Losing your hair can be quite a distressing thing. Whether your hair is slowly thinning, you are losing it in clumps, or you have patches that are totally bald, continued hair loss can be devastating. As with all things that can go awry in your body, there is a reason, or reasons, why you are losing hair. Finding the causative factors is necessary to stop the progress of hair loss.
First look at your medications. Many medications have side effects of hair loss such as retinoids used for acne, chemotherapeutic drugs, drugs that suppress the immune system, NSAIDS, anti-depressant and other mood stabilizing drugs, many antibiotics and antifungals, birth control pills and hormone replacement drugs, blood pressure medications such as beta blockers, ace inhibitors and diuretics, thyroid medications, weight loss drugs, cholesterol lowering and anti-clotting drugs, diabetes meds and others. If your medications are to blame, consider using other therapies, such as acupuncture and herbal medicine to resolve your health issues instead. The best way to not have to use a medication, especially one with undesirable side effects, is to take care of the underlying problem and resultant symptom.
Stress and trauma can also contribute to abnormal hair loss. Finding ways to modulate your stress such as yoga, meditation, qi gong, acupuncture, massage, and good nutrition can help considerably. Reaching out for alcohol, coffee or energy drinks is not a good option for stress and can worsen the situation. Lack of circulation to the scalp due to either stress or other cardiovascular problems can lead to hair loss.
Genetic factors such as male pattern baldness may play a role in your hair loss, but just because a member in your family has it, does not mean you will.
Your hair follicles depend on good nutrition to be healthy. They absorb critical vitamins, minerals and other nutrients to benefit you. Minerals such as zinc and iron, and vitamins, especially food-sourced B vitamins and vitamin A are necessary. Taking just biotin in a bottle may help, but is not the best source.
Seafoods such as oysters, salmon, sardines, mackerel and tuna; greens such as spinach, collards, broccoli and kale; good fats such as the fish above and avocados; and orange veggies such as pumpkin, sweet potatoes and carrots, are all foods rich in the nutrients needed by the scalp for healthy hair quality.
Pregnancy and menopause or any big change in hormones, or big hormonal imbalances such as thyroid problems can be contributing factors.
As if this wasn’t enough, even environmental factors such as pollutants (act as pseudo-estrogens), chlorine, lead exposure and other heavy metals are suspect as well. As with any malady in the body, finding the cause for you, specifically, is the first step in keeping the hair you have and getting the lost hair growing back again. There is hope.
©2020 Holly A. Carling, O.M.D., L.Ac., Ph.D.
