Iron is a vital mineral in the human body. Iron overload, however, is deadly. Most physicians believe it is rare and mainly hereditary. In fact, it is far more common and more dangerous than many people imagine.
Conditions in which iron can be a factor include diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer. Others include chronic infections, hair loss, hypothyroidism, hyperactive behavior, violence and many more conditions.
Iron has three major roles in the body:
It helps transport oxygen to the cells from the lungs. Hemoglobin is the main iron-bearing substance in the body. It carries oxygen to all the body cells. Any problems in this system and a person becomes very tired and will die if it is not corrected. This is the single most critical function of iron in our bodies.
Iron is needed for energy production in every cell. Energy production requires the conversion of sugars, fats and proteins into adenosine triphosphate or ATP, the form that the body uses for all its activities and healing as well. Iron, as well as copper, are required for energy production. Low energy will result in cancer eventually in every person with iron problems.
Catalase Production. Catalase is an enzyme that travels around the body and picks up free oxygen atoms called free radicals. This protects the body from free radical damage, a very important function.
Other Roles. Iron is also involved in the sense of direction. Human beings and the animals, especially birds, use the magnetic properties of iron, manganese and other magnetic elements to navigate the globe with amazing accuracy. Small deposits of these ferrous metals in the brain are used like compasses to direct the creature on its way.
HOW IRON DAMAGES THE BODY
1. Iron Replaces Other Vital Minerals Causing Enzyme Dysfunction. Understanding this requires knowledge of the concept of preferred minerals. It basically states that all enzymes in the body have ideally a certain mineral in each binding site that allows the enzyme to function most efficiently.
If, however, the preferred mineral is not available, the enzyme will accept a less preferred mineral in its place to allow the enzyme to function at all.
Iron replaces other vital minerals such as zinc, copper manganese, and many others in hundreds or even thousands of enzyme binding sites. This cause the enzymes to malfunction and leads to many physical and emotional symptoms.
The problem of mineral replacement is made worse by the fact that all minerals compete for absorption. Iron enjoys a selective advantage. That is, it is selectively absorbed because of its essential role in oxygen transfer. This mechanism of iron absorption definitely works against a person who is eating white flour, lots of red meat, and perhaps smokes or drinks a little alcohol, for example. Adding orange juice at breakfast makes it worse, because vitamin C enhances iron absorption greatly.
The person becomes greatly saturated with iron at the expense of other trace elements that are already deficient in the food supply.
2. Inflammation. When iron replaces other elements in the body, in addition to enzyme malfunction, the next most important problem it causes is inflammation.
This occurs because iron attracts oxygen directly to it. Then, when it contacts delicate body tissues, the singlet oxygen molecules, termed free radicals, detach and destroy body tissues. This mechanism is called oxidant damage or free radical damage, a potent cause of inflammation.
Oxidant damage contributes to many other problems as well. These include insufficient repair of the organs and tissues to meet the needs of the body. This, in turn, can cause every disorder imaginable from heart disease to cancer to hyperactive behavior.
Aging is though to be caused by oxidant damage and it may be a direct effect of iron toxicity. This is rarely diagnosed, however, unless one happens to undergo special blood tests or a liver biopsy for iron.
3. Toxic Iron Oxide. Iron oxide is formed when iron combines with several atoms of oxygen at once. It is biologically useless and quite toxic as well
4. Bacterial Growth Stimulant. Due to its properties as an excellent oxygen transporter, iron tends to stimulate the growth of common bacteria. This is a significant cause for chronic infections in our population.
5. Cellular Poison (Cancer). Imbalances related to iron reduce the output of cellular energy in the body. This leads directly to cancer, which is basically a parasite on the human body. It uses an inferior energy generating system based on direct conversion of sugar to energy without the many intermediary steps associated with the Krebs and glycolysis cycles.
Iron Synergists. Certain substances and situations favor iron accumulation and absorption. These invariably make iron poisoning worse.
For example, vitamin C and other acidic substances like tomatoes can increase iron absorption. Copper can be an iron synergist as well, although it is also an iron antagonist in the intestinal tract. This means it competes with iron for absorption in the intestines.
Copper can build up in the body to mask the presence of iron. This often occurs and is revealed on some hair tissue mineral analyses.
ORGAN AND TISSUE EFFECTS
Organs that may be most affected by iron are the pancreas, liver, kidneys, brain, heart, arteries, and joints. This is not so much because the mineral deposits there. In fact, more iron is in the liver than elsewhere, but so are many other minerals deposited there. It is more about the resonance or response of the organ to the energy or structure, more properly, of the iron molecule or combinations that iron forms with oxygen and other elements.
The liver and iron. The liver can be saturated with iron, and in Chinese medicine the liver is the seat of iron. It is associated with an attitude of anger and rage. Iron also accumulates in the amygdala, a part of the brain associated with anger and rage.
However, it can accumulate everywhere in the brain and is certainly one cause of dementia related to aging, since iron accumulates with age, as a general rule. As it does so, it replaces other vital minerals such as chromium, molybdenum, selenium, germanium and others in vital organs, glands and tissues.
Symptoms
These are extremely numerous. I will list the most important of these as they will serve as a guide for other researchers to investigate. In fact, this entire article is designed to spur investigation of problems associated with iron.
Physical Ailments Associated With Iron Poisoning.
1) Diabetes. This is known in the medical literature and is sometimes referred to as bronze diabetes. However, we feel that researchers will learn that more than this is due to iron overload, in subtle ways. Iron replaces many minerals that can give rise to symptoms of diabetes.
2. Cancer. This is another subtle situation in which researchers will find, we believe, that many cases of cancer are indirectly caused by or related to iron overload from non-hereditary causes.
3. Nervous System Diseases. These may include Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and behavioral abnormalities, including violence, anti-social behavior, ADHD, autistic characteristics and other. A bad temper is often related to iron toxicity, as mentioned earlier.
4. Hypertension And All Cardiac Conditions. Iron has an ability to enhance the hardness of the arteries, as does cadmium. So the blood pressure rises, without any obvious cause. Arrhythmias, congestive heart failure, cardiac stenosis, cardiomyopathy and others are included in the list of cardiac difficulties that are known to occur with hemosiderosis and hemochromatosis and can occur with acquired iron overload as well.
5. Kidney Problems of Many Types. Iron can accumulate here, causing hypertension, renal failure and other difficulties.
6. Inflammatory Symptoms. These include a wide range of disorders and syndromes, ranging from rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and Sjogren’s syndrome to lupus, myelination diseases such as multiple sclerosis and others.
7. It may also include milder, minor forms of inflammation such as random aches and pains, premenstrual syndrome, headache syndromes and so many other inflammatory conditions that may occur in children and adults.
Non-Utilisied Ferrum
The iron is present somewhere in the body but is unable to be utilized properly. Iron is called biounavailable.
If it cannot be bound properly. Iron must be bound to a protein molecule such as ferritin, metallothionein or other, if it is to be transported properly throughout the body. If it is not bound correctly, it builds up in the tissues and cannot be utilized in many chemical reactions.
If it is in a valence that cannot be used. For example, iron can have a valence of +2, +3, or under rare circumstances, +4. It must be in the correct one to be used properly. Copper, manganese and other minerals are involved in the conversion of iron, for example from the ferrous, or +2 form to the ferric or +3.
Other complex biochemical reasons. For example, iron may be so bound up with other protein carriers that it cannot be freed up for utilization in other areas. Chelating agents do just that for therapeutic purposes. However, it can happen for other reasons as well that are pathological.
Iron may be biounavailable if it cannot be absorbed. This occurs with some malabsorption syndromes that affect the upper intestinal area where iron is mainly absorbed. This subject is huge and beyond the scope of this article. For example, if one eats a lot of manganese in a food or even a vitamin pill, it will inhibit the absorption of iron to some degree. This makes the iron less bioavailable that is in the food or drink. Eating iron with protein or vitamin C, for example, increases its bioavailability by increasing its rate of absorption.
Biounavailable Iron Effects On The Adrenal Glands or the Nervous System
Biounavailable iron appears to irritate the adrenal glands or perhaps other parts of the sympathetic nervous system. This appears to have the effect of pushing up the sodium readings on hair tissue mineral analyses when the test is performed without washing the hair at the laboratory.
This seems to be an adaptive mechanism to help boost adrenal activity and maintain the sodium level in the tissues, which is very important. However, it is a toxic mechanism that does not produce health. Manganese, aluminum and perhaps other minerals, especially in a biounavailable and toxic form such as oxides, appear to do the same thing. These are called the ‘friends’ or ‘amigos’ for this reason, and are often found together in the bodies of slow oxidizers, in particular. Slow oxidizers have exhausted adrenals and are the ones most needing a boost, perhaps. This topic is also discussed in an article entitled Iron, Manganese and Aluminum.
Methods for elimination
Iron is difficult for the human body to eliminate. This may be because iron is such an essential mineral. The body conserves iron carefully, rather than risk excreting too much. Humans often had to survive on low-iron vegetable diets for months, so iron conservation was essential.
Today we have the opposite situation in many parts of the world. White flour in enormous amounts, along with red meat and iron-rich vegetables are in abundance in most developed nations. Also, excessive iron in the air and water supplies are common. The only methods I am aware of to remove excess iron from the body are:
1. Nutritional balancing programs.
2. Phlebotomy or bleeding (removing blood).
3. Iron chelating drugs and other substances.
Medical Methods
Conditions in which iron can be a factor include diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer. Others include chronic infections, hair loss, hypothyroidism, hyperactive behavior, violence and many more conditions.
Iron has three major roles in the body:
It helps transport oxygen to the cells from the lungs. Hemoglobin is the main iron-bearing substance in the body. It carries oxygen to all the body cells. Any problems in this system and a person becomes very tired and will die if it is not corrected. This is the single most critical function of iron in our bodies.
Iron is needed for energy production in every cell. Energy production requires the conversion of sugars, fats and proteins into adenosine triphosphate or ATP, the form that the body uses for all its activities and healing as well. Iron, as well as copper, are required for energy production. Low energy will result in cancer eventually in every person with iron problems.
Catalase Production. Catalase is an enzyme that travels around the body and picks up free oxygen atoms called free radicals. This protects the body from free radical damage, a very important function.
Other Roles. Iron is also involved in the sense of direction. Human beings and the animals, especially birds, use the magnetic properties of iron, manganese and other magnetic elements to navigate the globe with amazing accuracy. Small deposits of these ferrous metals in the brain are used like compasses to direct the creature on its way.HOW IRON DAMAGES THE BODY
1. Iron Replaces Other Vital Minerals Causing Enzyme Dysfunction. Understanding this requires knowledge of the concept of preferred minerals. It basically states that all enzymes in the body have ideally a certain mineral in each binding site that allows the enzyme to function most efficiently.If, however, the preferred mineral is not available, the enzyme will accept a less preferred mineral in its place to allow the enzyme to function at all.
Iron replaces other vital minerals such as zinc, copper manganese, and many others in hundreds or even thousands of enzyme binding sites. This cause the enzymes to malfunction and leads to many physical and emotional symptoms.
The problem of mineral replacement is made worse by the fact that all minerals compete for absorption. Iron enjoys a selective advantage. That is, it is selectively absorbed because of its essential role in oxygen transfer. This mechanism of iron absorption definitely works against a person who is eating white flour, lots of red meat, and perhaps smokes or drinks a little alcohol, for example. Adding orange juice at breakfast makes it worse, because vitamin C enhances iron absorption greatly.
The person becomes greatly saturated with iron at the expense of other trace elements that are already deficient in the food supply.
2. Inflammation. When iron replaces other elements in the body, in addition to enzyme malfunction, the next most important problem it causes is inflammation.
This occurs because iron attracts oxygen directly to it. Then, when it contacts delicate body tissues, the singlet oxygen molecules, termed free radicals, detach and destroy body tissues. This mechanism is called oxidant damage or free radical damage, a potent cause of inflammation.
Oxidant damage contributes to many other problems as well. These include insufficient repair of the organs and tissues to meet the needs of the body. This, in turn, can cause every disorder imaginable from heart disease to cancer to hyperactive behavior.
Aging is though to be caused by oxidant damage and it may be a direct effect of iron toxicity. This is rarely diagnosed, however, unless one happens to undergo special blood tests or a liver biopsy for iron.
3. Toxic Iron Oxide. Iron oxide is formed when iron combines with several atoms of oxygen at once. It is biologically useless and quite toxic as well
4. Bacterial Growth Stimulant. Due to its properties as an excellent oxygen transporter, iron tends to stimulate the growth of common bacteria. This is a significant cause for chronic infections in our population.
5. Cellular Poison (Cancer). Imbalances related to iron reduce the output of cellular energy in the body. This leads directly to cancer, which is basically a parasite on the human body. It uses an inferior energy generating system based on direct conversion of sugar to energy without the many intermediary steps associated with the Krebs and glycolysis cycles.
Iron Synergists. Certain substances and situations favor iron accumulation and absorption. These invariably make iron poisoning worse.
For example, vitamin C and other acidic substances like tomatoes can increase iron absorption. Copper can be an iron synergist as well, although it is also an iron antagonist in the intestinal tract. This means it competes with iron for absorption in the intestines.
Copper can build up in the body to mask the presence of iron. This often occurs and is revealed on some hair tissue mineral analyses.
ORGAN AND TISSUE EFFECTS
Organs that may be most affected by iron are the pancreas, liver, kidneys, brain, heart, arteries, and joints. This is not so much because the mineral deposits there. In fact, more iron is in the liver than elsewhere, but so are many other minerals deposited there. It is more about the resonance or response of the organ to the energy or structure, more properly, of the iron molecule or combinations that iron forms with oxygen and other elements.
The liver and iron. The liver can be saturated with iron, and in Chinese medicine the liver is the seat of iron. It is associated with an attitude of anger and rage. Iron also accumulates in the amygdala, a part of the brain associated with anger and rage.
However, it can accumulate everywhere in the brain and is certainly one cause of dementia related to aging, since iron accumulates with age, as a general rule. As it does so, it replaces other vital minerals such as chromium, molybdenum, selenium, germanium and others in vital organs, glands and tissues.
Symptoms
These are extremely numerous. I will list the most important of these as they will serve as a guide for other researchers to investigate. In fact, this entire article is designed to spur investigation of problems associated with iron.
Physical Ailments Associated With Iron Poisoning.
1) Diabetes. This is known in the medical literature and is sometimes referred to as bronze diabetes. However, we feel that researchers will learn that more than this is due to iron overload, in subtle ways. Iron replaces many minerals that can give rise to symptoms of diabetes.
2. Cancer. This is another subtle situation in which researchers will find, we believe, that many cases of cancer are indirectly caused by or related to iron overload from non-hereditary causes.
3. Nervous System Diseases. These may include Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and behavioral abnormalities, including violence, anti-social behavior, ADHD, autistic characteristics and other. A bad temper is often related to iron toxicity, as mentioned earlier.
4. Hypertension And All Cardiac Conditions. Iron has an ability to enhance the hardness of the arteries, as does cadmium. So the blood pressure rises, without any obvious cause. Arrhythmias, congestive heart failure, cardiac stenosis, cardiomyopathy and others are included in the list of cardiac difficulties that are known to occur with hemosiderosis and hemochromatosis and can occur with acquired iron overload as well.
5. Kidney Problems of Many Types. Iron can accumulate here, causing hypertension, renal failure and other difficulties.
6. Inflammatory Symptoms. These include a wide range of disorders and syndromes, ranging from rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and Sjogren’s syndrome to lupus, myelination diseases such as multiple sclerosis and others.
7. It may also include milder, minor forms of inflammation such as random aches and pains, premenstrual syndrome, headache syndromes and so many other inflammatory conditions that may occur in children and adults.
Non-Utilisied Ferrum
The iron is present somewhere in the body but is unable to be utilized properly. Iron is called biounavailable.
If it cannot be bound properly. Iron must be bound to a protein molecule such as ferritin, metallothionein or other, if it is to be transported properly throughout the body. If it is not bound correctly, it builds up in the tissues and cannot be utilized in many chemical reactions.
If it is in a valence that cannot be used. For example, iron can have a valence of +2, +3, or under rare circumstances, +4. It must be in the correct one to be used properly. Copper, manganese and other minerals are involved in the conversion of iron, for example from the ferrous, or +2 form to the ferric or +3.
Other complex biochemical reasons. For example, iron may be so bound up with other protein carriers that it cannot be freed up for utilization in other areas. Chelating agents do just that for therapeutic purposes. However, it can happen for other reasons as well that are pathological.
Iron may be biounavailable if it cannot be absorbed. This occurs with some malabsorption syndromes that affect the upper intestinal area where iron is mainly absorbed. This subject is huge and beyond the scope of this article. For example, if one eats a lot of manganese in a food or even a vitamin pill, it will inhibit the absorption of iron to some degree. This makes the iron less bioavailable that is in the food or drink. Eating iron with protein or vitamin C, for example, increases its bioavailability by increasing its rate of absorption.
Biounavailable Iron Effects On The Adrenal Glands or the Nervous System
Biounavailable iron appears to irritate the adrenal glands or perhaps other parts of the sympathetic nervous system. This appears to have the effect of pushing up the sodium readings on hair tissue mineral analyses when the test is performed without washing the hair at the laboratory.
This seems to be an adaptive mechanism to help boost adrenal activity and maintain the sodium level in the tissues, which is very important. However, it is a toxic mechanism that does not produce health. Manganese, aluminum and perhaps other minerals, especially in a biounavailable and toxic form such as oxides, appear to do the same thing. These are called the ‘friends’ or ‘amigos’ for this reason, and are often found together in the bodies of slow oxidizers, in particular. Slow oxidizers have exhausted adrenals and are the ones most needing a boost, perhaps. This topic is also discussed in an article entitled Iron, Manganese and Aluminum.
Methods for elimination
Iron is difficult for the human body to eliminate. This may be because iron is such an essential mineral. The body conserves iron carefully, rather than risk excreting too much. Humans often had to survive on low-iron vegetable diets for months, so iron conservation was essential.
Today we have the opposite situation in many parts of the world. White flour in enormous amounts, along with red meat and iron-rich vegetables are in abundance in most developed nations. Also, excessive iron in the air and water supplies are common. The only methods I am aware of to remove excess iron from the body are:
1. Nutritional balancing programs.
2. Phlebotomy or bleeding (removing blood).
3. Iron chelating drugs and other substances.
Medical Methods
- Bloodletting
- Chelating Drugs
For the best results with iron toxicity, we find it is best to avoid certain approaches. Supplementing with too many tablets or other potions can spoil the result because they confuse the body. Doctors are often anxious to use all the “best” remedies and overdo. Simpler meals and simple nutritional supplement regimens are always best. Give no more than 20 pills three times daily.
Also, as mentioned above, be careful with vitamin C, which tends to increase iron absorption.
Ref :drlwilson.com
Also, as mentioned above, be careful with vitamin C, which tends to increase iron absorption.
Ref :drlwilson.com
