Thursday, March 22, 2012

Manage Hemochromatosis







Hemochromatosis is an iron overload disorder where a persons iron levels are too high. The iron is not disposed of properly and begins to effect the tissue of the person's organs. If diagnosed early a person can live a long and healthy life. Men are usually diagnosed between the ages of 40-60 and women after menopause. Managing Hemochromatosis is easy compared to many other disorders.


Instructions


1. Find out your family history. This disorder is inherited. That means if you know that your family has a history of it, you can have routine exams and catch the disease in yourself early. This is a great way to manage the disease among your family.


2. Get your routine exams. Your doctor will order blood tests to manage your iron levels. When the iron levels become to high you will need to take the next step.


3. Have a phlebotomy treatment. Phlebotomy is the easiest and best way to manage Hemochromatosis, It helps remove the excess iron and bring your blood back to normal. Phlebotomy treatments are every week at first and then eventually slow down to every 2-4 months for life. That is only 6-3 times per year which is highly manageable and won't interfere too much with your life.


4. Watch your diet. Hemochromatosis can take an active step in reducing the amount of iron they eat. You can do this by eliminating iron rich foods or by purchasing The Hemochromatosis Cookbook. This is a great way to manage the amount of iron in your blood and reduce the amount of phlebotomy treatments you will need.


5. Deferoxamine can be used to manage Hemochromatosis in rare cases. It is a medication that can be taken that sticks to the iron and helps eliminate it from the body.


6. Women can manage hemochromatosis naturally. They get rid of blood naturally through their monthly cycles. They usually don't need to begin managing the hemochromatosis until after they have reached menopause and no longer get rid of blood naturally each month.

Tags: iron levels, your family, amount iron, blood naturally, family history