Expert: Dr. Kristina Conner - 3/6/2008

Question
I am 53 y/o,5'3",122#. I fly for a living and airplane food has wreaked havoc with my cholesterol. I had blood chemistries with cbc/diff,thyroid. All was wnl except: Ldl 147,Total Cholesterol,222,Hdl was ok at 55. I will stop the bad food no problem but I am concerned about my anemia. I do have heavy menses for about 24 hours per month.I don't want a hysterectomy. My saliva test for progesterone and estrogen was normal.My serumIron was 14 (Norm lab value 35-155),Hgb-8.7, Hct-27.2. I am very fatigued, at times a little dizzy for a few seconds. I just today started eating lean beef, not much of a meat eater but will start. I am confused about what to eat, what not to eat as I read conflicting reports. I started 3 days ago on Natures Plus Hema-plex. It has 85mg of elemental chelated iron from amino acids, plus b's, c and zinc. I am concerned about taking too much iron. How often should I re-check my blood? I read about some chinese herbs that help heavy menses but then read that tannic acid in teas interferes with Iron absorption. Can you recommend anything? I know I need to decrease my bleeding but also need to build my blood. Does it take months? Will acupuncture help?  Thanks for your time. Rosemary

Answer
Hello Rosemary,
Thanks for writing.  Concerning cholesterol, I would encourage to look at your entire lifestyle, not just the food you eat, when decreasing risk factors.  It's not just what you eat, but your body's reaction to this.  In your job, there may be irregular hours, toxic exposure, and chronic stress that contribute to your body's inability to mainatin normal cholesterol levels.  
As far as iron, lean meat is a good source, as are organ meats like liver, poultry, green leafy vegetables, blackstrap molasses, and cooking in cast iron pans. For best absorption, eat these foods with a vitamin C source, like citrus, kiwi, bell peppers, or a vitamin C capsule, and away from dairy products, black tea, & coffee.  For supplements, iron in the recommended amounts is safe for most people.  Most doctors recheck blood tests in 2-3 months, since the life cycle of a red blood cell is about 90 days.  Acupuncture, and particular chinese herbals, prescribed by an experienced practitioner, can be very helpful in building blood.  Since anemia can cause excess bleeding as well as result from it, I do not usually recommend trying to decrease menstrual blood flow unless it is excessive (which I can't determine from this information); but rather to get at the source of the problem.  If you can consult with a naturopathic doctor in person, (www.naturopathic.org), they would be able to help in this process. Good luck!
Dr Conner