Your bone marrow plays a vital function because it’s the site for the production of blood cells, specifically red blood cells, most white blood cells and platelets. These cells are responsible for the maintenance and protection of all the other cells of your body.
Each day billions of active blood cells are either taken out of circulation, used up while performing their designated duties or some circumstance requires additional ones. Amazingly, bone marrow that is properly functioning routinely meets your body’s demands for blood cell generation.
How? Hematopoietic stem cells power of self renewal, ability to differentiate and proliferate upon demand. In other words, these stem cells can mature into various blood cell types quick enough to fulfill your body’s needs without an overall loss in the originating cell numbers in the process. This capability is significant in maintaining and protecting your health.
Hematopoietic stem cells reside and perform their fundamental function in your bone marrow. Bone marrow is in the center of most large bones. All your bone marrow is not actively involved in blood cell production. There are two types, red and yellow. Red marrow consists of hematopoietic stem cells and yellow does not, it’s mainly fat cells. However, yellow can be converted to red in support of production needs after an incidence of severe blood loss.
Hematopoietic stem cells have the unique ability to adjust the amount of blood cells it creates in response to a variety of demands, such as hemorrhage, inflammation, hypoxia, infection and allergens. Unfortunately, the smooth functioning of bone marrow can be affected or damaged by certain diseases, drugs (e.g. chemotherapy) and radiation (e.g. to treat cancer). But for some cases, a bone marrow transplant, either using your own or somebody else’s, can successfully treat this health condition.