Chris Kresser: So her RBC was 3.98, which is low, her hemoglobin, 11.9, is low, hematocrit, 37.3, is low, her MCV is 93, which is actually kind of towards the, it’s a little bit high in the functional range. MCHC is 31.9, is low, RDW, 14.9, which is almost out of the lab range high, which is consistent with iron-deficiency anemia. And then her iron levels, looks like her serum iron is below normal at 51, iron saturation of 15 percent is low normal, and ferritin is 20, is low normal.
So, yeah, it definitely looks like iron-deficiency anemia but not super deficient. I mean, that’s kind of, you’ve caught it at a relatively early stage, although she’s already progressed to anemia, so you could argue it’s a bit later. But her iron numbers still look super-low so I would just do probably Proferrin one capsule three times a day and retest after about 30 days and see where she’s at. If she’s not increased, if she’s not going up with that alone, I might add Iron Smart liposomal supplement. I might also add some hydrochloric acid and vitamin C at the same time to help with absorption. Of course it goes without saying that I would try to address this with diet as well. Shellfish and organ meats in particular, iron-rich foods, and if she’s open to consuming those foods, that would be the starting place.