We for You | Daily Reflection | *by Maryam* ❤️
Assalamu Alaikum, dear Sisters 🌸 I hope you are all feeling well today.
Recently I facilitated our “Mirror, Mirror 🪞 What Do You Really See?” session, where we explored different body signs and what they may be trying to tell us. As I always emphasise, a body sign is a clue, not a diagnosis.
One sister asked a really good question ( Jazakalah khairto the sister who asked 🌸):
“For deficiencies, especially iron, people recommend IVs or infusions for a quick boost. There are so many clinics offering different IVs, including aesthetic ones such as glutathione. Are they actually helpful?”
I answered this quite briefly during the session, but I wanted to explain what I meant a little more clearly because these “quick boosts” are now advertised everywhere.
First, I am not saying that IV iron is bad. As I said during the session, everything can be helpful when it is genuinely needed. There are situations where IV iron is medically indicated and can be very important.
What I question is the idea of giving iron simply as a “boost” without first asking: Does this person actually need iron or glutathione? Why is their iron low? What else is happening in their body?
Iron is essential, but our bodies regulate it very carefully. In the bloodstream, iron is transported mainly attached to a protein called transferrin. Transferrin is produced mainly by the liver and, like other proteins, is built from amino acids. So when I mentioned during the session that iron needs proteins/amino acids, I meant this connection - iron binds to transferrin, transferrin itself is a protein made from amino acids.
This is important because iron isn’t something we want circulating in excessive reactive forms. When the body’s normal iron-binding and storage capacity becomes overwhelmed, non-transferrin-bound iron can appear, contributing to oxidative stress and potentially damaging tissues. This is one reason iron dosing is taken seriously rather than simply giving “more for more energy.”
We also need to consider inflammation and infection. Inflammation changes the way our body handles iron, partly through a hormone called hepcidin. During infection, the body can deliberately restrict iron availability. Many microorganisms also require iron for their own growth, while our immune system has mechanisms, including iron-binding proteins such as lactoferrin, that help restrict their access to it.
This doesn’t mean that someone who genuinely needs iron shouldn’t receive it. It means that we shouldn’t look at one result and automatically think: “Low iron, no energy, let’s just boost it.”
We should also ask WHY. Could there be blood loss? Poor intake or absorption? Gut problems? Chronic inflammation? An infection? Something else that needs investigation?
Replacing a deficiency may be necessary, but replacing something and discovering why it became deficient are two different things. When treatment is needed, replacing the deficiency and investigating its underlying cause should happen together.
This is why I personally love looking at the body as an interconnected system rather than chasing individual numbers or “quick fixes.” 🌿
Be curious about your body. Investigate. Understand your body signs. And supplement according to genuine need rather than advertising. ❤️
May Allah SWT grant us good health, balance and the wisdom to care for the bodies He has entrusted to us. Ameen. 🤲🏻❤️
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