Anemia often responds very well to sound dietary practices along with proper supplementation. To learn more about iridology and anemia, read "Iris signs that suggest a risk of anemia."
by Judith Cobb, MH, CI, NCP, NNCP, CCII
Note: More information about the products mentioned can be found at the end of the article.
Do you remember the TV commercials for liquid iron supplements? They asked the all-important question, “Do you suffer from iron poor blood?” It seemed back then that all ‘housewives’ were destined to a life of fatigue and listlessness. According to today’s research, approximately 10 percent of all women and 2 percent of all men are anemic.1
What is anemia?
Lack of red blood cells and/or lack of iron in those red blood cells can result in the diagnosis of anemia. There are other types of anemia that happen when red blood cells cannot do their work effectively because of their shape or fragility.
Each red blood cell is supposed to have four molecules of a very complex protein called hemoglobin. Each hemoglobin molecule has an iron molecule at its center. It is this iron molecule that specifically is charged (both in responsibility and electrically) to carry oxygen, and it is that oxygen that provides the catalyst for the breaking down of carbohydrates into energy within the cells. So, if there are not enough red blood cells and/or iron, there cannot be enough oxygen circulating in the body, and symptoms will result.
Symptoms of anemia
The most common symptoms of anemia are fatigue, tiredness, heart palpitations, breathlessness with little or no exertion, problems concentrating, irritability, headaches, dizziness, fainting spells, pale skin, pale mucous membranes, dry skin, brittle nails, hair loss, lowered immune response, and cool sensations. (All of these symptoms can also be indicators of other problems.)
Normal hemoglobin blood test readings should be between 120g/L and 160g/L for women, and between 137g/L and 180g/L for men (Canadian lab references),2 between 120-155gL for women and 135-175g/L for men (US lab references).3
Types of Anemia
Hemolytic anemia
Hemolytic anemia is the result of the spleen being too efficient. Red blood cells generally last about 120 days each. As the cells age, it is the responsibility of the spleen and liver to select the older, more worn out ones, break them down, and recycle reusable parts. If the spleen goes ‘batty’ and starts pulling out red blood cells that are not worn out, it causes at least three problems. The first is anemia. The second is liver stress from having to deal with the excess of bilirubin being released from the increased number of blood cells that are being broken down. The third is that the spleen itself becomes inflamed from working too hard. If hemolytic anemia is the problem, there can be a few extra symptoms beyond normal anemia. They include jaundice (which is most easily seen in the whites of the eyes turning yellow) and pain in the upper left abdomen, caused by the spleen inflammation.
There are several types of hemolytic anemia wherein the red blood cells are deformed and usually more brittle. The most common are thalassemia, spherocystosis, and sickle-cell. Other causes of hemolytic anemia can include toxins, medications, and autoimmune disorders that affect the body’s handling of the blood cells, and being too athletic.4
Megaloblastic anemia
Yet another common type of anemia is megaloblastic anemia, and a subtype of this is pernicious anemia. A deficiency of vitamin B12, due to a lack of the enzyme needed to absorb B12, inhibits the production of red blood cells. Because B12 is also important for the health of the nerve sheaths, a deficiency of this vitamin can lead to restlessness, tingling or numbness in the legs, burning in the tongue, stomach aches, and loss of appetite. Other causes of megaloblastic anemia include liver disease, Crohn’s and celiac disease, folic acid deficiency, the birth control pill, and excessive alcohol consumption.
Iron deficient anemia
Anemia can be the result if there is not enough iron being supplied, not enough iron being assimilated, or too much iron being lost. Since bacteria also need iron to reproduce, having repeated bacterial infections can deplete one’s iron stores.
Iron deficient anemia is the most common form of anemia. It prevails among women who have heavy menstrual flows, elderly who have poor nutrition, digestion, and assimilation, pregnant women who are undergoing massive increases in blood volume, and lactating mothers. But use caution - it is critically important to have blood work done before starting a high iron supplement therapy. Too much supplemental iron can damage the liver, heart, pancreas, and immune cell activity.
Any kind of blood loss can contribute to iron deficient anemia. Besides menstrual flows, some causes of heavy blood loss include the use of anti-inflammatory drugs and intrauterine birth control devices (IUDs).
Therapies for anemia
Birth control pill
One of the most common forms of therapy recommended by medical doctors for anemia in menstruating women is the birth control pill. By using hormones from an outside source to regulate the periods (the pill loosely simulates the hormonal balance of pregnancy), the amount of uterine lining that is built up is significantly reduced. This reduces the amount of lining and blood that can be lost during menses. The pill, however, puts unnecessary stress on the liver.5
Ironically, women who are anemic tend to have heavier periods. Iron acts somewhat as a blood coagulant. One of the best ways to correct anemia in these women is to build their iron as rapidly as possible. We’ll look at ways to build iron a little later on.
Nutrition
Food choices are very important in combating anemia. Coffee and tea contain acids that toughen the stomach lining and bind up dietary iron, making it unassimilable. When the lining is abused in this way, the body’s ability to secrete enough digestive juices to break foods down well enough to release iron is significantly inhibited, and if you can’t get at the iron you can’t assimilate it. The tea and toast syndrome that elderly people get into pushes them into anemia by 1) not providing enough dietary iron, and 2) by reducing their already age-reduced digestive juices. Wheat bran also inhibits the absorption of iron, so using wheat bran as a nutritional food additive may not be a good idea.
Many young and poorly informed vegetarians also get into problems with anemia. Too many people think that vegetarianism means only giving up animal sourced products. While we can get enough iron and protein from a well-planned vegetarian diet, it is much harder to get the required amount of B12 from that same diet. Sources are rare and include spirulina and hawthorn berries.
Green leafy vegetables play an important role in correcting anemia. Since iron is bound by heat, eating vegetables raw (but chewing them very well) makes the iron more available to us. Other vegetables for boosting iron include leeks, parsley (not generally for use in pregnancy or breastfeeding, because it can compromise the pregnancy and dry up breast milk), spinach, green peas, and Jerusalem artichokes. Good fruits are dried apricots, prunes, raisins, strawberries, and dark grapes. Simplify this list to dark green vegetables and purple fruits and vegetables, add whole grains (especially oats), blackstrap molasses and animal flesh proteins, and you have a diet that will supply iron in easy to assimilate forms. (Note the absence of dairy products on this list!)
Supplements for anemia
Iron can be taken as a supplement. Most commonly and readily bioavailable forms include ferrous sulphate, ferrous fumarate, and ferrous gluconate. To maximize its bioavailability, it is wise to take any iron supplements with vitamin C, which is how it is supplied in Nature’s Sunshine Product’s Iron plus Vitamin C formula. Calcium, zinc, and synthetic vitamin E inhibit the absorption of iron. Interestingly, however, zinc and vitamin E, along with copper, are essential to the formation of healthy red blood cells. (By the way, since iron supplements tend to constipate, take good care of the bowels. If help is needed, consider NSP’s LBS II formula.)
To enhance the red blood cell building side of the program, all iron supplements should be taken with a broad spectrum B-complex vitamin - like Stress Formula. The stomach needs the B-complex family to enhance its production of hydrochloric acid that is necessary for the digestion of iron. Natural vitamin E can be helpful in cases of hemolytic anemia by making the red blood cells less fragile.
Anemia in pregnancy responds well to a combination of B-complex and extra folate, vitamin C, and iron along with some digestive support in the form of Garden Essence Enzymes or Digestive Enzymes.
One of my favorite supplements for anemia is liquid chlorophyll. Early on in my practice I worked with a woman in her early thirties who had had several abdominal surgeries, including removal of a section of her bowel as a treatment for Crohn’s disease. She had a strong history of bowel bleeds and anemia and was pregnant. At our first meeting in her first trimester her hemoglobin was approximately 90 when it should have been at least 120. Her obstetrician was talking about packed cell transfusions to build her counts, but this was in the early 1980s with AIDS just hitting the news in a huge way. My client did not want to risk contracting AIDS. We chose, instead, to use 4 ounces of liquid chlorophyll per day, diluted in water, and added to that Protein Digestive Aid, marshmallow and pepsin. Within five weeks, her red blood cell count had climbed to over 140. It had never been that high in her adult life, and in spite of ending up with an emergency caesarean section, her count did not fall below 140.
There are certainly many other herbs that are rich in iron and can be very beneficial in correcting anemia. Herbs that contain good amounts of iron include devil’s claw, chickweed, mullein, kelp, burdock, catnip, milk thistle seed, and red raspberry leaf. Nature’s Sunshine’s I-X is a very iron-dense blend of herbs. Red raspberry leaf supplies iron in one of the most easy to assimilate forms. Many of these herbs either support the liver or the spleen or both, as well as being very nutritive in nature.
The take-away? “Tired blood” can be boosted. Sound dietary practices along with proper supplementation can make all the difference in the world.
If you have concerns about your health, or just don’t know where to begin making improvements, please contact me, Judith Cobb, to book an appointment. Skype, phone, webinar, and face-to-face appointments are available.
I also invite you to Like us on Facebook (Cobblestone Health Ltd) and to visit my other websites:
WomensHolisticHealth.com
Iridology.Education
Products referred to in article:
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Bibliography:
- Anemia and Heavy Menstrual Flow by Susan M. Lark
- Encyclopedia of Natural Healing by Zoltan Rona
- Nutritional Herbology by Mark Pedersen
- Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Balch and Balch
Sources:
- http://www.aafp.org/afp/2007/0301/p671.html
- http://www.calgarylabservices.com/files/LabTests/CBCReferenceValues.pdf
- http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/complete-blood-count/details/results/rsc-20257186
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3417720/
- https://livertox.nlm.nih.gov/Estrogens.htm
Copyright © 2017 by Judith Cobb, Cobblestone Health Ltd. All rights reserved. Please respect the time it takes to write and publish articles. If you will link to this article and give proper attribution, you are encouraged to quote sections (though not the entire article).