Blood is important to make your body function and iron is a key element in blood.
What are signs of low iron?
Low iron most commonly causes fatigue, paleness, shortness of breath, dizziness, headaches, cold intolerance, brittle nails, hair/skin changes, and restless legs. These symptoms are because low iron lowers blood hemoglobin, which limits oxygen delivery to tissues throughout your body.
Iron is important for blood levels. What do the tests look like?
- Serum Iron Measures circulating iron bound to transferrin. Levels fluctuate throughout the day
- Total Iron‑Binding Capacity (TIBC) Shows how much iron the blood can carry; reflects transferrin availability. If high = iron deficiency. If low = inflammation or too much iron.
- Transferrin Saturation (TSAT) — Percentage of transferrin molecules carrying iron. TSAT = (Serum Iron ÷ TIBC) × 100. Low TSAT =<20% = deficiency; high TSAT = 50% = overload. You want your number to be 25-40 %.
- Ferritin — The most sensitive marker of iron stores. Low ferritin = iron deficiency; high ferritin = iron overload or inflammation. You want your number to be 40-100. Inflammation can falsely elevate the number. If having hair loss you want the number to be around 70.
- Hemoglobin. Shows your red blood level. You want your number to be Hb > 12 for women > 13 for men.
The great product, Venofer (iron sucrose) went generic 6 months ago. Prior to that, it was over $1000 a dose, but now we can offer it for $250.
- This is good for those with a hemoglobin under 11.0gm/dl or hematocrit under 33% documented by a blood test within the last 30 days. You must be cleared for the infusion by a Biohackr physician or nurse practitioner.
- IV therapy increases blood counts by about 300% more compared to oral iron therapy.
- TIME: Depending on your starting blood work, we usually recommend 1-3 iron infusions 5-7 days apart, with repeat blood work at one month.
- True allergic reactions to IV iron are very rare (~1:200,000 for major reactions); most reactions are complement activation–related “pseudo-allergies” which are managed by pausing and restarting the infusion at a slower rate
So come in, relax in our comfy massage chairs, have snacks, and boost your iron in with our Biohackr Iron IVs in Palo Alto or San Francisco.
The information provided on this website is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider for any questions regarding your health or medical condition.