hi all,

my grandpa has anemia (myelodysplastic syndrome). so far treatments are not working, and his doctor has recommended he start chemotherapy to get his red blood cell counts up.

i was researching this on-line, and found multiple articles that said people with this anemia should completely avoid raw fruits and vegetables!!!! i don't understand...i really wanted to find some recommendations on specific juices that might help him.

does anyone here have any experience with this? i can't imagine that eating raw fruits and veggies could actually make an illness worse.....any thoughts?

thanks!

Well I was just reading The Book of Raw Fruit and Vegetable Juices and Drinks and they give a few different juices for anemia - here I will copy that part of the book in here for you:

Anemia
(Simple anemia, not pernicious anemia)
1. Carrot juice 9 ounces
Fennel juice 7 ounces
2. Carrot juice 10 ounces
Dandelion juice 3 ounces
Turnip juice 3 ounces
3. Carrot juice 6 ounces
Fennel juice 6 ounces
Beetroot juice 4 ounces
4. Watercress juice 2 ounces
Horseradish (grated) 1 ounce
Spinach juice 12 ounces
5. Nettle juice 10 ounces
Watercress juice 2 ounces
Beetroot juice 4 ounces
6. Turnip-top juice 4 ounces
Carrot juice 4 ounces
Spinach juice 4 ounces
Watercress juice 2 ounces

*(A number of mixtures will be given for each condition. It is not necessary to use all of the formulas. One 16-ounce mixture a day is sufficient.)


I hope this helps

michelle80 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> i was researching this on-line, and found multiple
> articles that said people with this anemia should
> completely avoid raw fruits and vegetables!!!! i
> don't understand...i really wanted to find some
> recommendations on specific juices that might help
> him.
>

It isn't across the board. But some raw f+v (mostly v)
have compound that act as metal chelators and
will bind iron so that it isn't very available.
In addition, the iron in plants isn't as available
as the heme iron in blood. This usually isn't a problem
for normals that eat a varied diet.

He can still eat raw vegs. But the ones high in oxalates
and certain phenolics will not give him as much iron as
what they contain. USDA has a chart with the oxalic
acid content of vegetables.

[www.nal.usda.gov]

It is usually the spinach family (spinach, beet
greens, chard) that is most often cited.

And some people who eat lots of greens and also take
chelating supplemnts (like green tea, ferulic acid,
etc.) may have trouble maintaining normal iron status.
They'd do fine without the supplements.

My iron levels shot up 2-3 weeks after I started drinking parley smoothies with little to no fat, just a little kale and a couple of dates added.

I was anemic for years previous to this and with the complexion of fax paper, despite taking quality iron supplements and eating plenty of red meat (cooked rare usually).

Now the skin all over my body glows and always looks tanned and rosy, though only my face is exposed to the sun. I'm clearly (and factually) not anemic anymore.

I hope your grandpa will try this incredibly simple option before making any serious decisions.

IRON CONTENT of high-iron greens
10 g (yes, only ten) chlorella powder = 13.9 mg
200 g parsely = 12.4 mg
200 g dandelion = 6.2 mg
200 g spring mix (made by Earthbound organics) ~ 6.0 mg
200 g kale = 3.4

If I recall correctly, the RDA for iron is 15 grams/day for men and 18 grams/day women.

So you can see that the quick fix is chlorella; waaaaay better than chemo. You can get some here: [www.mountainroseherbs.com], but I've also heard that Alissa Cohen sells chlorella.

Now the only trick is getting 10 grams of that chlorella powder (or other greens) into smoothies a couple times a day in a way that is palatable...

Best Wishes.

P.S. I forgot to say, some types of anemia (i.e., pernicious anemia) are helped with a B12 supplement--this is especially true for the elderly. The best kind is the methylcobalamin form of B12, but really any B12 supplement will do.

thank you everyone!!!!

this helps a lot.