How Mobile County Residents Use Functional Medicine to Recover From Anemias

Many people today struggle with unexplained, chronic fatigue. Fatigue can mean much more than dealing with a lack of sleep. If you’re dealing with chronic fatigue, you may have an abnormal digestive disorder. Anemia is among common digestive disorders.  

What Is Anemia?

Anemia is a deficiency in your healthy red blood cells. If you don’t have enough healthy cells to carry oxygen throughout your bloodstream, other parts of your body start working harder. This results in feeling tired and less energetic.

Many Factors Can Cause Anemia

The condition of your blood cells contributes a great deal to your health. Hemoglobin, a protein, is in your red blood cells. Your bone marrow produces these cells so they can carry oxygen throughout your bloodstream.

If you don’t have enough nutrients in your body, you can’t make the number of blood cells your body needs. Some factors that cause anemia include:

• A lack of iron
• Not enough vitamin B-12
• Family history
• Pregnancy
• Exposure to toxic environments
• A diet that lacks vitamins and minerals

Some factors, such as genetics, are beyond your control. There are different types of anemia that people deal with. The most common is an anemia caused by a dietary deficiency.

Who Suffers From Anemia?

How do you know if you have anemia? The most common symptom of anemia is chronic fatigue. If you’re getting enough sleep each night and you’re still tired, it’s time to take a closer look at your lifestyle. Here are some other common symptoms of anemia:

• Pain in your chest
• Shortness of breath
• Skin that is yellow or pale in color
• Hands and feet that are cold
• Dizziness
• Abnormal heartbeats

Some people may suffer from anemia due to a lack of iron in their diets. Iron is essential for your red blood cells. While low red blood cells don’t always mean you have anemia, it is a common cause.

Gluten Drains the Body’s Nutrients

There are a few reasons people suffer from iron deficiency. Dr. Peter Osborne, of The Gluten Free Society, states that gluten is a main reason for lack of iron in the body. Research shows that iron deficiencies and gluten are often linked. Over time gluten can damage the intestinal lining and reduce the acid that it needs to absorb iron.

A lack of iron can contribute to the symptoms of anemia, such as fatigue. This is because low iron can reduce the oxygen carrying capability of the red blood cells. It can also lead to a weak immune system. Eliminating gluten from your diet is the first step to recovering from these and other health issues.

Functional Medicine Can Help You Recover From Anemia

Functional medicine is a great holistic method for helping you recover from the symptoms of anemia. This approach to medicine works with the body as a whole instead of looking at the symptoms. When you’re trying to recover from anemia, it’s important to start from the beginning. That means looking for the causes of the anemia and may include corrective action steps such as detoxing the body and eliminating harmful toxins.

Medications and processed foods take a toll on the body. Over time, these may inhibit the body’s systems from working correctly. Here are some ways functional medicine can help you recover from anemia:

• Eliminate processed foods and replace them with organic, nutrient-rich foods with iron. Dark leafy greens and grass-fed beef and excellent sources of iron.
• Looks at genetic history and other DNA factors and makes adjustments to nutrition and exercise.
• Introduces emotional cleansing which targets your stress factors. Stress plays a main part in your health. If you’re stressed often, you tend to have poor eating habits. Once you work on de-stressing, it helps with restoring balance to your gut.

These are just a few ways functional medicine helps you recover from anemia as well as other digestive issues.

We Can Help You

If you’re tired of dealing with chronic fatigue, the team at The Gut Authority can help you. Our functional medicine approach will help uncover the source of your fatigue. We’ll sit down together and make a plan to help you recover from anemia. We’re always here to answer your questions.