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At 08:16 PM 12/3/01 -0700, Susan Pieper wrote:

>By the way, they gave me 4 pints of blood -- the surgeon said he
>didn't know where it was going, but that I definitely needed it. I
>think I must just hover on the brink of anemia, despite being
>compulsively g-f for 6 years now. Many thanks to all who donate --
>especially the rare blood types like B-negative.

I see this problem with anemia so often on the list that I thought I'd
write an explanation. It is my current understanding that many of us do not
assimilate folic acid, and if you are low on folic acid you can take a lot
of iron supplements and still be anemic. The easy thing is to take at least
400 mcg of folic acid supplement per day, not over 800 mcg. Also as you
well know, you women should make certain they are taking a reasonable amt
of folic acid from the beginning in pregnancy to avoid the possibility of
spinal problems in the baby. -vance