More About Me

Both my mother and my father came from families that suffered the tragic consequences of hemochromatosis. Seven members of my family died of liver cancer. My father was misdiagnosed with Parkinson's disease, a condition that is improved by increasing the brain's supply of L-dopa. For over 20 years a perceptive doctor gave him medications that conserved L-dopa without adding to it. That doctor went into research. Only a few weeks before Dad died, a hurried doctor he had never seen before looked at the chart and "corrected" the omission of L-dopa. Less than three months later, Dad was dead. It turned out he had had Lewy body disease all along. This is a condition related to iron overload that is made worse by L-dopa.

I was tested and found to have the genes for hemochromatosis back in 1999. I did not get serious about doing something about my own iron overload, however, until I started having "clots that weren't clots" in major arteries. Stress tests and various scans have revealed that my arteries are as clean as the proverbial whistle. Despite having no detectable atherosclerosis, I started having the symptoms of a heart attack--without the blood clot--and extensive damage to my colon--withour the clot in the inferior mesenteric artery. Only when my own iron levels got to the point of toxic sludge did I realize that, yes, I really did need treatment.

It's not like I shouldn't have known better. I'm the author or co-author of 11 books natural medicine. I've formulated natural products, written television scripts, helped companies deal with the FDA and FCC and FTC, and worked for law firms that specialize in truth in labeling issues. I managed to earn a reputation as a "conservative" commentator on natural health because I am a stickler for facts. That doesn't mean I was eager to get my blood drawn 3 times a week.

Fortunately, there are more treatments available today than ever before. Back in the day when doctors did not know to look for iron overload and the diagnosistic distinctions it required, many people suffered needlessly. Many people died of preventable disease. The Iron Disorders Institute and the Iron Overload Diseases Association have been busy getting excellent information to physicians. Doctors now know what to do. But there are still, according to one estimate, at least 2.5 million people just in the United States who have iron overload diseases and aren't getting treatment.

This blog is about what I have learned about living well despite iron overload, and about my journey to normal iron levels. Some posts will deal with tehcnical issues. Some posts will deal with personal issues. Some posts are about what I've already learned the hard way and some are about what I am still learning. But every post is about turning back the clock on this still-poorly-publicized disease.

Thank you for visiting my blog. Perhaps you are an unintentional expert in living well with iron overload disease like me. Perhaps you are a physician or a researcher, or a concerned family member or friend. Please feel free to share your experiences, comments, corrections, and questions. And please come back often to this site.

All content © Robert Rister 1998-2009.