Diet Cure for Anaemia - Home remedies, symptom, cause, treatment of Anaemia

What is Anaemia?

Anaemia may be defined as a condition in which there is a decrease in the quantity of haemoglobin, in the number of red blood cells, in the volume of packed cells, or in any combination of these. It usually results from consumption of refined foods and is among the most common diseases affecting the human beings.

Red cells live approximately 120 days and are being destroyed and replaced daily. Each person should have 100 per cent of haemoglobin or about 15 grams to 100 cc of blood, and a blood count of five million red cells per millimeter. A drop in the haemoglobin content results in anaemia.

What are the symptom of Anaemia?

The patient usually complaints of weakness, fatigue, lack of energy and dizziness. Other symptoms include a haggard look, premature wrinkles, dull and tired looking eyes, poor memory, shortness of breathe on slight exertion, headache, slow healing of wounds , palpitation of heart and mental depression. The skin and mucous membranes look pale, the nails appear brittle and there may be sores at the corners of the mouth.

What are the causes of Anaemia?

Low formation of red blood cells in the bone marrow, either due to defects in the bone marrow itself or to an inadequate intake of iron , vitamins and protein, is one of the main causes of anaemia. Other important causs may be heavy loss of blood due to injury, bleeding piles and excessive menstruation in women. Besides, a lack of digestive acid or hydrochloric acid needed for digestion of iron and proteins or emotional strain, anxiety and worry which interferes with the manufacture of hydrochloric acid in the body could also lead to anemia.

Intestinal parasites or worms are yet another cause of anaemia. Hookworms, pinworms, roundworms and tape-worms feed on the supply of blood as well as the vitamins. Symptoms of intestinal worms are itching at the rectum, restlessness during night with bad dreams, diarrhoea, foul breath, dark circles under the eyes and a constant desire for food. Garlic, fresh papaya and grated raw carrot can help vanquish some types of intestinal parasites.

Dietary Treatment of Anaemia and home remedies

Diet is of the utmost importance in the treatment of anaemia. Refined foods like white bread, polished rice, sugar and desserts rob the body of the much-needed iron. Iron should always be taken in its natural organic form in food as the use of inorganic iron can prove hazardous. It may cause destruction of protective vitamins and unsaturated fatty acids, serious liver damage, miscarriage during pregnancy and delayed or premature births.

The diet should be predominantly alkaline. The emphasis should be on raw fruits and vegetables which are rich in iron. Iron rich vegetables are spinach, green onion, squash, carrots, radishes, beets, celery, yams, tomatoes and potatoes ( with jackets). Fruits which are rich in iron are bananas, apples, dark grapes, apricots, plums, raisins and strawberries. Bananas are particularly beneficial as they also contain, besides easily assimilable iron, folic acid and B12, both of which are extremely useful in the treatment of anaemia.

The anaemic person should commence the dietary treatment by an exclusive fresh fruit diet for about five days. During this period, he should take three meals of fresh juicy fruits at five-hourly intervals. This may be followed by fruit and milk diet for about 15 days. In this regimen, the meals are exactly the same as for all-fruit diet, but with milk added to each fruit meal. The patient may begin with two pints the first day and increase by half a pint daily upto four or five pints a day. After the fruit and milk diet, the patient may gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet based on three basic food groups, namely seeds, nuts and grains vegetables and fruits.