I'm fairly anaemic, how do I cure myself?

[harman]

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Dried apricots, tomatoes, greens and failing that kiss Popeye.

yes, smoking makes it worse. drinking is ok, especially if it's guinness you're drinking.

but you can eat lots of red meat, green veg and brown bread. iron is absorbed best when eaten with vit c, so lots of steak and peas etc should help. or black pudding with a glass of orange juice. mmmm.

Get Spatone...it's available from Boots. Its little sachets of water with iron in. You can add it to fruit juice to take. The vitamin C helps the iron to absorb.

Also eat green veg, reduce caffeine intake and get plenty of vitamin c.

apricots? vit C to aid absorbtion, so orange juice with meals. Dark green veg, prune juice (yuk but works)

don't drink tea at mealtimes, the tannin stops iron absorbtion

Drinking red wine wouldn't help because it contains tannin, which interferes with iron absorption. Never heard that smoking makes anaemia worse but I don't suppose it helps.

Try Spatone. Pricey but easy to take in OJ and very effective (can get it most places). Also Floradix iron tonic, from H&B and health food shops. I take them both during this pregnancy and haven't been troubled at all by constipation. Don't take them with tea or coffee - try fruit juice (not grape juice). Eat lots of iron rich foods - like lentils, dried fruit, almonds. And red meat if you're not veggie.

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Eat fortified breakfast cereals. Drink orange juice whenever you eat a good source of iron. Don't drink tea at mealtimes as the tannin prevents efficient absorption of iron.

You need to take Spatone.
It comes in little satchets and you just pour it into juice.
Its basically water with iron in. It doesnt make you constipated like iron tablets do.

Take it with orange juice as vitamin C helps to absorb iron.
Avoid alcohol, caffine, fizzy drinks and tea as that stops iron absorbing.

Also eat lots of food with iron in such as red meats, dark leafy green veg like brocoli spinach, cabbage etc.

this

ups, corriedale had alreayd mentioned floradix

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smoking affects absorption of vitamins,so doesn't directly affect anemia, but makes it harder to cure. I have no idea if anemia would make you breathless though.

brown bread and dried apricots have more iron than green veg as I recall, but green veg are never a bad thing.

8.8 is really very low. I would have thought that breathlessness would result. I you can't give up permanently, I'd definitely give up until you get the anaemia sorted out.

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Another vote for Spatone. My count fell to 8.2 during 2nd pregnancy and I had to get it above 10 within 3/4 weeks to avoid being despatched to local nasty hospital. Was over 11 by the time I gave birth - in lovely midwife led unit. Not a Doctor in sight.

I didn't feel too bad actually (just pregnant with a small baby at home) so I was rather suprised at how serious the midwife was. She didn't suggest a transfusion though

Agree with all that has been said here, and hopefully the doctor will get the heavy periods sorted out. Otherwise it is a bit like trying to dry out a sponge with one end of it still in the water. Treat the cause as well as the effect IYSWIM

8.8 is low enough to take seriously and be properly investigated and treated.

Good luck.

pumpkin seeds with a glass of orange juice

am guessing if you are anaemic there are fewer red blood cells and it is these that carry the oxygen ound your body. Therefore it would follow that you would be breathless as your body would try and incresase the oxygen in your blood by making you breathe faster.

I made this up though.

I was 13 after c-section and I was put on tablets! You should have it checked out, something else besides heavy periods might be at play, unless it something that you're used to and happens all the time.

4 dried figs = a quarter of your RDA
Boiled eggs also a good source
Baked beans
canned sardines
dark turkey meat

this site is quite resourceful with meal plans etc. www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2004/may/ironinfodoc s

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I have it too but second the spatone.