Anaemia is a condition which occurs when you have an abnormally low amount of red blood cells. Red blood cells contain haemoglobin, a red pigment which gives blood its colour. The job of haemoglobin is to carry oxygen around the body. When red blood cells and therefore haemoglobin are low the blood fails to supply the body's tissues with sufficient amounts of oxygen. As your lungs and heart will then have to work harder to get oxygen into the blood, symptoms of anaemia, such as difficulty in breathing will begin to develop.

Anaemia mainly affects women during pregnancy or women who suffer with heavy periods.

Types Of Anaemia

Iron-deficiency anaemia : Is caused by a shortage of iron. It affects women much more often than men, because women lose some blood in each menstrual period between puberty and the menopause.
Haemolytic anaemia : The main cause of pernicious anaemia is when there is inadequate absorption of vitamin B12 from the diet. This can be due to ulcers, stomach cancer, diseases of the small intestine or from the after effects of surgery.
Pernicious anaemia(Vitamin B12 deficiency anaemia) :Its caused by the intestine’s inability to adequately absorb vitamin B12 from food. Because a deficiency of vitamin B12 can lead to damage to the nervous system, a person with pernicious anaemia must take B12 supplements for life. These must be given by injection, as B12 taken orally won’t be absorbed.
Folic acid deficiency anaemia :The main reason why you may have a lack of folic acid is due to a poor diet and if you drink excessive alcohol it can reduce the uptake of folic acid. Folic acid can be found in fresh fruit, raw green vegetables, beans and whole grain cereals.
Aplastic anaemia:A defect in red blood cell production by the bone marrow. Some cases have no known cause but others result from exposure to radiotherapy or anti-cancer drugs and certain chemicals.

Symptoms Of Anaemia

Tiredness
Breathlessness
Palpitations
Dizziness
Headache

Causes Of Anaemia

There are main causes of anaemia.

Blood loss, for example, through heavy menstrual periods or gastrointestinal bleeding from an ulcer.
Defective red blood cell production, which can result from nutritional or vitamin deficiencies or a chronic illness where the bone marrow does not work properly.
Red blood cell destruction, which may be due to hereditary factors or as a side effect of some drugs.
Heavy periods.
Diet low in iron.

Treatment Of Anaemia

The treatment you receive will depend greatly on the cause of anaemia. Treatment is usually simple and may be resolved with an improved diet or by taking supplements. .

Make sure to take enough vitamins especially B12 and folic acid and iron supplements have plenty of sleep at night.
Eat a balanced diet with iron rich foods such as green leafy vegetables, liver, iron fortified cereals, milk, red meat, oysters and dried fruits.
Eat food rich in vitamin C as it helps body to absorb iron.
Eat food rich in folic acid such as asparagus, sprouts, oatmeal, whole-grain and cereals.
Limit coffee intake.
Avoid smoking.

Other Treatment

Cold water baths are recommended in anaemia. The patient should be given a cold bath carefully twice daily, the coldness of the water being increased gradually.
Other important factors that help in curing anaemia are deep breathing and light exercises like walking.
Yogic asanas such as sarvangasana paschimottanasana and shavasana as well as massage are also helpfu1 in this regard.
A hot Epsom salts bath for five to ten minutes once a week and an occasional steam bath are also useful. Sunbaths are especially beneficial as the sunlight stimulates the production of red cells.

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