Advantages: helps people in need of transfusions
Disadvantages: squeamish people may not like it

...I have received this free magazine regularly for several years. It arrives through the post .I am a blood donor and the national blood service send me one in winter one in summer. I suppose they think it will remind and entice me to donate my bodily fluids. The paper of this magazine is a newspaper quality with a few coloured pictures. It has 16 pages of news and information. These magazines contain information and articles about blood donating. The summer one reminds us to remember to give blood before we go on holiday. There are articles on new research like the one stem cells in this summer’s edition. There are articles about people whose lives have been saved by blood donations in emergency and routine surgery. Article about staff in the blood donor service. This month there is an article about what happens to your blood... Read review

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Advantages: you'll help other people live
Disadvantages: none

...UPDATE: People who have had blood transfusions from 1980 mare now forbidden to donate blood, due to the risk of being infecting with blood containg the 'Mad cow disease' virus. It's still vitally imprtant for people who are not infected to keep giving blood. I have to confess when I first started giving blood it was simply to get time off from work (yeah I'd do anything to get an hour or so off work!). The factory where I then worked, allowed anyone who wanted time off to give blood twice a year! I didn't need asking twice. I was terribly nervous the first time I gave blood, but soon got used to it. When I had a serious Road traffic Accident and needed some blood to keep me alive, I didn't feel guilty about, which I might of had I not given any at all. Firstly let me thank all of you who give blood, if it wasn’t for you I wouldn... Read review

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Advantages: Saves thousands of people's lives every year.
Disadvantages: N/A

...Giving blood is one of the greatest gifts you could ever give someone. The NHS works very hard to provide an efficient blood service to those who need it. More complex operations are now being performed, which required larger volumes of blood. More accidents on our roads happend every year, which requires more blood too. The demand for blood is very great indeed, those that receive a blood transfusion are forever in the debt of those that donate blood regularly. If you give blood regularly, you're a special person. If you have given blood before, I'm sure you have felt that feeling of 'I have done something good today'. I know I have, and it something I have never felt at any other point in my life. I have given blood four times now (that's the maximum I could have in my life) and am due to give blood again in September. For those... Read review

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Advantages: None That I can think of
Disadvantages: A lot of risks

...Because of its amazing complexity, and how incredibly wonderful and unique it is, blood is often likened to an organ of the body. Blood is described by one textbook as the only organ in the body that's a fluid. It is also a living transportation system. How? Our circulatory system's distance is about 100 000 kilometers. Blood covers all these distances in order to contact with nearly every tissue in the body, including the heart, kidneys, liver and lungs-these are very vital organs that process and rely on blood. So as blood travels, it brings along with it many "good things" to the cells of our body, such as oxygen, nutrients and defensive help, but it also carries away 'junks" such as carbon dioxide, the contents of damaged and dying cells, and other waste. The role of blood in waste removal helps to explain why it can... Read review

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Advantages: Saves thousands of lives....
Disadvantages: They won't take mine...

...Blood donation is the term used to describe the process of blood being drawn from a person to be stored for blood transfusion. 2.1 million donations are needed every year... All of which are voluntary. The core purpose of the NBS (National Blood Service) is * To save and improve patient's lives * ~ Top Ten Blood Uses ~ ~ General surgery 23% ~ General Medical 15% ~ Cardiothoracic (Heart surgery) 13% ~ Orthapeadics (Bones & Bone disease) 11% ~ Haemotology (Blood disease) 9% ~ Accident & Emergency 8% ~ Renal or anything to do with kidneys 6% ~ Paediatrics & Neonatal (Newborns & children) 6% ~ Intensive care 4% ~ Obstetrics & Gynaecology 3.5% (Not sure where the other 1.5% goes!!) ~ Giving Blood ~ It is a very quick process, taking about ten minutes. Firstly they will run through some quick general medical qustions. Then they do... Read review

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Advantages: You are helping people
Disadvantages: you expect it when you need it

...You kiss your husband goodbye and take the kids off to school. You are returning home, when a car hits you. You are trapped inside the car and losing a large amount of blood. The ambulance men come and the firemen and get you out and take you to hospital. Here you loose so much blood that you have to have a transfusion. All of a sudden throughout the country there have been similar people in the same state or people needing operations or for some other reason, who do they choose? At the present moment they only have just over 59000 packs of blood left in this county. Albeit it a far fetched situation but if there was a crisis and everyone needed lots of blood they only could replace 5900 people who needed 10 pints of blood. The others would simply die. As far back as the early 1600s people started to realise that blood flowed around... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Helps seriously sick people.
Disadvantages: None.

...I first started giving blood when I was 18 years old, I won't tell you how long ago that was! After I had given it the first time, I couldn't wait until the next. After giving blood for a number of years, i was invited to The Welsh Blood Centre in Llantrisant to give platelets for Apheresis. Platelets are used to help people who have Cancer or Leukaemia. By donating platelets in this way, one donation provides enough platelets for up to three people. The process is different to giving pint of blood. It takes about an hour to take a pint of blood, spin the white platelets out and return the blood back to your body. This process is repeated usually four times within the hour and each time the blood is returned to your body. It is usually painless just the same as donating blood. You can also watch TV while all this is happening... Read review

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Advantages: It could save a life
Disadvantages: Takes an hour of your life

...+ Why I started Giving Blood + I had never really considered giving blood until I was in my thirties, despite the fact that members of my family had done so. Then someone close to me, who had been a blood donor, became ill and could no longer give blood. It was at this point that I started to give blood, to take his place. + The First Time + I started giving blood in 2004. I found out that there was a blood donor session at my local leisure centre and simply turned up. The first time that you give blood you are asked to complete a form with your details and questions about your health and lifestyle. You will then be asked to read a folder containing information sheets about the procedure and reminding you of medical eligibility. Once you have donated the first time you will receive, through the post, a blood donor card with your... Read review

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Advantages: see op
Disadvantages: see op

...High Blood Pressure. Blood pressure is one of the main concerns that affects out society. So why is there such concern? Why are so many are there so many strokes that may arise form ignored high blood pressure? Why does it cause so many deaths? To help you to appreciate what is Blood Pressure, we need to know why this is very important knowledge to know. Blood pressure is the physical influence that pushes the blood against the walls of the arteries. Blood is needed to carry its supply from the heart to all of the body’s tissue and organs. Every time this happens, particularly when you are resting it pumps out its blood to the arteries at a rate about 60-70 times a minute. When your doctor measures the heart, using a blood pressure it is measured with an instrument called a sphygmomanometer (pronounce... Read review

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Advantages: Help to save someone's life
Disadvantages: it hurts, and makes you arm cold for aaaages!

...I have finally been inspired to write something for ciao again… happy reading: ****DONATING BLOOD**** Why I did it: I had never been tempted to give blood in the past, of course I had seen the adverts of all these good Samaritans selflessly giving away their life fluid and although I admired them I had no idea to do the same. When I arrived at Uni they were doing a blood drive on campus and my newfound friend asked if I would come with her for moral support, as it was her first time. I agreed and then because I thought it would be friendly said I would give blood too. So we queue up and I give the nurse all my details and then my friend goes, comes back and tells me: "I'm not going to do it anymore". And suddenly the situation flipped and she was the supporter and I was the one with the needle in my arm! Why you SHOULD do it... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful