Limited Sclero & Anemia: Can Iron Supps Cause MORE Collagen?

[Conniel7777]

Just went for a 3 month check up.. Dr. W found I am slightly anemic, and recommended Feosol 200 (65 FE ) Iron Supplementation…

I was all ready to order these iron pills, but then I saw the claim of “…Helps strenghten the immune system and helps in the manufacturing of collagen “

Now, Dr. W is a very good doctor, BUT.. I just dont take aything on blind faith anymore..

When I saw this info in the description for the iron supplements, I said to myself “Whoa..” I mean, dont people w/ Slcero ALREADY have a problem with their bodies making TOO MUCH Collagen? I certainly dont need to help my immune system make any MORE…

So have any of you had any experience with issue? Honestly, now I am worried about taking the supplement.

BTW: the rest of my appointment went very well.. everything looks good, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, etc.. the only things of any concern is that my SED rate is up slightly ( its 41, and last time was like, 37 ) and this slight anemia.

I dont want to call Dr. W’s office and ask about this until I get some input from the board first… I mean, I am not trying to predict what he would say, but in my mind, I can just hear him saying to himself “Oh, yeah, like SHE needs to tell ME about supplementing iron in Sclero patients…”

I mean, he may not think that at all, but.. I dont want to “go to the front line” and call him to ask about this until I get a little knowledge on the subject first…

Any thoughts??

Connie

[A Friend]

Hello Connie,

[Edit Note: Search done; see link and note at end of this post. AF]

I’ll have to do a search to locate the information, but I’m remembering reading that with our chronic illnesses (we believe have a basis in unfriendly organisms) that supplementation of iron (per se) is not a good thing, as it may actually feed the unfriendly organisms. I also remember reading that there are at least a couple of supplements that ARE helpful in cases of anemia. I helped my own daughter with this question/problem; so, thinking I can locate this information again.

Good luck,
AF

Info from “Edit” above:

http://www.holisticonline.com/Remedies/anemia.htm

Connie, the information that apparently helped my dau. was also found in the link above. Especially the information about the natural supplements: floradix iron and/or use of a high grade organic molasses. Note the foods/drinks that are mentioned to avoid and to use in the article for anemia. One of the things she changed in her diet was to quit using real coffee. She began drinking a coffee substitute from the health store and used the molasses for sweetener, along with her choice of milk or substitute. I sampled it and it tasted good. The floradix iron and the molasses seem to be loaded with minerals, etc., needed to rebuild. Hope these natural helps are helpful to you, regardless of your decision about the doctor’s iron recommendation.
AF

[PetRescue]

Hey Connie-good to “see” you again. I myself was diagnosed with slight anemia about a month ago and I only have one word of “good” advice-DO NOT take slow FE. The rest I’m just as confused as you are! Slow FE was horrible for me. Constipation, dark stool, just not good. And it did no good. My anemia got no better. I also tried to eat more iron, but it’s so confusing. Spinach and a bunch of greens have iron, but also oxalic acid, which inhibits absorption. You can’t take iron with calcium (which I’m also on because I don’t do dairy). You should take iron with Vitamin C (how about an orange with that steak). Plus, I just don’t particularly like red meat.

I also looked at Floradix (I googled iron and Dr. Weil suggested it), but I want to say it had wheat (maybe wheat germ) in the ingredients. Um, not going to be gluten free-which I think you are too. I haven’t tried blackstrap molasses yet, but that may be next. I was also concerned about the difference between supplementing with an iron pill vs. “natural” things (floradix, molasses, more red meat). If iron feeds the bugs-then it doesn’t matter where they come from does it? Is it better to be anemic and not feed the bugs or not be anemic and risk feeding those bugs? I don’t know.

Sorry I was no help. A Friend-is it OK to supplement iron more naturally (food, molasses, avoid foods blocking iron)? Even if it feeds the unfriendly organisms?

[Maz]

@PetRescue wrote:

molasses, more red meat). If iron feeds the bugs-then it doesn’t matter where they come from does it? Is it better to be anemic and not feed the bugs or not be anemic and risk feeding those bugs? I don’t know.

Hi Pet Rescue,

I think AF is much better equipped to talk about iron supps than I, but just thought to mention that babesiosis is renowned for causing blood/iron probs and this should hopefully resolve when you can get going on a more aggressive babesiosis protocol. Babs is a nasty protozoan infection that is a bit like malaria, a relapsing/remitting febrile-like illness, and lives intracellularly within red blood cells. Often babs doesn’t reveal itself in labs until other infections are targeted and then it rises to the surface to do its dirty work. Usually, it needs to be hit hard for a good, lengthy period of time (the life of a red blood cell is about 4 months, but new rbcs can get infected, too) with abx like Mepron or malarone and a macrolide like azithromycin (also, clindamycin or clarithromycin) and it needs to be hit daily in higher doses. Other drugs that are used included parasitic ones, like quinine-type drugs, e.g., Plaquenil (which I’m currently taking), Flagyl or Tinidazole, for instance. This infection really sucks and is one of the offenders to be suspected when anyone is suffering stiff, painful neck, photophobia, or costochondritis-like pain and air hunger – it tends to make a comeback when one is immune-compromised in some way. I had night and day sweats, as well as migraines (with really bad stiff neck and jaw pain in the beginning), that I mostly put down to hormonal changes for the longest time, but treating babs for about 8 months straight with the Mepron/zith combo got rid of these issues (which worsened initially with herxing for a month or two).

This is a pretty comprehensive article on babesiosis, listing all the symptoms, which include anemia as a common complication:

http://www.aafp.org/afp/2001/0515/p1969.html

Do hope no news has been great news (excepting the anemia, of course), PetRescue, and wishing you and your family all the very best! 🙂

[A Friend]

About Maz’s comments about AF’s knowledge of iron, etc…. I’m afraid she (AF) posted about all she knew. That was that I believe Dr. Brown may have cautioned about taking iron. I know Dr. Garth Nicolson has mentioned this in his writings, as well.

I did a search to look for more indepth info (in addition to the link below), but ran out of time to do this.

This link below is one that seems important — if any of us is shown to be anemic and are asked to take an RX iron, the following may be helpful in some cases. Regardless of what we decide to do if we are low in iron, we can learn some things that “can” cause low iron/anemia — and also look at what is going on in our own body. And, we need to pay attention to the type of medical professional is recommending/prescribing the RX iron… LOL.

http://www.food-allergy.org/root3.html

My daughter didn’t have a rheumatic diagnosis at the time she was found to be anemic. But, being my daughter, and seeing some similarities between the two of us, I wanted to look into this subject more before she began taking RX iron. It must have worked for her. (Also, this is the same one that cured herself of carpal tunnel after she read the book I got written by Dr. Marion Ellis, who with Karl Folkers at UT Texas Medical did research that showed a B-6/B-Complex association to heart disease and to carpal tunnel. We may have lots of problems, but so far there appear to be LOTS OF ANSWERS as well!!!)

Hugs,
AF

[PetRescue]

Hi Maz and AF- as always, you are a wealth of info, but sometimes you leave me more confused than when I started! 😀

The family is great Maz-my little bundles are doing perfect according to an ultrasound from yesterday. Yep, that’s right, I was blessed with not one baby, but twins (one boy/one girl)! So everything I’m doing is extra important/worrisome because it effects them as well. My LLMD wants me to stay on amoxy and zith throughout the pregnancy to keep the Lyme in check. Maybe my babs is sneaking out now (I wasn’t anemic before-just about a month now), but it could also be the fact that I’m carrying two little people who need iron too! I’m doing all I can for the babs now, but had plans to attack it right before I found out I was pregnant with Mepron. I was also on artemisia, but had to stop that as well. I am currently also doing a prenantal with iron to handle the anemia. It can’t be good to be anemic for the pregnancy, so I had to decide to risk giving them “food”. I did try and choose the type recommended by Dr. Weil -iron gluconate for ideal absorption.

AF-Thank you for finding that article on yeast and anemia. Although I had anemia before, I have recently developed an issue with yeast. It is so weird that your latest article mentions FOS as a feeder of yeast. I swear that my yeast issues started when I switched to Mercola’s probiotics, which happen to have FOS. They are supposed to be good though and I know a couple members here use them, but it may be wise for me to switch to something else and see if that helps. You always find the best info!

In the meantime, I have completely eliminated dairy and sugar (except fruit, I have to eat something!), increased my probiotics by 45 billion (for a total of 185 billion!), and am taking 2 cloves garlic/2 tblspn coconut oil daily. I never know whether it’s better to eliminate diary completely or drink something like kefir to include the probiotics.

Thanks again for your help ladies-hope spring is being kind to you in your neck of the woods! It’s beautiful here in Chicagoland!

~jen

[marg]

About 5 years ago my daughter was being treated for RA with minocin and having good results. She also had/has some SD, minor skin involvement, which improved on the Minocin. She still takes Minocin once a week and is basically in remission.

When her family doctor found she was low in iron, she prescribed daily iron pills. This didn’t seem to hurt – but while the RA was active, the iron did not help. It was only once her RA and to a degree the SD were brought under control that her iron levels were finally normal. She does not take iron now.

This may help you decide what to do…

[Author]

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