Donald R. Yance, j r.,C.N., M.H., A.H.G., with Arlene Valentine
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 Herbal Formulas and Supplements for Anemia
Supplement
Daily Dose
Hydroxy Folate (B12 and folic acid)
Aqueous Liver Extract Laktoferrin
Marrow Plus or Composition-A
10-20 drops (200 meg per drop), taken sublingually
2 capsules, 3 times daily
4 capsules, before bed
3-5 tablets, 3-4 times daily iron supplementation. Iron reacts in the body with oxygen to release hydroxal radical, one of the most deadly free radicals. (See table 11.3.) Other herbs and nutrients specific for anemia include:
• Nettles leaf (1:1 extract), 1 to 5 ml, one to three times daily. |
Natural Prescriptions: Dr. Giller's Natural Treatments & Vitamin Therapies For Over 100 Common AilmentsRobert M. Giller, M.D.
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| Be aware that iron supplementation can cause dark bowel movements and/or constipation.
You should also take a zinc supplement because low levels of zinc have also been shown to contribute to heavy periods.
Some of my patients tell me that when they take either aspirin or vitamin E, they bruise easily. As both aspirin and vitamin E are known to have an effect on blood clotting, I suggest you stop taking both for a month or two to see if your heavy periods improve. |
Dr. Gary Null
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 Prevention de I'anemie Ferriprive Au Cours de la Grossesse par une Supplementation Martiale Precoce: un Essai Controle," [Prevention of Iron-Deficiency Anemia in Pregnancy Using Early Iron Supplementation: A Controlled Trial], Rev. Epidemiol. Sante Publique 37 (1989): 109-18.
Iron and folate supplemenation reduced anemia in pregnant women from a level of 50 percent to below
6 percent in a particular community.
G. Izak et al., Scandinavian Journal of Haematology 11 (1973): 236.
Ten iron-deficiency anemic patients were treated for 3-6 weeks with iron and B12 supplements. |
| Pregnancy and lactation are other times when women need iron supplementation. During childbearing years, many women experience anemia caused by an iron deficiency.
"Supplementation may not solve the problem because many people have difficulty absorbing iron. They lack enough hydrochloric acid, the stomach acid that helps the body assimilate iron. This is common among the elderly, who generally produce less hydrochloric acid. Another cause of decreased iron absorption is chronic diarrhea.
"Vitamin B12 deficiency is most often due to a defect in absorption. |
| Caution must be taken with iron supplementation; an excess has been linked to cancer and to liver, heart, and pancreas damage. (See below.)
IN GENERAL
Anemia may be due to iron deficiency (the most common cause), to B12 deficiency (usually due to an absorption problem rather than a dietary lack), or to folic acid deficiency, which can be a problem because the body does not store large amounts of this nutrient. Folic acid deficiency is common in alcoholics, pregnant women, and patients with chronic diarrhea or other malabsorptive states.
M. T. Murray and J. E. |
| It's important that your iron supplementation be supervised by a doctor. Excess iron has been linked to cancer and to damage of the liver, heart, and pancreas, as well as to lymphocyte activity.
J. F. Balch and P. A. Balch, Prescriptions for Nutritional Healing (Garden City Park, N.Y.: Avery, 1990): 91-92.
Only 3 percent of pregnant women given iron supplements were anemic at delivery, compared to 30 percent of a group given placebos. The iron status of the babies at birth and 2 months after delivery correlated with their mothers' iron status, particularly during the 7th month of pregnancy. |
John Heinerman
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 Annette's story shows the value of something like prune juice for natural iron supplementation, especially in women who seem to require more of this mineral than men do.
Prunes are also high in fiber. To get the same dietary fiber as a serving of six prunes, you'd have to eat four slices of whole wheat bread, or six peaches, or three apples, or two and one-half bowls of bran flakes. Prunes are, indeed, "the high fiber fruit" as the advertisements have claimed. |
Mark Bricklin
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 Where there is bleeding, there will probably also be anemia, so iron supplementation is often required.
In severe cases, where absorption is seriously impaired, the physician may have to administer a good deal of required nutrients by injection. In most cases, generous amounts of multivitamin and mul-timineral tablets will be beneficial.
The colitis sufferer should be on a totally high-nutrition diet to give his (more likely her) body every chance to heal itself. |
Sheldon Saul Hendler
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 Iron supplementation frequently corrects this symptom.
Calcium carbonate is the most widely used calcium supplement. Calcium absorption from this form depends, however, on stomach acidity and, therefore, should be taken with meals and not on an empty stomach. Many postmenopausal women do take calcium carbonate on an empty stomach, and this may be one of the reasons that the effects of calcium on postmenopausal osteoporosis protection appear so variable. Calcium citrate does not require stomach acidity for its absorption and can thus be taken on an empty stomach. |
Carol Simontacchi
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 A number of dopamine D-2 receptors in the rat brain are reduced when the experimental animals undergo a transient period of iron deficiency during infancy, and are not subsequently restored with iron supplementation."27
Older children seem to be no better off when it comes to receiving adequate amounts of iron in the diet. |
Sheldon Saul Hendler
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| Iron supplementation is commonly recommended by pediatricians for infants and children at a dose of 10 to 12 milligrams daily (elemental iron). Pregnant and lactating women usually are prescribed 30 to 60 milligrams of iron daily. It is wise for adults on low-calorie diets to take 10 to 15 milligrams of supplemental iron daily. Adult men who eat well-balanced diets of 2,000 calories or more do not need iron supplements. Elderly persons who feel weak and tired most of the time should see their doctors before starting on iron, since they may be anemic from internal bleeding. |
Gale Maleskey
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 Even the woman with a taste for socks got back to normal with iron supplementation.
Sometimes, people who are iron-deficient compulsively chew ice or gum or eat crunchy, salty, or sour foods such as potato chips, pickles, or unripe fruit, Dr. Crosby says. The name for this is food pica, which is the most common type in the United States.
Rather than put up with this behavior, see a doctor to be tested for iron deficiency and to get supplemental iron If necessary, Dr. Crosby says. A common problem in food pica is that people are ashamed about compulsively eating ice or other unusual items. |
Stephen T., M.D. Sinatra
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 Iron levels in menopausal women are in general higher than in menstruating women, so iron supplementation may not prove an additional necessity. To alleviate hot flashes, anxiety, and the irritability that accompany menopause, some women may use vitamin E as an estrogen substitute. Vitamin E may be taken orally or applied directly to the vaginal tissue. It is also used to reduce the size of breast cysts and, when combined with magnesium and vitamin B-6, may ease PMS. |
| Some athletes, such as menstruating women, may also need iron supplementation.
MAY I HAVE THIS DANCE?
Exercise has been shown to moderate several cardiovascular risk factors, including obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and elevated blood levels of lipids. The benefits of exercise are many. In cardiovascular rehabilitation, people exercise after heart attacks and bypass surgery to improve physical endurance. Physical conditioning may result in more efficient cardiac oxygen utilization, thereby increasing the amount of exercise that can be done before developing chest pain (angina). |
| Naturally, if iron supplementation is required for iron deficiency anemia or in menstruating or pregnant women, then it could be taken without any undue side effects. However, since iron, as we previously mentioned, is stored in the body and accumulates over time, it is one mineral that should not be consumed unless prescribed by a physician. In my view, men who don't have any evidence of chronic blood loss should not take any iron unless it is clearly demonstrated that they are iron deficient.
Copper is another oxidant that should be limited to small quantities. |
| Iron deficiency is more likely to occur in rapidly growing teenagers as well as menstruating women. iron supplementation is recommended in pregnancy as well as in cases of chronic blood loss. The RDA for iron is 10 mg per day for men and postmenopausal women and 18 mg per day for nonmenopausal women. Since we can obtain much of the iron we need from our diet, it is not recommended that healthy men and postmenopausal women take iron supplements. Young women, however, could benefit from taking iron on a daily basis, especially when pregnant. |
David Brownstein
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 Low iron levels are easily treated with iron supplementation.
Adequate thyroid production is necessary for the proper functioning of every other endocrine gland in the body, including the adrenal glands. Insufficient thyroid hormone production will lead to a dysfunctional hormonal system. My experience has shown that it is impossible to balance the other endocrine glands in the body without first addressing a thyroid imbalance.
It is imperative to keep in mind the interrelationships of all of the hormones in the body. |
Dr. Gary Null
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| Pregnancy and lactation are other times when women need iron supplementation. During childbearing years, many women experience anemia caused by an iron deficiency.
"Supplementation may not solve the problem because many people have difficulty absorbing iron. They lack enough hydrochloric acid, the stomach acid that helps the body assimilate iron. This is common among the elderly, who generally produce less hydrochloric acid. Another cause of decreased iron absorption is chronic diarrhea.
"Vitamin B12 deficiency is most often due to a defect in absorption. |
| Prevention de I'anemie Ferriprive Au Cours de la Grossesse par une Supplementation Martiale Precoce: un Essai Controle," [Prevention of Iron-Deficiency Anemia in Pregnancy Using Early Iron Supplementation: A Controlled Trial], Rev. Epidemiol. Sante Publique 37 (1989): 109-18.
Iron and folate supplemenation reduced anemia in pregnant women from a level of 50 percent to below
6 percent in a particular community.
G. Izak et al., Scandinavian Journal of Haematology 11 (1973): 236.
Ten iron-deficiency anemic patients were treated for 3-6 weeks with iron and B12 supplements. |
| It's important that your iron supplementation be supervised by a doctor. Excess iron has been linked to cancer and to damage of the liver, heart, and pancreas, as well as to lymphocyte activity.
J. F Balch and P. A. Balch, Prescriptions for Nutritional Healing (Garden City Park, N.Y.: Avery, 1990): 91-92.
Only 3 percent of pregnant women given iron supplements were anemic at delivery, compared to 30 percent of a group given placebos. The iron status of the babies at birth and 2 months after delivery correlated with their mothers' iron status, particularly during the 7th month of pregnancy. |
| Caution must be taken with iron supplementation; an excess has been linked to cancer and to liver, heart, and pancreas damage. (See below.)
IN GENERAL
Anemia may be due to iron deficiency (the most common cause), to B12 deficiency (usually due to an absorption problem rather than a dietary lack), or to folic acid deficiency, which can be a problem because the body does not store large amounts of this nutrient. Folic acid deficiency is common in alcoholics, pregnant women, and patients with chronic diarrhea or other malabsorptive states.
M. T. Murray and J. E. |
Zorba Paster, M.D. and Susan Meltsner
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 If you're eating right, your body does not require the extra iron, and the common side effects of iron supplementation, constipation and bloating, are simply not worth it. Some theorize that taking iron when you don't need it actually increases the risk of heart disease and hinders the discovery of colon cancer, because it can mask the anemia that is often associated with it. Therefore I do not recommend it for men or women after menopause.
35. |
Sheldon Saul Hendler and David Rorvik
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 Some studies have suggested that children and adolescents with iron-deficiency may also have learning problems and that iron supplementation may increase cognitive skills in some children and adolescents with iron deficiency. The possible role of iron in these cases may be accounted for, in part, by iron's role in neurotransmitter synthesis, particularly in the synthesis of dopamine. Iron deficient rats have been reported to have phenylketonuria and disturbed brain function. |
Dr. Mary Dan Eades
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| And a study of iron-deficient in-ints, both anemic and nonanemic, revealed that, when given iron supplementation, these infants showed significant improvement in mental development scores.
Interactions—
• Excess calcium (over 2 grams per day) competes with iron in your intestine for entry into the body. Chronic use of calcium supplements can cause deficiency of iron.
• Taking vitamin C can increase iron uptake by as much as 30%.
• Iron reduces your ability to absorb copper and zinc in their ionic forms, and they return the favor by competing with the iron. |
| Recommendation: Avoid iron supplementation in doses greater than 10 to 15 mg per day unless you are anemic.
Macronutrient interactions
• Refined sugar and dietary saturatedfats seem to promote acne outbreaks. Eliminating these culprits to as great a degree as is possible from your diet will help decrease acne formation.
• Increased dietary fiber (such as a 1-ounce serving of an all-bran cereal each day, 1 to 2 FiberCon tablets taken with daily meals, or bulk vegetable psyllium powders such as Metamucil, Konsyl, and Citrucel) helps to clear acne eruptions. |
| Although cheilosis is often associated with deficiencies of the B vitamins, one report indicated that an iron deficiency was present in a much higher percentage of sufferers. iron supplementation is tricky, though; you don't want to get an excess of iron. Recommendation: If you suspect you have an iron deficiency, it is best to seek the advice of your physician. The suggested daily dosage is 18 mg for adults, but only if a deficiency exists.
What makes it worse?
• Vitamin A taken in too great a dose can build up in your body. One of the symptoms of toxicity for vitamin A is cheilosis. |
| Take 100 IU vitamin E (as alpha-tocopherol succinate) 3 times a day and continue for 4 more days.
• iron supplementation, if you are low in iron and anemic, may help to relieve your menstrual pain. I could find no indications in the literature that this remedy would help if you were not anemic from iron deficiency. Recommendation: If you are low in iron, take 90 to 100 mg iron as ferrous sulfate 3 times per day (or a prescription-strength iron replacement from your physician).
• Magnesium has a relaxing effect on the muscular wall of the uterus. |
Mark Stengler, N.D.
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 You should avoid iron supplementation if you have hemochromatosis, a genetic condition where there is increased iron absorption from the diet.
1HE NATURAL PHYSICIANS HEALING 1HERAPIES
Iron poisoning can be very serious for children. If you're taking iron supplements, be sure to keep them in a secure cabinet where children can't reach them. An overdose of iron can lead to digestive tract damage, nausea, vomiting, liver failure, and possibly death. Iron is the most common cause of accidental poisoning in children.
IRON
Recommendations from the Natural Physician for ... |
Sheldon Saul Hendler and David Rorvik
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| Iron deficiency in the absence of anemia can also cause some of these same problems and can be helped with iron supplementation, another study suggests.
Some researchers have reported that up to 25% of adolescent girls in the United States are iron deficient. In one study, the effects of iron supplements were tested in adolescent girls with non-anemia iron deficiency to see if they might improve cognition. This was a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Subjects were randomized to receive 650 milligrams of iron twice daily or placebo for eight weeks. |
| Randomised study of cognitive effects of iron supplementation in non-anaemic iron-deficient adolescent girls. Lancet. 1996; 348:992-997.
Dallman PR. Iron deficiency and the immune response. Am J Clin Nutr. 1987; 46:329-334. de Valk B, Marx JJM. Iron, atherosclerosis, and ischemic heart disease. Arch Int Med. 1999; 159:1542-1548.
Fairbanks VF. Iron in medicine and nutrition. In: Shils ME, Olson JA, Shike M, Ross AC, eds. Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease. Baltimore, MD: Williams and Wilkins; 1999:193-221.
Feder JN, Gnirke A, Thomas W, et al. |
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