Losing Your Hair? Find Out What You Can Do



If you dread trips to the hair salon and cringe every time you pass a mirror, there’s a pretty good chance you’re concerned about hair loss. Making sure certain foods are in your diet will help keep your scalp healthy, happy and hopefully, full of hair. Below are a list of crucial nutritional elements you need in your diet to combat excessive hair loss and hair thinning.

Vitamin B

Hair loss occurs when the diet is inadequate in the B vitamins - especially B6, biotin, inositol and folic acid, together with the minerals magnesium, sulfur and zinc. The B vitamins, especially B5 (pantothenic acid and B3 (niacin) are especially important for hair growth.

In laboratory animals it was found that certain essential amino acids are found to control the thinning and thickening of hair. For example, when rats were fed a diet deficient in magnesium, they lost their hair in bunches. The situation was even more serious with some other B-vitamins. When rats were fed a diet low in biotin (Vitamin B7) or inositol (Vitamin B8), they became hairless! This nutrient-deficient condition was luckily found to be reversible. When the rats were fed a diet that was rich in B vitamins, it resulted in the complete restoration of hair.

Iron

Anemia (iron deficiency) is one of the most frequent causes of hair loss. Iron plays a key role in manufacturing hemoglobin, the part of the blood that carries oxygen to your body’s organs and tissues. When your hemoglobin is at a healthy level, oxygen is properly dispersed. This means your scalp is getting a good flow of blood, which will stimulate and promote hair growth. Adding more iron to your diet does not mean you have to feast on liver day in, and day out. Remember that dried fruits (like raisins and cherries) are packed with iron. So is spirulina, eggs, dark green-leafy vegetables (such as kale) and whole-grain cereals are all high in iron. Also note that Vitamin C improves the absorption of iron, so make sure fresh fruits and vegetables are always on your shopping list.

Protein

Hair is comprised mostly of protein. To encourage hair growth, adhere to a diet rich in protein. Recommended supplements for this purpose include brewer's yeast, wheat germ and two tablespoons of granulated lecithin. Along with protein, these foods are also high in B vitamins, an important nutrient for hair. Beans and seafood are also a great source of protein.

Zinc

Zinc plays a key role in many of the body’s functions, from cell reproduction to hormonal balance, and all these functions affect hair growth. Perhaps most importantly, zinc manages the glands that attach to your hair follicles. When you’re low on zinc, these follicles become weak, causing strands to break off or fall out. To combat this problem, eat zinc-heavy foods such as seafood, nuts, and oysters. It is especially important for men who suffer from hair loss to address their zinc levels.

Silica

Another important nutrient for hair health is silica. Studies in the former Soviet Union have shown that silica therapy slowed hair loss. Organic silica added to shampoo was found to help prevent baldness, stimulate healthier hair growth and assure beautiful shine, luster and strength. Silica can also be taken orally of course to help the body from the inside out.

Silica is found in the outer coverings of potatoes, green and red peppers and cucumbers. Bean sprouts are also high in silica. Raw oats provide silica.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is also important for healthy hair growth. Try to eat plenty of vitamin E rich avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil on a regular basis.

If hair loss is due to thyroid dysfunction, eat more foods rich in vitamin A and iodine. Eat vegetables such as carrots or spinach with unrefined, cold-pressed seed oils such as flax, walnut or pumpkin seed and sea salt. Take turnips, sea-vegetables, cabbage, pine nuts and millet if there is a deficiency of iodine.

You may have heard that stress can cause hair loss. Excessive physical or emotional stress, like that associated with injury, illness or surgery, can cause also contribute to hair loss. So make sure you address this in your search for healthy hair.

By Malcolm MacMillan

Sources: www.cwimedical.com and www.holisticonline.com

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Previous Comments

Simon commented on 16-Sep-2009 07:25 PM3 out of 5 stars
interesting but i think if it's in you're genetic makeup to lose your hair then there's not much yu can do about it, maybe slow the process slightly.
Anonymous commented on 16-Sep-2009 07:40 PM5 out of 5 stars
A very well written article with helpful suggestions
Julie Merrick ND commented on 16-Sep-2009 09:24 PM4 out of 5 stars
Good article. Another cause of hair loss (in women) is high testosterone and insulin resistance, which occur in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Also, oxidative stress can contribute, so getting enough antioxidants is important.
Laura Lynch commented on 17-Sep-2009 01:59 AM5 out of 5 stars
Thank you for this excellent article. While I don't like what is done to animals in the name of science, I can appreciate the results. and I notice my hair, at the hair line, growing back just 2 months later. I also apply a small amount of body lotion to my scalp after every shower. I will incorporate some of the other items mentioned in the article to see if I can completely rejuvinate my once lovely locks. Nothing genetic, just poor dietary habbits and stress. I think it's fixable.
Double Dorje commented on 17-Sep-2009 02:55 AM5 out of 5 stars
i've been eating b-complex and iron pills for long time, and sure it helps a bit. but what has really shown significant growth is this natural product called CURETAGE, check it out:
http://www.curetage.com
Ryan Pugh commented on 17-Sep-2009 03:01 AM5 out of 5 stars
First, nice article. Thank you for continuing to provide us with nutritional education.
Second, I can't believe how so many people here are using this area as a free advertising tool for your MLM. I too, distribute for a highly recognized nutrition company but going online and posting "My Products are the Best!" and "My company is #1!" is not the right way to approach your attempt at free advertising, and it's really not in context with this posting.

There are MANY products out there, and yes some are better than others and frankly... many are regurgitated versions of another. The importance is to get the nutrients listed in this article. (Remember, that many of our foods are lacking in nutrient density.)

So, if anyone wants to change this posting to an MLM marketing page or "where to buy", I really think we should save that for other sites and postings. Here are a couple:
MLM Online Marketing(the right way): www.myeconomy.me

Low Cost Vitamins/Supplement Store: www.vitacost.com

Some nutritional companies I know of... Isagenix, Monavie, and Vivix are creating quite a stir. Please, educate yourself!

In Health and Wealth,
Moriah Freeman commented on 17-Sep-2009 05:34 AM5 out of 5 stars
I AM SO HAPPY TO GET THIS ONE TO READ!!!!!
I am very excited to try this as I started lossing hair at about 16 and now at 20 my hair is noticably thinner. It happened right around the time I found out I have a dysfunctional thyroid, but I never knew to connect the two! I am SO excited to get my hair back!! I'll let you know how it goes! Thanks for the article!!!!
Dale Folland commented on 17-Sep-2009 02:02 PM5 out of 5 stars
Great info, for most men if hairloss is a concern they tend to try anything. The side effects in following this advice is you improve your health. Love your movie...BRILLIANT. Dale Folland www.home-business.co.nz
Damon Hastings commented on 17-Sep-2009 02:59 PM5 out of 5 stars
Normally I avoid pharmaceutical drugs like the plague they are, but in this one single case, I made an exception. Supplements will help with hair loss caused by specific deficiencies, but they're not much help with the usual "male pattern baldness" that eventually afflicts even the healthiest men. (With one exception: saw palmetto berries are clinically proven to work well on mpb.) But by far the best clinical results come from dutasteride, the successor to propecia. You should never touch Rogaine, by the way: it will stop working after a few years (if it works at all); and if you ever stop using it, you suddenly lose more hair than if you'd never used it at all! It took a lot of research to convince me dutasteride was my best option, as I was loathe to trust any drug. And there's more snake oil in the hair loss market than any other market I've ever researched. But I eventually concluded that dutasteride has the best clinical results, with saw palmetto as the runner up. But different drugs/supplements work better in different people. So I tried both before deciding dutasteride worked better for me. Anyway, that's just my story, for what it's worth. :-)
H RE commented on 17-Sep-2009 06:12 PM5 out of 5 stars
MEDICATONS LIKE STERIODS FOR MY WONDERFUL M.S HAVE MADE MY HAIR FALL OUT TERRIBLY BUT IT LASTS FOR A MONTH APPARENTLY. IT WAS GOOD TO READ I EAT THE RIGHT STUFF AT LEAST
Anonymous commented on 18-Sep-2009 04:32 AM5 out of 5 stars
Thanks for the suggestions. I've been dealing with significant hair loss over the last several weeks.... an after effect, I believe, of my system having gone septic early in the summer as the result of a serious allergic reaction, which became infected, strep entered and attacked my whole body. The drugs and the shock to my system have caused my hair to fall out very quickly. I'm already following a few of these suggestions and would like to add to your list the use of shampoo with pure lavender essential oils in the formula. Lavender essential oil in its pure form is an incredible blessing for hair and skin.
Kathi T. commented on 18-Sep-2009 11:20 AM5 out of 5 stars
I love the article. I took biotin 5,000 mg 1x daily for 6 months and my hair grew 3x as fast a normal. But I'm not sure that I grew "new" hair. I had minimal hair loss, my nails grew a rapid speed as well. The down side was I had darker and more hair than usual on my legs and under arms and had to shave more often, but hey, you weigh the pros and cons and hands down I'll take the extra shaving for positive results. It took several months to take effect but it was worth the wait. It has really slowed the hairloss process. I have increased energy as well. I'm diebetic as well and looking into the insulin thing I just read about. I lowered the dose to 2,000 mg last week as I think 5,000 mg was too high. This article was helpful and I'm going to add a few more vitamins too my daily regimen.
yelena commented on 18-Sep-2009 06:50 PM5 out of 5 stars
I had hair loss on vegan diet
HolisticHealer commented on 08-Feb-2012 01:00 AM3 out of 5 stars
Hair is comprised mostly of protein. To encourage hair growth, adhere to a diet rich in protein. Recommended supplements for this purpose include brewer's yeast, wheat germ and two tablespoons of granulated lecithin. Along with protein, these foods are
also high in B vitamins, an important nutrient for hair. Beans and seafood are also a great source of protein. hmmmm or instead of expensive "supplements" and swallowing pills, try eating food. Grassfed beef, or wild game/poultry are excellent sources of protein
and many other amazing nutrients, especially organ meats. Our Native Americans had AMAZING hair!
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