What is Anemia?
Anemia also known as Anaemia, hemoglobin deficiency, bloodlessness. A decrease in number of red blood cells (RBCs) or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. Anemia occurs when you do not have enough red blood cells or when your red blood cells do not function properly. Heavy menstruation, ulcers, injury, or surgery can cause enough blood loss to lead to iron deficiency. Women may have anemia because pregnancy or due to heavy menstrual periods. Anemia is also known as Anaemia (common English), Erythrocytopenia (Scientific name), khoon ki kami / raktalpata (Hindi/Urdu), faqr dam (Arabic), Pandurog (Marathi), Pandu Roga (Ayurveda), Iratta cokai (Tamil), Raktahinata (Telugu), Vilarcca (Malayalam), Pinxie (Chinese), Anemia (Spanish), Anemia (Portuguese), Raktalpata (Bengali), Anemiya (Russian), Anemia (Indonesian).
Anemia Causes and Symptoms
It is result of decrease in number of red blood cells (RBCs) or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. Anemia means lacking in blood. Anemia is much more easily prevented than corrected. A liberal intake of iron in the formative years can go a long way in preventing iron-deficiency anemia. There are two principal causes of anemia. It can result from reduced or low formation of red blood cells either due to defects in the bone marrow or an inadequate intake of iron vitamins, and protein. Heavy loss of blood due to injury, bleeding piles and heavy menstruation may also cause anaemia. The red coloring matter, called hemoglobin is a protein which is composed of an organic iron-compound called “heme”. The globin is a Sulphur -bearing protein which makes up 96 per cent of the molecule. The formation of hemoglobin thus depends on adequate dietary supplies of iron and protein. Red cells have a lifespan of approximately 120 days and are destroyed and replaced daily. Each person should have 100 per cent hemoglobin or about 15 grams to 100 cc of blood, and a blood count of five million red cells per millimeter. A drop in the hemoglobin content results in anemia and a consequent decreased ability of the blood to carry oxygen to the tissues. Try Iron rich foods, vitamin b12 to treat iron deficiency.
11 Home Remedies for Anemia
11 Best Holistic Ways for Anemia. Natural iron deficiency treatment for anemia with healthy tips to increase blood cells.
- Jaggery – Eat 3gms of dried ginger with jaggery twice a day.
- Fig – Take 1 ripened fig. Cut into half. Put sugar on it. Keep it overnight and eat early in the morning. Repeat for at least 15 days. Other than beetroot figs are iron rich foods and helpful home remedies for low iron. To treat anemia during pregnancy, boil a cup of milk with 2-3 dry figs. Eat the figs along with same milk.
- Almond – Soak 7-8 almond in the water for 2 hours. Peel them and roughly grind. Eat. Repeat for at 3 months to see the results.
- Beetroot – It is the best iron supplements. Beetroot contains potassium, phosphorus, calcium, sulfur, iodine, iron (iron is the main ingredient in the formation of hemoglobin). Drinking beetroot juice everyday increases immunity. Beetroot juice is great home remedy for anemia works best for all kids and adults.
- Spinach – Chlorophyll is also a good source of iron, generally in the form of spinach, chard, lettuce, and other fresh green vegetables. These foods are rich in iron, so try to include in everyday meals as a natural cures for anemia.
- Curd – Eat a cup of plain yogurt with up to 1 teaspoon turmeric on an empty stomach, morning and afternoon. Do not eat this after sunset. OR Mix 10gm of turmeric powder with 40gms of curd and eat everyday for several days. Dairy products are good source of vitamin B12. Deficiency of vitamin B12 can be cause of Anaemia.
- Nettle – Nettle is good for iron deficiency anemia, try this tasty nettle soup. Young nettle tops gathered in spring provide an unusual vegetable, which can be made into a nourishing soup. Pick 2 cups of the tops of young nettles, avoiding too much stem. Chop two medium potatoes, a carrot, and a small onion. Add the ingredients to twice as much water and boil until the potatoes are soft. Blend in a food processor. Serve seasoned to taste.
- Fenugreek Leaves – It is a natural and very easy treatment for anemia. Fenugreek leaves helps to form blood cells in the body. Fenugreek seeds also has lot of iron in it. Try to include Fenugreek leaves and seeds in everyday diet in any form.
- Copper – This is old folk remedy with copper water. Fill a genuine copper glass or cup with water and let it stand overnight, then drink it in the morning.
- Sugarcane + Amla + Pomegranate – Take about 100 ml of sugarcane juice add 1 tablespoon of amla juice, 1/2 cup of pomegranate juice. Add honey to taste. Drink everyday. If possible drink twice a day.
- Black sesame seeds – It contains lots of iron and helps to recover weakness fast. Soak 1 tea spoon of black sesame seeds in warm water for 2 hours. Grind and strain the water. Add this water in one cup of milk. Add sugar or jaggery to taste. Drink everyday to treat iron deficiency anemia.
Healthy tips to stay away from Anemia
- Drink everyday butter milk with a pinch of salt.
- Try to include carrot, radish, beetroot, banana, jamun, raisin, turmeric, butter milk or curd in everyday diet.
- Replace sugar with jaggery.
- Eat high iron rich fruits such as persimmons, apricots, raisins, mulberries, dates, currants, prunes, tomatoes, pomegranate and watermelon.