When ordering therapeutic phlebotomy you'll be asked to specify volume drawn (500mL is the default), weekly/biweekly/monthly draws, for a 12 month period. After 12 months a new prescription is required. According to an org specializing in blood iron disorders, the hemoglobin cutoff below which you should not draw is 12.5. The normal HGB range is ( Read more... )

( great notes here, tapped for liver ddx file in April 2013 )

( notes tapped 4/2013 for black books )

GENETIC TESTING COULD PREVENT ADVERSE DRUG EFFECTS ( Read more... )

transferrin saturation = (serum Fe/TIBC) x 100. (normal is 20-50%)
( lecture notes )

( IDA, alpha or beta thalassemias, sideroblastic, ACD (some cases), pyridoxine responsive anemia, chronic blood loss, lead poisoning )

Free radical = a solitary electron in a shell on an atom, looking for a partner. Very reactive, and can steal partners from other atoms and injure cells.
( on free radicals, antioxidants and detoxing )