Is it safe to take iron every day as a male? I'm iron-deficient and don't want it to hsppen again. Heavy coffee consumption is the only guess I have as to how this happened.
Is it safe to take iron every day as a male? I'm iron-deficient and don't want it to hsppen again.
I could be wrong but I remember that a big metastudy showed Iron to be detrimental to longevity.
extremes
every time you breathe you lose iron and modern foods are iron deficient + grains are mineral goblins
it's better to be closer to anemic than have lots of iron but it's even worse to be slightly anemic, you can manage being mildly anemic but any intense physical activity makes you light headed
there's just not enough oxygen, you become lethargic
iron supplements won't increase your blood iron levels
If that's the case, what do I do?
eat more red meat and eggs
do cardio to keep blood pressure stable
simple as
That guys full of shit. No clue where he thinks iron goes if not to our bodies and our blood.
If he already eats plenty of meat and he still has low iron he has a gut issue and more iron in his diet won't do jack.
I have this, eat a lot of eggs and meat, how do I fix gut issue? My iron levels are low.
You have candida or...? Just low iron but no clue why? Any symptoms?
Something I recommend everyone try is a test you do yourself with baking soda. You can look it up pretty much anywhere. You mix some with water in the morning drink it and you SHOULD burp sometime shortly after. More time it takes the lower your stomach acid is. If your stomach acid is low, which can be caused by lots of things, you won't absorb vitamins or digest properly. Very likely you'll have lots of accompanying issues aside from just the fatigue and brain fog and all from iron deficiency itself. Often times this can cause acid reflux. Low acid can cause reflux. How exactly I'm not sure the mechanism of yet, I've not read anything on it much. I have very erosions in my esophagus due to reflux despite having low stomach acid. According to a natural doctor I follow, magnesium fixes this issue. Dosage, and ideal form, couldn't say. I'm taking about 500mgs a night now. Nearly fixed my sleep issues. I think she told me magnesium plays a part in the regulation of your stomach/esophagus/whatever as well, hence using magnesium for acid reflux, and hence magnesium being a prominent ingredient in many OTC antacids.
Good eye, friend.
Ignore him, take your sups, make sure you get vitamin c, avoid having dairy when you take your sup. So long as your insides tolerate the supp, you'll hopefully get it up in no time
Can you show us some labs? What's your ferritin?
t. guy who had a ferritin of just 36 due to years of candida overgrowth, done a fair bit of reading.
Iron is safe if you're actually deficient. I've been taking heme iron for over a year now, 20-80mgs a day. Labs still show everything's all good. Still need to raise ferritin a bit actually.
To show the exact numbers, I'd have to tap on each thing and open a separate page.
-Ferritin is 63 ng/dL, normal range is 38-380 ng/dL
-Total iron is 68 mcg/dL, normal range is 50-195 mcg/dL
-Iron Binding Capacity is 411 mcg/dL, normal range is 250-425 mcg/dL
-Percent saturation is 17%, normal range is 20-48%
I've eaten three eggs a day for years and take a multivitamin. I never really ate any particular foods consistently like red meat (I eat it once in a while), but I still eat some kind of meat or fish every day. Whether it's chicken, pork or sardines.
I also got tested for celiac recently and it came back negative + I don't have genetic markers for celiac. Not sure if there's any other blood tests I can get done to check for digestive problems. All my doctors ever want to do is put me on SSRIs (I complain about being tired, falling asleep while driving, unable to concentrate or learn anything).
Binding capacity is good, everything else is bad. Not you're gonna die or you probably have anemia bad but if you Google iron deficiency WITHOUT anemia you'll find a lot to read. If your ferritin is below 100 you'll more than likely have symptoms. Throw out the bullshit range. Range for b12 for example is like 300-1200, it's fricking wild. ~~*They*~~ recommend elderly patients have a level of at least 700 if memory serves me right, hmm, wonder why? They get these averages from sick people. Not healthy volunteers. My b12 was also very low, you should get that checked if you haven't.
Anyways you want your ferritin to be at least 100. To recover from this, around 125 for half a year, solid. Then you can taper off the supplements. The other levels you posted do matter, and they should all be on the mid/higher end at least. But not much else to say there.
Brain fog and fatigue, lack of energy, libido, thinning hair, etc, there's so much shit this stuff can cause its not even funny. It's absolute hell especially after years of not knowing.
Don't fricking take the SSRIs or even try them unless you're actually suicidal. They got me on that route. Wellbutrin, Clonazapam, tried to get me on Sertraline, etc. Was told for years my issues were all mental, and that my labs were ~~*normal.*~~ Just need drugs and a therapist is all.
In all my years of trying this and trying that nothings helped me like L Glutamine (for stomach health,) b12 injections (injections needed when stomach is not absorbing,) folinic acid (vitamin b9) a B complex and iron pills. If you test your b12 and it's fine, above 700, you're good there, no need for B vitamins. If you're not absorbing iron probably do have a B problem though. So for now I'd say start with low doses of heme iron, 20mg a day. I use three arrows simply heme.
Blood tests won't show anything wrong with your GI system unless as you said you have an autoimmune disorder. You need a stool test at the least.
cont.
I have a candida overgrowth. Left unchecked for about 6 years now give or take a bit. It started with just an upset stomach and whatnot and devolved into a full blown anxiety disorder. Panic attacks out the ass even when I was completely calm. It was entirely physical. Went to the ER a handful of times because I couldn't feel my body, was hard to breathe, etc, this is partially due to my b12 deficiency as well as my iron deficiency. My GI map showed that I had food poisoning when this all started, which I did. I know it was when I think it was because b12 takes 3 to 4 years to deplete. With my level pre injections of 272, serves as good confirmation of what my case looks like and how long it's been.
Oh yeah before I forget, if you take a B12 vitamin whether its in your drinks or food or whatever you'll get a false high blood test result. Takes 3 to 4 months for supplemental b12 to leave the system entirely.
Tl;dr doctors are moronic when it comes to supplementation and lab ranges, they're owned and taught by insurance companies. The best doc you can get will tell you "I don't really know what's wrong with you," "see a specialist," not "here's some drugs gl have fun."
I'd advise you get some iron pills and see a GI doctor, see if they can order a GI map. The one I took is very extensive, cost me 500 bucks, not from my GI doc or insurance. Money well spent. Also also also, b12 and iron work together. You may notice symptoms worsen a bit improve and worsen on and off, up and down. This can be because you're using more b12 you're lacking in, your body is getting used to having what it needs (iron) a number of things. Vitamin shit gets crazy and it just isn't taught as it needs to be.
How did you learn about all this? I have candidia btw. How did you cure yours?
Years and years and years of borderline being driven insane and tons of time to read while I was off work, lacked the energy to do much else. Haven't even been able to lift much lately, though it's getting better.
I used to want to be a physician's assistant but I just can't handle all the bullshit pre requesite classes that have nothing to do with medicine or even psychology. Drives me up a wall that I need to read ebonics and all that garbage before I can study useful things.
Anywho I haven't cured my candida yet. Kind of scared to start due to die off symptoms. I've a phobia of vomiting which is just great with a condition like candida. And the die off can be debilitating besides the potential nausea.
I got pic related for when I do want to start, most all of the ingredients are good for anti fungal/anti yeast purposes. There's many other things that are good for killing candida such as coconut oil and even aloe vera, which also protects the stomach lining, very important. Some swear by the candida diet of which there's like a dozen variations but really you just need to eat clean and restrict carbs. For some it takes months, others, years. Some people don't get die off or it's easily managed by not taking too many antifungals and with a binder like activated charcoal. Slow and easy is the way to go.
You can find a shit ton on, and I hate to refer to this, but a FB page called "The Iron Protocol," if memory serves me right. There's also 2 pages I like for b12 and B vitamin info.
There's lots of things I haven't gone over but can expand on a little later if you'd like. Like exercise depletes iron, so no HIIT or very regular hard exercise is actually good when your iron is tanked. B6 shouldn't be taken unless a deficiency is confirmed as it builds up in your system and excess isn't passed out through pissing. If you do end up needing b12 injections it has to be EOD, until neurological symptoms go. It goes on and on man.
I know that bottle. Solaray yeast cleanse
So yeah if you want to tackle the candida first there's not a ton you absolutely must know. Just research anti fungals and things that protect the stomach lining. Over time with infections/overgrowth like these it weakens the lining which allows toxins to pass into the blood stream. Highly recommend L Glutamine for this. You take it apart from protein having meals, an hour or so, and it literally feeds your intestinal lining. Helps it regenerate and all. Don't go in without a binder, charcoal, as you may need it to help with the die off symptoms. And I believe it's 4 hours you want to take this apart from any vitamins or food. Many take it right before bed with a glass of water.
ditto on docs not knowing their shit. They love to roll their eyes when you tell them about the research you did into the subject and are super dismissive, probably because there are tons of actual idiots who Webmd their symptoms and freak out.
An example is figuring out if you need testosterone supplementation. The range for "normal" testosterone is 300 to 1000 ng/dl... Which is in of itself a massive range. But more importantly, a teenager's testosterone level is going to be higher on average than a 40 year old's. So if a teenager has 350 ng/dl and is complaining about classic low test symptoms, most docs won't prescribe him test because he's technically in the OK range... Even though he's objectively on the low end of the spectrum for a normal, healthy teen.
Anyway, you bring this up to a doc and they'll roll their eyes and tell you how they're the experts, and how googling something doesn't make you knowledgeable - even though your data is coming from a NCBI peer reviewed study. Buncha dipshits
Oh man the hormone doctors are a funny bunch. Not even endocrinologists will listen to you. I've had one straight up tell me I'm going to die of a heart attack or some shit with a total T of 935ngs even though my hematocrit and everything was fantastic.
There's another veil in the whole testosterone controversy, SHBG, and of course free testosterone. Neither of which my once endocrinologist tests for or knew about. High SHBG=low free T even if your total test is fantastic. Can be indicative of liver issues of course but some people, I believe Greeks are particularly susceptible to this, just have higher levels. No way to lower it besides eating more meat and all that stuff. I ended up having to start pinning as my free T was suboptimal, or so I was led to believe. After all these years I found out well fricking duh my T is meh, I have candida overgrowth iron and b12 deficiency, fricking dipshits. D levels were shit, too. So now after I figure out all this stomach crap I have to go on an HPTA restart to turn my almonds back into golf balls. Fricking ridiculous. It didn't even make me feel better. No complications, at least. Did raise my hematocrit a bit but not to dangerous levels by any means.
>mfw going through all this shit and been going through it at only 26 years old
People say life peaks at 30 r-right haha
Redpill me on the candida issue
Candida overgrowth can cause nausea, weight loss, fatigue, brain fog, even acne, numerous vitamin deficiencies (over long periods of time,) certain food intolerances, sugar cravings, among other things. A fun symptom I have as many others do though this isn't reported as often, recurring sinus infections. Only colloidal silver seems to help, as it's antifungal and clearly the fungus has grown into my ears/nose/throat. It worsens allergies by 4 times it seems even if you don't end up with an infection due to it all. I can't remember the last time I could taste an avocado, just too settle a flavor unless I get a mouthful of it.
It's usually only caused when your GI system is already fricked to some degree (disbiosis, imbalance of good/bad bacteria) and something sends your stomach overboard, for me, bad case of food poisoning. Which resulted in things I talked about above and chronic constipation, which only led to the yeast having an even easier time at reproducing. Couldn't flush much of it out without pharmaceutical laxatives. I think it's pretty rare someone just happens to have an overgrowth or they just eat so much fricking sugar and empty carbs it takes over. Stomach has to have been weakened by something else first. Sometimes all it takes is a strong round of antibiotics, though. Which is why I refused Accutane for my acne and opted for tretinoin cream instead.
You can't just "eat better" to get rid of it because it's naturally there in healthy people. When there's an overgrowth you need to address it sure but you also need to fix what may have caused it with antifungals, better diet, digestive enzymes for a time, and, kind of a meme science but they seem to help me, probiotics. Fermented foods are said to help but could end up making things worse, it depends.
To add, candida and other fungal infections aren't well researched. I believe I read once there hasn't been a new anti fungal med in 25+ years. It's an easy problem to ignore when it's a mild case and you can ~~*fix*~~ it with psychiatric meds.
I'm not sure how true it is but antifungal medications can be EXTREMELY harsh on the body, supposedly because fungal DNA or some shit pretty closely resembles human DNA or whatever. So while you end up killing off the fungus with meds, you kill off many good things too. Some people really do need them and benefit greatly from them. I'd rather not go that route until I'm sure natural things won't work.
Sorry for hijacking your thread OP. Ily.
*fungal medications
Durrr
What can I actually do to get rid of it?
I've already said quite a bit but to reiterate a bit:
Cut down on carbs, slowly. Too fast higher risk of die off.
As you start to cut down on carbs introduce antifungals, safest to do it one at a time. Whether you start with just garlic extract or coconut oil pills, 1/2 the dose of the yeast cleanse I posted, whatever. Start off easy in everything you do.
Activated charcoal isn't 100% necessary but you'll want to get some to help with the detoxification process. It won't hurt in small doses. As I said it absorbs fricking everything though not just toxins, so don't take it with food or vitamins, or even medications. With being within 3 or 4 hours of. Over time lessen your carb intake, add more antifungals. Candida adapts fairly well to most things so you want to mix it up, don't just take one anti fungal unless it's a mix like I posted.
Take L Glutamine, 5-20 grams a day. Your stomach needs the help. Digestive enzymes, don't know of any that don't help so any you find should work. Aloe Vera protects the stomach and is anti fungal. Probiotics people debate on but I believe if you have too much bad bacteriabyou need to balance it out, sometimes the only way is probiotics. Greek yogurt is also great for good bacteria
Read, read, read. Lots of conflicting advice but what I've said is generally approved by everyone. The most controversial part of fixing candida is diet. As I said some say go full keto, no carbs. But that's bad, because die off and our bodies need carbs. Some say just eat clean. It just varies.
I wouldn't worry about it unless you're feeling off. If you're really concerned an iron/b12 measurement panel is easy to get, doctors usually aren't reluctant to order one for you.
Thanks for your insights
<3
Was there anything else in the iron? Alot of iron supps are mixed with meme vitamins and other herbs you more than likely don't need that can make you feel funky. I remember getting a "blood builder" when I first started learning of this, lots of weird shit i never heard of in it. Made me sick for two days and never took it again. That's what I emphasize to take HEME iron. Easier on the gut and no cofactor required like vitamin C. And the dosing is easier to figure too. Nothing seems to block absorption whereas nonheme iron is blocked by a lot, like coffee. I really like the brand I listed above since it's literally just heme iron, nothing else.
I've been thinking of fasting, either the basic b***h 16:8 "fasting" or 20:4. Maybe OMAD. I know it'd starve the candida for sure, definitely a great tool. Again though, afraid of die off. Worried I'd get sick because it's been x number of hours since I've uh, fed anything to my fungus. I know I gotta start somewhere though man. It's hard though. I really do have a phobia of vomiting, due to the food poisoning many years ago. Dry heaving non stop for 3 days barely able to function wondering if you're dying will do that to you.
You're right I looked up the brand I used years ago and it is a mixture so I can't narrow the blame down to the iron.
I get you, I hate vomiting too and have been scared of it.
Had food poisoning long ago and I would shake when body let me know it was time for reversing, was scared of it even before that.
I did get over it eventually and now I can even induce it voluntarily but of course it's still painful.
Been in a moment where that was really necessary and just had to overcome the fear or be in way more danger, having two choices like being ground between two hard places forced me to overcome it on the spot.
You may not be in an urgent situation like that but candida gets dangerous eventually, hope you find the courage as fast as possible to beat it's ass!
Thanks man, every bit of encouragement helps. Glad you got over your poisoning, no fun there. Hopefully never again for either of us.
Ya it just makes me feel great eating it, sometimes everyday.
I do remember one time buying iron supplement pills and ate those daily for like 2 weeks and it made me feel really sick, stopped and tried again a few times to conclude it was actually that.
I don't have candida though so can't say my personal experience would be the same for you.
Did you try fasting to beat the fungi?
Don’t bother with iron supplements. But a $15 cast iron skillet and cook all your meals on it. Been doing that for 4 years, and my bloodwork has always tested higher-than-average for iron, but never too high
Personally I wouldn't. Iron is very efficiently conserved in the male body and you get constant resupply from your food sources alone.
Nope, iron is a poison. We need it, byt it should be in synergy with copper that helps iron absorbtion. Copper doesn't allow oxidised iron to hurt us.
The reason people get iron deficiency is because they are deficient in copper or b12, or both. Supplement them. But be careful with copper as it can prevent zinc ansorbtion. Loon up zinc, copper how much to take side effects, symptoms of deficiency
iron supplements make me feel like shit.
i got low ferritin from a combination of high weekly cardio volume, a ton of walking, and blood donations though i wasnt technically anemic as my hemoglobin still stayed between 15.5 and 16. my body was just using all available iron to make blood.
i had wicked symptoms including severe short term memory loss where i could listen to a song on the radio then if you asked me what song was just on i would have no idea. i thought i was getting dementia at 30. my fatigue was never that bad though as i was always motivated to be active.
anyway taking iron supplements gives me nausea and flu like symptoms even a fever at high doses like an immune response
>i had wicked symptoms including severe short term memory loss where i could listen to a song on the radio then if you asked me what song was just on i would have no idea
At my worst, the number of times I turned my cooktop on and forgot about it was silly, glad I'm not alone
Only women might take iron since they regularly bleed. I remember a greentext where a guy said he took iron and it has fricked him up for life.
I eat tons of liver like every other or third day, it has tons of iron (also other things).
Should I be worried about some iron overload?
what does your doctor say, moron homosexual?
midwit has entered the chat
Eat beef liver moron