Iron Overload Symptoms & Reducing Ferritin to Normal in 4 Weeks

Today I’m going to talk to you about a simple blood test that can save your life. I’ve been practicing for over thirty years now. Recently, I had a patient come in that’s just an incredible story of how sick someone can be and how quickly it can be turned around once you find out the underlying root causes of what’s going on in your body.

What is Ferritin?

This blood test is called ferritin, which can be a measure of the iron levels that are stored in your body. So if your body has an iron deficiency, and I have a video on this as well, you can get a whole lot of symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, anxiety, depression, headaches, weakness, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations.  On the other hand, excess iron levels can cause very similar symptoms and actually be very toxic to your system. Iron toxicity can be very dangerous.

I had a patient around ten years ago whose husband was diagnosed with hemochromatosis, which is iron overload, (also called Iron chelation) and he actually ended up dying from this and he was only in his thirties. So this is a really serious thing. Over a million people in the United States have iron overload, hemochromatosis, and it’s very simple to detect and treat if you do the right ferritin levels tests and catch it early enough.

What Conditions Cause Iron Chelation?

So just to give you some of the examples of the conditions that iron chelation can cause… First of all, when your iron levels get too high in your system, it damages your organs and joints and can cause diabetes, arthritis, heart palpitations, an irregular heartbeat is a very common symptom.

I saw a patient about six or seven years ago, a young man in his twenties, he was thin but had high blood pressure, his heart rate was very fast with many palpitations and flutters. He went to cardiologists, wore heart monitors but they could never figure out what was wrong.  After thorough evaluations and testing in my office, his ferritin levels and other iron tests were high. His ferritin levels were over 500 ng/ml and you want to get your ferritin levels around 60-90 ng/ml.

Once we reduced his ferritin, his symptoms cleared up. So high ferritin and iron deficiency can cause heart symptoms, gallbladder disease, depression, infertility. Low testosterone levels can be caused by excess iron. Cancer and disease can also be caused by iron chelation.

The main symptoms again of iron overload are lack of energy, abdominal pain, brain fog, heart flutters, fast heart rate, joint pain, loss of sex drive. Just overall feeling miserable. It can lead to liver damage, cirrhosis, hepatitis, liver cancer, enlarged spleen, hypothyroidism, and hormone imbalances. It can cause neurodegenerative diseases, early dementia, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, ringing in the ears, and vertigo. All these can be caused by iron overload and it is so simple to find.

Patient Experience With Iron Overload

So this patient that I want to tell you about who recently came in, she’s a 64-year-old female and she had been feeling miserable for over twenty years. She had been to a number of different doctors over the last couple of years, had gallbladder surgery, pancreatitis, pericarditis—inflammation of the heart. She was in the hospital multiple times, literally almost died. Ringing in the ears, vertigo, fatigue, brain fog, just feeling terrible and many other symptoms on top of that, feeling completely miserable.

So when a patient comes in we have a Functional & Free™ program that we’ve put patients on which determines the root cause and then provides long-term permanent solutions. So in step one is our initial evaluation and includes ferritin levels and iron profile. Her levels were over 1,000 ng/ml where 60-90 ng/ml is optimal. This is really serious and she had elevated liver enzymes showing liver damage and elevated uric acid which can damage the joints and lead to disease. Her inflammatory markers in her body were eight times the normal level.

How to Lower High Ferritin Levels

How to lower high ferritin levels for iron overload is to do therapeutic phlebotomy. The challenge with that is for every pint you donate you can drop about 30 points of your ferritin levels and at a certain point, you can become anemic. She was able to donate a pint of blood three times before she became severely anemic and couldn’t donate anymore.

So that three times would have brought it down only ninety points and she was 1094ng/ml, and that would have brought it down to 1004 ng/ml. I wanted to see her ferritin at less than 100 ng/ml.

I put her again through our 7-step Functional & Free™ program and part of that included the FreeDiet™, which is a proprietary diet that is free of those foods most responsible for inflammation, digestive, and other chronic health issues.

I put her on some specific targeted Natural Medicine Formulas and supplements for the purpose of balancing her system, chelating excess metals like iron.  She used the infrared sauna here at the Natural Medicine Clinic. She was doing that on a regular basis and an infrared sauna is great for eliminating toxins, heavy metals including iron.

Between all of this, the FreeDiet™, the infrared sauna, proper supplementation to heal her gut, her levels decreased tremendously. The whole program was very detoxifying in it’s cleansing.

In Just Four Weeks

In four weeks we checked her blood again, and her ferritin levels decreased from 1094 to 92ng/ml, a reduction of over one thousand points in four weeks! This was amazing and her elevated liver enzymes decreased over 60% to almost normal. Her inflammatory marker dropped by almost 60% percent to close to normal levels. Uric acid decreased to normal, and so all these levels improved dramatically in four weeks. Her ferritin levels are fine now and it just goes to show you that the body has such an incredible ability to heal itself.

If you find out the underlying root causes and are provided the right course of action—proper diet, supplements, lifestyle changes—you can get better. The human body is so amazing that you can heal almost any chronic health condition or disease and you can get better. So remember next time you get lab testing, ask your doctor to order ferritin levels and iron profile to make sure that you are okay.

If you need help in that area and want us to do it, feel free to contact us. If you like the video and know someone that might benefit from this feel free to share it and subscribe to our channel. Thank you so much for joining me today and we look forward to seeing you next time, take care.

Thank you for reading our blog on how to lower high ferritin levels! How can we help you? Reach out to us to learn more about iron chelation therapy. 

48 Comments

  • My husbands hemochromatosis came out negative and iron levels are normal but his ferritin is about 125 higher than normal range. He could see his results and the doctor never contacted him about the test results o i did what i new did my own research and had changed his diet and he stopped taking vitamins with iron. This was very informative.

  • Help me! My iron levels are all normal but my ferritin is 1500. My CRP is high. My mom just died of liver failure. Everything you talk about is how I feel. I have been chasing this disorder for 8years. My Hb is always low8-9. Anytime I get sick it drops below 7 and I have to receive transfusion. I am only 46 and feel 80.

  • Dr Tom,
    I have been diagnosed with genetic hemochromatosis. I live in rural Oregon and with COVID restrictions I’m finding it a challenge to be treated. My ferritin levels were 1200+ when I started, last blood test was 900+. I gave all negative symptoms. I believe in natural medicine. Can you help me?

    • Hi Hilary, I would be happy to help you with this. You can call us at 561-627-5800 and my team can answer any questions you have.

      • ❤️Iqra Sultan❤️

        Hello doctor my iron level is very low and also ferritin doctor take me a medicine and also take a ferro drip now my iron level is 11 and my ferritin level is 295 you just tell me this is normal or not now what can I do plz suggest me

        • Hi Iqra, To get a more complete picture, one needs to at least look at iron, TIBC, % saturation, ferritin, CBC, comp metabolic panel, insulin. Take a look at some of my more recent videos on ferritin as well.

  • What about high ferretin, high b12, low folate, and normal saturation ect what does that mean is it still iron overloading ?

  • hi – i have ferritin in the 300 range…would like to bring it down to optimal…not sure why it is elevated, but i have hunch..i supplement zinc – 27 mg /day and basically have not supplemented with CU …since these metals have to be in a ratio to each other, i started to add CU ..aprox 2mg/day in the evening….since i started the CU , i have been experiencing several symptoms – brain fog, some occasional anxiety feelings, swimmy headedness etc…are these iron detox symptoms. Will they pass?…i have learned that CU works to metabolize iron in the body…

    TX Bob

  • Hi Dr. Rofrano,

    Due to some new muscle fasciculations, I had some DNA testing done and found out that I have the genetic marker for hemochromatosis. My iron levels are elevated. We haven’t checked the ferritin levels directly yet, but what can I do to get the ferritin levels down to stop my twitching? My father had ALS. Frightened, but hopeful!

  • Hello Dr. Rofrano

    In January 2018 I was diagnosed with Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia. To keep my hemoglobin above 7, I had to have blood transfusions. After trying steroids and Rituxan to fix things and neither working, I had my spleen removed in June 2018. Due to having over 50 blood transfusions during that time, my ferritin level was 2096 in June of that year. Since then its been slightly over 1000, last one was 1115 on July 26, 2022. Why are neither my regular physician nor my hemotologist concerned and what are your thoughts?

  • Dr Rofano,
    Very high ferretin levels are seen in covid long haulers which perhaps is the result of ongoing inflammation and immune response. Have you worked with any long haulers and made any general observations regarding these long haulers that have high ferretin? Thanks!

    • I have seen patients after Covid have high ferritin levels, which were previously normal. I have also seen them return to normal after identifying other root causes and supporting a healthy immune and inflammatory response.

  • Good Evening,

    I offer infrared saunas, and I have client that is concerned that infrared sauna could increase her iron High ferritin/RBC. I read that sweating is good to lower iron in the body. Should she be concerned that infrared will increase her iron?

  • Hi doc how about Thalesimia patience as my doc said for Thalesimia patient is normal around 1000 + ferritin level. But it does disturb my fertility as we been trying to conceive. I taking deferral but I feel my ferritin level is same 1000 to 2k

  • Will your treatment work if high ferritin levels are due to genetic causes? I have leukemia and had many transfusions for a while that I assume contributed to my high ferritin levels.
    Are you using chelation?

  • I just came across your website and wanted to check to see if you have an opinion of my situation. In August my doctor requested an electrolytes blood test to check potassium, magnesium and apparently ferritin because I was experiencing leg and feet cramps. Everything came back ok except the Ferritin levels which was 520. I was retested a couple days later and it came down to 458. I have since been tested 3 more times and each time it has decreased. My most recent one was 312. My doctor had told me to abstain from alcohol because it can increase ferritin levels so I abstained for 2 weeks each time before being tested. All of my liver tests are normal, I had a normal abdominal Cat Scan of liver, pancreas, kidneys, spleen and gallbladder. I also was tested for hemochromatosis and that came back negative. I’m baffled as to what is causing my ferritin to be elevated. I have reduced my intake of vitamin C, added Turmeric and Zinc to my daily supplements to see if that helps. Any other suggests would be great! Thanks.

  • How do you lower high ferritin levels (over 300) while trying to raise other iron numbers? Do I need to get more active? I’m ckd, stage 5 (6% gfr) non dialysis. Basically feel fine; the only fatigue I might have is the next day after a sleepless or restless night. 66 yes old, female

  • My son just had blood work done and his Ferritin level was 486. Dr is wanting him to donate blood 4!times a year, change his diet, no beer. We need help! He is 27 and very active but started feeling tired, no energy, side hurting so went to Dr and bloodwork showed high iron, fatty liver and enlarged spleen.

  • Hello, my husband had a stem cell transplant in September 2021 for AML. Prior to that he had blood transfusions twice a week for over three months. His Ferritin levels are still over 2000 now. After the stem cell transplant it was over 3000. He can’t do a phlebotomy because his hemoglobin recently dropped to 7.8. He was put on high dose of prednisone a week ago in attempt to calm down his autoimmune response. His liver enzymes are slightly elevated for over a year now when he was diagnosed with non-alchogolic fatty liver disease and his spleen is enlarged. I’m looking for alternative methods to lower his ferritin. We will inquire with his stem cell transplant doctor for a permission to do infrared sauna. We are not near FL. thx

  • Hello, I recently was tested for all my levels because I was feeling so exhausted all the time and just really depressed and blasé and ringing in my ears really bad and super tired and then upper abdominal pain and my doctor did a different amount of panels and ferritin came out at 400 and something and I saw that normal levels were Three times less than that and then I started looking up the symptoms of high ferritin levels and wanting to know how to lower them. And came across this page and video. I would really like the free diet and any suggestions you may have I also have infrared lights that I use For other reasons and I have all the different colors on there, so I’m assuming that may help. I’ve had stents put in my gallbladder viaduct because I have many gall stones. I also have a ileostomy, and I do not have the rest of my small intestine or my colon or anything below that level so they had me on iron for a while due to anemia With different things had happened with the surgeries which I’ve had 40 of and now my iron absorption and ferritin levels are like super high not compared to some of the people that you’ve been talking about but for me and I’m showing all the symptoms. any suggestions you might have would be great .

  • I am a 67 year old woman. 8 months ago I was diagnosed with EPI (exocrine pancreatic syndrome). During a MRI it was noted that it appeared that iron deposits were found in my liver. I went to a hematologist and she did numerous bloodwork including testing for hemochromatosis which was negative. However my ferritin levels were high at 680. I have been on vitamin b12 injections once monthly and also I am taking folate. I have muscle loss and weakness and pain and warmth in my feet and sometimes hands. No energy and some on and off nausea. My liver and kidney function were unremarkable. Any suggestions??

  • Hi Doctor, Great video and I will order the diet but if you can just help me please? I’m male 55 years old and my Ferritin Serum is 416Ug/L and my Serum iron level is 34 and iron saturation is 52%. Recently I have been having palpitations and feel awful…. Do you recommend that I start donating blood and also i’m on TRT and Chromiuim supplements. Will these cause my high ferritin levels? Thanks again for your help

    • Hi Andrew, TRT and chromium would not necessarily raise ferritin. Whether to donate blood depends on additional lab values. If you search ferritin on my blog, there are many newer videos that may help you.

  • Hi Doctor, I’m a 31 yo male and recently found out that my iron levels are high, 49,50 umol/l but my Ferritine levels are normal, 48,12 ng/ml. I’ve had food poisoning during October 2023, I don’t know if this can be related to having high free iron. I’ve also checked my testosterone: 877 ng
    magnesium: 0,88 mmol
    copper: 88,6 ug/dl
    B12: 479 pg/ml
    Potassium: 3,97 mmol
    Estradiol: 24 pg/ml
    AST: 22u/l
    ALT: 12 u/l
    All the above in the normal range
    My diet currently is mostly based on animal products, overall I feel ok, I have some brain fog and ear ringing from time to time. Any suggestions ? Thank you in advance!

    • Serum iron can change daily depending on your intake and other factors. Looking at ferritin, %sat, TIBC and other markers can give a more complete picture. You can take a look at my more recent videos on ferritin that explains this further.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • freediet-img

    Download The FreeDiet® Phase 1 Food Chart

    from Dr. Rofrano's best-selling book, The FreeDiet®

    • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

    Success Stories

    Natural treatment for Migraine Headaches, neck pain, digestive problems, fatigue.
    To read more and to view full-sized video, click HERE

    Rebecca Dyckman
    Rebecca Dyckman
    00:52 15 Sep 21
    I began treatment under Dr. Tom and Dawn in early August. I had a shopping list of complaints. Many of them I'd been dealing with for 25 to 30 years. Traditional doctors told me again and again that I was perfectly healthy, implying that much of this was in my head. Dr. Tom ran numerous tests based on his hunches, and I'm glad that he did. Tests revealed many things never uncovered by any of my previous doctors. I began feeling relief from some symptoms within a few days and gradually began feeling relief from most others. I'm about 5 weeks into the program and feeling so much better. I had concerns about sticking it out because it is definitely a vastly different way of doing things and it is quite an investment. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. This is the first time in my many years of trying to get better that I can actually see that light. I am excited to update in another few months because I feel certain that I'll be able to report that I am fully healed. Thank you Dr. Tom and Dawn (and Angelika). You all are an amazing team and I feel blessed that you all are working so hard to get me well. Thank you!!
    Andrea Fiebe
    Andrea Fiebe
    12:46 23 Aug 21
    I am beyond grateful for Dr. Tom and his staff!! Kayla, Dawn and Alexandra have gone out of their way to help me and I know my situation hasn't been easy. I came to Dr. Tom with a long list of issues and hopeless. I am proud to say that a year later and I am thriving. I went from not working out at all to working out 4 days a week, plus yoga. I traveled around the country to many holistic doctors and he has been the only way to help me see major progress. My only regret is that I didn't meet him sooner. I feel taken care of and so grateful for my experience with them.
    Amanda Bailey
    Amanda Bailey
    18:27 09 Aug 21
    Dr. Tom Rofrano's Natural Medicine Clinic has changed my life. I came to him with an enlarged thyroid nodule, pain in my joints and tendons, increasing weight, imbalanced hormones, a leaky gut and so many other issues that I didn't even know were causing my symptoms. After extensive testing, he put me on a tailored protocol as well as the Free Diet (trademarked) to help clear up my symptoms. I have been on this protocol for 5 months and I have never felt better. I have more energy, reduced stress, overall happiness, no pain in my joints, clear skin, better menstrual cycles, no pms symptoms of irritability or mood swings. I lost 20 lbs and my gut is healing. All with supplements, dietary changes, and environmental changes to my daily life. I emphatically endorse this method and hope everyone seeks him out. He got to the root cause of my symptoms and I am on a path to heal myself holistically without traditional medicine. In addition to Dr. Rofrano, everyone in his clinic is extremely helpful and generous with their time. I have never met a more caring team of support from a clinic. Thank you to Kayla and Angelika and all the NMC support team for what they have done for me. In addition, I don't even live nearby and Dr. Rofrano and his team have worked to ship all my tests and supplies to me, Zoom my follow up visits, and help me find what I need in my area. So grateful to them all.-Amanda Bailey
    Christine VanBasten
    Christine VanBasten
    15:54 30 Jul 21
    I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2001 and have had severe abdominal swelling since 2008. People continuously asked me when my baby was due and I was never pregnant. I didn't want to be in public or go to work because I didn't feel well and I was extremely self conscious of my body shape. Since starting the FreeDiet in March 2021, I have lost 12 pounds. I am no longer bloated and all my coltis symptoms have disappeared. After completing extensive bloodwork and testing Dr. Rofrano discovered that I am allergic to Gluten and Candida. I knew I was allergic to Gluten and knew that I struggled with Candida but never realized I could be allergic to Candida as well. After eliminating anything fermented from my diet, I feel pain free in my stomach. Food is enjoyable once again. I am very happy with my improved health and energy thanks to this diet, supplements and to Dr. Rofrano. My colleagues are commenting and how healthy and young I look. I highly recommend Dr. Rofrano and all his services.
    Troy Stark
    Troy Stark
    14:36 15 Jun 21
    Testosterone gain of 50% in 30 days with NO drugs. DR. Tom’s nutrition and supplement guidance is foolproof, however, it’s up to you to do the work. My bloodwork improved amazingly across the full spectrum. If you want to be healthy and actually see the lab results go to NMC!
    Betty Diller
    Betty Diller
    20:06 19 Apr 21
    I was in a very sickly state with very high blood pressure, Epstein Barr Virus, severe digestive issues, IBS, and constant UTI ‘s that were always back to back. My cholesterol was 244 and my inflammation was off the charts / extremely high!!!! I decided to read “free diet” book written by Dr Rofrano. It made total sense, so I decided to proceed with the blood tests. This is when I discovered all my lab work was in a very poor state. He uncovered a lot of information and made me aware of why my health was poor and why I was feeling badly!!! I started to follow the diet and take the suggested supplements. Within 5 to 6 weeks everything turned around for me. My labs were nearly perfect in all the previously scary areas where the numbers were completely out of range. I am feeling much better and I am raving about the free diet / supplements that Dr Rofrano can offer you for your specific issues. he is gifted to know exactly how to help each person deal with their health issues. I am grateful to God I found him and had the initiative to move forward!!!! PTL !!!!
    Janet Oquendo
    Janet Oquendo
    13:41 27 Jan 21
    My health had been declining over the last 5 years. I have consulted with no less than 6 naturopaths. Non of which was able to help me regain my health. After more recent lab tests my Feritin level had skyrocketed at which point now I was worried. Every one I spoke to said the only option was to do leeching (where they draw out your blood periodically). That did not sound like an option. Then I found Dr Rofrano. To be honest I was extremely skeptical as I have spend lots of money and time with other naturopaths only to end up right back at the beginning. However I had nothing to loose (other than $$$) I decided to give him one try before I competely gave up. I can say I am 100% happy!!!... After an in-depth consultation, and extensive testing. Many deficiencies were uncovered not to mention, sensitivities, thyroid, hormones, high cholesterol the list goes on and on. We began a supplement regiment to get things back on track. Its now 6 weeks later. My labs have significantly improved, my cholesterol is now in normal range, my feritin level has significantly dropped and I am feeling a lot better. Its still early and my body has more healing to do. I am ecstatic to say we are on the right track. My labs have never looked better. If you are just not feeling well and really need to find a solution would highly recommend you contact the Natural Medicine Clinic and speak to Dr Tom Rofrano.. you will NOT be dissapointed.
    Shannon Empfield
    Shannon Empfield
    00:29 03 Jan 21
    Great Dr. his book is amazing and the supplements they sell are of highest quality. I’ve been taking them for years now and my health has improved greatly. I highly recommend Natural Medicine Clinic.
    D M
    D M
    14:02 23 Dec 20
    Stay away. Extremely expensive for results. All they want to do is throw pills at you for thousands of dollars.. Not worth the money.Find someone who takes an interest in your health not your wallet.
    Eric Myskowski
    Eric Myskowski
    18:02 18 Jun 20
    If you’re looking to take back your health and move foreword into longevity, I highly suggest Dr. Rofrano and his excellent team. They provide you with step by step guidance on how to make all your health dreams a reality. Be ready to commit to his individualized program for the best results possible. I would recommend Dr. Rofrano and his practice to anyone and everyone looking to finally understand your health and what it takes to get back to living the life you want to live. This is what real health is all about.
    More reviews
    js_loader

    Hours

    Monday 9 AM – 5 PM
    Tuesday 9 AM – 5 PM
    Wednesday 9 AM – 5 PM
    Thursday 9 AM – 5 PM
    Friday 9 AM – 1 PM

  • Schedule An
    Appointment

    We can help you look and feel the best you have in years!

    Natural Medicine Clinic

    Chiropractor Palm Beach Gardens, FL
    2401 PGA Boulevard Ste 132
    Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
    561-627-5800

    Serving the Florida communities of:

    Palm Beach Gardens, North Palm Beach,
    Jupiter, Tequesta, Singer Island
    and West Palm Beach.

    Content on this website is based upon the opinions of Thomas Rofrano, D.C. and is not considered medical advice. It is designed to be a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Rofrano and his community. Dr. Rofrano encourages you to make your health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. Dr. Rofrano is a chiropractic physician and offers physical and nutritional support and guidance to those seeking alternative or complementary care to traditional medicine. His care is not meant to replace that from your primary doctor and specialists but rather to help you on your path to achieving life-long vibrant health.

    Regarding any supplements mentioned: *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your physician before using this product.