Home Iron Test

Oxygen is the most critical nutrient for body function, but we can't absorb it directly. It is carried by the iron in hemoglobin (Hb)and red blood cells. When iron and hemoglobin drop, oxygen can't be supplied at optimal levels.

Anemia occurs when the body produces too few red blood cells, loses too many red blood cells, or red blood cells are destroyed faster than they can be replaced. Left untreated,anemia can become a very serious, even life-threatening condition.

When the number of oxygen-bearing red blood cells decrease, the heart must work harder, pumping more and more blood in order to meet oxygen requirements throughout the body. When the heart works too hard, it can develop a rapid heartbeat (tachycardia), and/or another serious condition known as Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (LVH) or "enlarged heart" which in turn can lead to heart failure.

You may remember the old commercials touting a patent medicine for "iron-poor blood." In fact, there are nearly 100 different types of anemia with almost as many causes. The most common are:

A vitamin or iron deficiency
A serious disease (bacteria loves iron, the original "hard candy," and the body makes iron unavailable to control bacterial infection)
Sickle cell anemia (an evolutionary defense against malaria)
Significant blood loss (typical of women of child-bearing years, or men with bleeding ulcers or other blood loss)
Side effects of prescription drugs
Genetic or acquired defects or disease
Pernicious anemia (a deficiency of Vitamin B12)
Aplastic anemia (due to bone marrow failure)

Anemia is often suspected in fatigue and depression. However, iron-deficiency is not the only cause of anemia (or depression). And the flip side of iron-deficiency anemia is siderosis ("iron-condition") or iron storage disease, too much iron -- one of the most common genetic diseases in Caucasian men. It leads to "iron heart" (heavy metal poisoning, with iron concentrated in the heart tissue). Treating the accompanying fatigue with more iron will only make the problem worse.

Always find out what you're dealing with before you treat. But insurance won't cover this month? The Anemia Meter is a great start. Plenty of iron? Don't add more. Anemic? Contact your physician immediately for treatment.