Anemia is most often a result of iron dysregulation, not deficiency.
Iron constitutes 80% of Earth’s core.
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There has also been a 380% increase in iron in our food since 1941, when our food system introduced iron-fortified foods.
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Yet anemia, defined as “iron deficiency in the blood,” is somehow rampant, especially in women. Meanwhile, we can absorb iron 3X better than men. Blood loss during menstruation doesn't necessarily have much to do with it at all.
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What most people don’t know is that the body has a very sophisticated iron recycling system called the Reticuloendothelial System (RES). Our RES can recycle 24 mg (or more) per day all by itself.
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Like all nutrients, iron has very important partners that allow it to function properly in the body, the most important of which is copper. Without copper, iron turns to rust.
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Then where is all the iron going in someone with anemia? Into the tissues. Without copper to keep iron in check, iron becomes dysregulated.
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The body takes iron from the blood and stores it in the tissues to keep iron from feeding p@thogens (it’s their favorite food). IMO, “tissue accumulation of iron” is a much more accurate definition of anemia.
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It can take a bit of work to coax iron out of the tissues, but it’s possible. How do we do it? A few tips:
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〰️Rethink supplements that are destroying copper levels, like iron, hormone-D, zinc, ascorbic acid, multivitamins and prenatals, etc.
〰️Avoid iron-fortified foods.
〰️Consume copper-rich foods. See my other posts about this.
〰️Consume Vitamin A-rich foods. See my other posts about this.
〰️Consider donating blood.
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Not medical advice.
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This is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare professional before pursuing any changes to your personal healthcare regime.
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References
Collins, J. Klevay, L.M. (2011). Copper. Retrieved from: https://academic.oup.com/advances/article/2/6/520/4644536.
Haas, E. M. Levin, B. (2006). Staying Healthy with Nutrition. New York, NY: Ten Speed Press.
Frey, P.A. Reed, G.H. (2012). Retrieved from: The Ubiquity of Iron. Retrieved from: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/cb300323q#:~:text=Iron%20is%20the%20most%20abundant,abundant%20element%20in%20Earth's%20crust..
Kell, D.B. Pretorius, E. (2014). Serum ferritin is an important inflammatory disease marker, as it is mainly a leakage product from damaged cells. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24549403.
Messner, D.J. Kris, V.K. (2010). Biting the Iron Bullet: Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Adds the Pain of Hepcidin to Chronic Liver Disease. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2849800/pdf/nihms180510.pdf
Robbins, M. (2017). Iron Toxicity Post #51: The Deceit of ‘Anemia’. Retrieved from: https://therootcauseprotocol.com/iron-toxicity-post-51-the-deceit-of-anemia/.
Sand Atlas. Composition of the crust. Retrieved from: https://www.sandatlas.org/composition-of-the-earths-crust/.
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