Good morning,

When my teenage daughter repeatedly complained of exhaustion, I figured it was the usual suspects: not enough sleep, school stress, maybe her diet. Her lab results came back “normal,” so we moved on. But her fatigue didn’t abate.

That’s when I learned about ferritin.

Ferritin is like your body’s iron savings account. While routine tests check the iron circulating in your blood, ferritin measures what’s stored for later. If your savings are low, your body has nothing to draw on, even if your current levels look fine.

Low ferritin can cause deep fatigue, brain fog, and even odd cravings, like chewing ice and dirt, long before full-blown anemia appears.

In a recent article, I explored why so many people, especially women, experience symptoms for months even though their labs appear fine. One woman’s ferritin was 4 ng/mL, technically not anemic, but severely depleted.

​​Even when ferritin is tested, low levels are often marked as normal. However, growing evidence suggests symptoms improve only when ferritin reaches 50 or higher.

We’re also learning more about how iron affects the brain. A University of Oklahoma study found that among midlife women with normal iron levels, those at the higher end of the normal range did better on memory and focus tasks.

If you or someone you love is running on empty, consider getting your ferritin tested. This one simple test could uncover what standard labs often miss.

Wishing you a healthy body and mind,

Lack of Anemia Screening Leaves Older Patients More Vulnerable: Study

Many older adults with anemia aren’t being screened for treatable causes like low iron, B12, or folate, putting them at risk for serious but preventable health issues.

Improve Anemia With Diet and Lifestyle Tips From TCM Physician

Traditional Chinese medicine teaches that strengthening digestion and balancing organ function can naturally improve anemia through diet and lifestyle.

Over Half of Iron Deficiency Diagnoses Remain Untreated After 3 Years, Study Finds

Over half of patients diagnosed with iron deficiency remain untreated after three years, largely due to overlooked symptoms, misinterpreted lab values, and inconsistent clinical guidelines.

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