7 Tips for Meditation

Through meditation we can bring about greater peace of mind and powers of concentration. The length of time we meditate is not as important as the focus we give during our meditation. If we can meditate with a silent mind for 5 minutes we can bring to the fore our own divine qualities of inner peace and inner happiness. This is an inner joy independent of any outer success or outer prosperity.
When offering meditation classes for the Sri Chinmoy Centre. I offer these 7 tips which will help us to meditate more successfully.
1. Quite The Mind
The Goal of meditation is to go beyond the mind. Meditation cannot be done by thinking. All the different paths of meditation share this common feature of cultivating a silent mind. When our mind is silent we can start to enter a new consciousness, a consciousness not limited by the intellectual mind. With a quiet mind we will experience peace
"I meditateSo that I can inundateMy entire being With the omnipotent Power of peace."
2. Concentration
In whatever we do,we will be more successful if we can concentrate fully on the task in hand. This means being single pointed. When we meditate we need to switch off from everything else and put all our attention onto the meditation.
3. Place to Meditate
It is very helpful to find a Quiet Place to meditate every day. I have a small corner of my room specially set aside for meditation. You can use a picture of a saint or Teacher who inspires you. Or just use flowers and a candle. If you meditate in the same place every day it builds up a meditative atmosphere.
4. Aspiration
Aspiration to meditate. If we are hungry then we are eat. It is the same with meditation if we are not satisfied with what we have and would like to discover the inner peace within ourselves then we will be motivated to meditate every day. This aspiration or inner cry is perhaps more important than learning many techniques.
5. Perseverance and Patience
In the beginning we cannot expect results overnight, each time we meditate we are adding to our capacity's even if we don't have great experiences then we need to persevere. If we practise sincerely we will progress.
6. Use the Qualities of the Spiritual Heart
The heart is the location of the soul. If we focus on the heart, immediately our thoughts have less power. By concentrating on our heart we can enter into the vastness of meditation.
7. Cultivate Happiness
It is important to bear in mind the goal of meditation is to uplift our consciousness and have a more positive outlook about life and about ourselves. When we meditate well we will have a positive outlook on life.

Quick Yoga Tips

• The time most suitable for Yoga is in the morning before breakfast when the mind is calm and fresh and the movements can be done with ease and vitality.
• The most important things you'll need to get started - as they say - are a big heart and a small ego.
• A person must seek a place of quietude, which is well ventilated, free from dust, insects, unpleasant smell, draught, and moisture. There should be no distraction whatsoever.
• You must empty your bowels and bladder, clean your nostrils and throat of all mucus, consume a glass of lukewarm water and then begin the exercises after 15 minutes.
• Always remember that you should begin with the easy postures and then proceed to the difficult ones. One must follow the graded steps of Yoga.
• In the beginning, all movements should be practiced lightly and you must cease to go further if fatigue shows.
• Yoga must pep up and not impart weariness and despondency.
• Periods of relaxation are advisable if a particular exercise proves to be tiring.
• Yoga trainers recommend a balanced diet (sattwik). There should be an interval of 4 hours between meals.
• The ratio for the composition of meals should be:
  grains and cereals 30% of the calorific value
  dairy products 20%
  vegetables and roots 25%
  fruits and honey 20%
  nuts remaining 5%
• Regarding the quantity of food, it should be moderate (mitahara), only that which satisfies one's appetite.
• One should avoid overeating, fasting or eating once a day. Stale or non-nutritious food, you know, is harmful.
• The clothing should be loose and as scanty as possible, because maximum amount of the skin should be exposed to air.
• Form-fitting cotton/Lycra pants and shirts are the best.
• The breathing should be long and deep. The mouth should be closed and inhale and exhale only through the nose.
• Always take a mat of kusa or any other grass or hay for sitting postures.
• For lying postures use a woolen carpet, and spread a clean sheet over it.
• You can check out some other commercial Yoga accessories, like Yoga belt, foam blocks, Yoga pillows and rubber mats.

10 Miraculous Health Benefits of Honey and Cinnamon Combo

1. For Curing Arthritis
A paste should be made from one part honey and two parts of luke warm water added with a small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. This paste should be massaged on the itching part of the body and the pain should recede within fifteen minutes in most cases.
2. Hair Loss
For hair loss or baldness, patients may apply a paste made out of hot olive oil, one tablespoon of honey, one teaspoon of cinnamon powder. This should be applied before they take bath and keep it for approximately 15 minutes. After that they can wash it off with luke warm water.
3. Toothache
A paste made of one teaspoon of cinnamon powder and five teaspoons of honey when applied on the aching tooth (may be done 3 times a day) reduces the pain within a matter of 15 minutes.
4. Reducing Cholesterol
Take two tablespoons of honey, three teaspoons of cinnamon powder and mix in 16 ounces of tea, when given to a cholesterol patient, reduces the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10% within 2 hours. Pure honey is also sometimes used with food to check cholesterol.
5. Cure Colds
For those who are suffering from common or severe colds, they should take one tablespoon of luke warm honey with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder daily for 3 days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold and clear the sinuses.
6. Curing Infertility
Various ancient medical streams like Ayurveda and Yunani have been using honey for years in medicine to strengthen the semen of men. Two tablespoons of honey before they go to sleep is what is prescribed by many experienced practitioners. This combination will work wonders for women as well. In China, Japan and other Asian countries, if the women who do not conceive, and or if their uterus is week, then they have been prescribed cinnamon powder. Women who cannot conceive may take a pinch of cinnamon powder in half a teaspoon of honey, and apply it on the gums frequently throughout the day, so that it slowly mixes with the saliva and enters the body.
7. Stomach Upset
Honey taken with cinnamon powder also helps in curing stomach ache. For people who are suffering from gas problems, honey should be taken with cinnamon powder in equal quantities, relieves gas and pain in the stomach.
8. Immune System
The daily intake of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacteria and viral attacks. Researches have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts and its use strengthens the white blood corpuscles.
9. Longevity
Ancient cultures used Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder for longevity. 4 spoons of honey, 1 spoon of cinnamon powder and 3 cups of water are boiled to make this tea. The prescribed amount is to drink 1/4 cup, 3 times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and slows down old age.
10. Weight Loss
Drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup water first thing in the morning (empty stomach). If taken regularly it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also drinking of this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body, even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.

10 Tips For Relieving Depression

1. Eat life-giving foods.
If you eat devitalized and lifeless food, it makes sense you will be devitalized and lifeless. Your body has nothing on which to draw to keep it energetic and vibrant. If you do not feel like cooking, then eat apples or other fruits or vegetables, sliced or whole. Even though you may crave sugar and junk food, these foods not only do not help in relieving depression, they make it worse. Buy and eat organic foods, if possible. It has not been determined how chemically treated and genetically altered foods affect us, so best to avoid them.
2. Know that you are not insane.
Depression is a warning sign that something is wrong. It is a symptom that something is out of balance in your body, in your environment, or both. We live in an environment filled with toxins. There are wars, inequitable laws, financial pressures, and media overload. The list is unending.
We are natural beings living in an unnatural world. This is the insanity. Our bodies, our minds, and our spirits are reacting to this insanity. Know that you are not insane. You are reacting to the insanity outside you.
3. Turn the TV off.
Take a break from media overload. Turn the TV off and do not read the newspapers. Most of what you hear on TV and read in the papers is not good news. This is not the time to read and listen to sad stories and ponder devastating events you can do nothing about.
4. Fake it till you make it.
Sometimes you need to work from the outside in. Act as if you are not depressed. How would you walk, talk or sit if you were not depressed? What would you do if you were not depressed? If Publisher's Clearing House came to your door right now with a $5 million check, would you tell them to go away because you are too depressed? Fake it till you make it. Your brain does not know the difference between what is real and what is imagined. Imagine you are not depressed.
5. Dress up.
Wear your good clothes. Do what you can to make yourself look and feel attractive.
6. Count your blessings.
When you are depressed, sad and perhaps angry, being grateful is not the first thought that comes to your mind. However, this is the perfect time to count your blessings. This is the perfect time to remember there are people who would gladly trade places with you. We have so many things to be thankful for; however, we often take them for granted. With an attitude of gratitude, depression cannot thrive.
7. Drink water.
You can survive many weeks without food, but only a few days without water. Dehydration will cause your body and your brain to shut down. Being happy and having a great attitude is impossible if your body is dehydrated. Drink plenty of water. One rule is to drink half your body weight in ounces each day. That is, if you weight 200 pounds, drink 100 ounces of water. Drink filtered or spring water if possible. The tap water in many of our cities contains chemicals and, again, we cannot be sure how these chemicals are affecting us.
8. Listen to motivational tapes.
Do not leave your mind alone to do its "own thing." Obviously, your self-talk is not serving you well at this time. Therefore, this is the perfect time to listen to someone else's talk. Listen to motivational and inspirational tapes and music. Bombard your brain with uplifting thoughts from others. If you feel like reading, read uplifting and inspiring material.
9. Dance.
The body needs to move. Get that blood flowing through your body and your brain. Your brain needs a good supply of blood in order to work properly. But when you are feeling depressed, the idea of exercising is not appealing.
So, dance! Play uplifting and happy music. Play music that reminds you of happy times. Stretch out those parts of your body you are able to stretch. Move, move, move. Dance, dance, dance. Your body, your mind, and your soul will thank you.
10. Remember who you are.
You are a precious entity in this great cosmic universe. You are a representation of God. There is nothing true of the greatest among us that is not true of you. You are magnificent. Sometimes we forget how wonderful we are. Have you?

Tips To Overcome Gases And Acidity

In this article there are some good tips on How to overcome the gases and acidity of the stomach. These tips are friendly and can be done at home itself.
1. Avoid fenugreek, soar flat curd, fermented items, canned foods, cashew nut, plain cucumber, plain groundnuts, chilled water, cold milk (specially in night), milk shakes, mango pickle, fried potato items, radish.
2. Do not sleep immediately after meals. Sleeping immediately slows your digestion and increases burning and sour sensation.
3. Drink 1 cup of hot water after both meals. Hot water will avoid heaviness, fullness of stomach and help you to reduce weight.
4. One cup of buttermilk helps your digestion. Add ginger, coriander leaves, mint leaves, asafetida, and natural salt to increase medicinal value and reduce gases. All or two of the above herbs will be helpful.
5. Eat 1-2 fruits for breakfast. Fibers and natural supplements help to retain energy.
6. Avoid eating sweets after the meal. Eat and enjoy sweet food at the start of the meal so that the aggravated digestive fire will digest it easily. Avoid drinking water after sweets.
7. Drumsticks, pumpkin, beans, cabbages, salad leaves, cauliflower, snake gourd, wash sponge, carrot, rich gourd, spring onion, capsicum, ash gourd, field beans, French beans, Indian salmon fish are good to overcome acidity, gases and weight also.
8. Your chances of developing an irritated bladder can double if you are drinking more than four cups of caffeinated coffee each day. Caffeine in tea, chocolate and cola are also irritants. For the cheap and befitting homely cure for common ailments - http://www.total-health-care.com/home-remedies/home-remedy.htm
9. Beware of factors that rob you of a good night’s sleep: Arguments before bedtime, caffeine, sugar, vitamin C and intensive exercise. To relax, take a hot bath, drink a cup of herbal tea or a glass of milk and read. A drop of lavender or orange oil on your sheets can also help bring sweet slumber.
Tina J, Director and editor of http://www.total-health-care.com. Total Health Care provides healthy and balanced life tips for Man and whole family. Includes different diseases with the information on how to cure them.

Cancer Updates- Useful information

AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY (TRY THE KEY WORD) AND ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHN HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY .
Cancer Update from John Hopkins.
1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.
2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime.
3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.
4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.
5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.
6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastro-intestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.
7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.
8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.
9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.
10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.
11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply CANCER CELLS FEED ON:
a. Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like Nutrasweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in colour. Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.
b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soya milk cancer cells are being starved.
c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.
d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).
e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer-fighting properties. Water- best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.
12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines become putrified and leads to more toxic buildup.
13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.
14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the body's own killer cells to destroy cancer cells.Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.
15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, un forgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.
16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.

10 Tips to reduce Stress !

When you ask a friend, "How are you?" you're likely to get a simple "Oh, fine." as an answer. But, if you keep asking, many will say, "Well, things have been a little stressful lately." Maybe you can't do anything about the biggest stressors in your life, but you can do something about many of the smaller stressors that "nickel and dime you to death." Here are some proven stress reducers you can implement in daily life to help:
	1) Get up 15 minutes earlier each morning. That gives you a little more time to eat something, run back to get something you forgot, or enjoy a cup of coffee before heading out the door. If you drive to work, a 15 or 20 minute headstart may decrease some of the traffic you face, and make the commute less stressful. 2) Prepare for mishaps. Make an extra copy of your house key and bury it in your neighbors' yard; make a second copy of your car key and tape it under your coworker's desk. Both may allow you to get home and inside the house if you loose your keys. If you do have to use them, pat yourself on the back for being smart. 3) Don't do something if you will have to lie about it afterwards. While this may seem obvious, the nagging guilt we feel often wears us down or makes us anxious about getting caught... Sure, it may be more time consuming to fax your resume to new job sites from a friend's house, but you don't have to worry about being caught. 4) Do something healthy for yourself. That could mean taking the stairs once a day instead of the elevator, picking one day a week to have a salad for lunch, or eating fresh fruit instead of a candy bar. What's the overall effect on your health? Maybe not much, but small steps lead to bigger ones, and doing something simple for your body is the best way to start. 5) Write it down. There is an old Chinese proverb that goes, "the palest ink is better than the most retentive memory." All those "Seven Secrets" tips are based on writing things down. Write down goals, errands, chores, due dates for projects and library books... Instead of just a "To Do" list, keep a "Have Done" list too. Move things over to that list after having completed them. At the end of the day, review how productive you were. 6) Do something special on a whim. Buy flowers for your partner unexpectedly. Sneak a small greeting card that says "I love you" into your child's lunch box. Bring donuts, bagels, or muffins to the office for others one morning. You get the picture. Someone else's smile and "Thanks" can sometimes make a bad day better. 7) Be willing to forgive others. Allowing others the right to make a mistake goes a long way toward forgiving yourself for mistakes. Assume that others are doing the best they can. This goes a long way toward doing the best you can as well. 8) Don't eat lunch at your desk. Get away to somewhere quiet or different if only for a 15 or 20 minute break. 9) Delegate new jobs. Say no to avoid additional responsibilities. Simplify. Put your best effort into a task, and ask yourself, "Is it really that important?" before you decide to do it over. Learn to ignore others' criticism sometimes. 10) Get up and stretch periodically. Twist side to side and bend front to back. Roll your head around to stretch your neck a bit. Trade shoulder rubs with a coworker. If you used to smoke, but have stopped, get up and take a break anyway when you feel the need to smoke. A quick trip to the water cooler, to a coworker's desk, or to the restroom doesn't provide the nicotine a cigarette used to, but it does give you the break and moment's respite a cigarette did.

Balance of Good Health

10 tips to cut cancer risk

Here are my top 10 tips for avoiding cancer:

1, 2 and 3) Do NOT smoke. If you're one of the more than 40 million American smokers, you need to stop. Smoking is linked to at least three in 10 cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society. That's more than 165,000 deaths a year.

4) Stay active. Inactivity and obesity are linked to cancer. Half an hour of exercise a day will significantly help your odds.

5) Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. The American Cancer Society recommends at least five servings each day. In general, the most colorful fruits and vegetables have the most nutrients.

6) Limit the amount of red meat and processed meats in your diet, and make sure the meat you do eat is lean.

7) Avoid deep-fat frying. Instead, use low-fat cooking methods like roasting, baking, broiling, steaming or poaching. Also, choose low-fat or non-fat milk and yogurt.

8) Limit your alcohol consumption or avoid alcohol altogether.

9) Protect yourself in the sun. Wear sunscreen to limit your exposure to damaging ultraviolet rays.

10) Girls should get the HPV vaccine before they are sexually active to help prevent cervical cancer.

Good Memory Tips

l. Positive expectation. Believe that you have a good memory. If you believe you have a poor memory and you can't remember anything, your mind will do everything to prove you right. It is better to think that your memory is basically good. When you learn better memory techniques, you will have a better memory. The reason that someone you know has a better memory is that he or she, knowingly or automatically, is using better memory techniques.

2. Interest and importance: Recall of a particular event or detail depends on the interest we take and the importance we assign to that detail or event, at the time when it is taking place. We remember so much more about people, places, and topics which fascinate us. When you are greatly interested in a subject, you pay close attention and your brain releases chemicals to form deeper "imprints" on the cells that store memory. Those can literally become "long lasting impressions. "

3. Pay attention: If you want to recall something, pay close attention to it at the time. The problem may not be memory, the problem may be one of attention. People who have a good memory, pay close attention to events as they happen. Also, you may well know that the level of interest and importance we assign to a person or an event, determines how much attention we are going to pay it at the particular time it is occurring.

4. Memory is an active process. The more active attention you pay, the more details you observe, the more you think, reason, and comprehend, the more associations you make of what you know with what you are trying to learn, the more you will retain and be able to recall, later on. Good memory is a state of the active mind.

5. A relaxed mind helps memory: Learn with a relaxed mind. Recall the learned material with a relaxed mind. Let's take as an example a situation where you misplace your car keys. If you get too agitated with yourself in trying to recall something, as is the case in this example, you are in for frustration. But, if you relax your mind, and calmly go through the events backward, you are more likely to remember where you left them.

6. Reduce anxiety. While mild anxiety can increase interest and attention, high anxiety can impair attention and concentration, and therefore, limit the recall of learned material. That is why, if we are too anxious during a test, we forget what we earlier knew very well. Actually, your memory is okay but anxiety is interfering with it. Management of test anxiety has helped many students in their test performance.

7. Monitor depression. Depression can impair the interest and joy in the events
surroundings us. As a result, too little energy is left to recall anything. Some depressed persons become more anxious and depressed thinking, "I have lost my mind. " Once depression is treated, memory as a general rule, returns to the normal.

8. Use your favorite sensory channel. Some remember better what they see, "visual memory, " and some remember better what they hear, "auditory memory. " If you are someone who remembers better what you hear, then listen to a book on tape, rather than reading it. For other material, tape what you want to learn, and then listen to it for better recall.

Iron-Deficiency Anemia

What is iron-deficiency anemia?

The most common cause of anemia is iron deficiency. Iron is needed to form hemoglobin. Iron is mostly stored in the body in the hemoglobin. About 30 percent of iron is also stored as ferritin and hemosiderin in the bone marrow, spleen, and liver.

What causes iron-deficiency anemia?

Iron-deficiency anemia may be caused by the following:

• diets low in iron
  Iron is obtained from foods in our diet, however, only 1 mg of iron is absorbed for every 10 to 20 mg of iron ingested. A person unable to have a balanced iron-rich diet may suffer from some degree of iron-deficiency anemia.
  
  
• body changes
  An increased iron requirement and increased red blood cell production is required when the body is going through changes such as growth spurts in children and adolescents, or during pregnancy and lactation.
  
  
• gastrointestinal tract abnormalities
  Malabsorption of iron is common after some forms of gastrointestinal surgeries. Most of the iron taken in by foods is absorbed in the upper small intestine. Any abnormalities in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract could alter iron absorption and result in iron-deficiency anemia.
  
  
• blood loss
  Loss of blood can cause a decrease of iron and result in iron-deficiency anemia. Sources of blood loss may include GI bleeding, menstrual bleeding, or injury.

What are the symptoms of iron-deficiency anemia?

The following are the most common symptoms of iron-deficiency anemia. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:

• abnormal paleness or lack of color of the skin
• irritability
• lack of energy or tiring easily (fatigue)
• increased heart rate (tachycardia)
• sore or swollen tongue
• enlarged spleen
• a desire to eat peculiar substances such as dirt or ice (a condition called pica)

The symptoms of iron-deficiency anemia may resemble other blood conditions or medical problems. Always consult your physician for a diagnosis.

How is iron-deficiency anemia diagnosed?

Iron-deficiency anemia may be suspected from general findings on a complete medical history and physical examination, such as complaints of tiring easily, abnormal paleness or lack of color of the skin, or a fast heartbeat (tachycardia). Iron-deficiency anemia is usually discovered during a medical examination through a blood test that measures the amount of hemoglobin (number of red blood cells) present, and the amount of iron in the blood. In addition to a complete medical history and physical examination, diagnostic procedures for iron-deficiency anemia may include the following:

• additional blood tests
  
  
• bone marrow aspiration and biopsy - marrow may be removed by aspiration or a needle biopsy under local anesthesia. In aspiration biopsy, a fluid specimen is removed from the bone marrow. In a needle biopsy, marrow cells (not fluid) are removed. These methods are often used together.

Treatment for iron-deficiency anemia:

Specific treatment for iron-deficiency anemia will be determined by your physician based on:

• your age, overall health, and medical history
• extent of the anemia
• cause of the anemia
• your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies
• expectations for the course of the anemia
• your opinion or preference

Treatment may include:

• iron-rich diet
  Eating a diet with iron-rich foods can help treat iron-deficiency anemia. Good sources of iron include the following:
  
  
  • meats - beef, pork, lamb, liver, and other organ meats
  • poultry - chicken, duck, turkey, liver (especially dark meat)
  • fish - shellfish, including clams, mussels, and oysters, sardines, anchovies
  • leafy greens of the cabbage family, such as broccoli, kale, turnip greens, and collards
  • legumes, such as lima beans and green peas; dry beans and peas, such as pinto beans, black-eyed peas, and canned baked beans
  • yeast-leavened whole-wheat bread and rolls
  • iron-enriched white bread, pasta, rice, and cereals
    
    
• iron supplements
  Iron supplements can be taken over several months to increase iron levels in the blood. Iron supplements can cause irritation of the stomach and discoloration of bowel movements. They should be taken on an empty stomach, or with orange juice, to increase absorption.

How does the body process iron?

Iron is present in many foods and absorbed into the body through the stomach. During this process of absorption, oxygen combines with iron and is transported into the plasma portion of blood by binding to transferri. From there, iron and transferri are used in the production of hemoglobin (the molecule that transports oxygen in the blood), stored in the liver, spleen, and bone marrow, and utilized as needed by all body cells.

The following is a list of foods that are good sources of iron. Always consult your physician regarding the recommended daily iron requirements for your particular situation.

Iron-Rich Foods	Quantity	Approximate Iron Content (mg)
Oysters	3 ounces	13.2
Beef liver	3 ounces	7.5
Prune juice	1/2 cup	5.2
Clams	2 ounces	4.2
Walnuts	1/2 cup	3.75
Ground beef	3 ounces	3.0
Chickpeas	1/2 cup	3.0
Bran flakes	1/2 cup	2.8
Pork roast	3 ounces	2.7
Cashew nuts	1/2 cup	2.65
Shrimp	3 ounces	2.6
Raisins	1/2 cup	2.55
Sardines	3 ounces	2.5
Spinach	1/2 cup	2.4
Lima beans	1/2 cup	2.3
Kidney beans	1/2 cup	2.2
Turkey, dark meat	3 ounces	2.0
Prunes	1/2 cup	1.9
Roast beef	3 ounces	1.8
Green peas	1/2 cup	1.5
Peanuts	1/2 cup	1.5
Potato	1	1.1
Sweet potato	1/2 cup	1.0
Green beans	1/2 cup	1.0
Egg	1	1.0