Anemia

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Iron: In premenopausal women, depression may be a symptom of chronic iron deficiency anemia. Dose: Up to 15 mg daily. • Magnesium: Deficiency in this mineral can result in depression, confusion, and anxiety. Dose: 250-500 mg daily. • Vitamin C: Deficiencies in vitamin C can lead to depression. Stress, pregnancy, nursing, surgery, inflammatory disease, and infection will all deplete your vitamin C supply. So will aspirin, tetracycline, and birth control pills. Dose: 250-1,000 mg twice daily (it doesn't last long in the body, so it's best to take it twice).

Deficiency symptoms include loss of color in hair and skin; low body temperature; fatigue; anemia; and lowered immune resistance to infection. High-dose zinc (much higher than 25 mg per day) can deplete copper. • Vitamin B12: 500-2,000 meg per day. Deficiency exists in about a third of people with AIDS. If you are having digestive issues, choose a sublingual B12 supplement or talk to your doctor about B12 injections. Supplements of B12 may inhibit viral invasion into certain types of immune cells. Added bonus: supplements of B12 may inhibit viral invasion into certain types of immune cells.

Side effects: These vary, depending on the drug; most commonly they include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, anemia, mouth sores, hair loss, changes in taste and smell, infertility, early menopause, fatigue, pain in hands and feet due to nerve damage, bone loss, excess tear production, and memory loss. Nutrients depleted: Cancer chemotherapy can cause nausea, loss of appetite, and vomiting, all of which have dramatic impact on nutritional status.

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They have pseudoanemia or "dilutional anemia." Even though pseudoanemia is common in people who exercise a lot, real anemia does occur, particularly in highly trained athletes. Despite having normal or greater amounts of red blood cells, they may be low in iron, a condition that is somehow associated with very strenuous activity. Since iron depletion is more prevalent in runners than in cyclists, rowers, or swimmers, it may be that impact stress causes the breakdown of red blood cells.

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It is also useful for fighting anemia, atherosclerosis, fatigue, immune weakness, infection, and osteoporosis. Food sources: Asparagus, broccoli, lima beans, green peas, sweet potatoes, bean sprouts, whole wheat, cantaloupe, strawberries, brewer's yeast, and leafy green vegetables, such as spinach and kale. Supplements: The folic acid content in foods can be depleted by cooking, so supplementation may be necessary. Typical therapeutic dose: 400 meg daily.

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By the way, hemochromatosis and anemia aren't the only hereditary diseases that have gained pride of place in our gene pool by offering protection from another threat, and they're not all related to iron. The second most common genetic disease in Europeans, after hemochromatosis, is cystic fibrosis. It's a terrible, debilitating disease that affects different parts of the body. Most people with cystic fibrosis die young, usually from lung-related illness. Cystic fibrosis is caused by a mutation in a gene called CFTR; it takes two copies of the mutated gene to cause the disease.

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It is used in the treatment of allergies (including milk allergy), anemia, asthma, colic, constipation, cramps, depression, diarrhea, eczema, hay fever, headache, hypertension, indigestion, insomnia, memory loss, nausea, nervousness, skin disorders, stomachache, ulcers, and vomiting. It is also considered a preventive for cancer and dental cavities. Topically, rooibos can be used as a compress to relieve acne, diaper rash, eczema, and other rashes. It contains alpha-hydroxy acid, which promotes healthy skin. Rooibos is not generally considered edible, aside from as tea.

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A man I know who was in the final stages of cancer made a miraculous turnaround in his health when, as a last resort in attempts to address his growing anemia problem, he began to make and drink a fresh vegetable juice combination he had read about in Dr. Norman Walker's book on juicing. Many natural approaches to eliminating cancer center on the use of fresh juices. A well-known therapy is The Breuss Cancer Cure, which involves a 42-day fast on nothing but vegetable juices and teas.

A deficiency of this mineral can lead to anemia, with symptoms such as fatigue, short attention span, weight loss, and irritability. Iron is needed in red blood cells to form hemoglobin, whose primary role is to collect oxygen from the lungs and carry it to every cell in the body. The main sources of iron are red meat, liver, dried fruit, egg yolks, sardines, spinach, broccoli, wheat germ, and brown barley. Vegetarians especially can become iron deficient due to an insufficient intake of foods that contain iron.

Walker's vegetable juice formulas for the treatment of anemia. This consisted of a combination of carrot, celery, parsley, and spinach in certain proportions. Each morning he made the juice and drank 1.5-2 liters of it. Within a week his blood condition had stabilized and by the end of the second week his blood counts were rising. Bruce also started juicing a whole lemon, minus seeds, in a blender with up to a liter of water and a little maple syrup and drinking it as his first food each morning.

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Side effects include anemia, low blood potassium and magnesium, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and headache. More than 80% of patients given amphotericin develop some level of kidney damage, which has led to the nickname "amphoterrible" among doctors. AZOLE The azole drugs ketoconazole (Nizoral), miconazole (Monistat), clotrimazole (Mycelex, Lotrimin), and fluconazole (Diflucan) inhibit the development of the fungus membrane. Side effects include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and headache.

It should not be taken by pregnant or breastfeeding women or by patients with anemia or liver disease. SPIRONOLACTONE An aldosterone receptor antagonist that works by altering hormones, spironolactone is sometimes used as a second-line treatment for acne. Side effects include vomiting, dizziness, headache, irregular periods, hair growth, deepening of the voice, and, more rarely, confusion, movement problems, and blurred vision. It too should never be taken by women who are pregnant or breast-feeding or by patients with liver or kidney disease. So are there alternatives?

More serious but unusual are suppression of bone marrow, or anemia in people deficient in folate, including the elderly, alcoholics, and people with malnutrition or malabsorption. Rare side effects include Stevens-Johnson syndrome, which involves a total body rash and peeling that could be fatal, and crystal formation in the urine, which can lead to kidney damage. Sulfisoxazole has an action similar to that of sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim as well as similar side effects.

Symptoms include recurrent fever and an anemia that is associated with a drop in energy. If you are traveling abroad, you have to decide whether to use prophylactic medications to prevent malaria. With the increase in worldwide travel and the involvement of the U.S. armed forces overseas, there is a need to ensure that travelers not be exposed to infectious diseases like malaria that are not endemic in the U.S. It is also important, however, to consider the potential detrimental side effects of the medications used to prevent such diseases.

They also reduce the risk of anemia by reducing the loss of iron in menses, pelvic inflammatory disease, and osteoporosis (since estrogen promotes the laying down of calcium in the bones). The pill has no long-term effect on fertility. OCPs are safe for teenage girls to use, with the exception of Depo-Provera, which I mentioned on page 238. The Bottom Line on Contraceptives Use an OCP with low doses of estradiol (< 50 meg). Taking an OCP is safe for women who don't smoke. Women over age thirty-five who smoke or who should not take the regular pill for other reasons (e.g.

Side effects include infections, headaches, anemia, fluid retention, weight gain, and, more rarely, liver failure or cardiac events. The first of these medications was troglitazone (Rezulin). Troglitazone was found to be effective in the prevention of type 2 diabetes in at-risk patients but was associated with high rates of liver toxicity. In one trial, 7 out of 585 treated patients had liver elevations ten times that of normal levels, high enough to be potentially associated with fatal liver damage.

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One study, for example, found that even when rodents were given black tea, green tea, or a green tea extract mixed with water as their sole beverage, the risk of anemia was not increased. To be prudent, however, some physicians recommend that patients taking iron supplements of the non-hemic ferrous salt form should avoid drinking tea with their supplements.18 Tea, and green tea in particular, is also an impressive source of fluoride—the mineral well known for fighting cavities. Many communities add fluoride to their water supplies in order to take advantage of its dental benefits.

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This symptom is not uncommon when fatigue is caused by a medical illness such as heart failure or anemia, but it is much less common in fatigue associated with psychiatric illness such as depression. Therefore, doctors find the "minimal exertion" symptom useful in separating fatigue in depression from fatigue in CFS. The second difference between depression and CFS has to do with illness onset.

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Occasionally he discovers evidence of hypothyroidism, diabetes, anemia, or some other disease process that is causing these symptoms of fatigue. But the overwhelming majority of the time, he finds nothing that sufficiently explains why the patient is feeling so tired and worn out. At this point most physicians begin questioning the patient about possible signs of increased stress or symptoms of depression. If this line of questioning doesn't reveal any apparent explanation, tension begins to fill the air. The patient starts to realize the doctor is not finding anything wrong.

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The most common abnormalities are in the complete blood count, with some evidence for anemia, or in the thyroid tests. When I find these abnormalities, I send the patient back to his or her general practitioner to have these problems corrected. If the fatigue and pain continue despite adequate treatment of these problems, the patient returns to me. Rarely, I find evidence for an autoimmune disease such as lupus or MS. So when the test results are all normal, what happens next?

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Results can also be inaccurate if you have anemia or sickle cell disease, or have experienced blood loss in recent weeks. In these cases, an alternative test called a fructos-amine test can be done. Fructosamine Test Also known as a glycated serum protein or glycated albumin test, this technique has been available since the 1980s, but it is rarely used. The fructosamine test for glycation is an alternative for people who are at risk of inaccurate Hb A testing results for the reasons stated above.

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Sarsaparilla is used in the treatment of abscess, acne, age spots, AIDS, anemia, arthritis, boils, cancer, colds, conjunctivitis, depression (menopausal), eczema, endometriosis, erectile dysfunction, fatigue, fever, gonorrhea, gout, heavy metal toxicity, hot flashes, infertility, leprosy, leukorrhea, menorrhagia, menstrual cramps, ovarian cysts, pelvic inflammatory disease, premenstrual syndrome, psoriasis, rheumatism, scrofula, skin dryness, syphilis, and urinary tract infection.

Wormwood has been used in the treatment of anemia, anorexia, arthritis, bloating, childbirth (pain and placenta retention), colds, depression, fever, flatulence, gallstones, gastritis, hepatitis, jaundice, lead poisoning, rheumatism, and worms (roundworms, threadworms). Topically, wormwood can be used in liniments, poultices, and compresses to treat bruises, insect bites and stings, and pain. It also can be made into a wash to get rid of lice or scabies and to soothe itchy skin. Edible Uses Wormwood is sometimes used in stuffings for geese.

Jujube dates are used in the treatment of allergies, anemia, anxiety, appetite loss, cancer, depression, diarrhea, dry skin, emotional instability, fatigue, heart palpitations, hypertension, hysteria, insomnia, malnutrition, moodiness, night sweats, pain, shortness of breath, stress, and underweight conditions. Topically, jujube dates can be made into a wash, powder, paste, or salve to soothe wounds or irritated tissues. As a flower essence, jujube helps calm those prone to nervous stomachs and relieves nausea and anxiety.

The cooked root is used in the treatment of anemia, diabetes, dysmenorrhea, fatigue, heart palpitations, insomnia, irregular menses, lumbago, menopausal flooding, menorrhagia, muscle weakness, night sweats, postpartum bleeding, spermatorrhea, tuberculosis, and vertigo. The raw root is used in the treatment of hepatitis. Both are used to treat high cholesterol, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, and senility and to support convalescence. Edible Uses Rehmannia root is edible raw or cooked and has a bittersweet flavor. It is often included in soups.

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Halliwell, Oxford University Press, 1994] Iron chelators also stimulate the production of a hormone (erythropoietin) that controls the growth of red blood cells, and thus helps to overcome "anemia of cancer." [British Journal Haematology 95: 241, 1996] Iron chelators have been shown to block the reproduction of breast cancer cells. [Experimental Cell Research 229:60, 1996] Iron chelators inhibit melanoma cell growth. [Cancer Research 54: 685, 1994] Canadian researchers confirm that iron chelators have potential for controlling tumors. [Biochim Biophys Acta 1320: 45, 1997].

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The herb can be used to treat anemia, headache, and rheumatism. Edible Uses Though the leaves are eaten, it is more for their psychoactive effects than as a food. Other Uses Divining sage was a traditional hallucinogen used by the Indians of Central America before the Spanish conquest. Recall of childhood experiences, futuristic divinations, and short-term visual hallucinations are common side effects.

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Do you have some or all of these symptoms: dark circles under your eyes, distended abdomen, bluish lips, allergies, diarrhea or constipation, anemia, skin eruptions, anal itching, chronic fatigue, loss of appetite, insomnia, depression, or sugar cravings?24 Purged stool test: Ann Louise Gittleman, MS, recommends using a purged stool test for parasites. This method differs from standard stool analysis; the patient ingests IV2 ounces of a high-sodium solution on an empty stomach to encourage more frequent and powerful bowel movements.

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If you've ever flown from a low-altitude city like New York or Los Angeles to a iuur ^ i m r i u m a Ant mial very high one like Denver or Salt Lake City, you may have experienced symptoms similar to anemia. With oxygen so thin in these "mile-high" cities, your normal complement of red blood cells is inadequate to supply your body with all the oxygen you need. Unless you take time to get acclimated to your new, higher altitude, with any physical exertion at all you'll quickly experience such symptoms as fatigue, insomnia, headache, and even shortness of breath.

Herrington's body was making substances called antibodies that targeted and killed her red cells. Her anemia was clearly the cause for the horrible fatigue she reported having. Mrs. Herrington's doctor sent her to a hematologist (a blood doctor). He said that he thought she had systemic lupus erythe-matosis and sent her to a rheumatologist because he did not take care of patients with lupus. The rheumatologist disagreed that she had lupus but offered no further suggestions. Mrs. Herrington was still fatigued, and her red blood cell count was still too low.

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