Did you know on average women lose between 50-100 hairs per day? For women, hair loss, or alopecia, can occur and become a concern for those who don’t understand why it’s happening. There are two different types of hair loss, focal (small patches) or diffuse (all over). It’s extremely important for women, and men, to understand what their body is telling them, and what they can do to help restore their body balances.
- Hormone Imbalances
Hormone imbalances in both women and men can cause hair loss. If you suffer from female-pattern hair loss, it’s more diffuse than characteristic male-pattern baldness. Factors that can contribute to hair loss are testosterone excess, insulin resistance, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and low antioxidant status. There are ways to put your body back in its natural orbit, such as improving blood sugar regulations with diet and lifestyle changes, increasing antioxidant intake, and considering a saw palmetto extract (Murray and Pizzorno 361).
- Hypothyroidism
One of the most common signs of hypothyroidism is hair loss, this can include the outer edges of the eyebrows, and can be worsened by stress. Getting your thyroid back into balance is easy with the right help, and can restore your hair back to a healthy place.
- Nutritional Deficiencies
A wide variety of nutritional deficiencies can be linked to hair loss. The most common ones are zinc, vitamin A, essential fatty acids, and iron. Low iron can cause anemia, fatigue, especially worse with your cycle, and hair loss. A simple blood test for ferritin and a CBC can tell you if you are anemic, and iron pills can help restore healthy levels. “There is a very strong association between low body iron stores and diffuse hair loss in women,” (Murray and Pizzorno 632).
- Drugs and Medications
Certain types of drugs and medications can cause hair loss, be sure to check the list of side effects of all your medications if you suspect this may be the a factor. Medications that have chemotherapy agents, such as fluorouracil, are a prime example of medications that are easily identifiable as the cause of hair loss. It’s extremely important to know the side effects, and how some of your medication may deplete other nutrients. If you are unsure, ask your doctor, and for a good online resource check out Mytavin.com. If you are on medications you can minimize side effects with proper supplementation, or even find safe effective alternative treatments. For more information find a Naturopathic
- Celiac Disease
Celiac is a commonly missed and very problematic dis-ease in the body. It’s when the body can not absorb or tolerate gluten, an intolerance to gluten. The side effects can range from joint pain to fatigue, to hair loss to long standing digestive discomfort. Because individuals react differently to their gluten intolerance, they may not have apparent gastrointestinal symptoms. Hair loss is a common, less obvious symptom of Celiac disease. It is recommended that the test for human anti tissue transglutaminase antibodies (IgA anti-tTG) is done and in some cases a tissue biopsy of the small intestine is done.
At Wild Women Wellness, Dr. Tanya Escobedo specializes treating hormone imbalances, including thyroid, we do testing for iron, zinc and other nutritional deficiencies, CBCs, celiac testing, and many more tests. Dr. Escobedo is knowledgeable about prescription medications and safe natural alternative to help you choose the right therapy for you. If you are interested in learning more about Wild Women Wellness, you can visit our website or give us a call today at (650)-271-9453 to set up your appointment!
Sources:
Murray, Michael T, and Joseph E Pizzorno. The Encyclopedia Of Natural Medicine. 3rd ed. New York: Atria Books, 2012. Print.
