Nutritional Considerations in Treating Anemia

Anemia is not a disease per se but rather a symptom that arises from either a reduction in the number of red blood cells (RBCs) or the quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. Even the slightest sign of anemia represents an imbalance in the body that is worthy of clinical investigation. Only an indepth review and methodical elimination of possible etiologies allows for an accurate and reliable diagnosis that measures the severity of the anemia. Healthy RBCs have an average survival period of 120 days, thus, during each day, roughly 1 percent of a patient's RBCs must be replaced. However, during the