What foods and vitamins could I take to build up my blood? My red cell count was so low recently ...?

Question

...that my doctor rushed me off to the hospital for a transfusion! He kept shaking his head, saying, "I don't know what happened......!"

The transfusion worked wonders. I am taking iron supplements, but I am hoping to do more for myself.

to eat:
I only know of:
spinach
liver: calves & chicken
beef
and
beets

Have you any suggestions? What would Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid
do for me, do you think?

Thank you very much for any consideration you would be willing
to give to this ....

Darjeeling

p.s. I also have a co-agulation problem. The Dr. lowered my
dosage recently from 7 mg to 5
mg. I am hoping to get off the
medication soon. I am
wondering if there is a natural
approach to keeping the coagu-
lation normal .... is raw garlic
an option, which I heard it is..?
(my Dr. is not into alternative
medicine, but I am ....!!!)
Thank you again...

Answer 1

I take it you're female.
Having low iron is common in females, the reason being menstruation, by which you loose a fair amount of blood every month.
It is not common, however, reaching a limit where you need transfusion. It is so exceptional that I cannot find any other explanation than a combined defect!
You also mention a coagulation defect! What is it?
The right thing to do is to ask your GP for an appointment with a General Haematologist. They'll need to explore your folate, B12 and Iron, as well as your clotting, and see exactly what's wrong.
Forget any other useless advise.

Answer 2

B12 and folate supplements aren't likely to be useful. A reasonable diet will give you all you need. And foods high in iron while you're taking iron supplements will be like spitting in the ocean. Likewise, if you need warfarin as an anticoagulant, you need it. Changing your diet is going to mess with the regulation of the dosage without doing much useful. The point is that while diet does have something to do with these problems, changing your diet is going to have at most miniscule impact compared to the prescriptions. That's why your doctor isn't impressed.

Answer 3

The best person to ask is your vet. Supplements, although often very valuable, can be risky. So you don't want to add anything without first talking to your vet. A little bit of iron might help, but you want to be careful not to give him too much. Also, since your horse is on antibiotics, those might not mix well with supplements. I suggest that for now you just stick with what you've been feeding him and the antibiotics. Hopefully the antibiotics will lower the white count, and next time you talk with the vet you can ask about supplements.

Answer 4

If you have iron deficiency anemia then it is very good to know well the good sources of iron. Green leafy vegetables,internal (organs especially liver), meat,chicken,egg yolk,and dried beans are some of the good sources of iron. Take note that meat proteins and vitamin C will improve the absorption of some iron so its worth taking them along with iron rich foods.
One of the functions of B12 is red blood cell (RBC) formation and control of pernicious anemia.
Important to know also that absorption of protein-bound vitamin B12 decreases deficiency of iron or folic acid. Thus, less iron or folic acid in your body will result to less B12 absorption, as the effect there will be less RBC formation.
While folic Acid has its anion form folate which is necessary for the production and maintenance of new cells and it is needed to replicate DNA. With folate deficiency DNA synthesis and cell divisions hindered, affecting most clinically the bone marrow whilst RNA and protein synthesis are not hindered thus large red blood cells called megaloblasts are produced, resulting in megaloblastic anemia. So folate is needed to make normal red blood cells and prevent anemia. In conclusion, iron folic acid and B12 have correlated roles in blood formation, production and, function.
As with your coagulation problems, there are research findings stating that ingesting raw garlic increase clotting time and fibrinolytic activity.

Answer 5

Alternative medicine may appeal to your sensibility, but do not let 2000-year-old herbalist techniques convince you that you don't need to a see a modern doctor that uses medicine based on science.

Your best bet would be to ask a blood specialist. Try going back to the hospital you went to and asking for an appointment with someone specializing in blood disorders.

Answer 6

Do you consume caffeine regularly? Caffeine binds to iron in food or supplements, reducing its ability to absorb and be utilized. Avoid caffeine for 1-2 hours before and after meals/supplements.

Also, try taking your iron supplement on an empty stomach, preferrably with a vitamin c tablet or orange juice. Vitamin c helps your body use iron. If you do use OJ, choose one that isn't supplemented with calcium, as calcium and iron tend to bind together.

Answer 7

Iron (found in advocados, the jacket of a potato, beans, broccoli, to name a few foods) and folic acid, aka vitamin C (found in citrus fruits amongst others).

Folic acid aids in the absorbtion of Iron.

Answer 8

you need iron! the best way to tell if a veg is high in iron is haw green it is the darker the beter, not all ways true but 9 times out of 10, also try beetroot for the vits in it and why not go to a good high street herbalist and ask advice. try boots the herbalist (not boots as in lipsticks and eye shadows).