Can they tell me how to overcome my completely irrational fear of needles?
 The last time I tried to give blood I almost passed out when they did the
hematocrit test (which is when they prick your finger to take 1 drop of
blood to test your iron levels).  I told them to go ahead and lie me down
and take the blood while I was unconscious but they wouldn't do it :)  The
odd part is that I don't freak out from being hurt or cut in regular life,
it's the needles that bother me.

Seriously, though, I really can't give blood, and I don't know what else to
do for my iron.  Any ideas?

On Sat, Oct 31, 2009 at 10:15 AM, Jim Swayze
<[log in to unmask]>wrote:

> The Eades make a pretty interesting argument in Protein Power Lifeplan that
> modern males have *too much* iron. They recommend periodically giving blood
> to bring down iron levels.
>
>
> Jim Swayze
> www.fireholecanyon.com
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>
> On Oct 31, 2009, at 8:43 AM, Juergen Botz <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>  On 10/17/2009 04:58 PM, steve wrote:
>>
>>> I've always assumed that modern man has higher iron levels since Paleo
>>> man probably lost a lot more blood from cuts, scrapes, parasites,
>>> hunting injuries, etc
>>>
>>
>> Sorry my friend, but this doesn't make any sense.
>>
>> First of all, the amount of blood lost this way is completely trivial.  I
>> do farm-work and I regularly walk through thick underbrush wearing
>> only shorts and toe-sandals and I get plenty of cuts and scrapes
>> (although less than a few years ago as my subconscious is learning
>> how to move more effectively in those environs) but the total amount
>> of blood lost doesn't even amount to a milliliter per week.  Cuts and
>> scrapes coagulate fast, and even I know of many plants that I can
>> find wherever I am that help a deeper cut coagulate more quickly
>> when needed.  And paleo man knew how to move in the wild 100x
>> better than me and healed 10x faster.  I'm sure there were the
>> occasional large wounds, but not so frequent as to affect iron levels
>> from blood loss for more than a week or two.
>>
>> I really can't imagine that the average paleo MAN lost more blood to
>> any of these factors than the average WOMAN, paleo OR modern,
>> loses to her period every month.
>>
>> Secondly, even if they did, there was an ample source of iron in
>> their diet at all times... the blood and organ meat of animals.   There
>> really is no better regular source than that.  And they ate less stuff
>> that interferes with iron absoption in the body.
>>
>> No, if anything paleo man/woman was more likely to have higher
>> iron levels than modern humans, or at least far less likely to ever
>> have a deficiency.
>>
>>  it would lower iron levels (higher iron helps infectious bacteria to
>>> reproduced)
>>>
>>
>> I think it is probably more accurate to say that lower iron levels
>> can help make it more difficult for /some/ infectious bacteria to
>> reproduce.  But as always that's only one factor of many.  Your
>> body has far more effective weapons against infectious bacteria
>> than to lower iron levels.
>>
>>  and force replacement of blood cells with more youthful
>>> ones.
>>>
>>
>> No need to force anything.  Red blood cells get cycled faster than
>> almost anything else in your body anyway.  Your liver eats them
>> like candy and your bone marrow pumps them out steadily.  So
>> long as there's enough iron!  ;-)
>>
>> :j
>>
>


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