The world of medical donation can be complex and hard to navigate. Whether you are looking to donate blood, plasma, or bone marrow there are myths that often misrepresent what the process of medical donation is actually like. Sources such as cultural traditions and information found online may shape a picture in our minds that is different from reality.
Therefore, it is important to understand how medical donations operate before making an informed decision on whether to donate or not.
1. The fear of permanently weakening your body
This is an especially common myth when it comes to donating blood. Many people believe that the act of doing so will negatively impact your body long-term and that it will disrupt your body’s normal physiology. This is false. In fact, it is the opposite.The body is constantly working to maintain a stable, balanced internal environment through the process of homeostasis. Meaning that your body is constantly destroying and rebuilding cells in order to keep you healthy. As soon as you start donating, the kidneys, bone marrow, and endocrine system are starting to work to produce new cells to replace the ones you donated. Plasma, a component of blood that is important for hydration is one of the first components to return to normal levels. There is no permanent weakness or damage done.
2. Concerns over long-term side effects and organ health
If you are continuously donating, you may become concerned about your own internal organs and the long-term consequences to your health. You may ask yourself is giving plasma bad for you or does it in some way compromise how kidneys function? Plasma is one of the most common medical donations, and it can be donated relatively frequently due to the low recovery time and high turn-over rate of the plasma cells. If you are following the guidelines set by your local donation centre there is zero risk to healthy individuals donating plasma regularly. This risk is kept minimal as there are always screening measures as a part of clinical protocols before each session to ensure safety.
3. The Myth of Danger and Pain in Bone Marrow Donation
Bone Marrow donation is a safe procedure with relatively low risk. However, there seems to be the most stigma surrounding it compared to other forms of medical donation. Oftentimes, there are fears surrounding nerve damage, paralysis, and severe pain.Though many people remain
uninformed about the actual procedure itself. No actual bones are removed from the body, it is just the cells that are used for donation. The separation of the stem cells from the rest of your bloodstream happens through a procedure called Aphresis. It is generaly painless, aside from the pressure when the needle or IV lines are inserted.
Rarely do they harvest stem cells from bone itself, which if done is commonly from the pelvic bone. This is also a painless procedure as it involves being under general anesthesia where you are unconscious and therefore cannot feel pain. Some patients only report minor muscle soreness afterwards.
4. The False Belief about contracting infections during a draw
There is a fear of contracting infections from donation sites. This fear may come from the location being a medical setting and also the high-volume of people the donation centres see daily. This could not be further from the truth. Any reputable donation clinic must adhere to infection control standards by law. This means that every item used during a donation is single-use and sterile, and must be disposed of after each patient in the appropriate manner. The purpose of this is to ensure that no blood is being cross-contaminated. There are specific hygiene and infection control guidelines that medical donation clinics must follow.
5. The Idea that your lifestyle is disrupted long-term
The final myth is that after donating, you cannot go back to living your normal life. It is important to rest after donating for at least 24 hours to let your body heal itself and to make sure you are not experiencing any side effects.However, that does not mean that this is permanent. Donating blood will not make you chronically fatigued. As previously mentioned, the body knows how to repair itself through homeostasis.The important things are to live a healthy lifestyle.That includes eating balanced meals and drinking enough water per day. Many people feel fine the day after a medical condition and can return to normal activities of daily living. Especially if you become a regular donor, there are continuous medical checkups that are done in order to ensure health and safety. There are also screenings which work as a checkup of their own before each donation session.
Learning more about medical donations from a scientific perspective allows people to move past their fears and make more informed decisions. It is normal to have doubts and concerns, though the point is to educate others in order to help people make their own choices.
If you are concerned about medical donations, please consult a physician.
