Thought I'd make this thread for anybody else struggling with iron, as when I first found my blood work suggested iron overload, I couldn't find much information here. I ran some iron labs whilst trying to isolate the cause of my health issues and found that my transferrin saturation and serum iron were pretty high:
Iron 36.3 umol/L (Range: 5.8 - 34.5)
TIBC 50.58 umol/L (Range: 45 - 72)
UIBC X 17.9 umol/L (Range: 22.3 - 61.7)
Transferrin Saturation X 64.61 % (Range: 20 - 50)
Ferritin 205 ug/L (Range: 30 - 400)
Magnesium 0.84 mmol/L (Range: 0.7 - 1.0)
These markers were tested again by my GP two months later - the results were roughly the same. During this time, I was already donating blood every 2-3 months, eating cilantro and drinking multiple cups of coffee per day. I was diagnosed with 'genetic' Haemochromatosis.
I was experiencing full body muscle twitches at the time too, which suggested a magnesium deficiency. Ray has often talked about how serum mineral levels do not reflect tissue status, and after reading Morley Robbin's claims that iron overload is from low magnesium, I decided to try a magnesium supplement.
After three months of 500mg mag glycinate everyday + one more blood donation, here is what my iron labs looked like:
Iron 15.69 umol/L (Range: 5.8 - 34.5)
TIBC 53.99 umol/L (Range: 45 - 72)
Transferrin Saturation 29.06 % (Range: 20 - 50)
Ferritin 91.8 ug/L (Range: 30 - 400)
Magnesium 0.96 mmol/L (Range: 0.7 - 1)
Pretty big changes. I'm very hypothryoid, so I imagine I wasn't retaining my magnesium like Ray suggests. Considering I was already donating blood, I'd guess that the mag was what made the biggest difference.
For those interested, I use the Best Immune brand 500mg capsules. If I swallowed the capsule whole it would always give me stomach issues, but opening it up and pouring the powder into a drink remedied this completely.
If anyone out there has high iron overload and isn't using magnesium, definitely give it a try.
Iron 36.3 umol/L (Range: 5.8 - 34.5)
TIBC 50.58 umol/L (Range: 45 - 72)
UIBC X 17.9 umol/L (Range: 22.3 - 61.7)
Transferrin Saturation X 64.61 % (Range: 20 - 50)
Ferritin 205 ug/L (Range: 30 - 400)
Magnesium 0.84 mmol/L (Range: 0.7 - 1.0)
These markers were tested again by my GP two months later - the results were roughly the same. During this time, I was already donating blood every 2-3 months, eating cilantro and drinking multiple cups of coffee per day. I was diagnosed with 'genetic' Haemochromatosis.
I was experiencing full body muscle twitches at the time too, which suggested a magnesium deficiency. Ray has often talked about how serum mineral levels do not reflect tissue status, and after reading Morley Robbin's claims that iron overload is from low magnesium, I decided to try a magnesium supplement.
After three months of 500mg mag glycinate everyday + one more blood donation, here is what my iron labs looked like:
Iron 15.69 umol/L (Range: 5.8 - 34.5)
TIBC 53.99 umol/L (Range: 45 - 72)
Transferrin Saturation 29.06 % (Range: 20 - 50)
Ferritin 91.8 ug/L (Range: 30 - 400)
Magnesium 0.96 mmol/L (Range: 0.7 - 1)
Pretty big changes. I'm very hypothryoid, so I imagine I wasn't retaining my magnesium like Ray suggests. Considering I was already donating blood, I'd guess that the mag was what made the biggest difference.
For those interested, I use the Best Immune brand 500mg capsules. If I swallowed the capsule whole it would always give me stomach issues, but opening it up and pouring the powder into a drink remedied this completely.
If anyone out there has high iron overload and isn't using magnesium, definitely give it a try.
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