Darkfield Microscopy Identifies Potential Health Problems

by Kathleen Ireland Gregg, N.D.

The term “darkfield microscopy” may sound exotic, but it really just describes a simple—though powerful—blood test. Unlike a conventional microscope, a darkfield microscope allows the diversion of light away from the sample being tested, and images then appear light on a dark background.

The technique involves a live blood sample (rather than a dead one, as in a conventional blood test), and because light does not pass through the microscope, the sample doesn’t overheat; therefore, red blood cells are preserved longer, making the test more accurate.

Darkfield microscopy is carried out with a single drop of blood taken from a fingertip prick. The blood is placed on a microscope slide under a glass cover to keep it from drying out.

With the aid of the darkfield microscope and a digital camera, the sample is viewed on a television monitor by both the therapist and the client. The microscope is designed as a screening tool to take the guesswork out of selecting appropriate nutrients for the client.

Live Blood Cell Analysis

Live blood cell analysis is a darkfield microscopic study that allows a therapist to observe the condition of the blood in relationship to vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and enzymes.

We can see how quickly outside forces can change the quality of the blood. Healthy blood promotes the natural healing response.

The fastest way to detect specific nutritional deficiencies is by examining the size and shape of the blood cells, and thereby determining which enzymes and nutrients are missing or in short supply.

Also evident in the live blood cell analysis are foreign agents, such as plaque, fungal forms, bacteria, and parasites. Gaining this knowledge could mean the difference between living a healthy, energetic lifestyle, or not feeling as well as you should.

From this one test we can see if the present diet, lifestyle, and nutrition are working to promote health. If we are not feeling well it will first show up in the blood. If a client has an initial live blood cell analysis, makes some lifestyle changes as a result of that analysis, then has the test again, the therapist will be able to observe changes in the blood as a result of proper use of enzymes, supplements, food, and exercise. No other test is as effective as live blood cell analysis to illustrate the effects of these changes. This test truly opens a new horizon in preventive care.

Plasma (about 91%–93% water) is the liquid in blood that carries the red and white cells as well as other substances. The formal elements in the blood are erythrocytes (red blood cells) and leukocytes (white blood cells), which may include neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, and platelet-thrombocytes.

Plasma is very important; not only does it move other components of blood along the bloodstream, but it contains immunoglobins that help defend against infection. The blood is considered the transportation medium, along with the arteries and veins, that delivers nutrition and removes toxins and wastes from the system.

In live blood cell analysis, it’s very important to observe what is going on between the blood cells and the plasma to assess nutritional balance. Without sufficient enzymes, plasma can look very milky after a meal of fatty foods. Enzymes are catalysts that break down the fat into basic components so our bodies can absorb the nutrients they require to build the cells of tissue and organs.

There are other types of blood tests; however, for me, the live blood cell test is best because I can see what’s going on from both an analytical and a nutritional perspective.

If you experience any of the following, a live blood cell analysis may be helpful in determining a nutritional program for you:

• Fatigue
• Frequent illness
• Intestinal/digestive disorders
• Yeast/parasite problems
• Food cravings
• Allergies
• Headaches
• Joint/muscle pain
• Insomnia
• Anxiety or depression
• Weight imbalances
• Skin disorders
• Menstrual/menopausal concerns

Digestion—Absorption—Elimination

Three bodily functions essential for good health are digestion, absorption, and elimination. When digestion, absorption, and elimination are controlled, you will notice many other symptoms will be eradicated.

Indigestion can be attributed to a great many causes, not only in the stomach. Indigestion, alone or accompanied by problems with absorption and elimination, produces a general “not feeling very well” condition.

Ninety-nine percent of the people working and walking around have a digestion problem. This problem is very easily eliminated. With the proper enzymes the digestion system can be returned to normal.

In order to gain nutritional benefits from the food we eat, it is critical that we properly digest, absorb, and eliminate our food. The best nutrition in the world would be of no use if the body were unable to process food. Fortunately, the human digestive system is quite efficient in extracting the needed nutrients from “good” food under normal conditions.

The major functions of the digestive system are to grind down food and absorb nutrients. The digestive system extends from the mouth to the anus and includes the throat, the esophagus, the intestines and related organs, the salivary glands, the liver and gall bladder, and of course, the pancreas. The digestive process starts in the mouth where food is mixed with saliva, which contains the enzyme amylase.

Digestion occurs as a result of mechanical and chemical processes. The mechanical processes of digestion include grinding, crushing, and mixing the food mass together with digestive juices/enzymes, and it is these digestive juices/enzymes that are responsible for the chemical breakdown of large molecules into smaller molecules by breaking up chemical bonds.

The active compounds in the digestive juices are primarily enzymes. The enzyme protease grinds down proteins, the enzyme amylase grinds down carbohydrates, and the enzyme lipase grinds down fat.

Based on what is discovered in the live blood cell analysis, plant enzymes or other nutritional aids may be recommended to correct any imbalances that show up in the blood. Enzymes are essential for optimal health and a feeling of well-being. Life as we know it could not exist without the action of enzymes, even in the presence of sufficient amounts of vitamins, minerals, and water.

Help Your Body Heal Itself

Conventional medicine identifies how microorganisms influence the body to cause disease or illness, attaches a name to the symptoms, and prescribes various drugs to treat these symptoms. In natural medicine, on the other hand, when an enzyme or nutritional product is used, it puts substances into the body that promote health and healing. In health we do not have illness so there is no disease.

When we take a drug or chemical, it is designed to go into the body and stop or alter the body’s chemistry related to an illness or disease, and not to alleviate the illness itself.

When we use enzymes or nutritional products, we are dealing with real food, designed to facilitate or enhance the health process in the body. The supplements nutritionally help the body get back to a normal state. With this process there is a healthy outcome.

All factors of life are energetic in design. The body is a complex, dynamic system of electrical impulses and pulsations that organize and govern all chemical processes.

We are not just a set of components that can be isolated and treated outside the context of the whole. Each cell is a part of a flow system within a flow system designed to maintain balance and poise.

The use of natural therapies supports the body’s innate wisdom and tendencies toward renewal and replenishment. The goal of darkfield microscopy is to help you regain this wisdom and these tendencies.