Cupping guides
Iron deficiency: symptoms, what ferritin means and which values count, who is affected, iron deficiency without anaemia, diet and supplements that work, treatment time, and the link to tiredness, feeling cold, restless legs, hair loss and palpitations
Tired however much you sleep, cold when others aren't, breathless on the stairs, restless legs in the evening, losing hair, pale and with mild palpitations: iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world and the most common treatable cause of tiredness in women of childbearing age, and it is often missed because the blood count (haemoglobin) can be normal while the iron stores (ferritin) are empty. Anyone with heavy periods, pregnancy, a vegetarian or vegan diet, gut problems (coeliac disease, IBD, acid blockers, gastric surgery), endurance training or frequent blood donation is at risk. Here are the symptoms, what ferritin and transferrin saturation mean and which values actually count (ferritin under 30 is deficiency, many feel better above 50), the difference between iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia, who is affected and why, which tests to ask for, foods that provide iron (and what blocks absorption), how to take supplements so they work (every other day, with vitamin C, not with coffee or calcium), when an infusion is needed, how long it takes before you feel better, and the link to tiredness, feeling cold, restless legs, hair loss and palpitations, with what cupping and movement can and cannot do in the meantime.
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Restless legs and crawling sensations in the legs: how it feels, causes (iron deficiency, pregnancy, medicines, nerves), how to tell it from cramp, nerve pain and varicose veins, treatment that works, an evening routine, and cupping of the legs
It starts when you sit down on the sofa or lie down in bed: a crawling, tickling, tingling or electric feeling deep inside the calves or thighs, an urge to move the legs, and relief only as long as you move them. Restless legs affects one in ten adults at some point and one in twenty regularly, more often women, more often with age, and it ruins sleep more than it harms the legs. The most common treatable cause is low iron stores in the brain, even when the blood count is normal, and ferritin below 75 is a reason to treat. Other causes are pregnancy, kidney failure, certain antidepressants and antihistamines, nerve damage and alcohol. Here is how to recognise it, how it differs from calf cramp, nerve pain and varicose veins, which tests to ask for, what actually helps (iron, a medication review, movement in the evening, heat, cold, compression, sleep hygiene) and how massage and cupping of calves and thighs in the evening calm the crawling for many.
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