Yeah - Something's Finally Working!

[janinco]

After 5 years of very severe anemia with an average hemoglobin of 5-6 for a couple of those years, I'm finally getting my count up. I've had transfusions, tried many different iron supplements, ate foods high in iron, etc but nothing was working.

This past year after 2 units of blood my Hgb was averaging about 7-8 and my ferritin was 0. My red blood cells were only living about 60 days instead of 120 days which made it even harder to recover.

I kept doing research online trying to find something that would help and came across some older studies on testosterone causing the bone marrow to be more sensitive to erythropoeitin (mine was about 40x normal!). My hematologist was unwilling to let me try it but I'm a personal trainer and remembered that many years ago bodybuilders swore by beef liver for increasing testosterone and building blood supply. I figured it was worth a try.

I bought dessicated Argentine beef liver packaged by NOW foods and started taking 1 tablespoon every morning. It's pretty nasty at first but it kind of grows on you and you can take it with something like tomato juice or chicken broth to help with the taste. When I started taking it the frist week of September my Hgb had been dipping into the 6s but was usually in the 7 range.

After 10 weeks my hemoglobin is now averaging about 9.5 to 10. We haven't checked my ferritin levels to see if they're coming up yet. I'm feeling SO much better and my immune system seems to be working better, also.

Another possible benefit of the liver is vitamin A which also helps stimulate RBC production. I'm not eating any other meat at this time (I tried eating 1/4 pound of red meat every day for a year and it did nothing). I saw a study done in the 50s on mice that showed feeding them red meat every day actually CAUSED anemia, but if they replaced 25% of the red meat in the diet with liver they thrived. They couldn't figure out what the component was that caused this effect...they even tried superheating the liver in an autoclave and the results were the same so it was not something that was damaged by heat.

I am not a candidate for iron IVs, I have had severe reactions to oral iron, and I contracted Parvo Virus from my transfusion so I was not anxious to take on any more risks. This has increased my blood count as well as the predicted improvement from iron IVs over the same time period with no side effects at all. If it did increase testosterone it is not at a level that is detectable (no acne, facial hair, body odor, etc).

Just wanted to share in case any of you would like to give it a try. You can also take tablets, but I think the powder is probably more bioavailable since it doesn't have to dissolve. I would not eat liver from US cows...there has never been a case of mad cow in Argentine beef.

Jan

[janinco]

Update...I'm now up to a hemoglobin of 11. I just had an immune function test and my T cells are normalizing. I also had renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer) and the tumor has now decreased almost 50% in size. Studies show that iron deficiency can cause a depressed immune system - the trick is finding a source of iron that won't accelerate cancer growth. Obviously this is working.

I'll ask for a CBC with ferritin and get back with the results. It has been 0 for years.

Jan

[kenadell]

Originally Posted by janinco

After 5 years of very severe anemia with an average hemoglobin of 5-6 for a couple of those years, I'm finally getting my count up. I've had transfusions, tried many different iron supplements, ate foods high in iron, etc but nothing was working.

This past year after 2 units of blood my Hgb was averaging about 7-8 and my ferritin was 0. My red blood cells were only living about 60 days instead of 120 days which made it even harder to recover.

I kept doing research online trying to find something that would help and came across some older studies on testosterone causing the bone marrow to be more sensitive to erythropoeitin (mine was about 40x normal!). My hematologist was unwilling to let me try it but I'm a personal trainer and remembered that many years ago bodybuilders swore by beef liver for increasing testosterone and building blood supply. I figured it was worth a try.

I bought dessicated Argentine beef liver packaged by NOW foods and started taking 1 tablespoon every morning. It's pretty nasty at first but it kind of grows on you and you can take it with something like tomato juice or chicken broth to help with the taste. When I started taking it the frist week of September my Hgb had been dipping into the 6s but was usually in the 7 range.

After 10 weeks my hemoglobin is now averaging about 9.5 to 10. We haven't checked my ferritin levels to see if they're coming up yet. I'm feeling SO much better and my immune system seems to be working better, also.

Another possible benefit of the liver is vitamin A which also helps stimulate RBC production. I'm not eating any other meat at this time (I tried eating 1/4 pound of red meat every day for a year and it did nothing). I saw a study done in the 50s on mice that showed feeding them red meat every day actually CAUSED anemia, but if they replaced 25% of the red meat in the diet with liver they thrived. They couldn't figure out what the component was that caused this effect...they even tried superheating the liver in an autoclave and the results were the same so it was not something that was damaged by heat.

I am not a candidate for iron IVs, I have had severe reactions to oral iron, and I contracted Parvo Virus from my transfusion so I was not anxious to take on any more risks. This has increased my blood count as well as the predicted improvement from iron IVs over the same time period with no side effects at all. If it did increase testosterone it is not at a level that is detectable (no acne, facial hair, body odor, etc).

Just wanted to share in case any of you would like to give it a try. You can also take tablets, but I think the powder is probably more bioavailable since it doesn't have to dissolve. I would not eat liver from US cows...there has never been a case of mad cow in Argentine beef.

Jan

I was just wondering. The liver powder says only 0.6mg of iron per Tablespoon. I notice most supplements say 28mg iron per tablet. And you are saying that you didn't need a supplement with this; that you just used the powder once a day? I also have immunological problems and low iron and want to take the best supplement for me. Thank you, Amaeta

[janinco]

I questioned the iron listed on the label, too. In fact I called the company and they said that was the information that had been given to them by the supplier, but I think it's actually more than that. One tablespoon of the powder is equivalent to one ounce of fresh liver and that would be about 2 mg of iron. I know that's not much, especially when we're told to take such high amounts in supplements to overcome anemia. But I think the key is more absorbability and liver has so many supporting nutrients like vitamin A, B12, folic acid, etc in a natural form that our bodies must absorb it better.

I only use 1 Tbsp per day and have seen a rise of one point per month in hemoglobin. When I took supplements my hemoglobin actually dropped and I developed severe gastritis. I tried every form on the market and by prescription except the ferritin formulation made by Cardiovascular Research - I just couldn't bring myself to eat horse spleen :-( This is the only iron supplement I get now except the little bit added to enriched cereals, etc which has never made a difference. I also stopped eating red meat and just have a small amount of poultry ocassionally.

I just saw my cardiologist yesterday and she was very pleased with not only the improvement in anemia but also my improvement in heart function (liver is also very high in carnitine which may be the reason). I had severe congestive heart failure and pulmonary hypertension a year ago and that's all gone.

Another thing I've noticed is a much higher tolerance for cold. It's been frigid here in Colorado for the last few days (13 below zero this morning) and I am doing great. I usually wilt when it gets below 40.

This is the only thing I've taken that has made a difference in my immunity (I do get 15 minutes of UV from a sun lamp every day but did that before taking the liver and I still had the immune system of someone with HIV - no t-cell response at all). It is important to keep vitamin D levels up but nothing else including vitamin C and other immune boosters helped.

Jan

[kenadell]

Originally Posted by janinco

I questioned the iron listed on the label, too. In fact I called the company and they said that was the information that had been given to them by the supplier, but I think it's actually more than that. One tablespoon of the powder is equivalent to one ounce of fresh liver and that would be about 2 mg of iron. I know that's not much, especially when we're told to take such high amounts in supplements to overcome anemia. But I think the key is more absorbability and liver has so many supporting nutrients like vitamin A, B12, folic acid, etc in a natural form that our bodies must absorb it better.

I only use 1 Tbsp per day and have seen a rise of one point per month in hemoglobin. When I took supplements my hemoglobin actually dropped and I developed severe gastritis. I tried every form on the market and by prescription except the ferritin formulation made by Cardiovascular Research - I just couldn't bring myself to eat horse spleen :-( This is the only iron supplement I get now except the little bit added to enriched cereals, etc which has never made a difference. I also stopped eating red meat and just have a small amount of poultry ocassionally.

I just saw my cardiologist yesterday and she was very pleased with not only the improvement in anemia but also my improvement in heart function (liver is also very high in carnitine which may be the reason). I had severe congestive heart failure and pulmonary hypertension a year ago and that's all gone.

Another thing I've noticed is a much higher tolerance for cold. It's been frigid here in Colorado for the last few days (13 below zero this morning) and I am doing great. I usually wilt when it gets below 40.

This is the only thing I've taken that has made a difference in my immunity (I do get 15 minutes of UV from a sun lamp every day but did that before taking the liver and I still had the immune system of someone with HIV - no t-cell response at all). It is important to keep vitamin D levels up but nothing else including vitamin C and other immune boosters helped.

Jan

Thank you so much. That was a big help. You sure have a talent for explaining things so well. It is kind of you to share what has helped you so you can help others. It is appreciated. Amaeta