Why Am I So Tired? Anemia: Prevention, Causes, Treatments, and Hidden Clues

Today there are a large number of people struggling with the symptoms of fatigue, dizziness, headache, and pale skin. While this can be due to a number of things, it can also be a sign of anemia or subclinical anemia, which produces symptoms, but cannot be detected. Anemia is a condition in which there are too few red blood cells or red blood cells lacking hemoglobin.

Red blood cells deliver oxygen to tissues and organs. Hemoglobin is important because it is an iron-rich protein in red blood cells, which carries oxygen to the body. Anemia is usually not detected until it develops and the symptoms worsen.

Anemia can be caused by a number of things - iron deficiency, vitamin B12 / folate deficiency, excessive blood loss (ie, heavy menstruation, gastrointestinal bleeding), medications, chronic conditions or heredity (ie thalassemia), and more. Anemia is weakness and fatigue. Anemia causes the heart to work harder to pump oxygen-rich blood through the body, thus lowering its energy for regular activity. Even mild to moderate anemia can cause very mild symptoms or not at all. Some other signs and symptoms of anemia include:

• Difficulty breathing
• Dizziness / dizziness
• Heart palpitations / racing
• Headache
• Cold in hands and feet
• Pale / pale skin in the lower lid
• Change the color of stools, including black and tarry stains
• Bloody shit

These signs and symptoms may occur because low red blood cell count reduces the delivery of oxygen to every tissue in the body, anemia can cause various signs and symptoms. It can also worsen the symptoms of almost every other basic medical condition. If the anemia is mild, it cannot cause any symptoms. If the anemia progresses slowly (chronically), the body can adjust and compensate for the change; in this case, there may be no symptoms until the anemia worsens.

There are many reasons that oxygen absorption may decrease. Oxygen delivery affects mitochondrial function. Mitochondria are the major energy producers in the body. Their performance affects the function of the muscles, organs, glands, and other brain. Mitochondria require both oxygen and glucose, to function optimally. An imbalance in either of these results in insufficient fuel for the body's processes, which in turn affects exercise tolerance, the ability to lose weight, and overall health.

Just like high-performance sports cars, which require high-quality gasoline to achieve the best performance, cells need the optimal amount of oxygen for optimal performance. Car performance is dramatically accelerated without optimal fuel and the body needs optimal oxygen for proper performance.

Potential complications for untreated anemia are arrhythmia (dangerous instability in heart rhythm), organ damage (related to lack of oxygen to them), and reduced blood volume (related to bleeding problems), which can lead to loss of life.

The first goal of the treatment is to find the underlying cause, then improve the ability to transport blood oxygen. To do this, you must find a way to increase the number of red blood cells and / or hemoglobin. For some people, anemia is caused by more than one factor. The main causes of anemia are:

• Losing blood
• The inability to produce healthy red blood cells
• High rates of destruction of red blood cells
• Malnutrition

Treatment may include dietary changes or supplements, medications, procedures, blood transfusions, or surgeries to improve internal bleeding. Medicines and treatments include supplements such as iron, antibiotics to treat infections, hormones to treat heavy menstrual bleeding, erythropoietins to stimulate the body to make more red blood cells, drugs to prevent the body's immune system from destroying its own red blood cells, and chelation.

• Keep in mind that medications that affect stomach acids, such as antacids, antihistamines, and proton pump inhibitors (ie: Zantac, Prilosec, Prevacid, Nexium, Pepcid) can interfere with iron absorption. Be sure to discuss any prescription or over-the-counter medications you take with your healthcare provider to avoid any possible interactions.
• Iron can also be taken with orange juice to aid in absorption.

Like everything else, prevention is better than treatment, and prevention begins with awareness. To prevent anemia, you must have enough red blood cells in your body to efficiently carry oxygen. Proper nutrition, which is rich in iron, nutrients, healthy sleep patterns and exercise can help keep your body producing adequate red blood cells.
Staying on the date of the annual exam, together with documenting any disturbing symptoms, can allow for imbalance to be detected at their start. If you suspect anemia, a simple blood test called CBC or Count Blood Complete, can give you the answer. This information will allow your healthcare provider to make a treatment plan to restore your blood health.

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