Anemia expert raises alert

MANILA, Philippines - In line with its ongoing efforts to improve the state of perinatal health care in the country, the Perinatal Association of the Philippines (PAP) recently invited one of the world’s most respected authorities on anemia, Dr. Nils Milman, to raise the alert on the real global threat that anemia poses.

Milman has been engaged in research on human iron metabolism for over 30 years, and has written over 100 papers on the different aspects of human iron metabolism.

Iron deficiency is the leading cause of anemia, and Milman’s expertise is of particular importance to pregnant women, as they are most prone to both iron deficiency and anemia.

The World Health Organization reports that 42 percent of Filipino women of reproductive age suffer from anemia, while 44 percent of pregnant women suffer from the affliction.

While the global numbers on anemia are disturbing, the Philippines lags behind, and the numbers here are even more alarming.

Although the number of women who suffer from anemia in Southeast Asia has been on the decline over the last 10 years, the decline has been neither fast nor steady, which is why there are now more efforts to raise awareness on the disease. Practically every other Filipino woman has anemia, making the issue that much more urgent here.

Dr. Raul Quillamor, PAP president, cited the association’s continuing program, the Gift of Life, which is sponsored by Iberet, the most trusted iron supplement brand in the market today.

The Gift of Life is a program that disseminates information on maternal and childcare through regular half-day classes for expectant mothers and their husbands. 

The classes are conducted by doctors and other experts in perinatal care, and are on such topics as the Lamaze method, pregnancy exercises, and even baby sign language.

Over the years, the Gift of Life (GOL) has helped countless couples. It has expanded and continues to gain a following, while the classes are typically attended by 50 to 100 couples; a recent class in Bicol filled an entire moviehouse.

People go out of the way to attend GOL classes, as the PAP gets the best available speakers. The GOL classes are free, and the topics they teach about are those that typically only well-to-do couples can get from more exclusive and expensive OB-gyns.

All this is done in the name of improved perinatal health care. The PAP’s focus this year is “Toward Realization of MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) on Child Health and Maternal Health.”

Anemia is a disease many are familiar with; the word anemic has become virtually synonymous to weak or frail. Its most common visible symptoms are the reason it has become another word for weakness. 

Women who are anemic often experience diminished physical capacity, fatigue, dizziness, palpitations and irregular menstrual periods. Pregnant women have proven far more prone to anemia; to make things worse, when a mother has anemia, her baby is also usually born anemic. 

Anemia occurs when the red blood cell count is low. Red blood cells contain the bulk of hemoglobin in the human body, and hemoglobin is responsible for oxygenating the whole body. The direct consequence of low hemoglobin is that oxygen cannot be properly distributed throughout the body, hence the weakness and fatigue so closely associated with the disorder.

Hemoglobin contains iron, and the iron in hemoglobin is essential to its oxygen-binding function. Iron is also essential to the body’s production of hemoglobin, which is why iron deficiency is by far the most common cause of anemia.

There are many nutrient deficiencies that can lead to anemia, but by far the most common is iron deficiency, it is so common that it accounts for far more anemia cases than all the other factors combined. The typical diet of a Filipino woman quite simply does not contain an adequate amount of iron to meet the recommended daily intake. 

For Filipino women, iron supplements are a must, and the most trusted name in iron supplements in the Philippines is Iberet. While anemia remains a dangerous disease, it can be prevented and even treated by taking the correct recommended dosage of Iberet daily.

Taking iron supplements regularly ensures that the body has enough iron to produce the needed amount of hemoglobin. This, in turn, ensures that your blood and body are adequately oxygenated.