A way to bring up serum iron without taking iron supplements?

Yes, it appears so…with lactoferrin. But first…

It is common for hypothyroid or Hashimoto’s patients to get low iron

Why? The most common reason is being on T4-only like Synthroid or Levothyroxine. The latter leaves most with lingering hypothyroidism, sooner or later. Thus, continued hypothyroidism lowers one’s stomach acid, and lowered stomach acid means you aren’t going to absorb nutrients well. So iron can fall, as can B12, Vitamin D and more.

The second most common reason is being underdosed on Natural Desiccated Thyroid (NDT) or T3 for a long period of time…usually due to a doctor who goes by the TSH or doesn’t understand how to get you optimal.

The third most common reason? Being undiagnosed for awhile, once again due to doctor’s clueless reliance on the lousy TSH lab test. The TSH can be “normal” for years before it rises high enough to reveal your thyroid problem.

But before I get into the topic of this post, please know that the vast majority of thyroid patients with inadequate levels of iron have successfully raised it with the right amount of iron supplements and for years! It’s all explained on the iron page.

How do I know if I have low iron?

It’s about four iron labs, NOT just ferritin–the latter which too many doctor rely upon solely, and is a mistake. You can have low ferritin and good or high iron due to a methylation problem! Those four iron labs are serum iron, % saturation, TIBC and ferritin. Yes, all four. Then you compare your results to this page: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/lab-values

Your results have NOTHING to do with just falling anywhere in those ridiculous ranges. Compare to above link!! It’s serum iron you treat.

And if ferritin is high with lower serum iron, that means inflammation you’ll need to treat and get DOWN, otherwise taking iron will raise your high ferritin even more.

How I found out about a new way other than iron supplements

I do coaching calls. And one call in particular was impressive! This young man raised his serum iron from 77 to 130 without taking a single supplement of iron. How did he do it? With nothing more than lactoferrin. He was also taking astaxanthin, but I’ll explain later.

BUT PLEASE NOTE: We have NOT seen just lactoferrin work for anyone else since I wrote this blog post. ~Janie

What is lactoferrin?

Lactoferrin is a protein, also called a “glycoprotein” because it has both a carb and a protein. Lactoferrin is primarily found in a mother’s breast milk at the beginning of nursing and it’s at quite high levels–seven times higher than it will be later, or in regular milk1. And what does lactoferrin do for infants who breast feed, as well as adults who use it as a supplement? It plays a fabulous role in enhancing your immune response, making it antibacterial, for one, plus anti-viral, anti-parasitic and even anti-fungal. Lactoferrin is also stated to be anti-cancer, and also known to promote bone health.

And for all of us, lactoferrin envelopes (binds) iron, constraining the iron from feeding a bacterial or viral infection, from feeding candida, from being too toxic in our bodies, or causing too high levels of free radicals! But there is evidence that it also helps raise low iron.

Some ask about the lactose in lactoferrin since it comes from a mother’s milk–it’s very very low.

So has research also shown that lactoferrin supplementation can raise iron levels?

Yes!

Here’s a 2006 study of 300 women, part taking lactoferrin and part taking just iron supplements, and the women taking lactoferrin saw a definite rise in their serum iron as did those taking supplements, but the former had even better results! It was 100 mg lactoferrin twice a day vs 520 mg once a day of ferrous sulfate. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16936810

And here’s a 2009 study showing that with one group using iron supplements and another group using lactoferrin…the outcome was the same–each had raised their iron status comparably! results! https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19639462

In 2014, a study with pregnant women showed the same as above–that transferrin did the job in raising iron as much as iron supplementation and with fewer potential side effects. Transferrin also lowered inflammation. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24590680

And there are more studies which scientifically validate that power of lactoferrin to bring up iron from the iron content in foods you eat. Most studies show participants taking 100 mg twice a day, to equal a total of 200 mg.

How have we used lactoferrin before?

Stop the Thyroid Madness–the mothership of patient experiences and wisdom rather than empty strong opinion, has always mentioned using lactoferrin with your iron supplementation to envelope the iron and carry it around, besides protect you from the toxicity of iron. That is especially true if your liver isn’t making much transferrin as revealed by a lower TIBC–an indirect measure of your liver’s ability to make transferrin. Transferrin is in the same family of proteins as lactoferrin, thus lactoferrin supplements are ideal.

But now we have evidence that lactoferrin ALONE may do the trick. And guess what…there are even lactoferrin receptors in your body.

Will lactoferrin supplementation do the trick for everyone in raising low iron?

We don’t know yet. We need more patient feedback on their experience with it. But as mentioned above, there is evidence both in experience and research that is a bit exciting and interesting. And you probably need to take it while eating foods rich in iron, too.

Which lactoferrin should I get if I want to try raising my confirmed low iron?

Most brands seem to be fine; most lactoferrin supplementation is shown to be safe; they come from bovine sources. But I would choose a brand you have read about and/or trust.

There is a brand of lactoferrin by Life Extension that says it’s the apolactoferrin form, meaning iron depleted. Regular lactoferrin in most other brands do contain a little iron which is not depleted. I would personally go with other brands, not Life Extension, but that’s me.

What about the astaxanthin mentioned above?

If you have inflammation, iron will tend to go high into storage (aka ferritin), instead of supplying your serum iron levels. For women, you can suspect inflammation if your ferritin is nearing 100 or much higher, and for men, if you ferritin is going above the 130’s. With either men or women, your serum iron will be lower than it should be if ferritin is revealing inflammation!!

And it’s your serum iron levels you are supposed to be treating, NOT ferritin… unless you have inflammation! Thus, taking inflammation lowering supplements are important, as lowering inflammation is the only way to raise low serum iron! Astaxanthin2 is one (such as a minimum of 12 mg and possibly twice a day?), but so is curcumin twice a day (in higher doses than bottles say) or other anti-inflammatory supps of your choice. Take the time to check out this page–we all have to be educated to get well: —-> https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/inflammation

Bottom line?

1. We now have science showing the efficacy in using lactoferrin to raise low serum iron levels, plus solid patient experience in doing so, as well.

2. Lactoferrin supplementation may prevent you from getting low iron in the first place.

3. If you are someone who has serious gastrointestinal issues with taking iron to correct low serum iron (not low ferritin–it’s about correcting low serum iron), this is a new possibility to explore. Even if you have no issues taking iron, the possibility that taking lactoferrin can raise iron is interesting, besides the fact that it also improves your immune function, is anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungus, anti-parasites and anti-cancer! Wow!

4. If you have low serum iron with high ferritin, the latter points to inflammation. Important to get that inflammation down to help raise your serum iron, even if you use lactoferrin.

5. Studies above used 100 mg twice a day to equal 200 mg daily. If you have gained any experience with using JUST lactoferrin to raise iron, please let us know how long it took you, how much lactoferrin you used, and what your results were.

P.S lF YOU ARE RECEIVING THIS BLOG POST via email because you signed up to do so (bottom right of any page on STTM), do NOT reply to the email. No one will see your reply. Click on the title of the post, which will take you to the actual blog post on STTM. Comment there!

Footnotes:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactoferrin

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4454080/

This information about lactoferrin can be a supplement to your STTM books! Print and insert. Here they are: https://laughinggrapepublishing.com

Important notes: All the information on this website is copyrighted. STTM is an information-only site based on what many patients worldwide have reported in their treatment and wisdom over the years. This is not to be taken as personal medical advice, nor to replace a relationship with your doctor. By reading this information-only website, you take full responsibility for what you choose to do with this website's information or outcomes. See the Disclaimer and Terms of Use.

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67 Responses to “A way to bring up serum iron without taking iron supplements?”

  1. Carol Perkoski

    I took Lactoferrin . Had a low Iron in May of 2022. Started Lactoferrin and just got blood tests back yesterday and it completely fixed my low Iron alone. I didn’t do anything else. I just started with the Astaxathin to lower my Ferritin a month ago. My Ferritin is 96. It’s inflammation.

    Reply
    • Thanh

      I have low serum iron. Which Lactoferrin brand did you use?

      Reply
  2. Lynn

    Hi Janie,
    Do you have an iron supplement you recommend? I am trying Ancestral Grass Fed Liver caps right now and noticed an increased body temperature similar to what happened when I tried Throvanz as a thyroid treatment. I stopped and went to Armour and it took awhile for my temperature to return to normal. It’s not a super high temperature but is uncomfortable, feels like a fever. Not sure why it’s happening but just realized each time I was taking bovine.

    Reply
  3. Mark

    Hi Janey – Need your input here. I have worked my way up on my NDT dosing and am currently on 2.25 grains. My TSH has always been stubbornly high normal or slightly elevated, fluctuating between 2.75-4.50 while my FT4 is pretty stable, averaging 1.25, FT3 hovers in the high 3s to low 4s, and rT3 averages 15. Even when I experimented with doing my labs only 3h after taking my morning dose, my TSH was still 2.93 while my FT4 was 1.3 and FT3 4.80. With a FT3 that high, you’d think my TSH would come crashing down! I do not have Hashi’s, but have a small benign <1cm nodule that I'm monitoring annually. I also noticed the size of my thyroid enlarged slightly over the the last several years.

    Given such, am I still under-medicated and should I continue to slowly titrate up until my TSH is sufficiently suppressed? Strangely, there's not much change from when I was on only 1 grain.

    Thanks for your help and the valuable data on your site!

    Reply
    • Janie Bowthorpe

      See if you are pooling that FT3 due to a cortisol problem: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/pooling

      Reply
      • Mark

        Thanks. Other than anecdotal data, are there any scientific papers which further support pooling FT3?

        Reply
        • Janie Bowthorpe

          Information is out there about in the interaction between cortisol levels/blood sugar levels and thyroid hormone T3, but I haven’t yet put it all together with links. I will someday. But over 17 years now of observations of symptoms, a high free T3, and a cortisol problem as proven by a saliva cortisol test, definitely prove it’s a reality that T3 goes high in the blood when cortisol is low.

          Reply
    • Jessi Brevard

      I have two copies of the MTHFR Gene and I’ve struggled with candida issues for forever, despite diet changes and antifungals. Do you think this would be the best option for me over iron supplements?

      Reply
  4. Ava Philippus

    BTW, is it safe to take lactoferrin indefinitely?

    Reply
  5. Ava Philippus

    Not knowing any better, and being on the low side of normal iron my entire life, I’ve been taking only 100mg/day of lactoferrin. From one set of labs to the next was 3-4 months, and my iron had gone up into a more normal range by that time.

    Reply
  6. Camilla

    Lactoferrin is an immune booster or immunomodulator?

    “Lactoferrin activates innate immune cells such as neutrophils and macrophages. This is like giving the order to arm and aim an extremely powerful microbe blaster at microbes.
    Lactoferrin attract immune cells to itself in order to obtain help in destroying pathogenic microbes.
    Lactoferrin activates T-cell response.”

    It can raise our antibodies, can’t it?

    Reply
  7. Jocelyn McKervey

    How long do I need to wait between taking lactoferrin and NDT?

    Reply
  8. Halli

    Janie, since getting on NDT and ACE, I’m having lots of hot flashes. Is this just due to changing hormones around? Or something else? And can I fix it?

    Reply
    • Janie Bowthorpe

      Hard to say without more info.

      Reply
      • Dayna

        I’ve found lactoferrin to be a highly interesting supplement and will comment after taking a month of it but within two days I have noticed this:
        1) regulation of my bad breath problem (I’ve had this for many many years (10 years?) and have tonsil stones that build up inside my tonsils which don’t help the problem. My saliva does not smell, which or normally does except for directly after brushing. This is huge. I do have a little bit of a “milky-like” taste in my mouth like I just drank a glass of milk, but if it removes this problem great!
        2) choice to take it because my ferritin and other levels are very low & from taking Fersol I got a yeast infection immediately which from reading indicates I likely have low lactoferrin.
        3) Covid-19 seems to have a direct relationship with iron levels, if they are low your potential mortality increases significantly. More research lead to medical articles in US medical journals which indicate lactoferrin has proven clinical human studies showing abilities to lower possibility to catch covid and also minimized the virus experience should you catch it. I want to avoid this virus. I was very sick last April 2019, and will never want a respiratory virus like that again.
        P.s. not all lactoferrin supplements are the same from what I researched. I’m taking bio-quad.

        Reply
  9. Kathy

    Hi, I have ordered the STTM 4.0 Iron Profile from Ulta Labs. The instructions say no preparation required and the company confirms it, but I thought I’d read somewhere that fasting is advisable. Does anyone know? I want to get the most accurate results. Thanks

    Reply
    • Janie Bowthorpe

      If not on iron, it’s ok to just not eat a lot before bedtime that has iron, and test in the morning. 🙂

      Reply
      • Kathy

        Thanks, Janie 🙂

        Reply
        • Riq

          Hi… What about for low ferritin of 11..i have low ferritin over the years and normal iron serum etc.
          Low vit D and elevated reverse t3. Can I take lactoferrin. I took it normal dose once and almsot ended up in hospital so confusing…

          Reply
  10. Samantha

    sorry, i feel like I’m probably looking right at something already outlined 100 times, so sorry to ask duplicate question……
    is the recommended 28mg Iron Glycinate 8 capsules daily just a loading dose to get your levels up before lowering back down to a daily dose, or is that what people are staying on indefinitely to maintain healthy iron levels? thank you so much!!!

    Reply
  11. Christine

    Hi Janie-
    Quick question for you. I am working on raising iron, vit d, and b12. I have also been treating for high cortisol and need to retest (its been 6 months). My only question is I am on the pill and can’t seem to find when its ok in your cycle to test saliva. I know supplements you need to be off and no caffeine the day before etc but cycle wise I have noticed a few different time frames and I want to make sure I do it correctly. Thank you!!!!

    Reply
  12. Lori

    Thank you Janie for all the great info on this site! I got caught up in the nature throid shortage in November 2018 and was forced to switch to Armour. I tried to have my doctor prescribe NP Acella but most pharmacies around here (Northeast Ohio) said they could not order this drug from the distributors they use and I was running out of medication fast so went ahead and picked up the Armour script my doctor had also called in. Armour felt so much stronger to me than nature throid and I was reading up on here what nature throid was doing to people in the last year or so (it was making me have heart palps and my TSH was starting to go up – the highest was 6). Anyway, Armour hit my system and I was ‘lit up’ and way too hyped up feeling. It wasn’t a good hyped up…..so I have been supporting my adrenals with dessicated adrenal from standard process from my chiropractor (can also be ordered on amazon) but needed to bump up my iron. Floradix liquid iron seems to work best for me so since I’ve been taking that at night and then my Armour in the morning I have been feeling fantastic! I can tolerate much higher amounts of armour and take my whole 2 grain dose and feel energetic and ready to go. Not that hyped up feeling that makes one irritable. Armour is sooo much more expensive (was paying $37 for a 90 day supply of naturethroid (w/ insurance) and now for armour it’s like $112 for a 90 day supply) but I am feeling better than ever lately so I guess it’s worth it…..maybe within these next three months while I am on armour I can find a pharmacy where I can get np acella. Thank you so much for all of your helpful information. You reminded me to take my iron and I know I need to take it long term but it’s helping already! Lori

    Reply
    • Janie Bowthorpe

      Glad you are doing better, Lori! 🙂 By the way, Acella asks that pharmacists call Acella so they can help them get NP Thyroid. It’s as if there is a way to bypass the distributor issue. Give this number to your pharmacist: 678.325.5189

      Reply
  13. Sheena

    Hello! How can it be possible that Lactoferrin is also used for removing extra iron from body? So could I simply use Lactoferrin and my body will adapt right mineral status? I’m also interested what’s relationship between iron, zinc and Copper?

    Reply
  14. Alissa Ulmer

    So, I have very high serum iron (I think it was just under 200) and very low ferritin (22 I believe). I noticed you memtythis type of issue as poor methylation, which makes sense because I am mthfr c677 homozygous. Is there something I should be doing to address the iron issue?

    Reply
    • Janie Bowthorpe

      Join a good 677 group. See what others are doing.

      Reply
      • Mark

        Janie – You mention frequently that one cause of normal or higher iron and stubbornly low ferritin levels can be due methylation defects. Am I correct to assume this is based on anecdotal reports or are there actual studies which support that normal/high iron + low ferritin can be due due to methylation issues? I’ve looked everywhere and cannot find any research to support such. Please clarify. Thanks.

        Reply
        • Janie Bowthorpe

          It’s based on many, many observations over the past few years. Not saying every single person with a methylation issue gets low ferritin with their high iron due to a methylation issue. But it seems the majority do.

          And the fact that you can’t find any research to underscore this is exactly why I made Stop the Thyroid Madness about repeated observations and experiences. The medical community has not caught up with facts and to many doctors diss their patient experiences due to poor and rigid, blind training.

          Reply
          • Mark

            And based on the many observations & experiences, would you say that once the methylation defect(s) are corrected via taking the right methyl donors (methylfolate, methylB12, P5P, etc.), and avoiding things like gluten, you see the ferritin levels start to go back up?

          • Janie Bowthorpe

            What we first see is high levels going down, like high iron, high B12, etc etc. Ferritin comes up too but it a little slower in some.

            By the way, some people see methylation improve without even knowing why it’s improved!! Maybe lowered stress.

  15. Alex

    Hi Chris, I have the same problems like you. Could you tell me please what a Betain HCL you was taking? There are so many Betain HCL on the internet… I don’t know what I shall buy. Thank you very much for answering in advance.

    Reply
  16. Kim

    Janie, I once was prescribed 60 mg NDT with 5 mg DHEA and adrenal herbs, I took it for 2 days and went off it caused severe fatigue, facial collagen loss, hair thinning. It’s taken me 3 years to get the tests I need and my practitioner is not optimizing my low zinc 78 (70-120) or and I was told my iron is low. Iron 78 TIBC 329 % sat 23.65 ferritin is 83 (8-252ng/mL). Do you think I should supplement with elemental iron? My RT3 is 19.5 up from 18.5 so I am getting worse now that I went off of BHRT because of hyperplasia. I have fatigue, body aches, and am 30% overweight at 157 lbs and 5’2″. I don’t eat much and try to eat clean and stay away from sugar as much as possible. Tested positive for Epstein Barr. I was going to supplement with iron and zinc but didn’t know if I should, I’m 59 and have family history of cancer. TSH 1.73 FT4 1.0 FT3 2.9 Glucose 86 and high cholesterol 294 but good triglyceride and LDL 212 HDL 63 I was prescribed 5 mcg T3 but wondering if I should take it without being optimal on the zinc and iron? I seem to go low on Vit D3 quickly from 105 in March to 36 recently, even with a vitamin daily..

    Reply
    • Janie Bowthorpe

      Compare you iron to what is on this page and you’ll see the truth: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/lab-values

      Reply
      • Kim

        Janie, I am going to compare my levels. Do you think colostrum is a good thing to take? I should have said i had a bad influenza and double ear infection in 2007, then had a bad dinner eating out from a chinese buffet (!) so food toxicity. My ears never recovered from it, could not feel “popped” and I’ve since read it could be from menopausal sex hormone decrease, which is part of it because when on sex hormones my hearing almost went back to normal with a .375 estrodiol, 100 mg Progesterone, & 5 mg testosterone prescription. I think I also have chronic nerve damage from whatever influenza was happening that year, something most people do not know about, and doctors never tell you. Also, that bad sore throat I had was either mono from the Epstein Barr virus or reactivation of EBV. I was taking antibiotics at the time for the ear infection and never went to the doctor for the sore throat, I had lingering fatigue for months. So all of that was before going on the NP Thyroid, and the so called “hormone expert” never thought to test me for EBV! Just attributed my fatigue to Hashimotos! Is it true that any TG & TPO antibodies are an indication of Hashimoto’s? This said from a chiropractic neurologist. I have been on a journey for 10 years and worse now than when i began all from Doctors “help”.

        Reply
        • Janie Bowthorpe

          No, it’s not true that “any” antibodies are an indication of Hashi’s. Most people have some in the range–we all have residual antibodies. It’s when it’s over range that it’s a concern.

          Reply
        • Janie Bowthorpe

          Sorry, forgot to say that there are many reports of people who felt like the colostrum they take was helping them be sick far less. It would be more than one capsule, tho. Some get the powder.

          Reply
  17. James Bond

    Janie, which brand of lactoferrin actually contains iron? I’m afraid most of the supplements don’t state apolactoferrin explicitly but it is still what they are – stripped of the iron.
    Chris Masterjohn had the same concern in his podcast about iron.
    https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/01/27/need-manage-iron-status/

    Reply
  18. Sarah Lynn

    Hi Janie,

    I’m currently taking NDT and I seem to be optimal as my free T4 is mid-range and my free T3 is in the upper end. However, my TSH (I know this isn’t as important) fluctuates between a 2.5 and 5, with my last results being a TSH of a 4.2. Does this mean I need to increase my NDT, even though my Free T4 and Free T3 is good? Reverse T3 is a 12. All 4 iron labs are in the optimal range. I guess I just don’t understand why my TSH is being so stubborn. Thanks for your input!

    Reply
  19. Natalia

    Hi. Im hashimotos for 10 years. I feel every time muscular tired when I do some sport. It feels like my muscular tone not supports the contraction ( biking, skiing)for many time, and needs to stops to recuperate, but never I feel in better form, with training, just on contrary side, each time too tired. In june my analitics shoppwsws Tsh in 2.54, and I feel shake and low energy. My t4 are normal, in the first middel up. l thins perhapss the problem is the conveersion t4 /t3. One Month ago, a stop to eat gluten, and chage my
    Medication t4eutirox,125mg daily, changed to 100mg eutirox + and 25 mg t3 cynomel. My analitics in august shows tsh 0.01, t4 and t3 in second middle. But ferritine is 80, but iroon is down in low limit. Folic acid is down the low limits and B12 upper limit(550). With T3 perhaps I feel some better in my muscular feels less tired. Can be the problem folic down to have low iron with ferritine ok? Perhaps dont need take t3 and the probblem is the folic acid? Thanks. I’m taking bee pollen and enzimatics supports and green veggies to try up my folic acid. Thanks, from spain.

    Reply
    • Janie Bowthorpe

      Optimal will put your free T3 in the very top part of the range and free T4 mid-range. Both. It’s not about being in the middle of the range. Always compare your lab results to this page: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/lab-values

      Iron is about serum iron being optimal. Use the above link, plus this: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/iron

      Reply
      • Sarah

        Hi Janie,

        What if my Free T4 and free T3 are in the optimal range, but my TSH has been stubborn for over a year on NDT and fluctuates between a 2.5 -5…with my last TSH number being a 4.2? I know the TSH is not the number to go by, so should I stay on my current dosage because my Free T4 and Free T3 are optimal? Or am I under-dosed? My reverse T3 is always around a 10-12, and I did all 4 iron labs and they were in the optimal range. I have not yet tested cortisol. Thanks for your input…your website is invaluable!!

        Reply
        • Janie Bowthorpe

          Can you post your free T3 with range and your free T4 with range? You honestly don’t sound optimal, because when we truly are, the TSH will go way below range.

          Reply
          • Sarah

            Hi Janie,

            My Free T4 is a 1.2 (Range .8 to 1.8) and my Free T3 is 3.5 ( Range 2.3 to 4.2) I am currently on 3/4 grain of Nature Throid. I know that’s a lower dose. Do you suggest going up to a grain and repeating blood work? Thank you for your help!

          • Janie Bowthorpe

            Hi. You are definitely not quite optimal, so read this page and you’ll see what optimal is and how we move up (which isn’t by moving up by a grain): https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/natural-thyroid-101

  20. Kate

    I have chronic low ferritin and had several ferritin infusions. Recently I was told I couldn’t have another infusion because my phosphates were low (no idea why?) and that a ferritin infusion can make phosphate levels drop lower which is dangerous. I was searching for an alternative online and came across lots of recommendations for lactoferrin. I tried it and the first two days felt an improvement. I was very symptomatic with terrible weakness and shortness of breath prior to taking lactoferrin and after day two these symptoms increased a lot each day. By day 7 I had to stop as I could barely breath. I feel like it might have taken the ferritin (stores) to turn into iron which was the opposite to what I needed. I also started taking k2 at the same time which seems to be good. Back to the drawing board for me.

    Reply
    • Janie Bowthorpe

      Hi Kate. I am confused by your comment. Ferritin testing refers to seeing what we have in storage. Ferritin is actually a protein, so is it’s low, our storage levels are low. If it’s high, our storage levels are too high, meaning inflammation is driving our storage iron too high and needs treatment to lower the inflammation.

      Instead, we treat our “serum iron” if low, not the ferritin/storage iron. The latter will go up on its own as we raise our serum iron levels if too low. Are you perhaps using the word ferritin to mean your serum iron?

      Reply
  21. Janet

    I had severe anemia for many years because of a mutation in a gene that transports iron. I didn’t want iron infusions because of a death in my family from anaphylaxis after one. My doctors finally insisted on a transfusion and I contracted a virus from the donor (Parvo B19) that made the anemia even worse. I finally started taking Symbiotics lactoferrin. It’s more expensive than other brands but contains some iron. My hemoglobin and iron status improved more quickly than if I’d continued getting transfusion. I took 27 mg of Blue Bonnet brand iron bisglycinate along with it. Iron supplements had always made me sick, but I was fine with the two together. I tried other brands of lactoferrin and they don’t have the same effect when the iron is removed.

    Reply
  22. Laura Vida

    Could one use colostrum instead of lactoferrin?

    Reply
  23. Linda Lyngheim Skipper

    Eating a tiny sliver of organic chicken liver each day in ground turkey with veggies brought up my iron without supplements. You can’t even taste it, and it is natural. I am allergic to anything beef, meat or milk.

    Reply
    • Janie Bowthorpe

      That’s wonderful, Linda. A possibility for others. 🙂 Thanks for sharing.

      But an FYI to anyone reading this: liver may not be enough for everyone to raise their iron levels to optimal, though, plus liver contains high amounts of copper, which could be a problem if someone has a methylation problem.

      Reply
  24. Irena Bolden

    Hello, I learned that I had hypothyroidism as I began experiencing menopause which has been over 20 years now….The biggest problem I have had is low or insufficient stomach acid to digest my food properly. I began using fermented tea or Kombucha, which do a good job in helping to move things along in the stomach. Now I an trying Essential Oils, I think this is the best treatment to alleviate things like indigestion, and insufficient digestion. There are medicines that may work. but it always come with so many side effects.

    Reply
    • chris

      Irena, I have hashis and low stomach acid. I added Betain HCL with meals, and was amazed that it fixed all my digestive issues. I had tried many other things including ACV, but they didn’t help. Kambucha is good for probies, but the underlying low stomach acid wasn’t corrected, and led to a whole domino effect in health, including low B12 and reduced bile formation to digest fats. I was so surprised that just fixing that one part, caused all the others to fall into place. I take NDT now and finally got my temp above 97F. Maybe worth a try with the HCL.

      Reply

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