Are You Taking Iron Supplements?

There are different types of anaemia but here we are referring to ‘iron deficient’ anaemia.

You may have low haemoglobin levels, low iron levels, low ferritin, or even high ferritin, you may be feeling tired, experiencing vertigo, losing hair, diagnosed as hypothyroid, ‘catching’ colds time and again…etc

Before explaining a little more, let’s just clear up a little about what a nutrition practitioner does. A nutrition practitioner is not someone who provides some delicious menu plans and instead of prescribing drugs prescribes supplements. This is mis-information. Yes you may get nutrition practitioners who put together some menu plans for specific needs such as an iron rich menu plan, anti-inflammatory meal programme, BUT they work at the root cause level. Just supplement prescribing is lazy ‘nutrition’.

Any well qualified nutrition practitioner will look at what is going on behind the low iron. Iron deficiency anaemia is not an iron supplement deficiency. This bears repeating, iron deficiency anaemia is not an iron supplement deficiency.

So what can iron deficiency be? …..It can be

1. Poor nutrition intake, high in refined foods, low in nutrient dense foods, rich in hydrogenated fats, laced with pesticides etc
2. Drinking tea, coffee, wine straight after meals or with meals can impact iron availability for absorption by the body due to the presence of tannins
3. Heavy Menstrual bleeding…ADDRESS the root cause of this bleeding, not just accept that taking an iron supplement will ‘fix it’. Heavy menstrual bleeding can be due to oestrogen dominance, or thyroid issues, or fibroids, not enough progesterone ……on and on and on…and heavy menstrual bleeding is not a birth control pill deficiency either
4. Veganism, sadly this upsets people who are vegans but if we had a dollar for every vegan that takes iron supplements because they have low iron, we would be typing this from an island in the Indian Ocean sipping some mocktails. Vegans tend to have high copper, high copper can inhibit iron metabolismMetabolism is not a calorie-burning furnace that sits somewhere near your belly button, deciding whether you can fit into last year's jeans. Metabolism is the set of chemical processes taking place inside your body every second of every day, keeping you alive.Referenced in 35 articlesClick to read more →
5. Low stomach acid, this is known as hypochlorhydria, and this acid is much needed to absorb minerals, MUCH needed
6. Eating fast – yes that old chestnut, CHEW CHEW CHEW your food, your stomach does not have teeth, nor do the microvilli, although the enzymes may come close to teeth
7. STRESS- yawn not stress again? Yes. Stress results in a HPA axisThe HPA Axis stands for the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis. Sounds complicated, but it is essentially one of the body's main communication systems for responding to stress. It is like your body’s internal stress-response network, linking the brain and adrenal glands in a constant conversation about what is happening in your environment. Whether you are running late for work, worrying about finances, doom-scrolling at midnight, or genuinely facing danger, the HPA Axis helps coordinate the release of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline to help you adapt and survive.Referenced in 9 articlesClick to read more → that goes out of alignment, when it does this your mind and body thinks it has to run or fight for it’s life, so why would your mind body in this state ensure you are digesting and absorbing all that you eat? It will not, it will more than likely just let that food sit in there and stew for a while and create dysbiosis or rush out through the other end, which results in depletion of other nutrients too not just iron
8. Sluggish liver – this is the 21st century biggie. The liver stores iron in the form of ferritin and this ferritin gives out iron when it is needed by the body, i.e. when iron is running low. So liver health is key
9. Low Vitamin B6 can be a cause
10. Copper IMBALANCE – i.e. too much copper, or copper that is not available. Why? Because there is a proteinProtein is one of the three main macronutrients, alongside fats and carbohydrates, yet for many years it was often the forgotten member of the trio. More recently, protein has become something of a celebrity in the nutrition world, appearing in everything from snack bars and cereals to coffee and desserts. Whilst the marketing can sometimes get a little carried away, the truth is that protein is essential for human health. Every cell in the body relies on it. Protein helps build and repair tissues, supports immune function, forms enzymes and hormones, transports nutrients, and helps maintain muscle mass, particularly as we age.Referenced in 35 articlesClick to read more → called ceruloplasmin. This protein is made in the LIVER (liver health) and it contains copper. This ceruloplasmin transfers IRON from ferritin (iron storing protein) to transferrin (iron transporting protein). If iron from ferritin can not be moved around by ceruloplasmin then you can experience anaemia.
11. And …you need healthy adrenals to make healthy amounts of ceruloplasmin….

There are a plethora of reasons for why one may be low in iron, the above a just a few reasons. Taking an iron supplement is usually not the answer, although it sure can help with the symptoms. It is worth getting to the bottom of the ‘deficiency’ and nutrition practitioners can help uncover what is going on for you.

Nutrition practitioners do their due diligence, they are root cause detectives

Nutrition practitioners study not only nutrition but biochemistry, anatomy & physiology, and at the New School, we teach cell saltsCell salts, also known as tissue salts or biochemical salts, were developed by the German physician Dr Wilhelm Schüßler in the 19th century. They are prepared from naturally occurring mineral compounds and are used in highly diluted doses to support the body's ability to utilise and regulate minerals. The twelve original cell salts include familiar minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, iron, and silica, each traditionally associated with different tissues and functions within the body.Referenced in 24 articlesClick to read more →, rapid relief homeopathy and coaching skills. Nutrition practitioners do not ‘push’ supplements. They work at the root cause whenever possible.

What happens if you just take an iron supplement? ….You are more than likely masking the symptoms. If you stop the iron supplements, guaranteed the iron deficiency will be back, as the root cause has not been addressed.

So when you ask a nutrition practitioner ‘what can I take for iron deficiency anaemia? ‘ You will get a pretty standard answer ‘depends on the case history and what else is going on’ as they seek towards working at the root cause.

Nutrition practitioners do not prescribe a ‘natural’ pill for an ill. Far from it, they look beyond the ‘superficial’ layer aka the symptoms or the diagnosis.

If you fancy becoming a nutrition practitioner, check out our syllabus and have a read of the blogs, the application process starts on July 1st, 2022.

We are excited to be doing this, we want nutrition practitioners to out-number doctors, so we can help improve and support the health of the people, so people will not need to see a doctor.

To WHOLEness!

From the team at The New School Of Nutritional Medicine

Learn about the Founder & Principal of the New School of Nutritional Medicine, Dr Khush Mark PhD HERE.