What is Anemia?

Iron deficiency anemia is the most common nutritional disease in the world.

Anemia literally means, "without blood", and is a deficiency of red blood cells, or the presence of abnormal red blood cells due to either reduced production, abnormal production, excess destruction, or blood loss. Conventional medicine does not recognize anemia as a disease, but rather considers it to be a symptom of an underlying pathology leading to a lack of blood. The most common type of anemia is “iron deficiency anemia”.

What are the Symptoms of Anemia?

Anemia can result in a huge variety of symptoms but the most common are: Tiredness, dizziness, headaches, depression, slow healing, loss of sex drive, bruising, nervousness, shortness of breath, pallor (pale complexion) and palpitations (irregular heart beat). Furthermore, anemia is divided into many different types aplastic, megaloblastic, iron deficiency, hemolytic, etc, and may manifest with such different symptoms as fatigue, acute hemorrhaging, high fever, or even jaundice. In order to determine which type of problem is the cause and the best way to treat it, please consult your health care provider immediately.

What Causes Anemia?

Anemia can result from a variety of deficiencies and health circumstances. For example, you may be deficient in iron, Vitamin B-12 or folic acid. Please consult a health care professional in order to determine which type of condition is affecting you. Once you know, what is causing the deficiency then you can consume food, herbs and supplements that are appropriate for your condition. the first thing you need to do is to determine the cause of your anemia. Some of the more common reasons for anemia are:

• Vitamin B-12 or folic acid deficiency
• Iron deficiency
• Vitamin C deficiency
• Vitamin E and B-6 deficiency
• Thyroid disorders
• Alcoholism
• Lead Toxicity
• Infectious diseases such as malaria

Please seek a professional health care provider if...

• Your skin is pale and you feel weak, tired and out of breath.
• Your tongue is slick or smooth.
• You experience fatigue upon exertion.
• Your skin is jaundiced.
• You have bleeding under your skin and you bruise in response to the slightest trauma.
• You are unable to do your usual physical activities.
• You feel tired for more than five days.

Lifestyle Recommendations:

• Include the foods recommended in Diet & Nutrition  into your diet. The specific choice of food will be dictated by the type of anemia you have.
• Keep track of the foods you eat and find out whether they are rich in iron, folic acid, or vitamin B-12.
• Do not drink coffee, tea, beer or cola with meals. This will inhibit the absorption of iron into your body. Instead, include water or drink citrus juices. Citris juices are rich in Vitamin C and assist absorption of iron.
• Take daily multivitamin. *Do not take any iron supplements without consulting your health care professional.
• Avoid excessive consumption of alcohol.
• If you are a strict vegetarian, watch your diet very closely and seek the help of an experienced nutritional expert.
• Do not smoke. Avoid second hand smoke.
• Minimize your exposure to lead and other toxic metals such as aluminum, cadmium and mercury.

Herbal Medicine and TCM:

Professionally administered herbal medicine can be extremely effective in the treatment of anemia when administered by an experienced and knowledgeable practitioner. Similarly, herbal medicine and TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) can be ineffective or even have adverse side effects if not administered correctly. For example, an herbalist or TCM practitioner might see an anemic patient with a yellow complexion, and recommend a combination of Dong quai and Chinese foxglove root. That same practitioner might see another patient with symptoms that include a white complexion and they may recommend a combination of ginseng and Astragalus. Herbal medicine and TCM is so uniquely effective because it discriminates and treats different causes and patterns of a disease rather than the symptoms themselves. Be sure to find professional advice in order to use the herbs that will be the most effective for your unique health care needs. Listed below are some of the many

• Dong quai - This herb is rich in vitamins and minerals.
• Chive - This vegetable is rich in vitamin C and iron - eat fresh chives.
• Quinoa - This is a grain rich in all eight essential amino acids that form a complete protein.
• Gentian - The bitter herb gentian is popular in England for the treatment of anemia. Gentian can be brewed into a tea or you can take a commercially available extract.
• Dandelion is also believed to help people with anemia. It is very rich in vitamins and minerals.
• Ligusticum - is traditionally used to improve blood circulation and aid in new blood formation.
• Ginger and red dates - which improve the absorption of the other herbs in the formula.
• Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng) - is useful as a general tonic to counteract anemia induced fatigue. Dong quai may be prescribed for women with heavy menstrual flow.
• Fatigue Fighter is a natural remedy to support healthy energy levels, stamina and vitality.

Other herbs that are of interest to those suffering from anemia include:

• Alfalfa
• Bilberry
• Burdock root
• Goldenseal
• Hawthorn berry
• Horsetail
• Mullein
• Parsley
• Nettle
• Oregon grape root*
• Pau d'arco
• Shepherd's purse
• Watercress
• Yellow dock root

Caution: Do not take goldenseal or Oregon grape root if you are pregnant. If you have a history of cardiovascular disease, diabetes or glaucoma, see your physician before taking any herbs.

Diet & Nutrition:

You can use Diet & Nutrition to determine the foods and vegetables that are beneficial to you condition. Listed below are some of the foods that are considered to be benificial to people who are anemic.

• Good sources of iron are: Green leafy vegetables, apricots, lamb, kidneys, oysters, soy foods, duck, raisins, mushrooms, goose, and spinach
• Good sources of Vitamin B-12 are: Salmon, mackerel and brewer’s yeast.
• Good sources of foliate are: Black eyed peas, beans, and lentils.
• You might consider adding the following foods into your diet if you suspect you are suffering from anemia: Apples, apricots, asparagus, bananas, broccoli, egg yolks (Avoid if you have cardiovascular disease or have high cholesterol problem), kelp, leafy greens, okra, parsley, peas, plums, prunes, purple grapes, raisins, rice bran, squash, turnip greens, whole grains, and yams. It is a very good idea to eat food high in Vitamin C to improve the absorption of iron by your body.
• Please avoid foods that are high in Oxalic acid from your diet.  Foods such as: Almonds, cashews, chocolate, kale, rhubarb, sorrel, spinach, Swiss chard and most nuts and beans are high in oxalic acid. Oxalic acid interferes with iron absorption.
• Avoid foods that interfere with the iron absorption. Examples of foods to avoid are: beer, candy bars, dairy products, ice cream, soft drinks, coffee and tea.
• Take a tablespoonful of blackstrap molasses twice daily. Molasses is a good source of iron and essential B vitamins. For children, mix the molasses in a glass of milk or in their formula.
• Do not take calcium, vitamin E, zinc, or antacids at the same time as iron supplements. These interfere with the iron absorption.

WARNING: Iron is extremely toxic in large quantities. Excessive use of supplements can lead to iron overload, possibly resulting in abdominal pain, nutritional imbalances, digestive problems, or even in death, especially in children. Supplements pose a particular threat to people with the inherited disorder hemochromatosis. Consult a qualified health care provider before you start any treatment involving iron supplements.

 Vitamin Therapy

• Take raw liver extract 500 mg twice daily for red blood cell production.
• Folic acid 800 mcg + Biotin 300 mcg twice daily.
• If you have iron deficiency, take iron with 100 mg of Vitamin C, under the supervision of your physician. One of the natural source of iron is
• Vitamin B-12 - 2,000 mcg 3 times daily. This may be injected 2 cc weekly under the care of a doctor.

Other vitamins and supplements that are important are:

• Vitamin B complex - 50 mg 3 times daily
• Extra pantothenic acid (vitamin B-5) - 50 mg 3 times daily and pyridoxine (Vitamin B-6) - 100 mg daily
• Vitamin C - 3,000 to 10,000 mg daily
• You may also consume brewers yeast as recommended on the label.
• Copper, Zinc, Raw spleen glandular, Vitamin A, Natural Beta Carotene and Vitamin E.

WARNING: Iron is extremely toxic in large quantities. Excessive use of supplements can lead to iron overload, possibly resulting in abdominal pain, nutritional imbalances, digestive problems, or even in death, especially in children. Supplements pose a particular threat to people with the inherited disorder hemochromatosis. Consult a qualified physician before you start any treatment involving iron supplements.

Homeopathy

Homeopathy offers a number of remedies that may be helpful in treating anemia. In general, homeopaths may consider anemia as the result of some other underlying problem and will treat that cause. One such remedy  called Anemi Care  temporarily increases iron absorption to avoid iron deficiency

Disclaimer: Legal Disclaimer: The nutritional and health information contained in this web site is for educational purposes only and its not meant to replace medical advice, diagnose or treat any disease. Nutritional benefits may differ from one person to another, because each person is different. Medical doctors and healthcare professionals can provide disagreeing opinions on health issues consequently each person in the end is responsible for directing their own health care.