Chronic condition care
Anemia & blood conditions
We investigate and treat anemia and other blood count abnormalities. Anemia is not a diagnosis in itself — it is a sign that something else is going on. So the work is finding the cause, not simply prescribing iron and rechecking the number later.
Come in if you have
- You were told you are anemic or have a low blood count
- Persistent tiredness, breathlessness on exertion, or looking pale
- Heavy periods
- You are vegetarian or vegan, or have had weight-loss surgery
- A routine blood test came back abnormal and nobody explained it
What happens at your visit
- We look at the full blood count, not just the hemoglobin — the size of the red cells points strongly to the cause.
- We test iron, B12 and folate, because the treatment differs completely depending on which is low.
- We look for where iron is being lost, particularly in men and in women past menopause.
- We treat the cause and recheck, and refer to a specialist when the picture needs it.
Anemia is a clue, not a conclusion
Being told you are anemic and handed iron tablets is a very common experience, and it skips the important question: why?
In a menstruating woman with heavy periods, the answer is usually obvious. In a man, or a woman past menopause, iron deficiency means iron is being lost somewhere — most often slowly from the digestive tract — and that needs looking into rather than topping up.
The cell size tells us a lot
A full blood count reports the average size of your red cells, and it narrows the cause considerably:
- Small cells — usually iron deficiency, or an inherited trait like thalassemia
- Large cells — usually B12 or folate deficiency, thyroid, alcohol, or certain medications
- Normal-sized — often chronic disease, kidney-related, or recent blood loss
That single number changes which tests come next, which is why we look at the whole panel rather than the hemoglobin alone.
B12 deficiency is worth catching
It is common and under-diagnosed, particularly in older adults, vegetarians and vegans, people on metformin, and people on long-term reflux medication.
It matters more than the anemia itself: B12 deficiency affects nerves as well as blood, causing numbness, tingling and balance problems, and if left long enough some of that does not fully reverse. Treatment is simple once it is found.
If iron tablets are hard to tolerate
A lot of people quietly stop taking them because of constipation and stomach upset, and never mention it. Tell us — there are genuinely better options, including taking it every other day, which is often absorbed just as well and tolerated far better.
Common questions
- Can I just take iron tablets?
- Not before we know why you are anemic. Iron deficiency has a cause, and in men and post-menopausal women that cause is often slow blood loss from the gut that needs investigating. Treating the number while missing the reason is the mistake worth avoiding.
- Why do I feel so tired if it is "only mild" anemia?
- Because how you feel depends on how quickly it developed as much as how low it is. Slowly developing anemia is tolerated better; a faster drop feels much worse at the same level. Your symptoms are real regardless of where the number falls.
- Iron tablets upset my stomach. What else can I do?
- Common problem, and there are options — different iron salts, lower doses, alternate-day dosing which is often absorbed just as well and tolerated better, or iron given intravenously. Tell us rather than quietly stopping.
- What if my B12 is low?
- B12 deficiency is common, particularly with age, vegetarian diets, metformin use and reflux medication. It matters because untreated it affects nerves as well as blood, and that damage does not always fully reverse. It is easily treated once found.
This page explains how we care for this condition at our office. It is general information, not medical advice for your specific situation — please talk to us about your own care.
Ready to get this looked at?
Call us or send a request and we will get you in — often the same or next day.