People are told by well-meaning traditional medical practitioners that if ferritin (iron) is low, then they should take iron supplements – what could be the problem with this?
IRON
Beware of low iron in children. It is important in brain development. There may be many causes to their fatigue, lack of ability to focus, or ADHD, and low iron may be one of them. Our children often have heavy metals in their bodies and levels of lead may also be elevated if there is a deficiency in iron.
Proper enzymatic activity is critical and iron also helps assist the many functions associated with it. These enzymes are necessary for proper functioning of iron and are often not working properly due to the presence of aluminum in the body.
Why Too Much Iron Is Bad
On the other hand, we do not want excess iron in the body because it can cause oxidation and inflammation. Yeast and intestinal bacteria can use excess iron to their advantage, and it can be overall immunosuppressive. Iron can help strengthen pathogenic (bad) bacteria in the gut.
Too much iron in the body can increase the damage from excitotoxicity due to glutamate. If your child has weak liver or kidneys, check with your healthcare practitioner regarding his iron levels as too much can be dangerous for him. Diabetics should also be very cautious with excessive iron.
Studies show excessive iron can cause increased susceptibility to infection, immune abnormalities, inflammation of the stomach lining, and ulcers.
Taking iron in supplement form as excess iron can promote viruses to grow-it is best to get it from food sources.
ANEMIA
It is common for those with imbalanced gut flora to be anemic. Anemia is when there are a lowered number of red blood cells in the body. Our kids often look pasty white and can be lethargic and weak most of the time. One likely culprit is the lack of iron, but it takes much more than iron to balance anemia. Healthy blood needs almost all of the B vitamins, vitamin C, A and D, amino acids, along with multiple minerals, including magnesium, manganese, iodine, copper and zinc.
Getting meat into their diet is crucial. Red meat and liver carry the most iron. Get organic and grass-fed meats. Remember, we do not want the contaminants of conventional meat.
Meat increases the absorption rate of iron from fruits and vegetables. Spinach and other leafy greens carry iron and vitamin C. The vitamin C in vegetables also increases the absorption of the iron from the meat. Remember that fruit is best eaten away from meat as their transit time is so different. Fruit digests quickly, but meat does not. The slow digestion of meat will cause the fruit to ferment in the stomach and become rancid.
Food combining is both helpful and healthful. When we eat meat together with vegetables, the alkalinity of the vegetables help to balance out the acidity of the meat. An added benefit of eating meat with vegetables is that meat helps our bodies absorb iron from green leafy vegetables. Remember that fruit is best eaten away from meat as their transit time is so different. Fruit digests quickly, but meat does not. The slow digestion of meat will cause the fruit to ferment in the stomach and become rancid.
Contributing Factors To Anemia
Lyme
Many people who are infected with the Lyme bacteria, Babesia microti, feel fine and do not have any symptoms. Some people develop nonspecific flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, sweats, headache, body aches, loss of appetite, nausea (the feeling of sickness in the stomach), or fatigue. It can also lead to a special type of anemia called hemolytic anemia (a condition where red blood cells are destroyed) lasting from several days to several months. They are Antibiotic resistant.
Lead Poisoning
Exposure to high levels of lead may cause anemia, weakness, and kidney and brain damage. Very high lead exposure can be fatal. Lead can cross the placenta, which means pregnant women who are exposed to lead also expose their unborn child. Lead can damage a developing baby’s nervous system.
A study by The Center for Disease Control (CDC) in 2017 notes,
“Decrease in lead exposure in early childhood is significantly responsible for the drop in crime rate. Summary: Kids exposed to lead as young children are more likely to be suspended or incarcerated during their school years, suggests a new study.”
Lead can go undetected, showing no obvious symptoms; however, a child with high levels of lead in his system is more likely to fail the third grade due to learning difficulties. The heavy metal toxicity may be overlooked.
Methyl B12
Vitamin Methyl B12 is necessary for digestion, food absorption, protein synthesis, DNA synthesis, protection of the myelin sheath (nerve tissue coverings), and metabolizing of fats and carbohydrates. It also assists the immune system by helping to build the master antioxidant, glutathione, and building red blood cells, which also helps to prevent anemia.
Common symptoms of deficiency are depression, mania, and fatigue. It is also important in fetal growth and development.
Once your child’s GI tract has healed, Methyl B12 will be more available to the body and more absorbable via the intestinal tract. Prior to that they may experience hyperactivity from it if their body is still needing more detoxification and support. The best food sources of vitamin Methyl B12 are beef, lamb, liver, fish (especially shellfish), and eggs.
Retroviruses
A retrovirus is a virus that inserts itself into the host cell. The cell then produces more of this retrovirus and continues to infect other cells. Once integrated, the virus can use the host cell’s components to make additional viral particles (ie, they replicate).
Retroviruses contribute to many diseases including immunodeficiencies, cancers, neurologic disorders, bone and joint issues, and anemia.
Retroviruses can be lifelong if not treated properly and they are very hard to treat.
Please listen to my podcast interview with Dr. Judy Mikovits on Retroviruses.
Also listen to Viruses and Their Association With the Symptoms of Autism [Podcast Episode #186]
For an inside look at symptoms of autism related to the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of what symptoms are used to diagnose Autism please listen to my podcast episode #134, What Causes the Symptoms of Autism.
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Iron Containing Food
You want to increase heem foods which are iron containing.
What is Heem in food?
“Heme is an essential molecule that contains iron, that is naturally found in fairly high concentrations in the blood of humans and other animals, and in much lower concentrations in plants.”
Heem is iron based but plant sources of heem are not usually enough. Animal based heem foods are needed now. Some really good “heem” protein is unaged grass fed beef, or organic beef liver. You can also use organic poultry, shellfish such as clams, oysters and mussels, or line-caught fresh fish such as halibut, haddock, perch, salmon or tuna. Avoid tuna due to high mercury levels. Note: Iron supplements can make it worse because they increase inflammation and feed pathogens. Iron gets stuck in an inflammatory state so you may show either very high ferritin or very low.
Of course, we continue to work with the triggers like heavy metals, Lyme and viruses but you will also balance your zinc levels and iron levels naturally through food, so add in more heem foods. Again, I never promote taking iron in supplement form as excess iron can promote viruses to grow-it is best to get it from food sources.
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