Are You Taking The Right Iron For You?
This blog was originally posted on drwillcole.com.
Nutrient deficiencies are something I see regularly in my telehealth functional medicine clinic. Our bodies are so interconnected and require a specific ratio of various nutrients in order to function optimally. And while I believe food is foundational, sometimes severe deficiencies require a little more help to overcome.
Iron is one of the most common deficiencies in the world, but one that is often overlooked. It is especially common among women, but I’ve personally dealt with sub-optimal iron levels as well. This has lead myself and hundreds of my patients to experience nagging symptoms such as:
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Brittle nails
- Weakness
Iron is vital because it helps carry oxygen to our cells and plays a role (1) in everything from muscle metabolism, to neurological development, to the synthesis of different hormones. Since our bodies don’t produce iron naturally, we have to get it through the foods we eat. And that’s where the problem occurs and why many people end up needing to supplement. Not everyone eats a diet that is rich in iron or they have underlying gut problems that inhibit their ability to absorb iron from food or supplements.
When I was previously dealing with low energy, I ran labs to determine if low iron was causing me problems and sure enough, my iron levels were much lower than they should have been. Therefore, I went ahead and changed up my diet by adding in more iron-rich foods including:
- Dark leafy greens
- Cashews
- Organic beef
- Chicken
But since I was a former vegan and still preferred to eat less meat (organic beef has some of the highest levels of iron), I knew I needed to supplement with iron in order to maintain my iron levels. But with so many iron supplements on the market I knew I had to do my research to find the right one that was actually going to work since the one I was taking wasn’t cutting it. And that’s when I discovered Flora’s Ferritin+.
Even the most natural products on the market are not currently organic, but Ferritin+ is and with its revolutionary, first of its kind, new to market iron technology developed by doctors, Flora is changing the game with a natural plant-based, science-backed solution for iron supplementation.
Unlike other iron supplements, it doesn’t act like a Band-aid to cover up symptoms, but instead helps build and store your ferritin iron levels that your body can draw from whenever it needs iron. And those with gut problems (like myself in my early health journey) can also benefit from Ferritin+ because the iron is enclosed in protein and therefore not exposed to gut cells during the absorption process. Since the iron doesn’t touch the gut cells, it doesn’t cause any irritation or gut damage. No other product can claim this or prove that they are as well absorbed since Flora is the only company proven to work based on 3 clinical trials (with more on the way).
As a functional medicine practitioner who has taken and seen the multitude of supplement brands on the market, Flora is a company I can trust. As a 4th generation family-owned herbal medicine company, they back natural remedies with the latest science. They are transparent about their products and have the research to back up their claims.
After taking Ferritin+ I experienced a noticeable difference in my energy levels and concentration which made a huge improvement during my long days consulting patients around the world. I was able to stay on top of my game throughout the day without always feeling like I needed an afternoon pick-me-up.
But without doing the research I would have kept taking the same generic iron supplements with little to no results. I had to ask myself: Am I unnecessarily suffering because I am not taking the right iron? I believe that’s something we need to ask ourselves regarding any supplement we take. Is this the right supplement for me? But with Ferritin+ I can know with 100% confidence that it is the best iron supplement on the market.
References:
- Office of Dietary Supplements - Iron. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional
