Do you know the disease called anemia? So, anemia is the disease that occurs whenever your body have the level of the red blood cells in your blood that is lower than normal. There are a lot of types of anemia, but the iron deficiency anemia is the most common types of the anemia. So, the anemia commonly occurs whenever your body haven’t enough of minerals and iron. The insufficient amount of iron in the body will make your body have lack of hemoglobin, a protein that will carry the oxygen to your body’s tissue, which then will make the muscle and most parts of the body have the proper function. Hemoglobin could be produced whenever your body have the sufficient amount of iron.
Anemia Causes
As already mentioned above, there are a lot of causes that can lead you to anemia disease. So, in the article below, you’ll find out the various things that commonly could lead you to anemia. So, here are the various causes of anemia:
- Inadequate Iron Intake. The most common thing why the anemia could occur is because the inadequate intake of iron. In this case, you need to consume the foods that contain high amounts of iron immediately. The foods that contain high amount of iron will be mentioned in the anemia treatments section.
- Pregnancy and Blood Loss Through Menstruation. The next thing that also could be the common cause of anemia is the pregnancy and the blood loss through menstruation because whenever those accidents happen, the body will lose a mass dose of blood, which without a doubt will lead you to anemia.
- Internal Bleeding. The next cause that also could lead you to anemia is the internal bleeding. Certain medications could lead you to anemia too since they will cause the internal bleeding. Life threatening disease such as colon cancer and ulcer in the stomach could cause the internal bleeding too.
- Inability to Absorb Iron. The next cause of anemia is the inability of the body to absorb more iron. Having the internal surgery would lead you to the inability of your body to absorb iron. Whenever it is possible, try to increase the consumption of heme iron, which is the iron that comes from the animals. That type of iron would easily absorb by the body.
Anemia Treatment
After you already know about the treatment of anemia, you will need to see the various treatments that you should do whenever you’re having the anemia. Here are the various treatments of the anemia so that you will be healthy again.
Anemia Treatment by Identifying the Symptoms
The very first and the very early of the treatment of anemia is recognizing the symptoms of anemia. As most of people say that the sooner you treat the anemia, the more positive outcome you will get. So, here are the treatments of anemia based on identifying the symptoms of anemia:
- Identify the Symptoms of Mild Anemia
The first treatment of anemia is that you need to recognize what kind of anemia that you get. Whether it is mild anemia or severe anemia? So, in case you’re having mild anemia, the symptoms of this type of anemia is very hard to feel and thus, most of people don’t recognize that they’re having the mild anemia. But, the good news is that we can feel the symptoms of mild anemia. In case you have the mild anemia, here are the common symptoms of it:
- Shortness of breath, which is the sign that your body needs more oxygen and you only could feel this symptom whenever you’re having the physical activities.
- Pale Skin. This pale skin could happen because your body lack enough of the production of red blood cells, which then the body couldn’t make up for the red hue in the skin.
- Sudden fatigue and weakness. This symptom occurs whenever you have mild anemia. If you have the persistent fatigue and weakness, even if you haven’t enough physical activity, that is the sign that you’re having the mild anemia because the muscle couldn’t get enough oxygen.
- Identify the Symptoms of Severe Anemia
The second treatment of anemia is ensuring that you recognize the symptoms of the severe anemia. Whenever you’re having the severe anemia, you absolutely can feel it inside your body because severe anemia is occurring whenever the decreased oxygen in the bloodstream already affects the other part of the body. Whenever you feel that there are something wrong in the body, you need to seek the medical attention as soon as possible. In case you’re having the severe anemia, here are the common symptoms of it:
- Severe headache and dizziness
- Decrease in cognitive ability, such as memory loss, struggle to concentrate, inability to catch what other people say.
- Rapid heartbeat
- Having a Blood Test
The third thing that you need to as soon as possible after you feel that there is something wrong with your body is having the blood test. This action will confirm whether you have the anemia or not. So, your doctor will perform the simple blood test called a Complete Blood Count, which is the test to determine whether the red blood cells in your body is too low or not.
That test will also determine whether you’re suffering from mild anemia or severe anemia. So, after the doctor already finds the answer of the result, they can proceed into the next level so that you will get the proper treatment and medication related to your anemia.
Anemia Treatment Based on Dietary Changes and Home Remedies
The next type of treatments of anemia after you and your doctor already know what kind of anemia that you get, either mild anemia or severe anemia, is treating anemia based on dietary changes and home remedies. In this type of treatment, the goal is reducing the symptoms of anemia as well as prevent you from further complications of anemia. Here are the treatments of anemia based on dietary changes and home remedies.
- Avoid Any Heavy Physical Activity
The next thing that you need to do and you must do whenever you already suspected of having anemia, whether it is mild or severe anemia, is avoiding the heavy physical activity. So, why you’re not allowed to have the physical activity whenever you have anemia? Because the heavy physical exercise, in fact, could make your anemia get worse than before, especially if you’re suffering from iron deficiency anemia. In the matter of fact, the heavy physical activity could increase the demand of the iron in the body up to 1 to 2 mg per day, which without a doubt would make your anemia become worse than before. So, it is important that you avoid any heavy physical activity whenever you’re having anemia.
- Increase the Iron Intake
The first treatment that you need to do whenever you’re having the anemia that caused by the iron deficiency is taking more iron. You could consume the iron supplement that the doctor would likely to prescribe you whenever you suffers from the iron deficiency anemia. But, you need to remember that the iron supplement can cause you the side effects, which are dark stool, stomach upset, constipation, and heartburn. In case you’re having the mild anemia, the doctor would recommend you to take the food that rich in iron, especially the heme iron foods that come from animals, such as red meat, poultry, and seafood.
- Increase the Vitamin B12 Intake
The second treatment related to the dietary changes that you need to do whenever you’re having the anemia, especially that caused by the vitamin deficiency, is that you need to increase the consumption of the Vitamin B12. Whenever you’re having the severe anemia that caused by the vitamin deficiency, your doctor would be likely to give you the Vitamin B12 injection or pill once a month. But, in case you’re having the mild anemia that caused by vitamin deficiency, consuming the foods that have the high amounts of Vitamin B12 could be enough, such as eggs, milk, cheese, meat, fish, and poultry.
- Increase the Vitamin C Intake
The third treatment related to the dietary changes that you need to do whenever you’re having the various types of anemia is taking more Vitamin C. The Vitamin C is really needed whenever you’re having anemia since this disease is commonly occurring because you lack of the production of the red blood cells in the body and to produce more red blood cells, you need the intake of iron into your body. The Vitamin C would be very beneficial to help your body to absorb more iron so that the production of the red blood cells will be increased. You could consume the Vitamin C supplement or also you could add some Vitamin C by consuming fruits such as oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, strawberries, and vegetables such as broccoli, peppers, cabbage, and leafy green vegetables.
- Increase the Folic Acid Intake
The third treatment related to the dietary changes that you need to do whenever you’re having the anemia, especially that caused by the folate deficiency is taking more folic acid. The folic acid is the other Vitamin B complex other than Vitamin B12 that would be very beneficial as the treatment against the anemia, since folic acid is needed for proper cell growth. In case you’re having the severe anemia, the doctor would likely to give you the injection of folic acids or pills for at least 2 to 3 months. But, whenever you’re having the mild anemia, the consumption of foods that have the high amounts of folic acids would be enough. The food that have the rich amounts of folic acids such as beans, dark leafy green vegetables, beef, bananas, oranges, and some other fruits.
- Consume Blackstrap Molasses
The first herbal remedies that would be very beneficial as the treatment against the anemia is the blackstrao molassses. In the matter of fact, the efficacy of the blackstrap molasses for anemia has been recognized since the long time ago. This herbal remedy is a complete package to treat against anemia because blackstrap molasses contains high amounts iron and folic acids. Not just that, this blackstrap molasses also contain high amounts of various Vitamin B complex, which without a doubt will increase the production of the red blood cells in the body. You could add this blacstrap molasses into your pancakes, waffel, or any other foods with molasses.
- Consume Spinach
The next treatment that also could be very beneficial as the treatment against anemia disease is spinach. You need to consume more spinach whenever you’re having the anemia because spinach is very rich in Vitamin A, B9, E, and C, and also this dark green leafy vegetables also contains high amount of iron, fiber, calcium, and beta carotene. In the matter of fact, half a cup of boiled spinach would fulfill about 20% of daily requirements of iron in women. Whenever you want to consume this healthy vegetable, you shouldn’t forget to boil it since this vegetable has the oxilic acid in it which interferes with the absorption of iron in the body. So, the boiling process would decrease the levels of oxilic acids.
- Consume Pomegranate
The next treatment that also could be very beneficial as the treatment against anemia disease is pomegranate. Consuming pomegranate whenever you’re having the mild or severe anemia would be essential since this fruit also contains a lot of iron and calcium. As the matter of fact, the pomegranate also commonly called as the super fruit since this fruit has so many nutritions in it. Pomegranate contains high amount of sugar, protein, carbohydrate, fat, and fiber, alongside the minerals such as potassium and copper. So, pomegranate would be very beneficial to increase hemoglobin in the blood and support the blood flow in the bloodstream. This vegetable would also reduce and ease the symptoms of mild anemia such as dizziness and tiredness.
- Consume Parsley
The next herbal remedies that also could be very beneficial as the treatment against the anemia is parsley. Parsley could be described as one of the most culinary herbal in the world right now. Consuming parsley would be essential to your anemia because this vegetable contains high amount of iron and also the folic acids. In the matter of fact, the consumption of 100 grams of parsley would fulfill about 10% of daily requirements of iron intake. Not only just that, this vegetable also contains a pretty high amount of Vitamin C, which will help your body to absorb more iron, especially the iron that classified as the non-heme iron.
- Consume Liver
Super Fast Anemia Treatments The next home remedies that also would be very beneficial as the treatment against the anemia is liver. Liver would be very essential to consume whenever you’re having the anemia because this organ has a great amounts of iron. In fact, liver is classified as the heme-iron, the type of iron that could easily absorb into the body rather than non-heme iron. In the matter of fact, eating liver could fulfill up to 85% of the daily requirements of the iron intake. Not only just that, liver also contains rich amounts of Vitamin B12, copper, phosphorus, and zinc. You could consume either raw chicken liver or beef liver, but the raw chicken liver contains more iron than the beef liver. If you’re a vegetarian, you might still get the benefit of the liver if you consume the desiccated beef liver.
- Consume Whole Grains, Legumes, and Nuts
The next herbal remedies that also would be very beneficial as the treatment against the anemia disease is the whole grains, legumes, and nuts. If you’re a vegetarian and you just couldn’t consume liver, then these herbal foods are ready to fulfill your daily requirements of iron intake. The whole grains, legumes, and nuts are the non-heme iron that would be very beneficial for anemia since these foods are the perfect source of iron and folic acid. But, you need to always remember that you need to balanced the consumption of those foods with the other fruits and vegetables that contains high amount of Vitamin C since the foods that classified as the non-heme iron couldn’t be absorbed well into the body without any help from Vitamin C.
- Consume Ash Gourd
The next herbal remedies that also would be very beneficial as the treatment against the anemia disease is the ash gourd, or people also commonly called it winter melon or white gourd. In the matter of fact, this herb source has been used in a long time ago as the traditional Chinese medicine to treat various medical conditions. This ash gour is very rich in minerals and vitamins such as calcium, iron, phosphorus, thiamine, riboflavin, and Vitamin C. So, consume the ash gourd be like the complete package to treat against anemia because of the high amounts of iron and Vitamin C. This herbal source will also ease the symptoms of mild anemia too such as weakness and dizziness.
- Avoid the Consumption of Alcohol
The next thing and one of the most simple things that you need to do whenever you’re having the anemia is avoiding the consumption of alcohol at any cost. In the matter of fact, alcohol could restrict your body to produce the red blood cells, makes the red blood cells become defects, and also could destroy your red blood cells prematurely. So, the intake of alcohol whenever you’re having the anemia absolutely will make your condition become worse than before. But, whenever you have anemia, you still could consume the alcohol. The National Institution of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recommends no more than 1 glass per day for women and no more than 2 glasses for men.
Anemia Treatment Based on Medication
The next treatment related to the anemia that would be very beneficial to give you the very quick effects is using the medications. The doctor would perform the treatment using the medication whenever you’re suffering from severe anemia or chronic anemia. But, you need to remember that you might feel the side effects after consuming it. So, you better take the medications just like the exact dose that the doctor recommends to you. Here are the treatments of anemia using medications:
- Having the Blood Transfusions
The first medical treatment that you will get whenever you’re having severe anemia is the blood transfusions. In the blood transfusions, the doctor will give you the healthy blood that have the similarities with your own blood via an intravenous. As the result, you will get the large dose of the red blood cells immediately. But, whenever you have the chronic anemia and you already loss a lot amount of blood, your doctor might recommend the regular blood transfusions to you. Usually, the blood transfusions will take about 1 to 4 hours to complete. Don’t forget to add some iron in the body by consuming the herbal and home remedies that already mentioned above.
- Taking Iron Pills Reduction
The next medical treatment that also would be very beneficial whenever you’re having the anemia is taking the iron pills reduction. But, remember that you need this medication if you’re having the frequent blood transfusions because whenever you’re having the blood transfusions, your iron levels may build up. The excessive amout of iron in the body would do the damage of your heart and liver, so that you need to reduce the amount of iron in the body. The doctor then will be likely to give you the injection to reduce the iron levels in your body or will precribed the medicine to reduce the iron levels.
- Get a Bone Marrow Transplant
The next treatment that also would be very beneficial as the treatment against the anemia disease is taking the bone marrow transplant. So, the marrow in your bones usually contains stem cells, which then can develop into the blood cells that is very beneficial for your body to prevent anemia. Thus, if your anemia is caused by the failure of the body to develop the functional blood cells, your doctor would be likely to give you the bone marrow transplant. The result is whenever your stem cells reach the bone marrow, they will begin to produce the blood cells, which then without a doubt will treat your anemia disease.
- Taking Medicine Based on Underlying Causes
The next treatment that also could be very beneficial as the treatment against anemia is taking on the medicine based on the underlying causes of your anemia. Since the anemia could be caused by a lot of factors, your doctor might need to prescribe you the medicine that would suit with the main cause of the anemia. Some medicines that could increase the production of the red blood cells would be prescribed to you whenever you have the severe anemia. Here are the most common medicine of anemia based on its underlying causes:
- Antibiotics to treat the infections caused by the complications of anemia.
- Hormones to treat the heavy bleeding in the pregnant women and in the menstrual period for the teenagers.
- Man-made version of erythropoietin to stimulate the body to produce more red blood cells. But, you need to remember that this type of medicine has some side effects that you need to take the attention. Consult with your doctor before you take it.
- Medicines that have the function to prevent your own body to destroy its own red blood cells.
- Chelation therapy for the lead poisoning, which is mainly used for the children.
- Taking Corticosteroids Medication
The next treatment that also would be very beneficial as the treatment against the anemia disease is taking the corticosteroid medications. This type of medication would be very beneficial whenever you’re having the hemolytic anemia of autoimmune origins. So, in the case your having that type of anemia, the doctor would likely to give you the prescription of the corticosteroids medication, which will very beneficial to stop your immune system from making antibodies that destroy the red blood cells.
- Surgery
The next treatment that also would be very beneficial and also could be very useful to dissolve the anemia disease is taking on surgery. But, please remember that your doctor would perform the surgery whenever you’re having the life-threatening bleeding that can cause the anemia. In addition to that whenever it is your own body that destroying the red blood cells, you may need to have the spleen removed. So, the spleen is the organ that removes the wornout red blood cells from the body and the enlarged spleen could remove more red blood cells which then will cause you the anemia.
Now you already know all you need to know about the anemia, especially the various treatments of anemia. Because anemia is considered as the silent disease because you actually couldn’t feel any simptoms at all, you need to talk to the doctor whenever you’re having the symptoms of anemia as soon as possible. So, stay healthy.