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“Oh, your blood work looks fine.” We’ve all heard it, but are often left feeling quizzical, finding it hard to believe this response after seeing what would appear to be ‘abnormal values’ in the results. Well now, if you are left with a lingering desire for a deeper explanation, you can check out TikTok creator TheOncDoc! With videos boasting over a million views, Dr. Sanjay Juneja’s posts swiftly top the trending page, yet still provide relevant education on blood work and concepts applicable to everyone. Both a hematologist and medical oncologist, Dr. Juneja has over half a million followers on social media and is usually found posting about arguably one of the driest fields in healthcare (his words, not ours!). He has been supremely surgical with his delivery, and so much so that he has caught the attention of and since partnered with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, BeTheMatch, The Washington Post and, most recently, the White House! One of his most popular videos addresses the very important implications of an anemia diagnosis. “Anemia should always be worked up,” Dr. Juneja explains. “It is never normal to just run anemic. The worst one for me personally is when someone complains of fatigue, is obviously or objectively iron deficient, but for whatever reason is not replenished. Worse still is when someone who does not have a history of anemia or iron deficiency presents with such and does not get a thorough screening for blood loss.” He explains that iron deficiency is never normal, nor considered “permissive” if asymptomatic.
Dr. Juneja’s anemia and CBC video actually caught the attention of the social media industry’s Kelsey Darraugh’s, which evidently led to him guest-starring on her podcast ‘Confidently Insecure’ where they spoke on how difficult it can be to get answers for vague symptoms and for explanations of abnormalities. Fortunately, we now have a resource to explain those abnormal red or italicized numbers. If Dr. Juneja could leave readers with one piece of advice relating to the world of blood, he would say: “Please consider registering into the bone marrow registry for transplants—there are so many children and people waiting shakily and just hoping their match swabs their cheek one day, which is literally the only key to continue living for many.”
For more on Dr. Juneja’s journey, follow him on his Instagram at @TheOncDoc or on his TikTok at @theoncdoc.
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