System Biology
The core issue for men with Blood PFPs is improving the health of their blood and energy reserves. Blood tests are a familiar part of the first line of diagnostic tests, and there are narrow ranges for “healthy” blood. Many factors alter blood test results, including age, diet, trauma, hydration and immune challenges (which can change how blood behaves rapidly).
Everyone’s energy levels fluctuate, but Blood PFP men tend to have less stamina than most of their friends and colleagues due to their blood issues.
There are close connections between Blood PFP and Energy PFP as blood transports oxygen and nutrients to muscles, and the digestive weakness and dietary issues that are common causes of Energy PFP also contribute to people being Blood PFPs. Anaemia reduces oxygen transport to muscles and causes tiredness, so the two PFPs “complement” each other. In many ways, our blood is a significant energy reserve that supports muscle and organ function and it’s crucial for fertility. There are variations in how Blood PFP can develop, which we’ll call “Constitutional” and “Life” Blood.
“Constitutional Blood”
Our constitutional health is primarily the genetic packages we inherited from our parents, with the genes on our chromosomes determining much about us. One of the things we all have is genetic traits that affect how much blood we make and how it functions.
However, genes aren’t 100% stable, and their behaviour (and structure) changes in response to age, diet and the environment:
- Genetic robustness determines our health at birth, how quickly we age, and our changing fertility levels
- Genetic variations affect our blood, including how efficiently it carries oxygen and responds to immune threats and clots
- Our genetics aren’t “set” or constant, and different genes are “expressed” throughout our lives. Aplastic anaemia is an example as it can be purely genetic or triggered by disease or toxins
- Triggers of gene expression include hormones, diet, exercise and chemicals
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Modern living is full of new chemicals, and many are “endocrine-disrupting chemicals” (EDC) that alter hormones and disrupt sperm production in the testes
Constitutional forms of anaemia
These are conditions that reduce red blood cell numbers, the amount of haemoglobin in the blood, or haemoglobin’s ability to transport oxygen and waste products.
| Name | Cause | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Thalassemia | Genetic (HBA1 & HBA2) | Reduction in haemoglobin production |
| Acanthocytosis | Genetic | Abnormal blood cells as a result of an inability to fully digest fats. |
| Aplastic anaemia | Genetic, immune disease or toxins | The bone marrow doesn’t create enough blood cells. |
| Megaloblastic anaemia | Genetic | DNA synthesis in red blood cells is inhibited. |
| Sickle cell anaemia
Hereditary elliptocytosis |
Genetic | Abnormal cell shapes in response to potential local diseases. |
“Life Blood”
These are lifestyle choices or events that reduce red blood cell numbers, the haemoglobin in the blood, or haemoglobin’s ability to transport oxygen. We’ve listed the leading causes of non-genetic anaemia, but other triggers, including exposure to severe cold, or menopause, can induce anaemia.
| Name | Cause | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Iron deficiency anaemia | Dietary | Low iron levels reduce the production of red blood cells |
| Protein deficiency anaemia | Dietary | Low protein in the diet restricts blood cell formation |
| Scurvy | Dietary | Low Vitamin C, which is needed to make collagen |
| Vitamin B12 deficiency anaemia | Dietary | 1Low B12 reduces the production of red blood cells |
| Folate deficiency anaemia | Dietary | Low folate in the diet reduces the production of new blood cells |
| Post-haemorrhagic anaemia | Blood loss | Trauma or other cause of bleeding reduces blood cells |
| Pernicious anaemia | Loss of gastric cells | The loss of gastric cells reduces the absorption of Vitamin B12 |
| Chronic disease anaemia | Inflammation | The body converts iron into ferritin in response to inflammation |
| Drug-induced anaemia | Medication (esp. penicillin) | High doses of drugs reduce blood cells in the spleen or trigger an autoimmune reduction of blood cells |
Diet is a significant factor for abnormal blood values, which offers the possibility of improving blood function by changing diet. Blood loss is another consideration, and as women can have heavy periods, they are generally affected more than men. However, men can silently lose blood, usually via ulcers and taking NSAIDs such as aspirin or ibuprofen dramatically increases these events.
Blood is crucial for our health and wellbeing. It moistens, provides oxygen and nutrients to cells, removes waste products, is vital for immune health and distributes heat around the body. Low blood levels cause:
- Tiredness
- Weakness
- Pale skin
- Cold hands
- Postural dizziness
- Lower immunity
- Breathlessness
- Anxiety and vulnerability
- Insomnia
Blood PFP and Emotional Health
Emotional wellbeing and the state of blood in the body are closely connected:
Given how crucial blood is for heart health, this isn’t surprising, and lower blood volumes and health increases the chance of feeling vulnerable and getting palpitations. This connection to emotional vulnerability increases the importance of maintaining a healthy autonomic nervous system (ANS) balance.
The ANS is crucial for hormone balance, sexual arousal and fertility levels, and good blood health. A balanced ANS increases oxygen supply to the testes and improves male mood and sexual health.
Blood Health and Male Fertility
Healthy blood is essential for immune balance and vitality, and for men, blood is also crucial for erections and sperm health. Problems with circulation and blood function reduce male fertility as blood carries oxygen and hormones, and low oxygen levels raise the chances of sub-optimal organ function and cell death.
Anaemia can play a significant role in male fertility by disrupting the hypothalamus-pituitary-testes axis. Hormonally normal men with iron deficiency anaemia are more likely to have:
- Low haemoglobin levels
- Low testosterone, FSH and LH levels
- Low sperm volume, count morphology and motility
- All the above significantly improve with the correction of the anaemia
Thalassemia major is the most common haemoglobin disorder in the world, with those of Mediterranean, Arab or Asian origin particularly affected.[7] About 1.5% of people worldwide carry the gene, and 40-80% of men with the condition have testes that produce few if any, healthy sperm. [8]
Not all Blood PFP men have a medical condition, but improving the health of their blood goes a long way to raising their fertility and the chances of conception. The hormone erythropoietin (EPO) from the kidneys stimulates stem cells in bone marrow for blood production of red and white blood cells.
Morefertile and Blood PFP Men
The morefertile member package has PFP extensions with personalised advice on:
- Diet
- Healing the gut
- Lifestyle and Exercise
- Weight
- Coping with stress
- Appropriate tests and treatments
They also have the most up-to-date research for specific conditions and access to cutting-edge functional medicine tests and personalised herbal combinations. The morefertile approach:
- Informs and empowers you with focused changes to raise fertility
- Uncovers and addresses hidden problems
- Raises general and fertility health
- Speeds up natural conception times
- Improves IVF success rates
- Increases resilience and lowers stress levels
Vulser, H, Wiernik, E, Hoertel, N, Thomas, F, Pannier, B, Czernichow, S, Hanon, O, Simon, T, Simon, J-M, Danchin, N, Limosin, F, Lemogne, C. “Association between depression and anemia in otherwise healthy adults.” ↑
iv Evaluation of Patients with Iron Deficiency Anemia, Article 17, Volume 70, Issue 7, Winter 2018, Page 1169-1173. The Egyptian Journal Of Hospital Medicine ↑Sudhir Mehta et al. “Assessment of Pituitary Gonadal Axis and Sperm Parameters in Anemic Eugonadal Males Before and After Correction of Iron Deficiency Anemia” Journal of The Association of Physicians of India. Vol. 66. Sept 2018 ↑Maria Antonietta Castaldi & Luigi Cobellis (2016) Thalassemia and infertility, Human Fertility, 19:2, 90-96, ↑Vincenzo De Sanctis, Ashraf T. Soliman, Heba Elsedfy, Salvatore Di Maio, Duran Canatan, Nada Soliman, Mehran Karimi & Christos Kattamis (2017) Gonadal dysfunction in adult male patients with thalassemia major: an update for clinicians caring for thalassemia, Expert Review of Hematology, 10:12, 1095-1106, ↑
