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".....Before they take your blood, the do a test of your 'iron'. Your iron level should be between 15 and 16. That's healthy. So today, my iron level was 17.
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When you give blood, you reduce your iron level. So by giving blood today, I was able to bring down my iron level.
I wouldn't even know that my iron level was high unless I gave blood, or went for a check-u....."
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The body has a (usually wonderful) feedback mechanism and your blood iron level will be back to exactly where it started in a few days. There are more medically approved and efficient ways to lower blood iron levels (in addition to home blood-letting, leeches and visits to the neighberhood vampire.
I am not fond of the mega-organization called the Red Cross Assoc. Too many scandels and too much bureaurcracy. I occasionally give my blood to a smaller non-profit outfit in Delaware. Its much more user friendly and charges me a small annual fee too.
Lastly when giving blood, there are increasingly too many intrusive pages to read, questions to answer and overall invasion of my privacy. Each year I have to read more and more and answer more and and of my private life. Medical testing of the blood is still required (or it should be) to insure blood safety. Questions, travels, intimacy etc insure absolutely nothing toward any blood safety.
MisterNice