The Iron Curse Protocols, Solutions to Heal and Prevent Iron-induced Damage

• Chapter 18:  Raise Your Expectations; Don’t Lower Your Standards

• Chapter 19: Step 1—Remove Blood

• Chapter 20: Step 2—Iron Curse Diet Protocols

• Chapter 21: Step 3—The Iron Curse Supplement Protocols

• Chapter 22: Step 4—The Iron Curse Lifestyle Protocols

• Chapter 23: Step 5—Ischemic/Reperfusion Injury Protocol

There are some people that cannot use Step 1, and cannot remove blood to lower iron. In addition, there are some people that want to accelerate the process of lowering iron levels, and want to reduce iron-induced damage. If blood removal is not an option, or is not enough to reach and maintain healthy iron levels, then Steps 2-5 of The Iron Curse Protocols should be considered. 

Research has shown that combining iron chelators with antioxidants can restore brain function impaired by iron overload.472

The Iron Curse supplement protocols contain nutrients that both chelate iron, decrease iron absorption, and are antioxidants that reduce iron-induced oxidative stress.

The Iron Curse book and workshop provides cutting-edge information and protocols, including the first-of-its-kind, and much acclaimed, Supplement Protocols.

Below is a part of Chapter 21: Step 3-The Iron Curse Supplement Protocols. 

Curcumin is an extract from the yellow herb turmeric. Curcumin decreases inflammation throughout the body, decreases oxidative stress, protects the liver, brain, heart, reduces joint pain, and even has anti-cancer properties.

Curcumin binds to and removes iron from the body, which is why curcumin is particularly important for people with high iron, inflammation, or anyone with a high genetic risk for developing hemochromatosis.197

Because curcumin binds to iron and decreases absorption in the intestines, taking curcumin with iron-rich meals can reduce iron absorption. This may decrease the risk of continuously becoming high in iron and support lower iron levels.

High doses of turmeric can increase the risk for kidney stones. Curcumin, which is an extract from turmeric, does not increase the risk for kidney stones because unlike turmeric, curcumin is not high in oxalates. It also has stronger anti-inflammatory effects than turmeric. For these reasons, curcumin, rather than turmeric, is recommended for long-term use.

Curcumin has been shown to lower ferritin, inflammation, and liver damage. The ability for curcumin to lower ferritin may protect the entire body, but particularly the liver, from iron induced damage.25

Curcumin decreases Alzheimer’s plaquing, known as amyloid beta, in the brain, and improves overall memory in Alzheimer’s patients, and has been shown to increase the key brain health chemical BDNF.456-457,578

Curcumin also decreases iron deposits and oxidative stress in the liver, bones, and spleen.458 Combined with Vitamin E, curcumin has been shown to decrease liver injury and non-alcoholic liver disease.577 By taking curcumin regularly, one can lower both inflammation and iron levels, reduce their risk for developing high iron, and support healing from iron-induced damage.197

Curcumin can both lower iron and reduce joint pain. Curcumin has been shown to decrease free iron and liver enzymes, while not affecting the hepcidin levels in patients with thalassemia.579

If you want to read more about curcumin, and see the full list of supplements in The Iron Curse Protocols, then purchase The Iron Curse.

Always choose high quality curcumin to supplement with

Quercetin is a polyphenol antioxidant that is naturally high in the outer most layers of red onions and has many qualities that make it an excellent option for anyone with high iron or inflammation.552-556 It is a powerful antioxidant that have be proven to be helpful in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, arthritis, allergies, gout, metabolic syndrome, mood disorders, and detoxification.

Quercetin lowers iron levels in the liver and kidneys.69 In one study comparing quercetin to other pharmaceutical and herbal iron chelators, it reduced the iron saturation and serum iron levels better than the pharmaceutical options.68, 505

When quercetin was compared to the pharmaceutical iron chelator Deferoxamine, it lowered iron and iron saturation better, and also protected the cells from iron-induced damage and cell death better than Deferoxamine.505, 552

Quercetin is a powerful tool for reducing the risk of developing high iron because it decreases iron absorption by increasing hepcidin, which is the liver’s brakes on iron absorption. It is believed that one of the reasons quercetin is so successful at reducing iron levels in the body is because it reduces absorption of iron in the intestines.72

Quercetin doesn’t work by binding iron, but instead works by increasing hepcidin. Hereditary hemochromatosis is associated with lower levels of hepcidin.115 When hepcidin is low, more iron will be absorbed, and inflammation will increase. When hepcidin is high, less iron will be absorbed from the intestines, and anti inflammatory genes will be turned on.

One study found that quercetin induced over a 500-fold increase in hepcidin expression, which is a massive increase, and makes quercetin a powerful tool for reducing iron absorption.68

Quercetin’s ability to significantly increase hepcidin means that it can decrease iron absorption in the intestines and help address the underlying problem in people with hereditary hemochromatosis and liver damage.

Choose a high-quality quercetin, if you choose to supplement.

If you want to read more about quercetin, and see the full list of supplements  in The Iron Curse Protocols, then purchase The Iron Curse.

High iron rapidly depletes glutathione. Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant made and used by the entire body but found in particularly high quantities in the liver. The liver needs high levels of glutathione to protect itself, and the rest of the body, from harm.

Glutathione has been shown to be particularly important in brain, heart, immune, and liver health. Red blood cells require glutathione, and the antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase to be protected from free radicals, oxidative stress, and ferroptosis.565

Low glutathione can increase one’s risk for cancer, immune problems, autoimmune diseases, inflammation, tissue damage, neurodegeneration, iron induced damage, and general poor health. Not only does high iron cause low glutathione, but low glutathione is like salt in the wound of a patient with hemochromatosis: it will only make the damage worse.

In my opinion, increasing glutathione is among the most powerful steps that one can take to improve health. Increasing glutathione in a world that is rapidly depleting this powerful antioxidant due to environmental factors, like toxins, is a simple yet powerful step towards health. If you want to protect your body from iron-induced damage, then glutathione is an essential tool.

Low glutathione combined with high iron is a particularly hazardous combination. The combination of low glutathione and high iron triggers the cells to die via a process called ferroptosis.26

Glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) is an enzyme that can inhibit cell death from ferroptosis, but it cannot function without adequate levels of both glutathione and selenium.144 Inhibiting ferroptosis with glutathione provides a protective mechanism against neurodegeneration, fatty liver, liver disease, inflammation, tissue damage, and even cancer.110

It is possible to support higher levels of GPX4 by supplementing with glutathione and selenium.

If you choose to supplement with glutathione, then ensure you choose a high quality option.

If you want to read more about glutathione and see the full list of supplements in The Iron Curse Protocols, then purchase The Iron Curse.