Those Hb levels would not cause anemia. But anemia is only part of what can happen. In thalassemics, there is always some level of hemolysis occurring as the defective red blood cells produced are eliminated from the body, mostly by the spleen. These ineffective red cells and their by-products are the cause of symptoms, such as poor circulation and numbness in the extremities. The oxidative processes are real and do damage. The best thing you can do to combat them is to follow a diet high in antioxidants and to cxonsume antioxidant supplements, like natural vitamin E.