Iron & Anemia

I recently had a medical examination. The only problem that turned up was low iron. I forget the units, but my hemoglobin was 12.1. The doctor told me I should be 14 or more (for men). I hadn't thought I had a problem since I regularly donate blood. I have since found out that...

I am a teacher and have assigned a written report on pica. We are having trouble locating articles and just plain information on the subject. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you. There is quite a bit of information on my iron topic. If you have more questions, write back.

I couldn't find this issue addressed on your webpage. I hope this isn't a duplicate question. Is there any nutritional significance to the habit of chewing ice? I have heard that dentists advise against it because it could damage your teeth. Is this true? However, what I am really wondering is if it signifies any deficiency...

I am a 33-year-old married mother of one. I have what I feel is an embarrassing and possibly life-threatening disorder. Some years ago I was diagnosed as being anemic. The iron level was so low that the doctor asked if I ate or craved anything unusual. I told him that I crave and chew...

I read in a parent's magazine that cooking spaghetti sauce in a cast iron pot adds a lot of iron. Is that iron the kind that is absorbed? It is true that foods cooked in cast iron skillets are higher in iron. However, the form of iron is not absorbed as well. Laboratory nutrient analysis...

What are other ways to eat iron if you do not eat red meat and iron supplement pills make you sick? While red meats are the best source of heme iron which is highly absorbable. Leafy greens are a vegetable source which contains non-heme a lesser absorbable form of iron. The drawback tho is that leafy...

Under our federal guidelines for WIC (Women, Infants, and Children), we can only give out iron-fortified formula until 12 months of age. Every so often we hear from parents that a doctor told them that they don't need iron-fortified formula because they will pick up iron from the rural well water they use. Most...

I've been finding that I seriously crave red meat prior to and during my period. Do you think that this is my body telling me that it wants extra iron during this time? The last 6 months I have drastically reduced my red meat consumption due to the fat content. I have been charting my...

If you have time, I have pernicious anemia and wondered if you had any information on that? Pernicious anemia is caused by a deficiency of vitamin B 12. It would show up on a blood test because of the large immature red blood cells that are present. These large red blood cells are very inefficient...

I take a multivitamin to supplement my diet. I have read, on a couple of occasions (don't ask me where), that men should use a multivitamin which does not contain iron. The reason, if I remember correctly, was that men could get their RDA of iron from their normal diet. Is this true? Men who...