Anemia is a condition when your blood has a lower count of red blood cells or your red blood cells have a lower hemoglobin. Globally, anemia affects 1.62 billion people, a whopping 24.8% of the total population. Moreover, it is commonly diagnosed in non-pregnant women and preschool-age children. In this article, we tell you all about treating anemia naturally by analyzing the root causes. 

Symptoms of Anemia

Your red blood cells are responsible for carrying oxygen to tissues and also eliminating carbon dioxide through the kidney or lungs. When your body is deficient in iron or is not able to absorb this vital nutrient, it causes an impaired production of hemoglobin and red blood cells.

Anemia is a serious condition that affects all the body parts. Here are the symptoms of anemia and how it affects your internal organs

  • Blood Vessels – Low Blood Pressure
  • Respiratory System – Shortness of Breadth
  • Muscles – Weakness
  • Intestine – Change in Stool Color
  • Central Nervous System – Fatigue, Dizziness, Fainting
  • Eyes – Yellowing
  • Heart – Palpitations, Rapid Heart Rate, Chest Pain
  • Skin – Paleness, Coldness, and Yellowing
  • Spleen – Enlargement

Types of Anaemia

Iron depletion is the not only source of anemia. It is extremely important to know the type of anemia you are suffering from, before taking the right steps to treat it.

Microcytic Anemia

The most common form that is caused by iron deficiency, it leads to a decrease in healthy red blood cells.

Megaloblastic Anemia

In addition to iron, your body also needs Vitamin B12 and folate to produce red blood cells. If your body is not getting enough of these nutrients or unable to absorb it, it can lead to this type of vitamin deficiency anemia.

Hemolytic Anemia

This happens when the person’s own immune system attacks their own red blood cell faster than the bone marrow can replace them. It can be due to  hereditary or onset of auto-immune diseases

Sickle Cell Anemia

This is caused by a defective form of hemoglobin that results in sickle-shaped or crescent red blood cells that die prematurely resulting in a chronic shortage of red blood cells.

Treating Anemia Naturally

  1. Nourish your Spleen

Your spleen is an organ that is responsible for the production of red blood cells. If your spleen is not healthy it can be a contributing factor for anemia. So, nourish your spleen with bright-orange colored foods like Pumpkin, acorn squash, butternut squash. Also, green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, and chard are both rich in iron and help to nourish your spleen. Bitter foods like bitter gourd, bitter herbs can be consumed to stimulate the spleen.

  1. Improve Stomach Acid or Agni

Firstly Agni or the digestive fire must be stimulated in order to support proper digestion, absorption of nutrients and metabolism. A low stomach acid is often the root cause to malabsorption of many nutrients including iron and B Vitamins.

Cooking in iron utensils, eating mildly spiced foods, ginger, lemon, apple cider vinegar can help to improve the digestion power in your stomach and induce the right acid-base environment in the stomach.

  1. Anti-inflammatory diet

Another common cause of most disease in inflammation. This occurs when your organs are unable to utilize nutrients and create necessary substance for optimal functioning. Build your diet around good fats, clean proteins, non-starchy vegetables, low glycemic fruits, and herbs.

  1. Eliminate Food Sensitivities

Anemia can have root in autoimmune sensitivity. According to studies, 30% of auto-immune conditions are caused by genetic factors and 70% is due to environmental factors.

Gluten sensitivity, Stress, Adrenal Fatigue, Gut Dysfunction, too many toxins in the body, infections, genetically modified food are the top causes of food sensitivities that typically result in auto-immune conditions.

A food elimination diet is important to take out the most common irritating foods that deter the gut function and allow the intestinal lining to heal. This will strengthen the immune system, decrease inflammation and eradicate auto-immune conditions.

  1. Strengthen your Gut

You are what you digest and a healthy gut is absolutely important for the absorption of nutrients. If you take iron supplements for anemia it might still not work as an unhealthy gut will not allow you to properly absorb iron into the system.

A Stanford medical study concluded that strengthening the gut with probiotics led to all the Vitamin B levels and iron to go up. So rather than simply popping iron supplements, tackle the root problem of the unhealthy gut by consuming probiotic-rich foods like yogurt, ferment foods, kefir, and sauerkraut.

  1. Increase Consumption of Iron and B Vitamins, Folate

Consume iron-rich foods like leafy greens, pumpkin seeds, almonds, lentils, quinoa, grass fed beef, grass fed chicken liver. It is not just enough to consume iron-fortified foods, we need naturally iron-rich foods that are easier to digest. Sesame seeds, raisins, dates, beetroot are some other foods you can try.

  1. Healing Herbs

You require Vitamin C to absorb iron.  Amalaki is an excellent blood builder that has a pacifying effect. Furthermore, you can take aloe vera juice. Other herbs include Ghrit Kumari, fenugreek, Punarnava, and onion.

It is important to understand the underlying cause of your anemia and then take the right steps to address it. Simple lifestyle measures are necessary as anemia is more difficult to treat if it is chronic.

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