I've been put on Iron supplements due to low iron levels. However, each time I take them I get bloated and consitpated so much so that I ended up at the doctors yesterday with symptoms of pancreatitis and severe pain which ended up only being gas.

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Ask your doctor about changing your iron supplements to Slow-FE. I used it while I was pregnant – had to take 4 supplements daily, and since it dissolves slower, it doesn't cause any of the uncomfortable GI side effects.

The best place to start is with dietary measures such as eating foods with lots of fiber in them like bran flakes (rasin bran or corn flakes) or fruits like apples. if that doesn't help you may try fiber supplements which will help increase the bulk and loosen things up. if that still does not work try a sttol softener that you can get over the counter and any store. However, before doing any of these, you should consult your doctor or a nurse at your doctors office to ensure that they will not counteract your iron supplement.

In addition to increasing fiber and water intake, take Colace. It's a red clear over the counter stool softener, and it works very well. Most drug stores also carry a cheaper generic form of Colace. You can ask the pharmacist at your local drug store if you can't find it, they will know where it is.

try eating more fruit and veg, and include some cereals in your diet for fibre and drink as much water as you can

Hi sista-soul

I've been there!

Perhaps one of these ideas will help:

1. Vitamin C + magnesium citrate. each of these nutrients on its own can induce diarrhea if taken in too large a quantity. They work well together and may begin to produce a stool loosening effect at dosages as low as 1000mg Vita C and 500mg mag. Experiment and work your way up slowly. Vitamin C also helps you absorb iron more quickly so that you might be able to reduce your dosage of iron. if you're not critically low in iron, perhaps your doctor would decrease your dosage.

2. Change the kind of iron you're taking. Chelated forms of iron, such as iron protein succinylate or iron bis-glycinate can reverse anemia more quickly and with less constipation than the typical iron salts most doctors prescribe.

3. if the supplements continue to bother you, get your iron from red meat instead. the heme source of iron from meat is utilized most effectively of all.

4. the best option would be to eat more iron-rich, and Vitamin A-rich, foods (Vitamin A and zinc are also two other nutrients that increase iron's availability to the body) and take Vitamin C (and magnesium can't hurt, either).

Best of luck!

UNDATED (CBS) – Spring is just around the corner and for millions of people that means their allergies will be flaring up. but it's not just pollen that could be aggravating your seasonal allergies.

Lukus Hasenstab has allergies almost all year, and they make him miserable.

“I'm allergic to pretty much anything in nature. Trees, the pollen,” he said.

But what some allergy sufferers eat, like fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts, can make them feel even worse.

“The food contains certain proteins that are similar in nature to the pollens, and the body confuses the two and it reacts as if you're having an allergy attack in your mouth or throat,” said Allergy and Asthma Dr. Clifford Bassett

It's called oral allergy syndrome.  It's not an allergic reaction to the food itself, but what is called a “cross reaction”. Symptoms include itchiness or tingling on the lips or in the mouth and throat. about one third of allergy sufferers get it.

In the spring, tree pollen can trigger reactions to fruits like apples and oranges, and vegetables like celery and peppers. in the fall, bananas and cucumbers can be a problem for people allergic to ragweed.

Lukus has to limit some foods all year round. “Bananas are a big culprit,” he said. “Almonds oddly enough, various nuts, (and) hazelnuts as well.”

Allergists are predicting one of the worst allergy seasons in more than a decade this Spring, but there is a way to avoid problems with what you eat.

“If you peel the food or cook the food, a lot of times we can knock out the protein and the symptoms go away or are less pronounced,” Bassett said.

“I work in a restaurant and I love food so to have to really think about what I'm about to eat is kind of challenging,” Lukus said.

He says he sticks to what he knows is safe, so he isn't sorry after a meal.

Allergists say it's also important to get the right diagnosis because some people confuse this reaction to foods with food allergies which can be much more serious and may need immediate attention.

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