Are You Anemic?

Spread the love

Anemia is a medical condition characterized by the body’s inability to transport oxygen to your tissues due to an insufficient amount of healthy red blood cells. There are many causes of anemia, some of which can be serious, according to Mayo Clinic physicians, so it’s important to see a doctor for testing as soon as you develop symptoms that could signal anemia.

Many individuals suffer from anemia at some time in their lives, with women having higher occurrences of it. This is often due to the fact that women menstruate and can sometimes lose lots of blood, which could eventually lead to anemia. Another reason why more women suffer from anemia is the fact that women bear children, and pregnancy can really deplete a woman’s iron stores, leaving her iron deficient, and therefore anemic.

What are the symptoms of anemia?

Sometimes in the beginning, anemia doesn’t always cause any noticeable symptoms. When symptoms do exist, which occurs in most cases, one quite common symptom of anemia is fatigue, and usually, the more severe the anemia, the more extreme the fatigue will be. Some other symptoms are pale skin, dizziness, chest pain, shortness of breath, cold hands and feet, headache, and cognitive deficits. Not every person will experience every symptom, however, as symptoms vary from person to person.

What are the causes of anemia?

In iron-deficiency anemia, your body is deficient in this necessary mineral. A shortage of iron makes it impossible for your body to produce adequate red blood cells. Vitamin deficiency anemia causes your body to be unable to produce suitable amounts of red blood cells due to inadequate levels of vitamin B-12 and folate, two important vitamins. Anemia of chronic disease causes the body to be unable to create appropriate amounts of healthy red blood cells due to diseases like cancer, rheumatoid arthritis as well as various other inflammatory diseases. There are other types of anemias as well, which can be life-threatening, although the most common cause of anemia is an inadequate diet that lacks proper levels of iron, B-12, and folate.

Iron Pills For Anemia

What are the treatments for anemia?

Depending on the severity of your anemia, you may have the ability to treat your condition through diet and supplementation. First of all, you should attempt to consume more iron-rich foods like red meat, iron-fortified cereals, turkey, beans, potatoes, spinach, raisins, and rice. In addition to increasing the amount of iron-containing foods that you consume, you will also want to take an iron supplement several times a day as well. Taking your iron supplement with a glass of orange juice or some other form of vitamin C will increase the rate of absorption of the iron, allowing you to get better faster. If your folate and B-12 levels are low, you will definitely want to supplement these vitamins individually, or you can opt to take a high-quality multi-vitamin that should contain these two vitamins, in addition to the many other daily recommended amounts of other vitamins and minerals.

So if you believe you may be anemic, it is important to get checked out by a doctor as soon as possible so you can begin making the necessary lifestyle changes right away.

Byline:  Anne Keagan began taking an iron supplement regularly when she found out she was anemic.

Comments are closed.