Posts Tagged ‘Lack Of Iron’

Herbal Medicines For Blood Problems

Comments: 0September 9th, 2011 by admin



Problems with the blood, as opposed to the supply or circulation of blood, are normally the result of something wrong in the chemical composition of the blood so that either it does not flow as it should (it may clot too quickly or not fast enough) or it does not have the right amount of chemicals to nourish and protect the body or itself properly.

Serious blood problems such as hemophilia (an inherited deficiency in which blood will not clot properly, resulting in excessive bleeding), agranulocytosis (which is the result of a white blood cell deficiency), leukemia, polycythemia (high altitude or mountain sickness, from having too many red blood cells), and septicemia (blood poisoning, the result of an overload of disease-causing bacteria in the bloodstream) are relatively rare but need medical help, mostly urgently. They are really not suitable subjects for treatment by alternative therapies.

Anemia

Anemia, which simply means lack of blood, is not a disease so much as a disorder. It is caused by a deficiency of the red oxygen-carrying pigment in blood (hemoglobin), often from lack of iron in the diet. It is more common among women than men and can be a particular problem for women with heavy periods. Iron-deficiency anemia may also be caused by blood loss into the gut in conditions such as peptic ulcer and stomach cancer.

Symptoms of anemia are a “tired-all-the-time” feeling, pale skin, shortness of breath, dizziness, poor concentration, recurrent colds and infections, and white eyelid linings.

Sickle Cell Anemia

Several blood disorders are the result of a single gene. Sickle cell anemia causes a distortion of the red blood cells into sickle shapes (a sort of half-moon shape), slowing the blood flow and decreasing the amount of oxygen the red cells are able to carry. It is much more common in Africans, Caribbeans, and people of middle Eastern descent; in the United States, 1 in every 400 Afro- Americans has this disease. There are several forms of sickle cell anemia, ranging from mild to severe. Symptoms of the severe form, which usually begins at about six months of age, include organ dysfunction, pain, and jaundice, eventually leading and extreme lethargy.

Sickle cell anemia cannot be cured, but most sufferers maintain a good lifestyle with regulerers transfusions. It is often suggested that sufferers, take specific inoculations in order to avoid infection. Dehydration and coldness may cause painful sickle cell crises in the sufferer, and should be avoided.

Treatment

Diet and Nutrition The treatment of iron-deficiency anemia is to take more iron in food or as food supplements, ideally in a multimixture that includes a complex of B vitamins, especially B12 and folic acid, vitamins C, vitamins E, copper, and selenium. Supplements may be taken tablets or liquid tonic. Iron – rich foods include liver beef, and chicken. The best non-animal sources are soybeans, corn flour, spinach, black kidney beans, rhubarb, dried fruits, and dark green leafy vegetables. Biochemic tissue salts may also help. Avoid tea: it cuts down the amount of iron the body can absorb.

Consult a qualified practitioner/therapist for:

Traditional Chinese Medicine Chinese herbs (gui pi wan or “Return spleen tablets”) may help.

Acupuncture Some find this therapy helpful.

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Iron Supplements For Breastfed Babies — Are They Necessary?

Comments: 0December 29th, 2010 by admin



Many parents are led to to believe that routine iron supplementation is required for breastfed babies once they reach 6 months of age. Some studies, however, suggest that iron supplementation is unnecessary, unless signs of iron-deficiency anemia are present.

Iron plays an important role in the development of a baby’s brain and a lack of iron can significantly affect a baby’s ability to learn in later life. Iron is also required by the body to make hemoglobin, which supplies oxygen — through the blood — to the cells of the body . In addition, iron gives red blood cells their color, which is why a lack of iron is often suspected when someone appears particularly pale.

Babies are born with stores of iron, obtained from their mothers during pregnancy. For full term babies, these stores will usually last for at least the first 6 months of life. Some babies, however, are born with inadequate iron stores and have an increased risk of developing iron-deficiency anemia. These include

1. Premature babies. Babies obtain the majority of their iron stores from their mothers during the final months of pregnancy. This means that babies born prematurely may be more likely to have lower stores of iron at birth.

2. Low birthweight babies (generally below 6.5lb). This applies whether or not the pregnancy was full term.

3. Babies born to mothers with poorly controlled diabetes.

At some point, these babies may require iron supplementation, on medical advice.

However, it is the ROUTINE supplementation of full term, healthy, breastfed infants at 6 months that many experts are calling into question.

Whilst you may hear that the iron levels in breastmilk are low, a fact very often overlooked is that iron from breastmilk is extremely well absorbed, at a rate of 49 percent of the available iron. This is because breastmilk contains lactoferrin and transferrin, two specialized proteins that ensure efficient delivery of iron from the milk to your baby. These proteins also prevent the growth of “unfriendly” bacteria, such as E. Coli, by ensuring that no iron is made available to them.

In addition, breastmilk contains high levels of vitamin C and lactose, both of which assist with efficient iron absorption.

For these reasons, many experts now feel that an exclusively breast fed baby receives sufficient iron to keep his levels within the normal range BEYOND the first six months of life. It is, of course, a sensible precaution to have your baby’s iron levels tested, to ensure that no deficiency is present.

Once iron supplements, solid foods or mixed feeding (ie breastmilk plus iron-fortified formula) are introduced to a baby, the amount of iron available to him from breastmilk actually reduces. This is because the specialized breast milk proteins can become saturated by the extra iron he is receiving. They then become less efficient in their job of delivering iron to the baby.

Therefore, it is very important to make sure that, when your baby is eating solid foods on a regular basis, his diet contains plenty of iron rich foods.

These will compensate for the reduction in the amount of iron he is receiving from breastmilk. Good sources of iron include

meat

peas

dark green vegetables

beans

tofu

avocado

yam

barley

whole wheat cereal

broccoli

blackstrap molasses

amaranth

quinoa

millet

It is useful to serve foods containing vitamin C along with iron rich foods, as this combination aids iron absorption . Cooking in cast iron pans is also helpful, as the acids in some foods will “pull” the iron from the pan.

It is important to remember that a nursing mother cannot increase the iron levels in her breastmilk by increasing her own iron intake.

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Importance Of Iron Rich Foods

Comments: 0March 8th, 2010 by admin



Iron content in the body plays a major role in the functioning of the body organs. Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods act as good sources of iron.

They include liver, chicken, turkey, blackstrap molasses, egg yolks, nuts, spinach, broccoli, asparagus, parley, watercress, brussel sprouts, dried fruits such as dates, apricots, prunes, raisins, seafood such as clams, oysters, tuna, salmon, shrimp, lean red meats, lamb, pork, beef, beans, soy beans, lentils, cereals, breads, rice and pasta. Iron content is essential and it is of great importance especially in babies since they play a major role in the growth cycle. When a baby is born it gets the necessary iron content from its mother’s breast milk.

When the baby is four months old extra iron is required by various organs for proper functioning and it is compensated in the form of iron fortified baby cereal. Iron rich baby foods are available in the market and they could be given to the babies for proper growth stimulation. Many foods are fortified with iron and they could be consumed there by preventing complications due to the lack of iron. Some of the foods are instant oatmeal, pasta, ready-to-eat cereals, grits, iron kids bread and carnation instant breakfast mix.

Iron is responsible for the formation of hemoglobin in the blood. Deficiency of iron leads to anemia that is characterized by the low red blood cell count. Lack of iron content in a human body could be identified by symptoms like fatigue, tachycardia, palpitations and rapid heart rate.

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Iron Rich Foods For Vegetarians

Comments: 0July 22nd, 2009 by admin



Iron is an important element for your body to utilize in hemoglobin, which transports oxygen in your blood to all the parts of your body. It’s also necessary for many metabolic reactions in your body. Iron deficiency and the resulting anemia is the most widespread mineral deficiency.

Iron is needed for your body to form the red pigment in your blood, also known as hemoglobin. The iron within your hemoglobin combines with oxygen and takes it throughout your whole body, its organs and its tissues. The average human body contains between 3.5 and 4.5 grams of iron, and two-thirds of that is in your hemoglobin. The rest of your iron is stored in your bone marrow, spleen and liver. A very small amount is also stored in myoglobin, which stores oxygen in the tissue of your muscles.

If your body is deficient in its stores of iron, it can lead to anemia. If the iron stores become depleted, then your synthesis of hemoglobin can be inhibited. Symptoms of anemia include pallor, loss of appetite, insomnia, headaches, breathlessness, lack of stamina and tiredness. All of these symptoms are associated with a lowered oxygen supply to your organs and tissues. Iron is also important to your immune system, so people with low levels of iron have a lower resistance to infection.

Research has also shown that low levels of iron can be associated with impaired function of the brain. Iron deficiency in infants can result in behavior problems and impaired learning ability.

Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional problem worldwide. It has been stated by researchers that two-thirds of children and women of child-bearing age in third-world countries suffer from a lack of iron. And one third of the people in those areas suffer from severe iron deficiency and anemia.

If you are a vegetarian, you will not get iron from meat, which is a usual source of haem. In plant foods, you will find only non-haem iron. This iron is harder to absorb, so more plant foods must be eaten to take in proper amounts of iron.

The rate at which your body can absorb iron from vegetables is also influenced by the other things you may eat with your meals. Phosphates in plant foods can inhibit the rate of absorption, as can the tannin that is often found in tea. Fiber may also inhibit iron absorption.

Vitamin C helps your body to absorb plant-type iron. These include leafy green vegetables, green peppers and citrus fruits. Alcohol, amino acids, sugars and citric acid also helps your body better absorb iron.

Some of the better foods high in iron for vegetarians include dried fruits, kidney beans, lentils, blackstrap molasses, leafy green vegetables and whole grain flours and cereals.

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Vitamin B12 Deficiency Symptoms – How they Could Save Your Health

Comments: 0April 29th, 2009 by admin



Involved in complex cell metabolism, cyanocobalamin, popularly known as vitamin B12, has a bit of a rough time being absorbed by the body. A chemical located in the stomach called “intrinsic factor” processes B12, and anything affecting your ability to produce intrinsic factor can lead to vitamin B12 deficiency. In this article, we’ll look at the symptoms of this condition, what causes it, and the reason why it may actually be beneficial if you get it. Sort of.

Through a complicated exchange of molecules, vitamin B12 processes energy in your body’s cells. It’s absolutely necessary for life. Unfortunately, some people may become deficient in it for several reasons. If you have an inflammatory disease that affects the stomach, for instance, you may be lacking in the vital intrinsic factor necessary for vitamin B12 absorption. Also, since B12 comes from animal products, you may be deficient if you are a vegetarian who doesn’t eat dairy products. In one study, the diabetes medication metformin negatively affects B12 levels.

So you may be lacking in B12. What happens next? Do you feel it?

The main symptoms are weakness, fatigue, shortness of breath, and possibly a pale skin color. These are the symptoms of anemia, and B12 deficiency causes a condition called “pernicious anemia.” Plain old anemia is caused by a lack of iron in the blood, and is treated with iron supplementation. But pernicious anemia does not respond to iron, as it’s directly caused by a lack of B12. So, as you can guess, B12 is the cure for pernicious anemia. But the appearance of this disease may actually be considered a fortunate event.

Having low levels of B12 for a long duration eventually leads to neurological damage. This usually manifests itself in the form of tingling in your hands and feet, and possibly clumsiness while walking. This is permanent nerve damage. Which is why pernicious anemia can actually be seen as a good thing. It acts as a “warning sign” that permanent nerve damage is coming if you don’t do something to correct the situation.

But there’s a caveat.

The B class of vitamins has eight members, and they all work in harmony in the body and is the reason you may often see reference to a supplement as “vitamin B complex.” Among these separate but similar vitamins is one called folic acid, or just folate. Folate is actually vitamin B9, and supplementation with it may have a rather serious side effect in certain circumstances. The problem is that it staves off pernicious anemia. So let’s say you were taking a B9 supplement, or you just happen to have naturally high levels of folate, perhaps from the food you eat. Let’s further suppose you are, unbeknownst to you, deficient in vitamin B12.

Now we have a dangerous problem. You will never get the usual deficiency symptoms, but you will eventually get permanent neurological damage. The folate cancels out your “convenient” anemia symptoms and allows the condition to advance well beyond where it would have.

What should you do, then? If you suspect you may be deficient in vitamin B12, please see a doctor. Oral supplements are not efficient enough at being absorbed to bring your B12 levels back to normal. Only injections, and in some cases a large amount of sublingual B12 supplements, can cure B12 deficiency. And if you are taking folate (vitamin B9) alone, consider switching to a B complex to make sure you are getting enough B12 as well.

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