Lupus Never Looked So Good

I want to preface this post by saying that Iron deficiencies and Anemia are incredibly common compared to other deficiencies (especially in any female of child-bearing age), and is something healthy and sick people alike should be aware of.  According to the CDC, Iron deficiency is the most common deficiency in the world.  And unlike most other vitamins and minerals, an excess amount in the body can cause toxicity and even death.  In short, Iron is not something you want to mess with either way. 

There usually is some confusion over anemia and iron deficiency.  They are not one in the same.  Anemia is a lack of healthy red blood cells in the body.  This can be caused by an iron deficiency, a B 12 deficiency, a folate deficiency or a combination of those three since all those things are necessary for red blood cell function. 

What iron does specifically is two very important things.  First, it is what allows red blood cells to successfully transport oxygen to the body.  Second, it is essential to the regulation of cell growth.  So what will you notice if you become iron deficient (which is quite easy to do, by the way)?

And that is another example for why I am an advocate for natural treatments for chronic illness before resorting to chemical drugs.  Most of those symptoms are also considered symptoms of Lupus itself.  So, a person diagnosed with Lupus may feel the need to hop on steroid treatments because they feel they are having a flare when in reality, the fix may be simpler than they assume. 

So how do you fix a deficiency in iron?  Well, for starters there are two kinds of iron being absorbed into your system.  One is Heme, the other is nonheme.  Heme iron is the iron found in meat, derived from the hemoglobin of animals.  Nonheme iron is found in leafy green veggies.  Nonheme iron is also the kind of iron that is found in any foods you buy that say “iron fortified” or “extra iron added!” or whatever.  Now, while nonheme iron is more abundant in our diets, it is also much harder for us to absorb.  So, people who do not eat meat are often advised to take supplements to keep their levels up. 

Also note that having a stocked supply of Vitamin C can increase your Iron absorption, and a lot of tea drinking can decrease your iron absorption (guilty!). 

((Low levels of Vitamin A can also put you at risk for an iron deficiency, but Vitamin A deficiency is so unheard of except in extremely malnourished 3rd world nations I don’t want people to freak out over it.))

Like I said earlier, there is also a risk for an overdose on Iron.  So who should be careful?  Well, small children, adult men and post-menopausal women are at a very low risk for iron deficiency and should not take supplements unless directly prescribed to do so by a physician.  For anyone else, a teenagers dose of about 15mgs (27mgs is pregnant) a day and an adults dose of about 20mgs (also 27mgs if pregnant) a day is safe and helpful (taking more only if you are suffering from a deficiency and advised by a doctor). 

(Source: ods.od.nih.gov)