Pump that iron
You desperately want a reed-thin figure like the ones you see every time you switch on your TV, so what do you do? You not only cut down your calories but practically stop eating altogether. True, this does mean that you've successfully cut junk food out of your diet, but it also means that you've cut out almost all food. So what's the result? You feel weak and fatigued all the time, you can't concentrate on your work, your body temperature is low and you have pale skin. At times you also feel a rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness or irritability. Your hands and feet get numb and you come down with regular headaches.
Don't put all these symptoms down to overwork. All of these, or in fact, any one of these, is be a sign of anaemia. Anaemia is a common blood disorder that occurs when the number of healthy red blood cells decreases in the body. These disc-shaped red blood cells contain haemoglobin, a molecule that carries oxygen to the body's tissues, so obviously, the fewer your red blood cells, the lower your oxygen intake. If you regularly suffer from any of the symptoms described above, then go for a check up, because your normal haemoglobin level should vary from 12mg/dl to 16mg/dl with a higher value for men than women. Anything lower than these figures, and you have reason to worry. Add dum to your diet The trouble with anaemia is, you may not even know you have it. The symptoms are so diffuse that you could actually believe you're just tired. But if you're extremely tired all the time, constantly anxious, find it difficult to bend your body because of constant aches and pains, chances are you're anaemic.
"It's true. Most women who come to me for treat ment are unaware of the problem. All they know is they are not well," says dr Monica Mahajan, consultant, internal medicine, MaxHealthcare Centre. Agrees Neeti, a journalist working with a leading publication, "I remember feeling tired even after small tasks but one day I almost fainted on my way back to the office from an assignment. That was then my doctor advised me to take a tonic to make up for the loss of iron in my body."
A tonic is not enough, it's just a temporary aid to the condition. Neeti's doctor also advised her to make a few changes in her diet to include the natural consumption of iron, and thanks to that, her condition improved.
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