Blood donation,natto bacillus subtilis

Jackie and anyone,

I have read that blood donation is good for the person donating in that it is thinning their blood and makes it less sticky[not suggesting for people on blood thinners]. I realise it is good for the donee ! I would appreciate any comments.

Natto. I haven't seen anything on what are the best currently available though I may have missed something. I am not on blood thinners.

Bacillus subtilis. I remember it being mentioned a few years ago. Any current comments?

Thanks.

Alex

Alex - I'm behind in my reading and participating. I'll have some comments for you shortly.
Jackie

"not suggesting for people on blood thinners"

Those on coumadin can't donate at my center anyway.

"I realise it is good for the donee " Especially males and post menopausal females who can have iron build up.

One lady, Joyce, who was formerly a prolific poster, always brought the potential damage of hemochromatosis to our attention.

Alex… donating blood helps if your ferritin levels are elevated. Ferritin reflects stored iron and excess iron is toxic… can injure every part of the body including heart and brain and cause or contribute to arrhythmia. Natural remedies are easy – just donate blood and keep checking the levels until within a normal range. Avoid supplements and foods containing added iron and limit intake of red meat.

Lab ranges are from 10 to 191 ng/ml – preferably below 100… and some reports now say 50. (My doctor likes it around 50 and says to donate blood if you need to in order to keep it in that range. Of course, avoid iron supplements (check Multi’s to be sure they are iron free).. and limit red meat to keep the number where you want it.

Following is from the Red Flags post… and Isabelle who is the hemochromatosis expert has offered a large number of posts on that topic.

High serum ferritin levels may be associated with inflammation, liver disease, megaloblastic anemia, hemolytic anemia, sideroblastic anemia, thalassemia, iron overload (hemochromatosis, hemosiderosis), malignant diseases including leukemia and malignant lymphoma. Very high levels indicate iron overload. Ferritin levels in hemochromatosis may be >1000 ng/mL. Increased serum ferritin may be a risk factor in primary hepatocellular carcinoma. [www.labcorp.com]

Serum ferritin levels, however, can be nonspecifically elevated in patients with inflammation and or liver disease, regardless of iron stores. This is attributed to hepatocellular leakage of ferritin from damaged cells.

Joint pain is the most common complaint of people with iron overload ( hemochromatosis). Other common symptoms include fatigue, lack of energy, abdominal pain, loss of sex drive, and heart problems. Symptoms tend to occur in men between the ages of 30 and 50 and in women over age 50. However, many people have no symptoms when they are diagnosed.

If the disease is not detected early and treated, iron may accumulate in body tissues and may eventually lead to serious problems such as
• arthritis
•liver disease, including an enlarged liver, cirrhosis, cancer, and liver failure
•damage to the pancreas, possibly causing diabetes
•heart abnormalities, such as irregular heart rhythms or congestive heart failure
•impotence
•early menopause
•abnormal pigmentation of the skin, making it look gray or bronze
•thyroid deficiency
•damage to the adrenal gland

Hemochromatosis is often undiagnosed and untreated. It is considered rare and doctors may not think to test for it. The initial symptoms can be diverse and vague and can mimic the symptoms of many other diseases.

Also, doctors may focus on the conditions caused by hemochromatosis--arthritis, liver disease, heart disease, or diabetes--rather than on the underlying iron overload. However, if the iron overload caused by hemochromatosis is diagnosed and treated before organ damage has occurred, a person can live a normal, healthy life.

On Nattokinase…Bacillus subtilis natto is isolated from the fermented soybean... The end result (Nattokinase) is very helpful to keep blood thin by lowering fibrinogen levels and also helping to prevent blood clots formed in the early morning hours when stroke and MI are prevalent because of low levels of Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor – 1. You can read about Nattokinase in CR 39 and 40.

I hope this helps.
Jackie