Rick,
I see no reason why both our stories could be right. The iron complex of the Birkmayers could act as a chemical messenger, then end up in a ferritin molecule in the PDers iron store, where it can promote oxidation and undo the good that it has just done. After all, once it has done its good work, it has to go somewhere.
Perhaps we could still use the chemical messenger ptoperties of the iron complex, in conjunction with a chelator to remove the excess iron??
Fortunately iron can be chelated out.
Ron