Anemia is very common among lupus patients. As I wrote in a previous post, I am a member of that club. I have iron and vitamin D deficiency. I'm not surprised about the vitamin D, I dislike sunlight, but not because I'm sensitive to it. I must have been a vampire in one of my past lives (Yes, I know that doesn't make sense). Of course, I can increase my iron and vitamin D intake by eating more foods that are rich in iron and taking walks in the sun, but that may not be enough. Obviously, I need supplements to support my goal of having better blood results next time.
What about other supplements? Is there anything out there that can help me to tame the wolf? My rheumatologist suggested turmeric to fight inflammation. Got it. What else? I've done some research. First, I scratched out all the shady, suspicious miracle pills. Let's go back to nature.
Chamomile is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. When I was a child, even the doctor "prescribed" chamomile tea for eye infections and the common cold. I remember my mom holding a towel above my head while inhaling chamomile steam. I love chamomile tea. It's nature's Xanax...Right now, I am taking alcohol-free chamomile tincture twice a day. I have no idea if it works, we will see. I also massage my hands with pure chamomile oil that I dilute with jojoba oil. I find it helpful. It somehow calms my joints (and my mind).
Another supplement I've started to take is royal jelly. I don't even know why I hadn't thought about it before. I'm familiar with it. Royal jelly is a bee product. It's what worker bees produce and feed to the queen bee and the larvae! It must be awesome. It is. I found a truckload of research studies that discussed it. Based on those, royal jelly is: anti-inflammatory, packed with antioxidants, and may help with diabetes, hormone regulation, certain cancers, cardiovascular diseases, aging, reproductive health, and skin health. Whoa. More research is needed...but if it's good enough for a queen and my GP has no objection, why not try?
Iron, vitamin D, chamomile, and royal jelly. I don't want to go wild with supplements, but I keep looking. For now, I will just go with those.
Comments