MAG-pie & MAG-net Alert!…
Iron Toxicity Post #52: If STILL “Anemic,” maybe you’re just “Iron Ignorant!”
In my continuing efforts to “take off the gloves,” and wake folks up about HOW they are being POISONED by Iron fortification, Iron supplementation, Iron infusions, Iron stimulation, Iron mesmerization, etc., today’s Post will present some NEW “D”imensions to this Iron-ic discussion that will hopefully “stimulate your little grey cells,” as the great fictional & enigmatic “D”etective, Hercule Poirot, so frequently said while solving equally perplexing, yet elusive, murder mysteries…
One of my clients (forgive me, it’s a blur who… 😉 ) suggested that I might find this article on Curcumin and Iron useful:
http://margaret.healthblogs.org/life-with-myeloma/discovery-of-curcumin/curcumin-and-iron/
In fact, it’s quite good, it’s well written, BUT IT’S QUITE MISLEADING (which I’ll cover in another Post this weekend…) Nevertheless, THIS BLOG ROCKED MY WORLD… and I’m grateful to Margaret for that!
I’ve read a couple hundred articles on Iron, Iron metabolism & Iron dysregulation, n’est ce pas?… I read my fair share of articles on Ferritin, and yes, I knew that Ferritin came TWO FORMS: an ACTIVE state (Heavy-Ferritin with Ferroxidase function) and an INACTIVE state (Light-Ferritin WITHOUT this Enzyme function). No, I hadn’t shared that bomb-shell as of yet, but did any of YOU know that Ferritin had TWO forms?… Had your favorite M.ineral D.enialist EVER pointed out THAT critical quality to you?… 😉
Gee, I REALLY wonder now, are we “Low” in the Active or the Inactive state of Ferritin?!?… Hmmmmm…
But what this Blogger, Margaret, wrote that REALLY caught my eye is the fact that Ferritin has a relationship to BOTH Iron AND Oxygen!
HUH?!?…
Oxygen?!? How, exactly, did I miss that functional factoid?… And given that Ferroxidase has a special relationship with Oxygen, wouldn’t it be BEST to have the Heavy (Active) Ferritin Form?… Gee, I wonder HOW MANY M.ineral D.enialists have ANY clue about THAT unique characteristic of Ferritin, beyond the fact that there are TWO forms?… And furthermore, how many have any awareness of the importance of Ferroxidase FUNCTION for the Active-Ferritin form?…
http://www.scielo.cl/pdf/bres/v39n1/art18.pdf
http://m.jn.nutrition.org/content/133/5/1549S.full.pdf
(Is anyone ELSE feeling a bit squeamish, right now?…)
Well, I’m not going to address those specific issues right now, but what I am going to do is challenge folks to the CORE about this “Anemia of Iron Deficiency” thing! Quite frankly, I truly believe our M.etal D.iagnosticians have got it ALL wrong…
Are you ready?!?… (Btw, this would be a good time to take an EXTRA tug on your seat belts… )
It turns out that Iron is actually a Janus – it wears TWO faces across numerous dimensions… Here are some CRITICAL & DUALISTIC facts about Iron…
- Iron comes in TWO Oxidative States: Ferrous (Fe2+, soluble) vs Ferric (Fe3+, insoluble)
- Ceruloplasmin comes in TWO forms: Ferroxidase Enzyme vs Immuno-reactive Protein
- Ferritin, as noted ^^^^ comes in TWO forms: H-Ferritin (Active) vs L-Ferritin (Inactive)
- Iron has TWO roles with Oxygen: Carrier of Oxygen (Hgb) vs Creator of Oxygen Radicals (ROS)
- Iron dysregulation comes in TWO forms: “Anemia of Iron Deficiency” (VERY RARE!) vs “Anemia of Chronic Inflammation” (PANDEMIC ON THIS PLANET!)
- Iron metabolism has TWO dimensions: Iron metabolism vs Copper<>Iron Metabolism
- Oh, and I almost forgot, Copper has TWO Oxidative States, as well: Cupric (Cu+) vs Cuprous (Cu++)
Now, I’m hopeful that you KNEW ALL OF THOSE ^^^^ DUALITIES, right?… And furthermore, I’m sure that your doctor has explained ALL of the OUTRAGEOUS complexities of these minerals, as implied in these numerous states of duality, right?… 😉
And truth be known, the MOST offensive crime in the Byzantine worlds of Iron “Anemia” vs. Iron “Dysregulation,” is the use of the UBIQUITOUS & MYTH-LEADING terms: “High!” and “Low!” to describe our Iron status.
Omg!… MAG me with a spoon!
The worlds of medicine, nutrition and mineral metabolism are littered with this “High” vs “Low” mentality. It is an absolute sin, and it is the very ORIGIN of how we’ve gotten soooo confused about Iron and have become soooo Iron toxic!
Again, as I’ve noted many times before, there is NO SUCH THING as “Iron metabolism…”
For a fact, it is “Copper<>Iron metabolism,” the leading researchers KNOW this, and point out that these two metals are joined at the HIP of Ceruloplasmin (Cp). And as I’ve commented time and time again, this Cu<>Fe metabolism is actually a Ventriloquist Act, and IRON IS THE DUMMY… And your doctor simply wants to add more, and more, and more DUMMIES to an “ACT” that LACKS PROPER FUNCTIONALITY! Iron AIN’T about “how much?…” — It’s ALL about “how usable” is it?!? And we’re learning that Ferritin can be MOST unusable, esp. when Ferritin is in the Light-Ferritin form.
As I’ve come to reflect on it, Ferritin is the ultimate Trojan Horse, esp. in a body that LACKS Ferroxidase function in it’s Ceruloplasmin, as well as in it’s FERRITIN… (Btw, that would be MOST of us MAG-pies & MAG-nets in this FB Group).
We ALL know that Horses are MOST USEFUL when they are “FUNCTIONAL,” right?… Well, this is true of Iron, and it’s especially true of Ferritin, too!
And the INACTIVE “Trojan Ferritin” being fed MORE Iron is simply ADDING INSULT to your NON-FUNCTIONAL Iron Pool, especially if your Mag RBC and serum Ceruloplasmin are BOTH “Anemic!” (Again, which MOST are…)
So, if you are STILL of a mind to think that you’re “Anemic” – even after ALL this blah, blah, blah – please take this little test to assess your indications of “Iron Ignorance”:
- You STILL think “Anemic” ONLY means a “lack of Iron”…
- You STILL beLIEve your favorite M.ineral D.enialist understands the JANUS Duality of Iron, as noted & outlined above ^^^^…
- You STILL use the moronic & childish terms “High” and “Low” to describe your DYSFUNCTIONAL Iron and your DYSFUNCTIONAL Ferritin status…
- You STILL do NOT understand what “Anemia of Chronic Inflammation” is referring to…
- You STILL have NOT gotten the FULL Monty Iron Panel, NOR had it PROPERLY interpreted…
- You STILL have NOT taken the time to view, NOR reflect on the Root Cause Video…
- You STILL have NOT started to adopt the STOPS & STARTS of the Root Cause Protocol…
- You STILL have NOT stopped taking Multi-vitamins/Iron supplements/Iron infusions…
- You STILL continue to research what the Signs & Symptoms of “Anemia” are on the Internet…
- You STILL have NOT read any (many…) of the 51 Posts on Iron Toxicity…
- You STILL have NOT questioned your doctor’s understanding of the Janus Duality of Iron…
Forgive my being soooo blunt, if any of the above ^^^^ STILL apply, you are NOT “Anemic” – you are IGNORANT!
There, I’ve said it!… How does that feel?… NOT so good, eh?… (You know I’m ONLY saying that for effect, right?…)
Well, truth be known, for you someone to say that you’re “Anemic” – IN LIGHT OF ALL THAT I’VE SHARED IN THIS POST & THE 51 POSTS BEFORE IT — is the equivalent of them saying that you’re “Ignorant!”
Does that label resonate with you?… Is it at all true?…
OF COURSE, IT’S NOT TRUE! You are NOT Ignorant, but it’s VERY LIKELY that you are NOT fully informed, esp. when it comes to this thingy called Iron…
We ALL have distinct aptitudes, unique gifts, and special qualities that we share with our loved ones, our families, our communities, our customers, etc. And while very few of us might qualify for Mensa, we ALL have gifts that are MOST VALUABLE when they are MOST FUNCTIONAL, when they are put to good use… And this is true of Iron & Ferritin, too!
And what I’m noting in more and more Iron research articles, are increasing references to the term “Iron deficiency” being openly referred to as the “LACK of FUNCTIONAL Iron”… and NOT an absolute “DEFICIENCY of Iron!”
Please re-read that sentence ^^^^ FIVE MORE TIMES… 😉 (It just might save your life…)
Copper<>Iron metabolism is ALL about making the Iron FUNCTIONAL, and that is ONLY possible with the presence and prevalence of Copper and Copper-driven Enzymes like Ceruloplasmin (Cp), and the Copper dependent Anti-Oxidant Enzymes (SOD, CAT, & GPx) designed to neutralize the Iron-driven ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species) that Unbound Iron creates — with NO limits — within our bodies, our tissues, & our cells…
So, if your allopathic, functional and/or mineral practitioner(s) are still NOT questioning your TRUE Iron status, are still NOT focusing on your Mg & Ceruloplasmin status, are STILL pushing Calcium, Hormone-D, Zinc and Iron, and worst of all, are STILL “Attacking” your alleged “Copper Toxicity,” then they are WASTING BOTH your time and your health, with all due respect…
PLEASE, it’s time for us ALL to WAKE UP to the REALITY that this DUALITY of Iron is very POORLY understood!… And the systemic simplistic “solution” of adding MORE Iron to your Iron-ic Dysfunction is both ONE-SIDED and DANGEROUS.
Having said ALL of that, here’s a GREAT way to START the process of BETTER understanding your Iron status, as well as supporting its recovery & rebalance within your body:
http://gotmag.org/the-root-cause-protocol/
Morley Robbins
