Just like your skin, your hair is a marker of what’s happening inside your body and if hair is falling out, growing slowly or getting brittle, the cause might be health conditions or dietary choices. Often stress is the culprit that’s causing underlying conditions to linger and deplete your vitality; not making you sick (yet) but preventing you from being and looking your best.
A common question clients ask me is if there’s a shampoo that will help. Shampoo can only lessen external damage. For answers to the internal kinds, I did a Q&A with a nutritionist and doctors of naturopathy and traditional Chinese medicine.
Note:It takes 3 to 4 months to see an improvement due to the rest and growth stages of hair follicles.
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What causes dandruff?
Dr. Jenny Schmidt-White ND: Poor diet, stress, fungal infection, poor detoxification capacity. Detox capacity is usually related to the function of your kidneys, liver, lungs and bowels. Fungal infections are often related to the body’s immune system and its capacity to clear infections. A naturopath is trained to find the cause and treat it holistically. (Dr’s website)
Shai: Meanwhile the embarrassment of a flakey scalp isn’t helping stress levels. I carry specially formulated pH-balanced shampoo for regulating the scalp oils; it also gently exfoliates the scalp. The shampoo contains soothing plant ingredients to reduce scalp inflammation and irritation.
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What role does stress play when more hair than usual falls out?
Nutritionist Julia O’Loughlin RHN: The body works harder to get the nutrients from food when it’s under stress and that causes it to not digest properly or absorb all vitamins. When the adrenal glands are exhausted, you’re living in Fight or Flight mode rather than in Rest and Digest mode. At this point it doesn’t matter if you’re eating good food with protein and amino acids because you’re not getting the nutrients out of it. Stress is hard on the blood sugar levels too because stress uses up glucose. For your body, glucose is like putting gas in a car. (Julia’s website)
Shai: So when there are only so many nutrients, the brain decides to funnel them to the crucial organs first and the hair is put at the bottom of the list.
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What causes weak hair growth that’s not genetic or menopausal?
Dr. Jenny Schmidt-White ND: “A person with scalp problems likely has other systemic issues such as digestive dysfunction and sub-optimal liver function. If a physical symptom is presenting itself, it’s an indication that there has been an ongoing underlying systemic issue – especially with respect to skin and scalp issues. The skin is a secondary organ of elimination – skin and scalp problems only present themselves when the primary organs of elimination (liver, lungs, kidney, and bowels) are not functioning adequately or are overburdened.”
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What can I do to improve my overall health without medical intervention?
Dr. Jenny Schmidt-White ND: Adding more fruits and vegetables into your diet, drinking more chlorine-free water (the average requirement is 1 Litre per 100lbs of body weight), eating foods that encourage the growth of beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract such as kefir, miso, tempeh and yogurt, increasing the omega 3 oils in your diet through foods such as ground flax seed, low-mercury fish, and fish oils.
Stress reduction can be done through taking 10 diaphragmatic breaths in the morning and at night, getting to bed before 11pm, doing some form of enjoyable activity every day for at least 30 minutes.
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Is it safe to take hair growth vitamins with silica and biotin found in the health food stores?
Dr. Jenny Schmidt-White ND: Generally using the supplements for hair, skin and nail support is safe but taking one mineral on its own for an extended period of time can be detrimental to the balance of minerals in the body, so it is important to consult with a ND regarding supplement management. Patients with decreased kidney function should be careful taking silica supplements. Women in the preconception, pregnancy and lactation stages should consult a ND to learn which supplements and herbs are safe and at what dosage.
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Brittle hair can be caused by bleaching and colouring or not conditioning it but what causes it internally from the body?
Julia O’Loughlin RHN: A thyroid imbalance could be why. Hypothyroidism or heavy metals, intestinal imbalances, or liver health. Brittle hair isn’t going to kill us but a weak liver can so the body sends aid to the liver before the hair.
Dr. Tanya Gee DTCM: Ask your family doctor to check your blood pressure, thyroid and ferritin level (for iron). Once we know the medical cause for your hair condition then I can help correct issues from the inside with herbs and from the outside with acupuncture. Together they make one powerful therapy! (Dr’s website)
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I’ve seen dramatic hair loss in female clients in their 20′s and 30′s? Is there anything besides stress and trauma that causes this?
Dr. Alison Vanderkerkhove ND: Hormones that can typically cause hair loss are a low thyroid, high testosterone or low estrogen. There are many treatments available hormonally that can help with female hair loss. Typically I would recommend checking your thyroid, the stress hormones DHEA and cortisol, and the sex hormones: estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. (Dr’s website)
Dr. Jenny Schmidt-White ND: Often thinning hair in women is a hormonal issue. There may be an imbalance in thyroid, adrenal or sex hormones. A naturopathic doctor can help determine which system is in dysfunction and prescribe treatments to help bring the body back into balance. Treatments are individualized and can be as basic as lifestyle changes and dietary changes, include physical treatments such as acupuncture, or include supplementation protocols using botanicals, homeopathic medicines, or orthomolecular medicines (supplements that are vitamin or mineral based).
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