07/23/2008: RT from Santa Ana, CA replies: "Too much of anything is not good, moderation is the key. However you should not try and scare people on this topic. Molasses is nutritionally dense food, and considering what kind of junk food people are overdosing on you shouldn't you be more concerned about warning people about that?

A dietitian."

09/24/2008: Nita-Rose from Cincinnati, Oh replies: "I was considering Molasses as I had a friend that used it successfully for her arthritis. I appreciate the warning on the iron as I recently had a blood test as part of a normal physical check-up, and although I am very healthy, I have been warned not to take iron supplements and to give blood 3 times a year due to my body storing the iron. Therefore, it is kind to warn people as not everyone might be aware of having this condition. I certainly wasn't until recently."

04/20/2010: Saliza from San Jose, Ca replies: "I have been anemic for over 10 years after my last pregnancy. My doctors (I have several within these 10 years) asked me to take OTC iron supplements once a day for life. One of them even called me to go for blood transfusion. Not good at taking direction, I only took the supplement only once in a while when I felt too tired. I also declined the advice for blood transfusion. I thought my iron supply should be enough with the food I eat. Until recently, my latest doctor suggested that may be, just may be I was anemic not because of iron but something else. She sent me for a blood work, testing both the iron level and the genetic condition called "Thalassemia". Sure enough, my anemic condition is not because of iron, but because of Thalassemia. What is more - I am now overloaded with iron 3x the max amount. Luckily I did not religiously taking the supplement, otherwise my liver, heart and spleen would be severely damaged by now. Just thought to share my experience."

04/21/2010: Amanda from Hot Springs, Ar, Usa replies: "i just wanted to add that it is a disorder that affects people of mediterranean decent. my mother was Greek, and she, my sister and brother have it (the minor form), but like you said, IRON is very bad for these people."

04/22/2010: Francisca from Michelbach-le-bas, Alsace, France replies: "Now I am confused, I am also of Mediterranean descent but although I never heard that we suffer more from anemia than anyone else (I would think that because we eat a lot of fish, meat and fresh vegetables we would suffer less from it....), I had a bit of anemia a long time ago and every time I was given iron. That was the main cure for anemia. Could you maybe explain further? Of course you shouldn't take iron if you don't need it, that goes without saying but if you are anemic as far as I know you lack iron."

04/22/2010: Lisa from Thousand Oaks, Ca, Usa replies: "I just want to add that I was severely anemic throughout my childhood and had to go every couple of weeks for blood tests. It was a terrible experience especially for a child. Anyway, I was always taking iron supplements. So, why was there no real change? From my understanding, iron is very difficult for our bodies to integrate. Often, when women are pregnant they will be given iron supplements which then cause the woman constipation, along with all of her other issues that come with pregnancy!

Well, I have an interesting story. When I was pregnant with my first son, I was also selling these amazing vitamins for a small company. Simultaneously, my midwife checked my blood to find that I was severely anemic. She warned me that it was so severe she would not be willing to deliver my baby if this was not changed immediately. Well, the company I was selling for had run a contest for sales and I won which included a luncheon with the founder who was also a biochemist. He was a very sweet man and I told him my predicament because at the time I was a committed vegetarian. He told me the answer was simple. To take liquid chlorophyll which I could obtain from the health food store. He explained (in a simplified manner, I'm sure) that chlorophyll is the "blood" of plants and helps facilitate the building of our blood. I immediately went and got that and added it every morning to my smoothie. The next visit to my midwife was astounding. She looked at me, her eyes wide and smiling and asked what I'd done. My blood was absolutely fine. When I told her she was thrilled and so was I!

I have since given this advice to several people and the results have been the same. One was my husband's granny who at the time was well into her 80's and the drs. threatened to hospitalize her if they didn't see her red blood count go up. My mother-in-law at the time knew how much I studied alternative healing and asked my advice. She immediately put granny on chlorophyll and voila! the next visit the drs. were astounded and couldn't believe it. I asked my mother-in-law if she explained but she said she didn't feel comfortable doing that.

Anyway, if you have issues with anemia, consider chlorophyll instead of iron. Much easier on the body... Lisa"

04/22/2010: Amanda from Hot Springs, Ar, Usa replies: "i had all four of my children at home as well, and with every pregnancy that would be an issue for me. with the first one i did take chlorophyll, but i don't remember for how long or anything; so i need to try again because i am always anemic-my whole life. i was a vegetarian for a few years, too; sometimes vegan. in my case, that was not good for me; and it was when i was pregnant with my first child that i started to crave meat after being vegetarian for about 4 years, so i figured, i must need it.the interesting thing is that my daughter did a scan that i do not know how to explain, and i know i cannot put the name here, but the computer showed that she needed chlorophyll!"

04/22/2010: Amanda from Hot Springs, Ar, Usa replies: "just because you are from that background doesn't mean that is the type of anemia you have, i was just saying that this type of anemia is found in some people from those areas.

also, anemia can be from different deficiencies; iron, b12, folic acid, copper, etc."

04/22/2010: Tamara from Fort Collins, Colorado replies: "To Francisca, who was confused about anemia: Anemia is not a condition that means you are low in iron. Anemia is a decreased amount of red blood cells or hemoglobin in the blood. The hemoglobin carries oxygen from your lungs to your cells and if there is not enough hemoglobin, your cells do not receive enough oxygen. You will notice some people with anemia are really pale because the blood doesn't have enough oxygen. Iron is found in the hemoglobin, in fact, about 75 percent of the body's iron stores are contained in the hemoglobin.

The type of anemia that most people probably hear about is called hypochromic microcytic anemia (meaning low color and small size of hemoglobin) of which the most common cause is iron deficiency, hence the recommendation from doctors to take iron supplements. It is said that about 20% of women of child bearing age are anemic due to this type of anemia from the loss of blood from menses. Finding out your iron ferritin levels is a start to see if iron supplementation would work for you, however, oftentimes iron supplements do not work and are potentially dangerous. There are many, many other types of anemia and causes, like sickle cell anemia or the mal-absorption of other nutrients like B12/folic acid/copper, or hypothyroidism (a reason many people have cold hands is because oxygen is not being carried there). A treatment plan for anemia first consists of finding where the anemia stems from and then assessing how to best correct it. For instance, is it low iron counts or is it because the iron is not being absorbed properly or not used efficiently?
I absolutely stand behind food sources for iron rather than supplementation because of the whole package that a true, whole food presents. Nature has supplied us with little packages of nutrition that include many of the synthesizing minerals and vitamins that are needed to treat our bodies. For instance, for iron to be fully absorbed it needs the help of copper, B12, folic acid and vitamin C (probably among a few others). There are many sources in the plant food kingdom that have this potent combination, such as green leafy vegetables. Animal foods do, according to convention, have the most absorbability of iron, but in this day and age animal products come with so much baggage, that it wouldn't hurt to eat some more raw spinach or romaine lettuce anyway. My point is, anemia can be caused by things other than low iron counts, and even then, iron supplementation is not the only route to treat low iron (ugh and yuck). Lisa saw improvement with chlorophyll because it is nearly identical to hemoglobin as it is the blood of plants, and it shows that nature is here to help, without all of the binders and fillers that give us trouble like iron pills do. Always consult with your doctor or naturopath to find the true cause of your anemia and take control of your health with education and a little bit of diet intervention."

04/23/2010: Saliza from San Jose, Ca replies: "It would not hurt to have your doctors check for this condition if your anemic condition does not improve. Thalassemia affects both males and females. The condition causes the body to make fewer healthy red blood cells and less hemoglobin than normal. Hemoglobin is an iron-rich protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to all parts of the body. It also carries carbon dioxide from the body to the lungs. People who have thalassemias can have mild or severe anemia. This condition is caused by a lower than normal number of red blood cells or not enough hemoglobin in the red blood cells.

It occurs most often among people of Italian, Greek, Middle Eastern, Asian, and African descent.

It is good to know if you are a trait of Hemoglobin Alpha, Beta, or worse, so that you can find the right solution to your health problem.

Check National Heart Lung and Blood Institutes' website for more details. Oakland, CA also has a center dedicated for children having this condition."

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