.......Since we obviously can't trust our "healthcare" industry anymore.
I have very little iron in my blood and might need a blood transfusion. Anyone know why the iron is so low and what I could do to get it back to normal levels?
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I had anaemia, made it worse with a veggie diet, made it better with good quality red meat. Lots of other things to do, hopefully frens will add, but meat is an easy way to get iron.
Doesn't kale have lots of iron as well?
Iron and vitamin C go together.
Get a copper water bottle, adds trace amount of coper to your diet, helps absorb iron.
IBS or other gut issues. Fasting 16 hours per day is the best fix for gut health. Less in, less out, more healing.
Clean up diet, drinking strips all sorts of things out of the body. Caffeine also to help removes minerals. Get away from vegetable or canola oils.
Eat things to improve gut health. Sour Kraut, or other probiotics.
Pump some iron. Breaking down and letting the body rebuild works wonders.
Well, it would help to know what your diet is like!
Lots of red meat, raw spinach and iron supplements. I have this issue in my home. Several transfusions later this is how I keep it under control...
There are several reasons for anemia...only one being a lack of iron in the diet. Unfortunately, too MUCH iron can be bad, too, so don't try to diagnose it on your own. If you have health insurance, find a hematologist...they may work for a larger HMO, but that specialty doesn't have any sort of conflicting "agenda" you need to be concerned with. It sounds like you've already had labs done to discover it in the first place? Why do you have concerns about continuing with that provider?
This is perhaps one path of anemia you hadn't considered: https://www.verywellhealth.com/anemia-and-celiac-disease-563116 If you're going to self-diagnose, this is one thing you can do on your own. The only thing I would suggest is to make sure you have a good baseline of labs established FIRST before going gluten-free.
You don’t drink seltzer water with quinine in it do you? Apparently that will affect iron levels. (I know of someone for whom this definitely happened.
I had a history of low iron for many years. Here is what I found that helped me. I agree with the advice to eat red meat and avoid trying to get iron from spinach and other veggies; some of which contain oxalic acid, which binds to iron and prevents its absorption.
Here are the two supplements that worked for me.
By far, this is the best iron supplement I've ever taken. It contains all the supplemental nutrients needed for absorption. I like the sustained release. NaturesPlus Hema-Plex Iron - 30 Sustained Release Tablets, Pack of 2 - 85 mg Elemental Iron - Total Blood Health - with Vitamin C & Bioflavonoids - Vegan, Gluten Free - 60 Total Servings https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08W8J7S4H/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_Q6XW3KTE8Q5WD0DF1C8M
Also, I found that (for me - you will want to research for your condition) taking a horsetail supplement 3 weeks on and 1 week off resolved the underlying issue that was causing my low iron.
I am not qualified to give medical advice. I am merely sharing my personal experience and research in the hopes that it can help OP or sometime else.
I understand, that if you use an iron pan or skillet. That does help. I know it sounds silly but do your own research. Some studies say the effect is very small.
Grandparents always said that it is good to have a rusty knife and to slice an apple everyday with this knive to get enough iron intake.
Most breakfast cereals are iron fortifired. And red meat is a great source. So I would say start there. Do thise for a couple weeks and see how you feel.
I think there are plant based liquid iron supplements for pregnant women with iron deficiency, which would be healthier and can also be taken by men.
Yes, you are totally right.
Sounds a daft question but do you have pets, cats, dogs etc?
I was told to have beef liver once a week.
Eat foods that are "fortified", like cereals. Beef. beef. Beef and especially liver.
Iron is also depending on: vitamin d, b12, folic acid, magnesium, calcium - they all work together.
Some drugs/meds cause iron deficiency, for example by thinning the blood too much, but also due to other effects.
Eat more red meat, liver, cod liver, oyesters, beans, peas, lentils, oatmeal, sauerkraut, cale, blackstrap molasses, dark leafy greens, nettle (as a tea or like spinach or like a herb for soups), barley grass powder.
Enjoy the sun.
First, there are 2 types of iron the body needs, nonheme and heme. You can get one from red meat and one from plants like spinach. You'll want to consume with vitamin C containing foods, like red bell peppers, to increase absorption of iron. You may want to also avoid ingesting too much calcium at the same time as some studies have shown that calcium blocks iron absorption (but this was a controversial topic last I looked into it so do your own research).
When I was pregnant and planning a homebirth, I had this same problem and was being threatened with needing to switch to a ob/hospital if I didn't get it under control. So I ate lots of grassfed steak sauteed with spinach and red bell peppers cooked in cast iron for a little extra boost of iron, and I did great. I also decided to avoid dairy. Works fast.
PS iron supplements suck. There's no guarantee you'll absorb them, and they can start to cause bathroom problems. I always use food first to correct an imbalance as it's the form we are meant to take in, the vitamins in food are bioavailable, and its less likely to cause side effects.