blood test a little faster.
    • If they cannot find a vein that is easy to draw blood on both arms, they can find a different location to draw blood.
    • You should also tell the blood drawer about previous times you have had these blood tests. If you faint or feel lightheaded during the blood sample, they may let you lie down so that you do not hurt or faint. If you usually do not feel well during the blood test, you should ask someone to take you and leave.
  4. Relax while taking blood for the test. Your health care provider will tie a rubber band around your upper arm and use a cotton ball dipped in alcohol to disinfect. They will then insert a needle into a vein and draw blood into the tube. When the blood was done, they pulled out the needle and removed the bandage. Finally, the nurse or doctor will give you a gauze pad to press into the blood draw.
    • If you feel nervous, do not look at the arm while the person is drawing blood.
    • They may need to take more than one vial of blood. Don't worry if this happens.
    • They may use a pressure bandage to apply pressure and stop bleeding faster after you leave the clinic. You can remove the dressing at home after it's been a few hours.
  5. Know that the site may be bruised or red. Usually, the site where the blood is drawn will heal in a day or two, but it may be reddish or even bruised while healing. This phenomenon is normal. In rare cases, the vein where the blood was drawn may become swollen. This is not serious, but it can be painful. Apply ice on the first day, then switch to warm compresses. Make a warm pack by heating a damp washcloth in the microwave for 30-60 seconds. Apply a washcloth to the sore spot every 20 minutes, several times a day.
    • Test the temperature of the towel by placing your hand over it. If the steam is so hot that you can't put your hands on it, wait for 10 to 15 seconds to cool down before trying again.
  6. Contact your doctor if you have a fever. If the pain and swelling becomes worse at the site, you may have an infection. This is a very rare reaction. However, if you really have a fever, call your doctor right away.
    • If you have a fever of 39 ℃ or higher, your doctor may advise you to go to the emergency room.
    advertisement

Advice

  • When it is time to get your blood drawn, drink plenty of fluids. This will help to inflate the veins and make it easier to draw blood. You should also wear a shirt with wide sleeves.
  • Pregnancy and menstruation can temporarily increase ESR levels, so let your doctor know if you are pregnant or menstruating.