Donating blood?

now a days they turn away people for the smallest issues. One of my friends who has O (don't they need universal donors?) got turned away recently because she had acupuncture within 48 hours. kind of silly.

I can't donate (underweight, anemia etc....) but I really do appreciate those people who do. I have had blood transfusions and I always think - some nice person took time out of their day to donate this blood.

Donating blood saves lives, I really believe that.

Everyone always says they wouldn't wish this disease on their worst enemy. So I am surprised that anyone would donate blood since so little is known about auto immune diseases. Why take the risk of giving another person something their body would need to fight off? I have a friend who had a kidney transplant and it was one of the questions they asked her, if she had ever had a blood transfusion. If she had said yes it would have disqualified her because they consider it a transplant also. Your body does know the difference between your own tissue (or in this case blood) and that if another person and tries to reject it. Who knows for sure what can and can't be transmitted?

I guess for me I think, if I was the patient who is likely extremely unwell themselves, would I want blood from someone who's sick also, or from a well person. I think it's important to keep the blood bank of a high standard. I know they only test for infectious pathogens because doing everything would be in feasible, however in my mind the immune storm swirling around in our blood can't be good.