Today I’m going to discuss how to lower high ferritin levels. My name is Dr. Tom Rofrano, from the Natural Medicine Clinic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. I’ve had the opportunity to see over 100,000 patient visits over the last 36 years, many of whom have thyroid and gut issues. High ferritin level is a common factor that I see in my patients.
Why is Ferritin So High?
The first step is to figure out what is causing high ferritin. Is it from insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, fatty liver, excess alcohol consumption, or is it from iron overload? Is it from consuming too much iron, repeated blood transfusions, hemochromatosis (a genetic disorder), or is it from other causes of inflammation? It could also be liver disease, cancer, or infection.
Blood Tests for High Ferritin
The minimum blood tests I recommend besides ferritin is serum iron, % saturation, TIBC, CBC chemistry panel, CRP, GGT, LDH, lipids, thyroid markers, TSH, free T4, free T3, uric acid, insulin and A1C. If your iron saturation and iron are high, you can also get some genetic markers tested for hemochromatosis.
I outline this all in my book, The FreeDiet®, where I have a chapter on ferritin. In addition, I perform functional testing to determine deficiencies, toxins, infections, food reactions, and hormonal imbalance to get a more complete picture. The tests I mentioned above would be the minimum of what you want to find out to start determining the root cause. Once the tests are done, you can start to lower the ferritin by following a specific anti-inflammatory diet.
Starting The FreeDiet®
The diet I developed is called The FreeDiet® because it’s free of gluten, grains, sugar, yeast, dairy, egg, soy, legumes, nightshades, and processed foods. It’s free of those foods most commonly responsible for inflammation. The FreeDiet® can helps with other chronic health issues and I’ve seen a lot of success in helping patients with elevated ferritin levels. Whether it’s due to insulin resistance, iron overload, or other inflammatory causes.
The FreeDiet® book goes over the diet in more detail, and you can go here for your complimentary copy of The FreeDiet® phase one food chart.
High Ferritin Case Study
I had a patient recently whose ferritin level was 1400 ng/ml before he came to see me. He had been eating a diet high in junk food and takeout, had gained 20 pounds, and wasn’t exercising. He was 33 years old, and his ferritin was in the 1400s with high lipids and high inflammatory markers. He had fatty liver and spent six months improving his diet and exercising. After those six months, he had lost a lot of weight and when he came to see me his ferritin was still in the 700’s.
His ferritin was stuck there so ran comprehensive lab tests to determine the root causes of his high ferritin. I put him on The FreeDiet® along with the appropriate supplements and his ferritin level after three months was down to the low 300’s. All his symptoms cleared up, and he was feeling good again.
His testosterone was 186 when he came to see me, and three months later it was 550 without taking testosterone replacement. By simply following The FreeDiet® and the supplements, his testosterone increased by over 350 points.
Supplements for High Ferritin
I start with what I refer to as the Functional Five™ which includes a multivitamin, fish oil, vitamin D, magnesium, and probiotics. Then I add Curcumin Protect and Liver Support. If there is iron overload, then we do a Metal Cleanse™. Also, using an infrared sauna can be very helpful for iron overload.
Then comes the question if you should donate blood. If someone has iron overload and their hemoglobin, hematocrit, and red blood cells are high enough that they can donate blood then yes, that can be helpful. It can typically lower ferritin about 30 ng/ml for each pint of blood and you can only give so often before you can become anemic.
Work With a Knowledgeable Doctor
If you have high ferritin, it’s important to work with someone who is knowledgeable about the subject. First, get the proper lab testing done. Second, follow a good anti-inflammatory diet like The FreeDiet®. Third, proper supplements can help tremendously.
So, if you find out what is causing the high ferritin, are then provided the proper solutions, I believe most everyone can get better. If you’ve been struggling with high ferritin, call our office at 561-627-5800 or email us at info@nmcwellness.com. We would love to help you experience vibrant health.
