Health Benefits of Iron

When I went to the naturopathic clinic, it turned out that not only was I deficient in vitamin B12, I was also deficient in iron. I ended up having to supplement with iron when I was in college as well. It explained my low energy and the twitching in my legs that I was receiving while I was in college sitting and learning in class. I was not very happy about it.

Iron is an important nutrient in your body and is essential for health and also energy. While it can be difficult to spot a deficiency, especially in the early stages, there are some symptoms that can give away the cause of your suffering.

Symptoms include tiredness, a lack of energy, shortness of breath, difficulty concentrating, more frequent bouts of illness, difficulty regulating your body temperature or often feeling cold, pale skin, heart palpitations, headaches, hearing ringing, hissing, or buzzing noises inside your head, itchiness, a sore tongue or difficulty swallowing, changes in the way food tastes, hair loss, cravings for non-food items, such as ice or dirt — also known as pica, painful open sores in the corners of the mouth, spoon-shaped nails, and an uncontrollable urge to move your legs — also known as restless leg syndrome.

So what can be done about iron deficiency?

While taking a supplement is a great start, the importance of reducing stress is critical here because chronic stress stops the body from absorbing nutrients among other issues. So the more one can simplify one's life and reduce stress, the easier one's body will increase the ability to absorb nutrients.

So what things can be done to reduce stress?

Consider not going to college. College life is not the great fun that it used to be. I've heard stories that colleges are merely indoctrination centers that do not allow you to explore or debate ideas like what college and universities are supposed to do. It's also expensive and many students resort to living in homeless shelters and food banks not knowing where they can sleep or where their next meal will come from. I advise people to consider finding work that does not require you to go to college and pays lots of money without getting a college degree, thereby reducing stress. I also encourage prayers and support networks. If you want to save stress and hassle, figure out ways to have a career that does not require a college degree.

If you are out of college and have loads of debt, find creative ways to reduce spending your money and pay off the debt first. Make sacrifices now for a better future. It might be stressful now, but having a vision might reduce your anxiety.

Another one of the causes of an iron deficiency is a poor diet. Having animal products is a great way to increase your iron levels. One of the main reasons that I am not a fan of plant based diets is because animal products actually have nutrients that the body can easily absorb. While meat may be expensive, eggs and dairy are not. Moreover, even if a plant does have iron in it, there is also the issue of anti-nutrients that can prevent the body from absorbing nutrients it might otherwise get from plants. This is true of other plants. While this can be mitigated with cooking your foods to burn away some of the anti-nutrients, it is important to include meats and animal products in the diet.

If you want more information on how to improve your health, I recommend my book Instructional Medicine, which you can click on in the link below. Happy healing!

https://www.amazon.ca/Instructional-Medicine-Interfaith-Approach-Previously/dp/B0CCCPKCCD/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Instructional+medicine&qid=1690123812&sr=8-1