Anemia Information

Scientific References for natural Anemia treatments

2006-07-21T17:54:00.000-07:00

Scientific References for natural Anemia treatments

Little DR. Ambulatory management of common forms of anemia. Am Fam Physician 1999;59:1598–604 [review].
Hodges RE, Sauberlich HE, Canham JE, et al. Hematopoietic studies in vitamin A deficiency. Am J Clin Nutr 1978;31:876–85 [review].
Bloem MW. Interdependence of vitamin A and iron: an important association for programmes of anaemia control. Proc Nutr Soc 1995;54:501–8 [review].
Lane M, Alfrey CP. The anemia of human riboflavin deficiency. Blood 1965;25:432–42.
Orehek AJ, Kollas CD. Refractory postpartum anemia due to vitamin B6 deficiency. Ann Intern Med 1997;126(10):834–5 [letter].
Iwama H, Iwase O, Hayashi S, et al. Macrocytic anemia with anisocytosis due to alcohol abuse and vitamin B6 deficiency. Rinsho Ketsueki 1998;39:1127–30 [in Japanese].
Hirschmann JV, Raugi GJ. Adult scurvy. J Am Acad Dermatol 1999;41:895–906 [review].
Summerfield AL, Steinberg FU, Gonzalez JG. Morphologic findings in bone marrow precursor cells in zinc-induced copper deficiency anemia. Am J Clin Pathol 1992;97:665–8.
Freycon F, Pouyau G. Rare nutritional deficiency anemia: deficiency of copper and vitamin E. Sem Hop 1983;59:488–93 [review] [in French].
Borgna-Pignatti C, Marradi P, Pinelli L, et al. Thiamine-responsive anemia in DIDMOAD syndrome. J Pediatr 1989;114:405–10.
Neufeld EJ, Mandel H, Raz T, et al. Localization of the gene for thiamine-responsive megaloblastic anemia syndrome, on the long arm of chromosome 1, by homozygosity mapping. Am J Hum Genet 1997;61:1335–41.

Natural Preventative Strategies for Thasselemia

2006-07-21T17:53:00.000-07:00

Thalassemia - Preventive Strategies
For Thalassemia Consider using;

Folic acid,
L carnitine,
Taurine,
Magnesium,
Zinc.

Anemia - Natural Preventive Strategies

2006-07-20T17:51:00.000-07:00

Anemia - Preventive Strategies
Supplementing a healthy diet with the following has proved to be effective in double blind human studies.

Iron,
Folic acid,
Vitamin B1, B2, B6, B12,
Vitamin A,
Vitamin E,
Vitamin C,
Copper.

Dietary Strategies for Anemia

2006-07-19T17:48:00.000-07:00

Dietary Strategies for Anemia
Certain foods contain higher levels of iron as well as other nutrients. A few examples of these include;

Black strap molasses
Spirulina and other blue-green algae
Alfalfa

Congenital Diseases: Sickle-cell anemia

2006-07-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

Sickle-cell anemia
This genetically caused form of anemia is named after the shape the red blood cells assume as a result of this condition. It typically affects people of African, Mediterranean, East Indian and Middle Eastern descent and rarely people of European descent.
The characteristic shape of these red blood cells creates blockages or clogging of the small blood vessels throughout the body resulting in greatly diminished delivery of oxygen to tissues and cells.

Congenital diseases - Thalassemia

2006-07-17T13:51:00.000-07:00

Congenital diseases - Thalassemia

Thalassemia is a genetic condition found in families that varies in severity. There are 4 genes called alpha chain genes and the more of these genes that are damaged or fail to function, the more apparent this condition is.
With the loss of one gene, the production of alpha protein is only diminished slightly with the result that the condition is so trivial, it is virtually unnoticeable except through extensive laboratory testing.
When 2 gene depletion or damage occurs, it will result at most in a mild form of anemia.
With the loss of three genes the result is severe anemia and individuals suffering from this condition often require blood transfusions as a result of accumulation of an abnormal hemoglobin called hemoglobin H which does not carry oxygen efficiently and causes the red blood cell containing this abnormal hemoglobin to be die prematurely.
When all four alpha genes are affected, those individuals usually die prior to birth or shortly after due to severe blood cell abnormality.

Excessive alcohol or drug use dangerous for people with Anemia

2006-07-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

Excessive alcohol or drug use - with Anemia

Excessive alcohol or drug use not only creates issues with nutrient absorption due to damage to the gastrointestinal system including the small and large bowel and liver, it also actively depletes a number of B vitamins including vitamin B6 and B2.

Pregnancy and breast-feeding with Anemia

2006-07-14T21:11:00.000-07:00

Pregnancy and breast-feeding
It's obvious the pregnancy and breastfeeding can create deficiency conditions simply as a result of physical stress from gestation and breastfeeding. Not only is regular routine thrown off due to the new baby and its needs, often the diet is compromised as well.

Vitamin deficiencies as cause of Anemia

2006-07-13T21:11:00.000-07:00

Iron, folic acid, vitamin B12, or other vitamin deficiencies;

While a lack of iron in the diet is self explanatory and is an obvious reason for anemia, there are other less obvious nutritional deficiencies that also contribute to anemia. One of these is vitamin B 12 deficiency. Absorption of B 12 from the diet in the small intestine requires an enzyme secreted from the stomach known as intrinsic factor. When this factor is low, absorption of vitamin B 12 from diet is severely restricted resulting in a severe impairment to the body's ability to manufacture blood. In addition, the body's normal timetable for recycling of blood cells is accelerated with the end result of increased and premature blood cell destruction. Along with this also comes damage to the nervous system. This condition is called pernicious anemia.
Other deficiencies include folic acid and B1 and rarely deficiencies such as copper, vitamin A, B2, B6, E, C can also play a role in anemia.

Causes of Anemia

2006-07-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

Causes
There are several different forms and causes of anemia.
One cause of anemia is due to a lack of blood volume from blood loss which can be a result of;

Gastrointestinal blood loss (caused by ulcers, cancer, parasites)
Genitourinary blood loss (such as from heavy menstruation)
Excessive blood loss (after surgery or due to regular blood donations)

Another cause is lack of absorption of iron due to;

Certain chronic conditions such as colitis, celiac or Crohns disease which in turn hampers absorption of iron even if it is present in sufficient amounts.
As we age, our ability to absorb minerals from foods decreases. It has been estimated that by the time we reach the age of 50, our capacity for absorption of nutrients has been diminished by at least 50%.

Some of the primary symptoms of Anemia

2006-07-11T21:09:00.000-07:00

These are some of the primary symptoms found in most cases of anemia;

Paleness
Constant background headache
Tiredness and shortness of breath
Dizziness or light headedness
Heart palpitations and chest pain even after very little effort.
Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
Restless leg syndrome (an uncontrollable urge to move legs)

One peculiar symptom called pica is associated with iron-deficiency anemia. The symptoms include the desire to eat unusual things, such as ice, clay, cardboard, paint, or starch. This has been noticed in animals for decades, which may be a result of iron and other mineral deficiencies of soils.

Why is anemia a health concern?

2006-07-11T21:08:00.000-07:00

Why is anemia a health concern?
Iron is an important constituent of blood and helps blood to perform one of its most important tasks, oxygenating all the tissues of the body. Iron is at the core of a substance called hemoglobin which is found in every red blood cell. Hemoglobin in the red blood cells captures oxygen and then circulates to every cell the body. Once the oxygen is delivered to its site, carbon dioxide is captured, taken back to the lungs where it is exhaled as waste. Of course this whole cascade is much more complicated than this simple explanation however these are the essential facts.

Whenever there's a depletion of iron in the blood, the blood loses its ability to utilize oxygen which in turn hampers the ability of every cell to function which in turn affects the energy levels of the organism as a whole. In fact, one of the primary symptoms of anemia is lack of energy for no apparent reason.

What is Anemia?

2006-07-11T21:04:00.000-07:00

What is Anemia?
Also known as hemolytic anemia, low hematocrit, low hemoglobin, low red blood cell count, sideroblastic anemia and thalassemia, anemia may have different names and different causes why it occurs, but the end result is always the same; not enough iron to carry oxygen in the blood either because of a lack of red blood cells themselves or a lack of iron in the existing blood cells.