Not Enough Iron?
When your body does not have enough healthy red blood cells, that condition is called anemia. It is these red blood cells that supply the body tissues with the oxygen they need. Anemia comes in many forms and iron deficient anemia is the most common from of anemia. This is when there is not enough iron in the blood. Statistics tell us that about half of all pregnant women do not have enough iron in their blood and twenty percent of all women are iron deficient. In men, there are about three percent who are low on iron.
The oxygen carring protein in the blood is hemoglobin and iron is an important part of hemoglobin. Our bodies normally will get the iron needed for a healthy body from the foods that we eat. It can also come from the recycling of the old red blood cells and without iron, this oxygen transportation is not efficient. A woman who experiences heavy menstrual bleed each month can be lacking iron in her body and there are some people who just do not absorb iron correctly. Iron deficiency symptoms can be things like brittle nails, the white part of the eyes looks blue and there can be a drop in the appetite. This person can be irritable and have a headache along with feeling fatigued. The tongue can feel sore and the skin will have a pale color. Weakness is another symptoms and unusual food craving is also noticed.
Treatment can be in the from of a iron supplement and these are best taken on an empty stomach. Many people cannot tolerate this on an empty stomach so they will then take theirs with food. If you cannot take this supplement by mouth, it can be given by an IV in your doctor’s office. Try not to drink milk or use antacids as these two things can interfere with the absorption of iron. To increase the absorption of iron, you can take vitamin C at the same time. Expecting mothers will need extra iron during their pregnancy and if they are breast feeding, they should continue after the baby is born. Foods that are rich in iron are egg yokes, fish, beans and peas, meats, raisins and whole grain breads. With treatment, those will low iron counts will get back to where they should be and generally there are no complications in the condition of iron deficient anemia.
