High Stress-Culture | Anaemia & Iron Deficiency

The Lord will sustain him upon his sick bed; In his illness, You restore him to health! Psalm 41:3

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Constant stress – work pressure, busy schedules; no time for fun, family or a day of rest; emotional trauma, undealt anger, hatred, resentment and alike – wreaks havoc on our health. Stress itself is not malignant, but a lifestyle of constant stress, evident in our present society, is. During our ‘fight or flight’ response to stress, a hormone called cortisol, which has vital and varied functions, is secreted by adrenal glands into our blood stream. It causes a quick burst of energy and increased immunity, heightened memory function and lower sensitivity to pain, and helps maintain homeostasis in our body. However, it’s important that our body’s functions return to normal, to avoid collateral damage, following a stressful event. Unfortunately, in our current high stress-culture, our body’s stress response is activated so often that our body doesn't always have a chance to return to normal; and this leads to chronic stress and morbidity.

Most people under stress realize the need to relax their bodies. Unfortunately, many of them resort to either deceptive habits or to a bleak and irresolute lifestyle, as a quick fix. This only leads to a seared mind, body and soul, adding to the already ruining health. For example, alcohol, smoking, excessive use of caffeine, nicotine, or tobacco, or any other drug abuse will only further impair our health. On the other hand, pornography, paedophilia, premarital or extramarital relationships, or any other pervert pursuits will only abandon us either to quarantined and incurable depression or to be abusive and monstrous psychopaths. Therefore, it’s exceptionally imperative that we take care of our health, and meet the needs of our mind, body and soul the right way. Only then can we achieve wholesome and thrive vibrant. Remember, our body is the temple of The Spirit of Holiness and we are not our own [1 Corinthians 6:19.]

Now, let’s continue with our case studies that we started in the previous article – three different anomalies with a common condition, anaemia.

(i)                A guy with allergic rhinitis, or hay fever;

(ii)             A woman under psychiatry treatment; and

(iii)           Pregnancy.

Case (i) – A guy with allergic rhinitis, or hay fever

Suffering allergic rhinitis for about ten years, as mentioned in my previous articles, and with the help of some tests I came to know I was anaemic too.

Red Blood Cells - Iron deficiency anaemia

Anaemia is a deficiency in the number or healthy red blood cells, or erythrocytes. The cytoplasm of healthy erythrocytes contain iron-rich protein called haemoglobin, which functions in carrying oxygen from lungs to dispensing the same throughout the circulatory system to every part of our body, organ and cell.

There are several types and classifications of anaemia. The one we’re concerned here with is iron deficiency anaemia, which is common among adolescents, children, patients aged over the age of 50, and women during pregnancy.

Signs and symptoms:

1. Reduced amounts of oxyhaemoglobin in skin and mucous membrane – Pallor
2. Anxiety, irritability or a low feeling, fatigue, general weakness, constant feeling of being unwell, and sleeplessness or insomnia
3. Allergic to certain smells, pollen, dust, weedy air, etc.
4. Constipation, common cold, runny nose, wheeze, and breathing difficulty

Causes:

1. Lack of iron in diet
2. Food with very low or zero nutritional value
3. Inability to absorb iron due to intestinal disorder. Since iron from food is absorbed into the bloodstream in the small intestine, intestinal disorder could be the cause.
4. In patients over the age of 50 and adults in common can suffer anaemia due to gastrointestinal disorders
5. Loss of blood caused by heavy menstruation among women
6. Initial stomach cancers can also bleed into the stomach. Losing blood over a period of time can result in anaemia

Anaemia could be very subtle. Blood tests only reveal reduced level of haemoglobin, but not its actual cause. We should never interpret it as a mere iron deficiency. 

   Moreover, our current medicine and research still lacks the sophistication to detect the root cause, if it’s anaemia due to cancer. With our current endeavor in medicine, cancer can go undetected for almost a decade.

   Personally, I've suffered irrevocable loss. It is this subtleness of anaemia, and the unawares of how limited our medical venture is, that took my dad away from me. Sadly, there are numerous cases of such mortality, where the true cause goes undetected, and finally when detected, it’s too late.

Treatment for Anaemia and Side effects:

Prescription of iron supplements seems to be the usual practice. However, running the risk of its side effects is high. Side effects include diarrhea or constipation leading to piles or fissures, and epigastric abdominal discomfort.

Iron overdose can be fatal to both children and adults. The absorption of excessive quantities of ingested iron results in systemic iron toxicity: cellular toxicity. Severe overdose causes impaired oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial dysfunction, which can result in cellular death. The liver is one of the organs most affected by iron toxicity, but organs such as the heart, kidney, lungs, and hematologic systems also may be impaired.

This raises the question of how to combat iron deficiency anaemia safely.

In a case of severe anaemia, consulting a gastroenterologist would be salvific for diagnosing intestinal disorder. Otherwise, intake of iron-rich foods, that has high nutritional value, along with supplementing multivitamins must help fight anaemia more effectively than iron supplements: the quick fix with long term consequences.

In the successive articles, we will further discuss anaemia and its undetected root cause, if any, and the precautionary measures to save unawares.

However, in the next article, we’ll continue with the same case study and build a strong and detailed emphasis for food and nutrition. Until then, HASHEM BLESS US ALL!!!

PS: Dear readers, please feel free to leave your comments, or to share any related scriptures, or any tips that can help improve one's health. We just encourage you to keep learning and living vibrant health everyday. Never lose the joy, the passion, and most importantly, never let anybody say that you can't live life to its fullest. Because that's just not true. God Bless You!!