| Stress
and Hair Loss
We know that stress either causes
or exacerbates a large percentage of all disease.
Almost every disease known has been linked to
stressful toxins. How does this link work?
Stress causes our body to produce toxins, and
toxins – those from the food we eat and the environment
that surrounds us, as well as those that we produce
ourselves when under duress – compromise our well-being.
Work and family conflicts, financial pressures,
and simply never having enough time are just a
few of the many stressors that we face everyday.
The
biological changes that take place in relation
to the perceived threats are called the stress
response. Our bodies can adjust for and
counteract the mild forms of stress that we encounter.
As a matter of fact, stress can be good if we
know how to use it to make things happen positively.
Pressure can make us face up to challenges with
extraordinary skill and fortitude. However,
in the case of extreme, unusual, or long lasting
stress - emotional, physical, and chemical
- our stress response and ensuing control mechanisms
can be quite overwhelming and harmful. The
overflow of stress hormones into our system can
adversely affect our mind-body physiology, including
our hair and skin. When you're under
stress from illness or work, sometimes the circulation
in the scalp is so constricted that the hair follicles
lose blood supply, which causes them to atrophy
and fall out. However, it often grows right back
when a person is no longer under extreme stress.
In
essence, if we cannot manage the stress in our
life, we are working our adrenal glands to exhaustion.
This is when skin and hair problems also become
apparent, because we are constantly shutting off
the blood supply to our heart and lungs, diverting
it away from the feeding and nourishing of the
hair.
The
first step toward health comes with becoming aware
of the myriad influences stress has on your
mind-body physiology. Here are some tips
to destressing:
Daily
meditation
(The most scientifically documented technique
of meditation is Transcendental Meditation or
TM. The benefits of TM have been verified by over
600 scientific research studies across a broad
spectrum of health-related issues. The research
has shown that individuals who practice TM experience
a significant reduction in stress and stress-related
disease, and improvements in many other areas
of health concern).
Physical activity
Proper
nutrition (see "Diet and Hair Loss"
below)
Taking
in positive experiences such as these will go
a long way toward detoxification on the emotional,
physical, and environmental levels
Diet
and Hair Loss
As
much as America's fast food culture wishes life
were a box of chocolates, the fact is strong,
healthy hair requires more than most vending machines
and drive thru's can offer. Unfortunately,
excessive weight isn't the only thing poor eating
habits can cause: thin hair, susceptible to the
damaging effects of DHT is just as likely.
If you are experiencing hair loss, your diet can
play a profound role in reversing this condition.
By utilizing the medicinal, healing properties
of food, your body can defend itself against balding
and hair loss. With a diet rich in vitamins,
proteins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and
trace elements, your hair will be more capable
to withstand the
bi-product of testosterone:
DHT (the main culprit in male and female pattern
baldness).
Studies
have shown that diets rich with animal fats cause
excessive amounts of testosterone to be released
into the blood stream. Similarly, people
who ate diets low in fat had significantly less
testosterone released in their system. High
levels of testosterone directly affect the amount
of hair loss a person experiences. Research
also indicates that high-fat diets limit vital
protein binding globulins. These globulins
keep testosterone inactive in the body until it
is required. A bloodstream without such
globulins means that more testosterone is ready
to be transformed by the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase
(present in hair glands) into DHT. With
larger amounts of testosterone circulating in
the blood, oil glands can increase activity, thereby
providing the system with more harmful DHT.
Interestingly enough, areas that frequently have
problems with balding contain larger oil glands
than areas not associated with balding.
In
a frequently noted study, researcher Masui Inaba
documented his findings in a report illustrating
this phenomenon in action. The study observed
higher incidents of hair loss among Japanese men
who ate Westernized diets (i.e. far more red meat
than their peers). With more animal fat
in their diets, Inaba illustrated that the dramatic
increase led to an increased incidence of hair
loss. His research indicated that higher
levels of fat cause oil glands in the hair follicle
to grow, thereby producing more DHT and more damage
to hair follicles. From a molecular point
of view, baldness is seen as a hormonal imbalance.
It is widely accepted that the hormone DHT (Dihydrotestosterone),
the bi-product in the breakdown of testosterone,
is the principal factor in hair loss. As a result,
compounds capable of lowering DHT levels are viewed
as having a beneficial effect in the treatment
of baldness, including dietary restrictions that
aid in reducing the effects of DHT.
Although
controlling dietary intake is more challenging
than using medication, it doesn't have any negative
side effects. Many individuals have reported
that changing their diet has resulted in helping
to control hair loss, especially when it was done
in combination with compounds that limit the production
of testosterone DHT.
1)
Steering clear of the Western diet is one of the
best ways to avoid and defend against baldness.
By introducing low-fat protein sources, such as
non-fatty fish, chicken, turkey, and soy products
as well as complex carbohydrates from fruits,
vegetables, and beans, into a diet rich in fatty
acids can be effective in helping control hair
loss. By utilizing a healthy diet in tandem
with drug and herbal therapies, individuals can
greatly increase the odds of their success.
2)
Eat sizeable portions of fruits, vegetables, and
beans. Don't emphasize potatoes, pasta,
and bread. These foods quickly turn to glucose,
spinning insulin levels out of control as blood
sugar levels rise rapidly and fall just as quickly.
This compromises the body's ability to regulate
hormone levels in the blood. Such foods
should be kept to a minimum.
Harsh
Man-Made Shampoos
Excessive shampooing, particularly with most commonly
used commercial shampoos, can cause the hair
to lose minerals such as Calcium, Phosphorus,
Iron, and Nitrogen. This is due to the harsh
chemicals present in most of these products.
Not only will they damage your hair, but they
can pose a threat to general health. Formaldehyde,
which is used in shampoo as a preservative, is
often disguised as 'Quanternium015)'. Aside
from being carcinogenic at certain levels, it
can prove to be an irritant to the skin, eyes,
and respiratory system. Shampoos may also
contain ammonia, coal tar colors, synthetic detergents,
ethanol, and artificial fragrances. It's
no wonder allergic reactions to these products
are common. Remember, the shampoo
you used in your twenties may not be the best
choice in your forties. This is because
hair, like skin, becomes drier as we age, producing
less of the oil which services as a protective
shield for the hair shaft.
An
excellent hair loss shampoo is Hair
Regain Therapeutic Shampoo which
cleans the
hair and scalp the natural way: with pure herbal
extracts . And it will not clog the hair
follicles with gelatin based thickeners. Instead,
its essential oils and phyto-revitalizers dramatically
increase hair retention and manageability for
all types of hair.
Vitamins
and Hair Loss
The
nutritional needs and tolerances of an individual
will vary according to body size, metabolism and
metabolic type, age, diet, genetics, etc. We
advise you seek more information, either through
books, a nutritional consultant, or discussions
at your local vitamin shop before taking large
quantities of the substances mentioned.
While foodstuffs containing high levels of vitamins
and minerals are safe to experiment with, isolating
nutrients require more careful thought.
Vitamin
A
- a deficiency can create a hardened, thick scalp
skin that produces buildup of oil and perspiration
below the surface of the skin, with dry hair and
flaking dandruff the result. Vitamin A is
found in yellow, orange, and dark leafy vegetables.
Vitamin
B
- A deficiency of B vitamins can create an excessively
oily scalp, oily dandruff, baldness, and premature
graying. Vitamin B is found in whole grains,
beans, seeds, and vegetables.
Vitamin
C
- Plays a key role in Collagen formation and improves
scalp circulation.
Vitamin
E
- A deficiency symptoms include hair loss and
brittle hair. Supplementation with E can
improve circulation in the scalp by increasing
oxygen uptake.
Minerals
-
a deficiency in the wide range of minerals, which
are vital to healthy hair and skin, can adversely
affect the structural makeup of the hair as well
as the formation of collagen, the connective tissue
found in the skin and throughout the body.
Your hair's roots must receive proper mineral
nourishment in order to perform the function of
growing and maintaining a healthy head of hair.
Once denied these nutrients, the scalp tissues
begin to break down, and hair loss results.
An example of some of these minerals are Iodine,
Zinc, sulfur, Potassium, Iron, and Silica.
For
hair loss, stunted growth or thinning of hair,
Dr. Andrew Weil recommends supplementing the diet
with a source of GLA (gamma linolenic acid), a
fatty acid that improves the health of skin, hair,
and nails. Your choices are evening primrose
oil, black currant oil, and borage oil which are
all available in health food stores. Take
one or two 500-mg capsules twice a day.
It may take six to eight weeks before you notice
a change in your rate of hair loss and thickness
of new hair. (As a side benefit, you may
also notice that you have healthier, cleaner,
glowing skin and hair).
We
can all get the vitamins and minerals that our
bodies require by eating a well-balanced diet,
and it is preferable to give your body
all of its nourishment from a variety of whole,
organic foods. However, given the rushed,
fast-food mentality of Western culture, many of
us don't get these recommended amounts.
As a result, many health care providers recommend
taking a high-quality vitamin and supplement to
make up for any inadequacies of diet and product
our bodies and hair.
Causes
of Temporary Hair Loss
- Physical
stress: surgery, illness, anemia, rapid weight
change. The hair loss usually occurs 3
months after the event that caused it and may
take 3 months after the event ends to resume.
- Emotional
stress: mental illness, death of a family member.
Again, the hair loss usually occurs 3 months
after the event that caused it and may take
3 months after the event ends to resume.
- Thyroid
abnormalities.
- Medications:
High does of Vitamin A -- Blood pressure medications
-- Gout medications.
- Hormonal
causes: pregnancy or birth control pills.
Hair loss frequently occurs when the body's
hormonal levels are noticeable altered. This
can occur due to pregnancy, or going on or off
birth control pills. This type of hair loss
is usually temporary.
- Diet:
Women appear to be more subject to hair loss
due to dietary reasons than men. Low iron levels
are the most common dietary reason women experience
hair loss, although other vitamins and minerals
may be involved. Also, the intake of a
diet high in animal fat directly leads to the
increased incidence of balding because the higher
levels of animal fat cause the oil glands in
the hair follicles to grow, leading to more
DHT production and therefore more damage to
the hair follicles.
- Hair
shaft breakage is when part of a hair breaks
off, but the growing end remains in the follicle
and continues to grow. Hair shaft breakage results
in thinner hair, and can be caused by excessive
styling, chemicals, sun, and chlorine in swimming
pools.
- If
your hair loss is due to a short-term event
such as stress, pregnancy, and the taking of
certain medications in these situations, hair
will grow back when the event has passed.
Substances (including hormones), medications,
and diseases can cause a change in the hair
growth and shedding phases and in their durations.
When this happens, synchronous growth and shedding
occur. Once the cause is dealt with, hairs
go back to their random pattern of growth and
shedding, and your hair loss problem stops.
As
stated above, many of these types of hair loss
are reversible on their own with time. However,
many people choose to use a hair loss treatment,
such as Hair
Regain DHT Inhibitor, to speed up
the hair regrowth process. To find out more about
Hair Regain, please go to http://pureportal.com/hair-regain/introduction.htm.
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