At the most basic level, anemia is a condition in which you don’t have enough healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin to carry adequate oxygen to the body’s tissues. It develops for many different reasons:
- Circumstances where iron stores in the body and bone marrow have become depleted
- Insufficient B12 or folate to properly mature red blood cells
- When there is any kind of dysfunction in the process of creating and then recycling red blood cells.
Approximately 20% of females (often duet o blood loss from menstrual cycles) are affected by anemia. Half of all pregnant females are anemic because of the higher need for iron during pregnancy, and only 3% of males present with iron anemia. Females generally have smaller iron stores than males and, when they are cycling, there’s more opportunity for blood loss, resulting in anemia.
Symptoms of anemia can include:
- Pale skin, lips the same color as the skin, pail nail beds
- Fatigue and weakness, shortness of breath on exertion which can indicate the body is struggling to deliver oxygen to all of the cells
- A sensation of pins and needles
- Disturbed vision
- A reduced sense of taste
- Concave or brittle nails
- Low grade headaches
- Difficulty swallowing and/or an inflamed tongue
- Fissures or cracks at the corners of the mouth
The number one symptom reported with anemia, despite the type, is unrelenting fatigue.
As incredible as it might sound, there are over 400 types of anemia. That said, the most common types of anemia we see include the following:
| Iron deficiency anemia | Due to iron loss, as with bleeding, a diet low in iron rich foods, or an inability to absorb iron front the diet. Insufficient iron absorption is due to digestive system dysfunction.
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| B12/Folate anemia | Characterized by low levels of B12, B9 and/or both. B12 is necessary for red blood cells to divide normally, and it regulates the size of our red blood cells as well. Without adequate amounts of B12, red blood cells are too large and cannot travel from the bone marrow into the blood.
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| Anemia of chronic disease | As the name suggests, this type of anemia is associated with disease processes in the body that typically involve inflammatory conditions. This type of anemia requires a lot of further investigation to determine all the contributing factors. |
A whole host of blood markers should be used to evaluate the presence of anemia to determine the type of anemia a client or patient is dealing with. These include red blood cell count, hemoglobin, iron, total iron binding capacity, iron saturation, ferritin and more! Running only part of these markers will leave your practitioner only understanding part of the story when it comes to anemia which can be a huge disservice to you, the patient.
A very interesting consideration when dealing with anemia is that intestinal parasites, Candida and other pathogens can be underlying drivers of anemia. These pathogens consume iron and the body will prioritize the production of white blood cells to fight the invaders over the production of red blood cells. Additionally, the body will sequester iron when pathogens are present in an effort to starve out the predator, causing low iron levels. In this case, having a client start iron supplements or infusions could be counterproductive. It is imperative that anemia is properly evaluated.
A comprehensive stool test with proper analysis is recommended if you are dealing with anemia. Identifying whether or not you have any aggressive, overgrown bacterial, parasitic or viral pathogens that need to be addressed is highly relevant when evaluating anemia, especially prior to supplementation, as I mentioned. Also, a comprehensive stool test can pick up on blood loss in the digestive tract that could play a role in anemia.
As you can see, there’s more to anemia that meets the eye. If you have been told you are anemic or relate to the symptoms of anemia, I recommend you reach out to discuss how we can work together to better understand why anemia is present and what type of anemia you are experiencing.
There are lots of strategies to address anemia but they require understanding which type of anemia you are experiencing. Don’t guess, it could cause more harm than good.