Treating Anemia through Naturopathy

Anemia impacts many women in the reproductive age group and is one of the most common diseases in India. Simply anemia is a lack of iron, low hemoglobin or low red blood cells. There are also other forms of anemia like thalassemia or pernicious anemia, but we are restricting this article to simple anemia.

The major reason behind anemia is the heat of the stomach & a damaged stomach lining, excessive bleeding and malnutrition both because of malabsorption and poor diet, all of which have a cure in Naturopathy.

Watch the Full Video on Anemia, its causes and treating through Naturopathy 

Symptoms of Anemia

1. Breathlessness and especially breathlessness after one has done physical exertion or exercise.
2. Constant fatigue or weakness. People who have chronic anemia or acute anemia always want to lie down because of weakness. Drowsiness, which can appear as laziness. A general feeling of malaise or a slightly low mood.
3. Dizziness, fainting & low blood pressure.
4. Low hunger & weak appetite. Often a vicious cycle develops between anemia and anorexia, and one can’t tell, what started what. Sometimes because of anorexic, digestion is weakened & hunger is subdued. Sometimes it is because one was anaemic that the digestion slowed down & caused anorexic.
5. Loss of immunity leading to frequent infections. Blood is also the carrier of white blood cells. A low blood count can also mean that your white blood cells are also not reaching all the parts of the body where it needs to fight an infection and one is constantly ridden with allergies and infections.
6. Fatty deposits over the body. Body tissue which has been deprived of oxygen often becomes fatty tissue and hence sometimes people who are anemic can also appear very fat on the outside or have visible fatty deposits.
7. Pallor or a certain paleness in the skin & feeling cold.

Causes of Anemia

1. Excessive bleeding
   No problem in the blood getting formed in your body but you are anemic because you are losing more blood than your body is producing.

   This can happen if you have certain conditions like ulcers or piles which is constantly making your body bleed out, incase of an injury or excessive bleeding during menstrual cycle.

   Excessive menstrual bleeding & anemia is a vicious cycle. When we say blood, it is part solid matter: all the cells and part liquid: plasma. In anemia, RBCs are less & so is the solid part, making blood thinner. And thin blood bleeds more.

   Avoid foods that thin blood: flax seeds, garlic, cumin and lot of lemon.  

2. Bad Stomach
   From the GUT, the organ of interest is the stomach. A hot, bad stomach will make you anemic both because of malabsorption & indigestion.

   Absorption of B12 (a key vitamin in anemia) happens in the stomach lining. Iron & Calcium both get absorbed at the junction where stomach meets small intestine.

   A sub-optimal stomach will result in bad digestion & absorption.

   Avoid Tea, which can be a killer in anemia & damages the stomach lining.  Substitute with coffee, if kidneys & anxiety are not a concern.
   Also read our blog on intermittent fasting for a bad stomach

3. Nutritional Deficiencies
   The big things that we are concerned about here are nutrition around iron, B- vitamins (especially B9/folate and B12) and calcium.

   Calcium has a strange relationship with iron which again is not very well understood. Both iron and calcium are absorbed from the same site at the junction between the stomach & small intestine and hence they compete for absorption. Too much calcium can drop iron and vice-versa.

Juices, Fruits & Vegetables that Treat Anemia

One of the symptoms of anemia is that there tends to be indigestion or low digestion and a general weakness of the stomach. So don’t try to eat dense foods like millets: ragi & bajra to treat anemia. What you want to start with are the juices which will help you significantly deal with making blood and the citrus fruits here have a very big role to play.

1. Sweet Lime/ Mosambi (4-6)à250-300 ml juice, empty stomach preferably first thing in the morning, without adding anything except a spoon of honey which enhances its properties (not for the diabetics).
2. Oranges (6-7) à 300 ml juice, empty stomach preferably first thing in the morning without adding anything.
   For those who also have calcium deficiency along with blood deficiency, oranges are better.
3. Pomegranate à 200 ml juice, with half a lemon, empty stomach, preferably first thing in the morning. Especially for someone who also has b12 deficiency & a tendency towards inflammation or IBS.
4. ABC Juice: Beetroot(2) +Carrot(6)+ Gooseberry(2)/Amla: 350 ml, empty stomach morning or late afternoon, in winter season
   OR
   Beetroot (2) +Cucumber (2) +1 lemonà 300 ml, empty stomach (morning or late afternoon), in summer season.
5. Carrot (6-8) +Spinach(150gm) + lime–à300 ml, empty stomach first thing in the morning. For those with constipation along with anemia.
6. Mono diet of Apples or Grapes: Have in large quantities as whole fruits when in season. Make a meal out of it, best as breakfast or till 12 noon. Keep a gap of minimum 2 hrs. and then switch to cooked food. Eating whole fruits, especially apples are better than juices for those with insulin resistance/diabetics.
7. Raw Coconut & Dates: Have as snacks. Slightly diabetic then instead of dates please use Chavara or what is called the raw date.
8. Cucumbers are the big surprise item in Anemia. Full of B vitamins, they not only keep the stomach cool (an essential for anemics) but replenish the deficient B-Vitamins. Have 1-3 cucumbers, preferably empty stomach as snack or with any other raw food. Eating it with cooked food does not give same results.

Note: That red blood cells have a cycle of 120 days i.e. it takes 3 months for new red blood cells to form.
So, try the above for 3 months to see sustainable changes.