BIG EFF WORD! i just somehow lost my browser session when i had spent ages putting together a message for you. GRRRRRRRRRR
anyway, never heard of cognitive issues in ms, what planet is he from. did he miss the 1094 papers available through the pubmed database?
ok so to cut my previously long, well researched and cited message short (by the way, it's a frustrating topic because the researchers are having fun using as many different units as they can find for the serum ferritin concentration!!!) ... here goes.
some sources call the normal range 12-300. those are out of date.
this was questioned in the late 90s and a new lower end of 16 was proposed.
my lab says normal iron is from 41-300, possibly deficient is from 18-40, and probably deficient is <18.
the lab test for serum ferritin is a good indicator of body iron stores, but when the patient has an inflammatory condition, serum ferritin becomes elevated and therefore over-represents the body's actual stores.
in alopecia/iron studies, the control subjects with no hair loss had levels averaging 60.
people that overdo iron supplementing (professional road cyclists in the study i read) have ridiculous levels up over 300, sometimes over 500.
in my own case i was told to supplement with my 300mg ferrous sulfate pills for 3 to 4 months and then we would test again. my level at the time (36) was only in the 'possibly deficient' category, and the doc did not know then that i had an inflammatory condition, so she wasn't being extra cautious because of that (i would be diagnosed 3 weeks later).
so, might be worthwhile revisiting the iron issue with him some time. and take a stack of abstracts with you! let me know if you want me to track down all the references i just LOST GRRRRRRR

lol
what exactly is the danger of combining iron supplements with your homeopathic remedy? did he say?
grrrr i'm so mad that he is not treating you nicely! it is so wrong when your health care professional is not on your side!!! hope things improve
JL