Anemia is a condition where the red blood cell count is reduced due to deficiencies within the system. This is usually caused by a lack of iron, folate and other related nutrients in the diet. Anemia is a major public health concern in India as over 50 percent of women are known to be anemic. This pushes up the mortality rate of young mothers and even children.

Some symptoms of Iron deficiency anemia
Anemia has a wide range of symptoms which varies from person to person. However there are some generic symptoms which can be noticed in most people. Some of these are
1. Pale appearance of skin - Many people exhibit this symptom where their skin appears to be pale as there is a reduced amount of oxy - hemoglobin in the skin.
2. Physical weakness, light headedness and fatigue - This is a general symptom, which many tend to suffer from and complain about. Fatigue and weakness may come in very quickly even with the slightest effort.
3. Hair loss - Many women may complain about hair loss due to Iron deficiency  anemia.

Some other symptoms are -
a. Breathlessness
b. Constipation
c. Missed or irregular periods
d. Numbness or burning sensations
e. Depression
f. Tinnitus among others

Causes of Iron deficiency anemia
The primary cause of Iron deficiency anemia is the lack of iron in the diet which causes the hemoglobin in the blood to be reduced. Some of the patients may still have Iron deficiencyanemia as they have developed gastrointestinal disorders which prevents the absorption of nutrients like iron within the body.

How to treat Iron deficiency anemia
Diet related anemia can be easily cured or controlled with changing diets. Inclusion of certain foods within the diet can easily reverse the Iron deficiencies. Some of the food items that help with deficiencies are:
1. Fortified cereals
2. Green dark leafy vegetables
3. Poultry items
4. Eggs
5. Meat
You may also require certain iron supplements if you have certain underlying conditions which is causing issues with iron absorption.

How to prevent Iron deficiency anemia
It is important, especially for women to go for regular checkups to your doctor and also a hemoglobin check up. Your doctor or dietician can tell you to include certain foods in your diet that include folate, iron and vitamin B 12 so that the level of hemoglobin in your blood can be maintained at healthy levels.

All About Iron Deficiency - Anemia

World Sickle Cell Day is observed each year on June 19th to raise the public awareness regarding this disease and its treatment methods. Sickle Cell disease is an inherited transmitted deformity/abnormality of haemoglobin. It is an inherited form of anaemia. This abnormality generates changes in the shape of red blood cells from round to crescent, which reduces the oxygen carrying capacity and slows down the flow of blood to various parts of the body. 

Generally, red blood vessels are round and flexible, passing easily through the blood vessels. The red blood cells become sticky and rigid in sickle cell anaemia. Sickle cells last 10 to 20 days, which causes anaemia because of the disorder of red blood cells, while healthy red blood cells could live up to 120 days.

Millions of people around the world are affected by Sickle Cell Anemia. There is no specific cure for this disease as Sickle cell anaemia is not contagious, it is hereditary. Sickle cell anaemia is named so for the reason that red blood cells are crescent-shaped or sickle-shaped, and anaemia signifies lack of blood. There is a difference between iron-deficiency anaemia and sickle cell anaemia.

Symptoms

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) has many symptoms which includes: serious anemia, episodes of suffering, additionally a range of complications, heart failure, dizziness, chronic kidney disease (CKD), acute chest syndrome (ACS), chest pain, gallstones, pulmonary hypertension, immune deficiency, paralysis or stroke, splenomegaly, joint damage mainly in the hip joint, foot ulcers, delayed puberty, retinopathy, and endocrine disorders.

Diagnosis

Sickle Cell Disease is diagnosed by blood tests.

Treatment

Bone marrow transplant or stem cell transplant in patients usually below the age of sixteen is the only available cure for the disease.

Aim of the World Sickle Cell Day

The aim of the World Sickle Cell Day is to support and promote research for the patients in order to help them upgrade their overall quality of life to the maximum possible extent. It also aspires to increase awareness for sickle cell disease disorder in the general public so that they know how to deal with patients suffering from the disease. Moreover, the World Sickle Cell Day has the objective of raising awareness of the importance among generations of pre-marital screening to lessen the transmission of Sickle Cell Disease.

Target Groups for Awareness Programs

Though it is desirable that everybody knows about Sickle Cell Disease, the target groups for the awareness programs include health decision-makers, sickle cell anaemia sufferers and their families, health organizations and associations, people who are planning to get married, and the health workers including health educators, physicians, and nurses.

On the World Sickle Cell Day, different societies provide advocacy, information, and advice for raising awareness. They also provide educational and welfare grants, support services, annual children s holiday, home help, hospital visits, mentoring and befriending through holding talks, assisting into research and training, lobbying for better service provision, patient education seminars, and campaigning.

World Sickle Cell Day - What Should You Know?

Anemia makes you go low on energy. It is usually because your Haemoglobin is lower than normal. Normal range for females is 12- 14 gm & for males 13 - 15 gm. This technically means that the count of your red blood cells is abnormally low, so it can't carry enough oxygen to all parts of your body. This causes paleness and symptoms like generalized weakness, fatigue, low concentration, giddiness, and palpitations .
 
Follow these 7 home remedies to beat Anemia- 

1) Remember the ‘Apple a day’quote - it is more true for an Anemic than for anyone else.
2) Not just Apple, consume a ripe banana with 1 tbsp of honey twice a day. Honey helps in increasing the haemoglobin in blood. It is rich in iron, copper and manganese.
3) Soak handful of currants (munakka) for 4 hours. Remove seeds and have it every morning.
4) Mix a cup of beetroot juice, a cup of apple juice with honey and have it once a day. 
5) Have lots of green, leafy vegetables like spinach and cabbage. Tomatoes are very good too.
6) Consume fruits rich in iron such as watermelons, raisins, grapefruits, tomatoes, apples, bananas, oranges, strawberries and avocados.
7) Non vegetarian sources are rich in vitamin B12, which also increases HB. Have egg yolk, meat, seafood like tuna, clams, catfish, salmon, oysters and sardine.

Click on consult privately to ask me any questions that you might have on Anemia. Wishing you good health.

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Anemia - It's more common than you think it is.

In this fast-moving world, everyone is so busy that it's hard to take self-care. People give less importance to what they eat, when they sleep and so on. Conditions such as anaemia have become very common, and we still neglect knowingly and unknowingly. You tend to find quick alternatives. Homoeopathy is the alternative for such a condition.

Understand Anemia

If hemoglobin (that carries oxygen throughout the body) count is less in red blood cells, such condition is known as anaemia. Body doesn't receive enough oxygen, thereby leading to weakness and fatigue. Anaemia can affect all age groups; from kids to elders.

Apart from poor diet, certain anaemic conditions could be hereditary, which are beyond one's control. Women who are of childbearing age tend to be anaemic due to menstruation.

Causes and Types
- Accidental blood loss, child birth or medical conditions such as gastric ulcer lead to haemorrhage, which ultimately lead to anaemia.
- Iron deficiency during pregnancy, poor diet or haemorrhage may cause anaemia
- Megaloblastic anaemia occurs due to deficiency of Vitamin B12 (Folic Acid).
- Pernicious anaemia occurs due to autoimmune disorder. One is unable to absorb Vitamin B12 adequately.
- Hemolytic anaemia is caused to destruction of red blood cells during ill health conditions such as in malaria or due to irregular red blood cells such as in Sickle-Cell Anemia.
- In a condition where haemoglobin production is impaired due to hereditary disorder, it is called Thallasemia.

Homeopathic Remedy
There are numerous homeopathic treatments available for anaemia.

1. Aletris Farinosa is mainly given to women who are extremely weak and feel tired. Such patients always feel tired with minimal energy levels. Vertigo and fainting are quite common. Facial skin looks pale.
2. China is the best for one who experiences excessive bleeding. Bleeding could be due to traumatic injury, periods and so on. The person is usually tired and faints quite often. China is used to control haemorrhage as well as improves blood quantity after bleeding episodes.
3. Cinchona also helps to treat anaemia due to blood loss.
4. Ferrum Metallicum is considered to be the best homeopathic medicine for anaemia.
5. Natrum Mur helps to treat anaemia due to grief. Reasons could be personal tragedy or any other circumstance. The condition worsens due to heat. One tends to ingest more of salt content food.
6. Nit-acid-One is given to anaemic persons who have a desire to eat chalk, paper and earth.

Besides these treatments, eat iron-rich food and have a regular blood check-up at least once in six months.

Homeopathy Medicines to Treat Anemia

The lack of red blood cells or hemoglobin in the blood is termed as anemia. You may also be diagnosed as anemic is your red blood cells do not have a high enough hemoglobin count. Since hemoglobin is responsible for the amount of oxygen in our blood, being anemic results in a decreased flow of oxygen in the blood. 

There are 5 different types of anemia. These are:
1. Iron deficiency anemia: when the iron levels of the blood are lower than normal. 
2. Sickle cell anemia: when the red blood cells are shaped like a'sickle' and hence more fragile. This is an inherited condition. 
3. Thalassemia - when the body does not produce enough red blood cells or hemoglobin. This is also an inherited condition.
4. Megaloblastic anemia - when the blood does not have enough vitamin b12 and hence cannot transport hemoglobin through the body. 
5. Hemolytic anemia - when the red blood cells are rapidly removed from the blood due to an infection, medication or disease. 

Lack of oxygen can have a serious effect on the organs of the body. Hence the symptoms of anemia are also the effects of the disease. 
Some of these are: 
Lack of energy
Fatigue
Dizziness
Chest pain
Difficulty breathing
Abnormal heartbeat
Reduced attention span
Numbness of the hands and feet. 

Anemia can also lead to a number of major health problems such as:
1. Heart disease: anemia is directly linked to heart disease. When the blood carries less oxygen, the heart needs to work harder to pump it to the rest of the body. Thus, people who are anemic are at a higher risk of having a heart attack than a non anemic person. Anemia can also lead to arrhythmia or a condition where the person suffers from an irregular heartbeat. 

2. Pregnancy complications: one of the first and most vital supplements prescribed to a pregnant woman is iron. Iron is essential not only for a healthy baby, but also for your own body. Anemia caused by a lack of iron can result in premature birth and a number of other complications at the time of pregnancy. 

3. Increased risk of infections: lack of oxygen in the blood can affect your immune system by lowering its ability to fight infections. This makes the body vulnerable to diseases. 

4. Cognitive damage: anemia in children can result in a greatly reduced attention span and weaken their memory. Sometimes, even when treated, this can result in permanent scarring and reduced iq levels. 

Fighting anemia is not hard. Consult your doctor instantly if you recognize any of its symptoms and start eating food rich in iron to fight this disease.

Anaemia and How It Can Affect Your Health

Anemia, as known to many, is a medical condition triggered by low hemoglobin levels. More than often, iron deficiency acts as a catalyst giving rise to anemia. While fatigue, headache, palpitations, skin pallor, and dizziness are characteristic of anemia, many people also suffer from hair loss. Here too, the iron deficiency acts as contributing factor interfering with the healthy growth cycle of the hair. In some cases, the hair loss may mimic the male and female pattern baldness as observed in the case of Alopecia. While anemia and the related hair loss can affect anyone irrespective of their age and sex, women of reproductive age, as well as teenagers, are more susceptible to this. In this article, we will discuss the anemia and iron deficiency induced hair loss in brief and the preventive measures to deal with the situation.

Anemia-related Hair Loss
In anemia, there is a significant fall in the hemoglobin level. Hemoglobin acts as an oxygen carrier to different body cells and tissues, including those of the hair follicles to ensure healthy cell growth and repairment. Low hemoglobin levels result in inadequate oxygen supply, one of the prime factors responsible for hair loss.

Ferritin, a storage protein (cellular protein) for iron contributes significantly towards a healthy growth cycle of the hair (stimulates the anagen or the growth phase). In the case of anemia, to meet the iron requirements of the vital organs such as the heart, the body starts utilizing the ferritin stored in hair bulb and other non-essential tissues. This dip in the ferritin level affects the hair growth. A ferritin blood test often helps in the diagnosis of iron deficiency and anemia.

Preventive measures to deal with anemia related hair loss
With the iron deficiency and the associated symptoms being taken care of, the anemia triggered hair loss can be controlled and reversed. In addition to the medications and treatment, one also needs to take care of their general health and lead a healthy lifestyle.

Never go for self-medication. It will only worsen the situation. Two individuals can have the same medical problem but triggered by different factors. Always consult a doctor before trying any medicines.
Follow a healthy diet: People dealing with anemia and iron deficiency should enrich their diet with foods rich in iron such as lean meat, liver, spinach, beetroot, nuts and dry fruits (walnuts, almonds), prunes, parsley, broccoli (the florets), to name a few. Foods rich in vitamin C, almonds, are known to promote hair growth.
Avoid drinking tea between meals as this unhealthy practice is known to interfere with the absorption of iron.
Maintain a healthy hair care routine
Oil massage your hair at least twice a week.
Be gentle while combing the hair.
Try and use a mild shampoo (or as the doctor recommended).
Avoid excessive use of hair styling products and chemicals.

Anaemia And Hair Loss - What Should You Do?

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