Thursday, August 16, 2012

IRON, IRON, IRON!

OK -- it's ranting-time again.

...I started getting suspicious when i found myself sighing a lot, and feeling the need to breathe deeply.  It reminded me of Lucy Westenra in "Dracula."  HER problem was, she had lost a lot of blood, but i hadn't.

However, we did have something in common -- not enough oxygen in the tissues.  In my case, what could it be but iron?

It makes me feel like running amok when i hear people caution against supplementing iron.  What the flying F does a complete stranger know about what supplements one might need?  Just because a VERY small subpopulation (mostly male, as usual) has a problem with a certain micronutrient, that doesn't mean that THE VAST FRIGGIN' MAJORITY OF US DON'T NEED MORE OF IT!!!

*cough* ... excuse me....

I'm absolutely incensed that some arrogant insulated academics in this world presume to pontificate over something that they have NO BLOODY EXPERIENCE WITH.  I don't care if they've tortured and murdered thousands of those gentle, intelligent creatures known as laboratory RATS* -- until you've done proper on-and-off-and-on-again experiments with real live human patients, they don't know SHIT about the effects of nutrients IN VIVO.  They have no shaggin' business acting like they know their ass from a hole in the ground.

Short version:  i tried supplementing iron (in the presence of vitamins C, B12 and selenium, which are reputed to improve absorption) and not only did i feel more oxygenated, but my hairbrush needed clearing out less.  I stopped, and the bad stuff showed up -- then i recommenced and the symptoms went away yet again.  MYSTERY SOLVED.

So if you suspect you might have a problem with the oxygenation of your blood OR excessive hair loss, do the experiment on yourself -- and to the deepest, darkest, coldest reaches of HELL with the self-proclaimed SCIENTISTS who PRESUME to dictate that it's dangerous and you don't need it.

P.S. -- and if you haven't read it before, i STRONGLY recommend this article:  http://www.thewayup.com/newsletters/081504.htm
________
*  ...in memory of two of the sweetest pets we've ever had, Sid and Catherine, who happen to have been rodents of the Long-Evans variety.

9 comments:

  1. Our bodies are very complex and every little thing we ingest reacts with every other thing we ingest. Some items like tanins in tea interfere with absorption of plant-sourced iron for example. That's why we don't fall hook, line and sinker for anything anyone tells us. We question, evaluate and make our own decision like you just did. Good work!

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  2. :-) thank you, Kateryna! ...you're so right about doubting, testing, and thinking!

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  3. Tess, what form of iron supplement and what dose did you find helpful?

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  4. i use a product called Easy Iron, that the neighborhood health-food store carries. it's 25 mg of ferrous bis-glycinate. it was the most "likely" looking thing they had and it gave me good results, so i continued with it.

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  5. KK likes the rants, especially the smart ones! So cleansing and refreshing. I know I eat too much red meat , but I also drink strong iced tea everyday. Maybe it balances out. Awesome post.

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  6. *applause tess*!
    Anemia is a much bigger problem than iron overload particularly women.

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  7. I followed that no-iron advice for awhile too, until I became anemic. Great rant!

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  8. Great post, tess, and thank you for posting it!

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  9. thank you, ladies. :-D ...sometimes ya just gotta get it off your chest, dontcha?

    iron is a perfect example of why, even though i'm not a fan of doctors in general practice, i think they have a potentially tremendous value -- the smart ones, who think for themselves, will see things that no "researcher" ever will. ...like lots of women with suboptimal iron stores!

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