Date: 30 Aug 2005 14:43:09 -0000
From: CompanionAnimalsNaturalCareNewsletter@yahoogroups.com
To: CompanionAnimalsNaturalCareNewsletter@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [CompanionAnimalsNaturalCare *Newsletter*] Digest Number 20

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There is 1 message in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

1. Too Much Iron in Blood Can Be Dangerous - What To Do!
From: "CompanionAnimals"


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Message: 1
Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2005 10:12:14 -0400
From: "CompanionAnimals"
Subject: Too Much Iron in Blood Can Be Dangerous - What To Do!

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PERMISSION GRANTED TO FORWARD / CROSSPOST this issue of the Newsletter - in
its entirety -- (without any changes)



Hi Everyone,



During a recent health exam for my husband, Wayne, his complementary MD
included 'Ferritin' (iron) in the blood tests. Wayne's level was elevated,
and according to experts, it's very common in men -- and in post-menopausal
women who've gone a long time not menstruating. Wayne was advised to donate
blood twice (about two months apart) and then follow-up with another blood
test.



Interestingly, the thinking is that menstruation IS the REASON WHY women
live longer than men - menstruating women get the excess iron out of the
blood on a regular basis. So, I had my ferritin (iron) level checked and it
was extremely high, also.



So, Wayne & I donated blood and it's great to know it's a "Win-Win
Situation" - not only are we getting a good feeling by doing a good deed in
helping to re-supply the present blood shortage (common in summertime), but
we're really helping our bodies, too!



With regard to our companion animals, especially male & spayed female dogs,
I've been thinking about this and curious about how 'iron overload' could
also be adversely affecting them, too. Curious to know what an expert's
view would be, I asked Dr. Dodds for her opinion. Here's her reply:



"Actually we don't know the answer in animals fed commercial pet foods as
they're loaded up with things like iodine [too much] and potentially other
trace minerals and vitamins. It's the old "more is better" syndrome. Jean"




Meanwhile, to let you all know more about this important health issue, at
the end of my note is an article from Dr. Mercola's excellent Newsletter for
more information on this important health topic.



Please follow Dr. Mercola's wishes - and mine by passing along this
information and forward this entire message far and wide!



All the Best,

Helen

Helen McKinnon

http://www.ItsForTheAnimals.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



http://www.mercola.com/2004/dec/15/iron_levels_blood.htm

Most Men Have Iron Levels That Are Killing Them -- Here's the Solution

by Dr. Joseph Mercola



(This article can literally save the lives of many men, so please be sure to
e-mail it to the men in your lives, so they could benefit from this critical
information.)



If I had known what I am about to share with you when I first started my
medical training my dad would not have type 1 diabetes. When I was in
medical school I was never taught that elevated iron levels can kill you and
it wasn't until three years ago that I learned about this.



However, it was too late for my dad. He developed raging, uncontrolled
diabetes with blood sugar levels in the 300s that did not respond even to my
dietary program . He
needed to be placed on insulin as his very high iron levels had destroyed
his pancreas' natural ability to make insulin.



Aside from type 1 diabetes, it is far more common for high iron levels to
cause cancer
impact> and heart attacks, so please, please, please make sure you read
this article and share it with the men you love. Save them the grief my dad
now has to endure.



For the last few years, I have been checking the iron levels of all the
patients that come to see me. It has become quite obvious that nearly half
of the men I see have excessive amounts of iron and would benefit from
donating their blood at least one to six times per year, depending on their
iron overload status.



If you are a man, donating your blood can actually do you more good than
anyone else who might receive it. And since nearly all adult men carry
excess iron, I believe most all men would benefit from regularly donating
their blood.



However, this is not necessarily the case for women. Women who still
menstruate have lower iron levels, which is most likely due to the iron lost
during their monthly periods. Interestingly, women who have low iron levels
are less susceptible to developing heart disease.



The Path of Excess Iron



Iron is nature's rusting agent. Having an excessive level of iron in your
body is one of the most potent ways that your body oxidizes, or prematurely
ages. Oxidation is what happens to most metals that are exposed,
unprotected, to the elements. For example, when you leave metal lawn
furniture outside for the summer and the paint is damaged, the metal will
rust. This process is called oxidation (and yes, oxidation is also
responsible for those unsightly rust spots that can appear on your car.)



Yet, oxygen has an amazing duality. Without the proper levels, we can't
sustain life, but with too much oxygen aging is accelerated. This results in
a constant tension as our bodies deal with too much or too little oxygen,
and struggle to regain balance with the correct amount needed to optimize
our health.



Most men have a problem with too much iron because it is not readily
excreted through the body's usual methods of elimination such as urine, bile
and sweat. It is important to understand the two primary ways men lose iron:



* Shedding of cells from the skin or gastrointestinal tract

* Chronic or sudden blood loss



Further Complications From the Food Supply



Unfortunately, the United States began fortifying the food supply with iron
in the 1940s to compensate for the increased need that children and
menstruating women have for iron. However, Sweden recognized that iron
fortification of their food supply was not wise and stopped this practice in
1995. Similarly, they also stopped fluoridating
their water
supply and stopped using mercury amalgam fillings.



In addition to the problem of accumulating too much iron from our
environment, many of us have a genetic predisposition to absorbing too much
iron. This condition is called either hemochromatosis or hemosiderosis.



What is Iron Overload (Hemochromatosis or Hemosiderosis)?



Iron overload (genetic hemochromatosis) is one of the most frequent inborn
errors of metabolism. This disorder causes an excessive body accumulation of
iron. It is believed to affect one out of every 400 individuals of European
ancestry. Since your body is limited in the number of ways it can eliminate
this excess iron, if you have hemochromatosis or hemosiderosis, the iron
eventually begins to accumulate over time in vital organs of your body such
as your liver, bone marrow, pancreas, skin and testicles. The result of this
dangerous accumulation is the poor functioning of these organs.



Who is at Risk?



There are no warning symptoms of this disorder in the early stages. Because
of this, most people are unaware they have this condition and only find out
through a routine blood test of iron levels. In some cases with males,
symptoms may not surface until they reach 40-50 years of age. Females, on
the other hand, who lose iron through their menstrual cycle, are more prone
to iron accumulation after they reach menopause, or 15 to 20 years later
than men on average.



Negative Impact of Iron Accumulation



* Iron is the ultimate anti-antioxidant. (No, this is not a typo!)

Excess iron produces the exact opposite effect of antioxidants like vitamin
C and vitamin E. Also, it will cause the formation of free radicals that can
seriously damage your body.



* Increases your risk of atherosclerosis and heart disease.



* Increases your risk of cancer -- Most of us, including many
physicians, are absolutely unaware that iron is essential for cancer cells
to grow.



* Excess iron can destroy the cells that produce insulin in your
pancreas and cause diabetes. While this may seem uncommon, it did happen to
my father.



* Contributes to Alzheimer's disease -- Excess iron accumulation in
the brain is a consistent observation in Alzheimer's disease.



* Increases the risk of inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer.



Since heart disease is currently the most common cause of death in the
United States, it is important to understand why excess iron contributes to
it. The following provides you with some compelling evidence related to the
potential role of iron in atherosclerosis (the build-up of plaques in the

arteries):



* The role of iron in oxidizing low-density lipoprotein (LDL).



* Iron chelators prevent endothelial cell damage by oxidized LDL.



* The ability of iron to cause endothelial cell damage.



* Iron chelators prevent endothelial cell dysfunction and vascular
smooth muscle proliferation.



Diagnosing Iron Overload



The routine screening for iron overload involves testing the iron and
ferritin levels in the blood. Ferritin, a blood protein, acts as an
effective measuring tool of the amount of iron being stored in the body.



This test should be done in the fasting state, as more than 50 percent of
people will have transiently elevated serum iron levels after eating.



Since potentially serious complications could be treated with the early
detection of iron overload, it's very critical to catch this condition in
the early stages. Because it is not a common practice to check iron levels
during routine checkups, many cases of iron overload are often overlooked.



Causes of Iron Overload



One of the most common causes of excess iron is the regular consumption of
alcohol. Alcohol consumed on a regular basis will increase the absorption of
any iron in your diet. If you are a man who consumes alcohol, rest assured
that it will increase your ability to absorb iron at your meals.



That said, if you are a man who likes to have some wine with your steak, you
will be absorbing more iron than you need.



(There has been some confusion about consuming alcohol as a way to protect
against heart disease. Please keep in mind that this effect is related to
wine drinking, and the benefit is likely related to the polyphenolic
bioflavanoids in the grape seeds and skins, not the alcohol itself. The
alcohol content could actually worsen one's health and contribute to the
disruption of optimal levels of hormones.)



Other causes of high iron levels would be:



* Cooking in iron pots or pans. Cooking acidic foods in these types
of pots or pans will cause even higher levels of iron absorption.



* Eating processed food products like cereals and white breads that
are "fortified' with iron. The iron they use in these products is inorganic
iron not much different than rust and it is far more dangerous than the iron
in meat.



* Drinking well water that is high in iron. The key here is to make
sure you have some type of iron precipitator and/or a reverse osmosis water
filter.



* Taking multiple vitamins and mineral supplements, as both of these
frequently have iron in them.



Treatment Options



A preferred treatment among the conventional medical community is reducing
blood iron by donating your blood. Some people will not be able to donate
their blood for a variety of different reasons. For those individuals, they
can remove their blood by getting a prescription for therapeutic phlebotomy
(withdrawal of blood from arm veins). These treatments continue until the
person normalizes their iron levels. Serum ferritin is the most effective
measure of storage iron and this number needs to be reduced, ideally, to
between 50 and 100.



Donating your blood is an amazingly effective and inexpensive solution for
this problem. If, for some reason, the blood donor center is unable to
accept your blood for donation you can obtain a prescription for therapeutic
phlebotomy.



If your levels are too high -- above 100 -- it is very important that you
donate your blood. Below is a table indicating how often I recommend
donating your blood based on your iron ferritin level.



Ferritin Level



<100 Not necessary



100-125 1 -2 times per year



150-200 2-3 times per year



200-250 3-4 times per year



>250 Every two months if possible



Again, please take the time to forward this article on to male friends and
family. As I've said, this problem is largely ignored and a bit of awareness
could ultimately save a life.

_____



Related Articles:



http://www.mercola.com/2002/dec/18/iron_diagnosis.htm

How to Diagnose Iron Overload



http://www.mercola.com/2004/mar/10/iron_diabetes.htm

Proven to Cause Extra Iron Diabetes



http://www.mercola.com/2001/mar/7/iron_overload.htm

Most People Get Too Much Not Too Little Iron



http://www.mercola.com/2003/jun/28/parkinsons.htm

High Iron & Manganese Linked to Parkinson's

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



All the Best,

Helen

Helen McKinnon

http://www.ItsForTheAnimals.com



Administrator: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CompanionAnimalCare-Naturally

Editor: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CompanionAnimalsNaturalCareNewsletter

Member: http://www.naiaonline.org/

Member: http://www.ncraoa.com/



"If a diet is unnatural, disease will keep company with those subjected to
it."

---- Juliette de Bairacli Levy, Author of "The Complete
Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat", first published in 1955



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