Iron and Folic Acid

My doctor has had to induce my menstruation by prescribing progesterone pills. This after ultrasound results showed a thick lining on my ovary as a result of the irregular periods I’ve had in the past two or three months. She said that after taking the pills for 5 days, the menstruation should come within the next two weeks and warned that the first day I was to expect very heavy bleeding.

True enough on the sixth day, it came. I was expecting heavy bleeding but it was no more heavier than usual. Until the fifth day when it came gushing and I’ve had to use more pads than normal. It’s gone on for two more days and I do feel kind of weak. The doctor also told me to take my iron pills with folic acid because I had to counteract the blood loss.

I know the importance of iron intake, especially for women because studies show most women hardly get the recommended dose of iron daily. This is dangerous considering we shed blood monthly through menstruation. Iron is an important nutrient to replenish healthy red blood cells that aids in the transport of oxygen. That’s why during bouts of anemia in the past, I’ve had difficulty breathing after shedding what must have been buckets of blood, that eventually required blood transfusion.

Now what I did not know is that Vitamin C helps boost iron absorption in the body. Good thing I am very religious in chewing Vitamin C capsules, not because I was aware of this relation, but more to protect me from contracting coughs and colds. So now I know…

I’ve always wondered about folic acid or folate and why I need it when I am nowhere near getting pregnant. Folate, it turns out, is necessary for the production of new cells, which include red blood cells, which I have been losing since this period started. Lack of folate limits cell division, and the production of red blood cells, resulting in megaloblastic anemia, characterized by large, immature RBCs. Needless to say, immature RBCs don’t do any good when released to the marrow to cover up for anemia.

As previously mentioned in an earlier post, my sleeping habits is also a source of concern especially at a time like this. I need to sleep early to aid my body in regenerating cells. And I need to keep popping my iron with folate pills.

Losing out on zzzz's

I'm trying to figure out why in the last several weeks I've had trouble sleeping early. I do know that sometime in the past, this has already happened to me. I can't quite remember what triggered it the first time and why it seems to be happening again now.

So I read up on insomnia. Because it's useless to deny that I am part insomniac. I can't sleep earlier than 1 am, sometimes even when I'm dead tired. Often I finally shut off much later than 1 am.

Could be hormones. My menstrual cycle has been a cause of some worry because it's not as regular as it should be. At the time I expect my monthly period, it'll start but not run the full course, which is usually 5 days. Well, it says that hormones, especially when it precedes the menstrual period might cause insomnia. So that's something to consider.

Stress. I've been under a lot of it in the last couple of weeks. Even during times when I thought my life was stress-free it probably wasn't. But there have been a lot of things to worry about in the past couple of months (and I have the white hairs to prove it!) so it must be contributing to the restlessness I feel, which results in my not getting sleep when I need it.

Or it could be that my mind and imagination, prone to over-activity, is acting up. It refuses to shut down even when I am so tired, ergo, I can't sleep. I can't even set my alarm for some early morning appointment because I usually end up waking every hour waiting for the alarm to sound off!

And finally, there is the internet which keeps me so hooked that it must be raising my mental alertness more than necessary, preventing me from resting for the day.

I need to work out a plan to combat this disorder, because having a history of anemia, insomnia is definitely not good for me.

The Secret Revealed - The Magic of Creative Visualisation

Do you think you have tried it all, but without success appearing in your life? Of course you have.

Do you lament that you have

• read all the self improvement books but still want more


• continually spoken affirmations without progress


• set your goals and tried to follow them but soon deviated on a different path


• tried to change your thoughts into positive ones only to have the negative thoughts creep back in?

You are probably thinking that all this positive thinking stuff is a load of rubbish, aren't you? You are now at the point of saying "This stuff will never work", right?

With all these thoughts circulating around in your mind, you still have that part, however small, that believes this stuff must surely work. There has to be some truth in the fact that positive thinking must work, as it has supposedly worked for many others.

You have read about or heard how actors, athletes, performers and numerous prominent people today have been successful and so many wealthy people in today's society have got where they are through using these principles. There are people who now enjoy successful, happy and abundant lives in all areas including relationships, careers, health and wealth.

Although you have searched for the secret, it has continually eluded you.

The fact is that the secret to their success is in the power of visualisation. Yes, a simple process of creative visualisation which activates your subconscious mind to provoke creative ideas and images allowing you to turn your desires into reality. The powerful concept of the law of attraction will indeed work as long as you believe, desire and make the choice to accept positive change in your life.

Have you tried to perform visualisations only to have your mind wander, feel you are wasting your time, that you should be spending your time doing some chores or simply given up because it all seemed too hard?

If your answer is yes, then read on to discover how easy it really is to transform your life with the magic of creative visualisations.

The secret to successful creative visualisations is to combine them with light hypnotherapy techniques to allow you to sink into a state of relaxation, known as the Alpha state. This is the level of relaxation where your subconscious mind is able to release all the negative thoughts or states that you no longer want in your life, and can then absorb all that you wish to create, allowing you to begin manifesting all that your heart desires.

Imagine all your desires becoming reality. What do you desire? A boost in your self esteem, a new partner, a healthy relationship, a slimmer and healthier body, a new home, a new car, a larger bank balance or even an overseas holiday? The list could be endless. Understand that as quoted by W. Clement Stone, "Whatever the mind of man can conceive, it can achieve".

In this case, I will alter the quote to state "Whatever the mind of a woman can conceive, it can achieve", and I know for a fact that a woman's mind can conceive endlessly.

However, vital to your success is the need to conceive and picture the images desired. Images in the now moment, know what you would see, hear and feel once your dreams have been achieved. Guided creative visualisations will allow your unconscious mind to stay focused on your created images and hear the positive suggested messages throughout.

Short visualisations of approximately twenty to thirty minutes duration allow your mind and body to relax whilst instilling positive suggestions into your unconscious mind. Repeated listening to these will have you discovering that your life begins making the necessary changes to manifest the results you desire.

By spending twenty minutes each day or so, you can have the life you desire. You can feel confident, successful, see your dreams come alive and hear the cheers of congratulations inside your head as you accomplish what you have always wanted.

The magic of guided creative visualisations are the hidden secret to manifesting your inner dreams and desires.

I need to De-Stress

The day did not start well. It wasn't even noon yet but my head was already pounding. Not a healthy sign. But what to do? Several stressful situations were coming up one after the other. I knew my face was already pinched by lunchtime and I felt like screaming STOP! My blood pressure must have spiked then. It did not help that I was prescribed progesterone pills to induce menses because I had a condition. The menses was coming, no doubt, whether I wanted it or not.

I forgot to eat. Bad, bad, bad. Well, I finally had my pasta with pesto sauce around 2:30 p.m. I finished about 2 mugs of warm water. By then I must have gone to the john four or five times. Not good when you have your period and you need lots of fluids. Thankfully, the office was quiet for most of the time I was in a snit. And through simple breathing, relaxing and praying, I got over the stress little by little. I laughed some and that felt good.

I'm still stressed out, I know. I can feel it especially around my shoulder blades and my temples. I really need to de-stress soon. Until that time I can afford to go have a massage, it'll have to be breathing exercises for me. Aaa-uuhmmm...

If You're Healthy...

...and you know it, clap your hands. Because chances are, you are in the minority. It's a rat-race out there and more often than not, our health is one of the things we take most for granted.

Health encompasses a lot of things. It means being free from disease, of course. But there are other factors that contribute to being healthy. Our environment for one. We may think we're not sick but stick your head out the window and the smog will probably slap you in the face. In many countries, waste disposal remains a problem. That's not a healthy sign.

You may be popping all those pills everyday for this and that, but not eating or sleeping right. And do you absolutely take care of your mental health? Hey, how often do you smile, I mean really smile, just so all those face muscles get a good workout?

So you see, being healthy means a lot of things. Let's discover them all here. Because you can betcha, you will be one wealthy person if you're a healthy one.