"Blood transports oxygen and nutrients to body tissues and returns waste and carbon dioxide. Blood distributes nearly everything that is carried from one area in the body to another place within the body. For example, blood transports hormones from endocrine organs to their target organs and tissues. Blood helps maintain body temperature and normal pH levels in body tissues. The protective functions of blood include clot formation and the prevention of infection."

The most common formed element is the erythrocyte, or "red blood cell" (RBC). Despite the common term, this is not a cell at all, although it's derived from true cells. The RBC is the mature stage of development of a cell line in which the nucleus (present in earlier forms) has been lost.

When you have low red blood cell count you may feel:
Fatigued
Weak
Short of breath
Increase in your heart rate
Dizzy or lightheaded when you change positions quickly

If you suffer from low red blood cell count, you may experience:
Headaches
Chest Pain
Pale skin

Things you can do to help manage your low red blood count:
Rest between activities.
Plan ahead and save your energy for the most important activities.
Avoid or stop activities that make you short of breath or make your heart beat faster.
Ask others for help.
Eat a diet with adequate protein and vitamins.
Drink plenty of non-caffeinated and non-alcoholic fluids.

I had to learn to manage my red blood count since I was 22. To this day I plan ahead for active activities and have a pretty strict diet which does involve vitamins (multi) no alcohol and plenty of water. I suffer from severe migrains because of my rbc count. I get checked every three months and so far nothings gotten worse. This lecture has helped me understand rbc's better.