By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

Iron is one of the most important nutrients for good health and optimal function. Iron is responsible for helping your body produce hemoglobin, which is a protein in the red blood cells that carries vital oxygenated blood from the lungs to the rest of the body.

Iron is necessary for a healthy metabolism and to maintain overall health. Iron also helps us absorb nutrients, balance hormone levels, think clearly, and manage our moods. Iron is essential for physical growth, neurological development and cellular functioning.

When you don’t have enough iron, your body has a very hard time getting oxygen to the brain, tissues, muscles and your cells. This makes you feel extremely fatigued and weak. A severe deficiency in iron results in a health condition called anemia. Symptoms of anemia include: weakness, cold hands and feet, shortness of breath, dizziness, sore tongue, brittle or spoon-shaped nails, pica, poor appetite and more.

Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), with about 10% of women considered iron deficient. Up to 80% of the world’s population are potentially short on iron, and 25% or more have iron deficiency-related anemia.

Iron comes from a variety of foods and is classified as either ‘heme’ or ‘non-heme’, depending on the source. Heme iron comes from meat, poultry, and seafood. Non-heme iron comes from plant food sources such as whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, and leafy greens. Heme iron is much more bioavailable and easier to absorb and utilize in the body.

While we have been well educated as to the importance of iron in the diet and avoiding iron deficiency anemia, the fact is–too much iron is very dangerous to your health and can be life threatening.

An iron overdose can be all of a sudden, or build up gradually, but either way can become an medical emergency.

Taking too much iron in the form of supplements has the potential of causing acute iron toxicity and can be deadly. In fact, one of the most dangerous items in your medicine chest may be your iron supplement pills. Young children and the elderly are especially vulnerable to overdoses of iron supplements.

Doses of supplemental iron (45 milligrams/day or more) can cause side effects including nausea, vomiting, cramps and constipation. Acute iron poisoning causes GI, cardiovascular, metabolic, hepatic and central nervous system toxicity, leading to liver failure and cardiovascular collapse as a cause of death.

Iron overload can happen in a couple different ways:

• Iron poisoning can occur when people overdose on iron supplements.
• Hereditary hemochromatosis is a classified as a genetic disorder characterized by excessive absorption of iron from food.

In either of the above scenarios, iron can accumulate, over time, in your body, leading to a serious health condition. Excess free iron in your body is a pro-oxidant (the opposite of antioxidant) and causes damage to your cells.

Excess iron accumulates in the heart, liver, joints, pancreas, and pituitary gland. If untreated, it can cause serious and irreversible organ damage, and can lead to heart attacks, diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver, arthritis, depression and even premature death.

Hemochromatosis is a genetic defect, caused by the body’s iron regulatory system not functioning properly, allowing iron to build up in the body. The body does not have a quick and easy way to dispose of extra iron, except through blood loss or donating blood. Women who are still menstruating can help rid their bodies of excess iron, but women who are postmenopausal cannot as easily.

The disorder tends to show up more frequently in older men and postmenopausal women. One study suggests that elderly people are more likely to have chronic positive iron balance and elevated total body iron than iron deficiency.

While hemochromatosis can be a genetic condition, many times people do not even realize they have it. They frequently get misdiagnosed as having arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, liver or gallbladder disease, or digestive disorders. Symptoms may not appear until advanced stages of the disease, and diagnosis can be tricky as routine blood tests may not reveal hemochromatosis.

People of Northern European descent, including people of Scottish, Irish and English descent are at increased risk, as is anyone with a family member with hemochromatosis.

Symptoms can include:

• Chronic fatigue-most common
• Joint pain or arthritis
• Loss of libido
• Abdominal pain
• Depression
• Yellowish, reddish, or grayish skin color

Blood tests can help diagnose hemochromatosis by checking levels of iron and ferritin in the blood, along with total iron binding capacity and transferrin iron saturation. All adults over the age of 40 should be screened for this silent and possibly deadly condition.

Iron overload is treated by chelation therapy (drug therapy) or therapeutic phlebotomy, where a doctor will remove blood–or the patient can choose to routinely donate blood.

While iron from food is generally safe, iron supplementation can be harmful if your iron stores are sufficient. It’s best not to take iron supplements unless recommended by a medical professional. And by all means, keep iron supplements out of reach of children. They can be poisonous.

Iron and Cancer

Excess iron has been shown to lead to cancer in humans. Observational studies also suggest that a high intake of heme iron can increase the risk of colon cancer. Clinical trials in humans do show that heme iron from supplements or from red meat may increase the formation of cancer-causing N-nitroso compounds in the digestive tract, but more information is needed in this type of study.

Iron and Medication

Iron can also interact with medications including:

• Levodopa and Carbidopa—for Parkinson’s disease or restless leg syndrome
• Levothyroxine (Synthroid)—for hypothyroid conditions
• Proton pump inhibitors—for GERD
• Tetracycline, Ciprofloaxin, and Penicillin

Conclusion

While iron is an essential nutrient and many people in the world are iron deficient, you can get too much of a good thing. In short, iron is dangerous in higher quantities, especially if you are taking it as a supplement. If you happen to have a family member who has hemochromatosis, or if you are in a high risk group, be sure to ask your doctor to test you for hemochromatosis.

If you are a woman who is postmenopausal or an older man, it’s important to pay attention to you iron intake. Here are a few ways to ensure you can mitigate any negative effects of too much ingested iron.

• Eat foods containing lots of polyphenols, flavanols, phytonutrients, and other plant-derived antioxidant compounds. You can accomplish this by eating a wide variety of brightly colored fruits and vegetables.
• Drink coffee and/or tea with your meals. Coffee blocks iron absorption. Tea also blocks iron absorption–both black and green tea. This is possibly why coffee is constantly associated with lower rates of mortality.
• Eat dairy with meals, or after meals. Calcium is a potent inhibitor of iron absorption.
• Avoid eating red meat with iron-fortified food. The two types of iron tend to magnify each other, as heme iron actively increases absorption of non-heme iron.
• If you drink alcohol, make it red wine and lower-alcohol wines. Wine contains polyphenols that will inhibit iron absorption, while hard liquor like vodka, tequila, and gin enhance iron absorption.
• Drink mineral water. Mineral water contains magnesium and calcium that inhibit iron absorption and it reduces the cancer-causing effects of heme in the colon.
• Exercise reduces iron stores as it builds muscle.
• Living at altitude uses up iron stores more readily as the body has an increased need for oxygen in the blood.

While iron is an important nutrient, as we age, we tend to build up cumulative stores of iron in our bodies which can become a serious health threat, especially if we happen to have a genetic tendency to develop hemochromatosis, or are taking excess iron in the form of supplements. Be sure to have lab work to check for iron overload—or see a doctor or medical professional if you have any of the above symptoms of too much iron.

References
http://irondisorders.org/iron-overload/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/why-too-much-iron-is-harmful#TOC_TITLE_HDR_6
https://www.healthline.com/health/hemochromatosis
https://www.winchesterhospital.org/health-library/article?id=14116
https://medlineplus.gov/iron.html
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/#en2
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/should-you-reduce-your-iron-intake/

The post The Dark Side of Iron – How Iron Becomes Deadly appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

Today’s blog is republished from my friends at TropicalHealth, a leading publisher of daily alternative health tips that I personally read every day…

Almost exactly one year ago, it showed up like a tsunami…and a wave of disease, death, and destruction swept over all of us. According to Statista, as of February 19, 2021, confirmed and presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 disease surpassed 28 million in America, with over 505 thousand deaths reported.

There is not one corner of the globe that this pandemic’s immensity and darkness have not impacted. It might be hard to imagine any good news coming out of such a real-life horror story – but, there is a glimmer of hope and light.

As life seemed to be spinning out of control, something was happening backstage. The best and brightest researchers in the world were pouring everything they knew into developing a vaccine that would protect us from the enemy novel virus. Now, it is here!

However, as with anything new – especially vaccines – there are always lots of questions and plenty of considerations. Today, February 19, 2021 – this is what we know about the available vaccines in America.

About COVID-19 vaccines

As of February 19th, there have been over 57 million COVID-19 vaccinations administered in the United States. The basic premise behind COVID vaccinations is to teach your body how to recognize and fight off the virus.

The CDC is recommending that the following groups of people be offered the vaccine first.

• Health care personnel
• Adult residents of long-term care facilities
• Essential persons like first responders and teachers
• People 75 years of age or older
• People ages 65-74
• People ages 16-64 who have underlying medical conditions
• Other essential persons who work in industries such as foodservice and construction

Note: Keep in mind that guidelines may vary by state.

There are presently two vaccines that are authorized for use in America:

• Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine – With an efficacy rate of 95%, this vaccine is suitable for persons 16 years or older. Recipients receive two injections 21 days apart.

• Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine – With an efficacy rate of 94.1%, this vaccine is suitable for 18 years or older persons. Recipients received two injections 28 days apart.

Both vaccines use messenger RNA technology

Both of the above vaccines use messenger RNA ( mRNA). These vaccines do not use the live virus that causes COVID-19. Contrary to what you may have heard about these vaccines, mRNA does not enter the cells’ nucleus, which means it can’t alter DNA. Cells receive instruction on how to make a harmless protein unique to the virus. Once copies of the protein are made, the genetic material from the vaccine is destroyed. In response to the protein, the body makes T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes that fight off the COVID-19 virus if an infection happens.

According to Dr. Joshua Levitt, there are two pieces of welcome news about mRNA vaccines:

1. Adjuvants: Chemical adjuvants are ingredients that are added to traditional vaccines to stimulate a stronger immune response. Because mRNA vaccines work differently than traditional vaccines, they do not require the same adjuvants, so the ingredient list is actually “cleaner” than many traditional vaccines.
2. Preservatives: mRNA is an unstable molecule that requires extremely cold temperatures to maintain its integrity. Those cold temperatures reduce the need for extra preservatives which are required in traditional vaccines.

According to The Centers for Disease Control ( CDC), persons with the following should not be vaccinated an mRNA vaccine

• If you have had a serious allergic reaction or immediate reaction to any vaccine ingredient, you should not get the vaccine. This includes a reaction to polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polysorbate. Although polysorbate is not in either of the vaccines mentioned above, it is closely related to PEG, which is in the vaccines.

• If you have a severe allergic reaction or an immediate allergic reaction after the first dose, you should not get another injection even if the reaction was not severe. Examples of an immediate reaction include hives, swelling, or wheezing occurring within four hours of vaccination.

Note: If you have had a severe allergic reaction to injectables in the past, you can still get the vaccine, but you need to be monitored for 30 minutes after getting the vaccine.

What if I have an underlying condition?

If you have an underlying medical condition, the CDC states that you can get the vaccine as long as you have not had a reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine or any of its ingredients. There is, however, very little information about the safety of the vaccine in people who have autoimmune disorders or a weakened immune system.

What if I am pregnant or breastfeeding?

Because there is no data on the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant or breastfeeding women, it is best to speak with your healthcare provider before considering the vaccine.

Those that have already had COVID-19

If you have already had COVID-19, a vaccine may help prevent re-infection in the future. Because it is unknown how long immunity after getting COVID-19 lasts, the CDC is recommending vaccination 90 days after an initial diagnosis.

Possible reactions to COVID-19 vaccines

The following reactions are possible after the first or second vaccine injection.

• Swelling, pain, or redness at the injection site
• Fatigue
• Fever (remember, this is a sign that your immune system is working)
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Joint pain
• Chills
• Swollen lymph nodes
• General unwell feeling
• Nausea and vomiting

* An important note for women: It is common for axillary (armpit) lymph nodes to become enlarged on the side where the COVID vaccine was administered. The enlargement can persist for several weeks after the vaccine. Because axillary lymph node enlargement can also occur in breast cancer, this otherwise minor side effect can strike fear in many women after the vaccine. As a result, many experts are now recommending that women avoid unnecessary testing and delay mammograms and for one month after getting a COVID vaccine to allow time for enlarged lymph nodes to subside.

It is important to note that getting the COVID-19 vaccine may cause some side effects similar to symptoms of the virus. If you have been exposed to COVID-19 and you develop symptoms more than three days after being vaccinated – or if your symptoms persist for two or more days – quarantine and get tested.

What about long term side effects?

Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines trials started in the summer of 2020. Because of this, it is impossible to know what long-term side effects, if any, may occur. To stay current with all of the safety data surrounding vaccines, you can visit the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. This site provides data available to the public.

Do I need to prepare for a COVID-19 vaccine?

There is a lot of information circling out there about what to do before a COVID-19 vaccination – it is imperative to sort through what is credible and just talk. Are you wondering about how best to prepare for a COVID-19 vaccination? Here is what the experts are saying.

• According to Aaron E. Glatt, MD and hospital epidemiologist and chief of infectious diseases at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, NY, there is nothing specific a person needs to do before taking the vaccine apart from reporting any previous serious allergic reactions.

• Blanka Kaplan, MD, is a specialist in adult and pediatric allergy and immunology at Northwell Health in Great Neck, NY. According to Kaplan, if you take allergy medicine, you should not stop taking it before being vaccinated.

• Kaplan also advises against taking any kind of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or aspirin before and 2 hours after vaccination – unless instructed otherwise by your physician. These may cause an allergic reaction in some people.

• Kaplan’s additional advice includes avoiding alcohol 24 hours after vaccination and avoiding strenuous exercise 2 hours before and 2 hours after vaccination. Also, skip the hot shower 2 hours before and 2 hours after vaccination as it can cause allergic reactions in some people.

What you should do to support a healthy immune system

According to the experts, there are a few things that you can do to support your immune system doing its job.

Stay hydrated – The first one is to stay well-hydrated. Hydration is fundamental to keeping your immune system healthy. It is recommended to drink a minimum of half their body weight in ounces of water. If you are a coffee drinker, drink one cup of water extra for every cup of coffee you drink. Choose purified water and herbal tea.

Eat right – Eating a whole food diet is a great way to stay healthy and keep your immune system in top shape. Skip the sugar-laden drinks, refined vegetable oil snacks, and munch on some carrots and hummus instead. The more colorful your diet, the better – include delicious fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and healthy fat.

Sleep well – For your immune system to do what it needs to do, you need to adopt a healthy sleeping routine. Studies show that people who do not get enough sleep are more likely to get sick when exposed to a common cold virus. Additionally, a lack of sleep can also impact how fast you recover if you do get sick. Try to go to bed early and get at least 7-9 hours of quality sleep. Put away the electronics an hour before bed and sleep in a dark and cool room.

Stay active – Regular exercise is vital to overall health and wellbeing and a robust immune system. Exercise helps increase circulation, allowing cells and substances of the immune system to circulate through the body and do their job.

Manage stress – Being in a constant state of stress can take its toll on your mental and physical health and impede proper immune function. Although small bouts of stress may induce immune function, chronic stress does the opposite by increasing inflammation and lowering lymphocytes, which are white blood cells that help keep infection at bay. If you battle with chronic stress, try to adopt some health stress-beating habits like journaling, exercising, deep breathing, yoga, and spending time in nature.

What the future holds

As more vaccines are approved, and data flows in from the current vaccines being administered, new information will follow. Just as COVID-19 is unique, so are the approaches underway to protect us against the virus. Continue to practice good hygiene, social distancing, and wear a mask in public. And always get your information from credible, expert sources. If you have questions or concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine, speak with your healthcare provider.

(The original article source is here)
By Susan Patterson

The post COVID 19 Vaccine Update (9+ Things You Should Know Before Getting Vaccinated) appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.