New Iron Pills…. hmmm
OK- started another iron pill this weekend…. and I think this one will be relegated to the “Ian” pile once again. Although he has his own digestive issues, he seems to have a much easier time with the iron varieties than I do and he’s not gluten intolerant…. (or so he insists).
This one was from Wild Oats- their brand- and it said gluten free on the label. It is seriously the craziest capsule I’ve seen. The outside is clear and it is filled with different brightly colored beads. The nice thing is that it said slow-release, and the capsule contains vitamin C, folic acid and b12 to aid absorption… so I was thinking it would cut down on the amount of pills I take at night. (Although I do enjoy my chewable vitamin Cs!)
I might give these the benefit of the doubt… since it is almost that time of the month and my stomach might be ultra sensitive. I even had to stop doing the mile repeats in the workout yesterday because my tummy was making so much noise… PAINFUL!
So, I’ll give them to till the end of the week…maybe I won’t take any Friday night since I’ve got a tempo Saturday morning. Then it is back to the Gentle Iron for me.
uggh.
Hi Dana,
Just dropped by to say hello and that I love the enthusiasm of your site. You go girl.
Lots of great information.
Love, peace and lots of organic chocolate
Carole
Hello Dana,
May I share with you a few items that you may find of interest?
First, have you tried to take iron sublingually? That is, take a dry iron powder capsule, unscrew the capsule, then tap and dump as much powered iron under your tongue and let the iron dissolve. Aside from the truly unappetizing nature of this trick, sublingual absorption (a la homeopathic remedies) is actually higher than intestinal absorption. And there are two added bonuses to sublingual intake: (1) no stomach ache with no nasty bowels; and (2) you can ingest more iron periodically throughout the day. Even buffalo-eating runners like me have iron issues, and although my iron has never been drastically low, this sublingual trick had turned my iron deficiency around in 2 weeks vs 4-6 weeks otherwise.
Second, do you know of L-Glutamine? Which is in *no* way associated with gluten. “L-glutamine is the primary metabolic fuel of the intestinal mucosa. This amino acid is important for intestinal function and especially nutritional absorption, specifically by improving the structure and function of the small-intestine villi–the sites of nutrient absorption. Supplementing with L-glutamine may provide benefits for those with diminished absorptive function by using doses of 500 mg to 1000 mg, two to four times daily between meals” (Mafetone, 1999, p. 296).
My husband and I use L-glutamine powder manufactured by Now Sports, available at your local Vitamin Cottage. We place 1/8 tsp in a very small glass of water, swirl it about, then drink it like a shot of whiskey.
Finally, for more sports nutrition data and other insightful “ah-ha’s” the following book is great: Maffetone, Phillip. (1999). Complementary sports medicine: Balancing traditional and nontraditional treatments. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. (ISBN #0-88011-869-5). Especially chapters 18, Diet Therapy, and 19, Nutritional Supplement Therapy.
All the best to you!