Hair loss in Women

Splitting Hairs

Michael Jordan, Sean Connery, Bruce Willis. The list of high-profile bald men who are considered sexy and successful is pretty long. But there is no corresponding list of attractive and revered bald women, believe me.

So when I started to notice handfuls of hair going down the drain in the shower a few months ago, I panicked. I knew I wasn’t pregnant. And I take a B-vitamin supplement every day. These were the only possible reasons I could think of, and none of them seemed to apply.

So when I got into work I consulted Dr. Wright, and he reminded me about iron deficiency. A three-year study of hair loss in women in the late 90s identified iron deficiency as the cause of hair loss in 72 percent of pre-menopausal women. But you don’t need to be anemic to start losing your hair from lack of iron. So waiting for a diagnosis of anemia might leave you with a very sparse head of hair by the time you get to that point.

You can increase your iron intake through your diet. Dried fruits, fish, meat, legumes, and dark leafy greens are way up there in iron content. Or you might need to supplement — although if you do so, you should seek the assistance of your physician.

Another way to combat hair loss is to supplement with MSM (methylsulfonyl methane), an important component of proteins found throughout the body, like the ones in your hair, nails, skin, and tendons. Since MSM is a sulfur-containing supplement, be sure to take a small amount of another nutrient called molybdenum along with it. Molybdenum helps your body metabolize sulfur.

If you’re taking any medications, check with you doctor right away to see if hair loss is one of the side effects. Many blood thinners and medications to treat arthritis, depression, gout, heart problems, and high blood pressure are known to cause hair loss.

Finally, you are much more likely to have healthy hair and skin when you’re getting enough omega-3 fatty acids. Eat salmon, sardines, herring, or mackerel three times a week, or take fish oil supplements. Or you can supplement your diet with GLA (gamma linolenic acid) in the form of black currant oil or evening primrose oil. Dr. Wright recommends taking 500 mg of either twice a day for six to eight weeks to see if it helps. (And don’t forget to add the 400 IU of vitamin E when you add extra essential fatty acids to your routine.)

Low iron did turn out to be the culprit behind my hair loss. It may be something else for you. But don’t put up with losing clumps of hair every day for long. I doubt that baldness in women is going to be “in” anytime soon.

Sciatica solution

Q: I’ve always assumed there was nothing that could be done for sciatica pain. It comes and goes for me. I try to do exercises to strengthen the area when the pain isn’t too bad, but I don’t think it’s doing much good. Do you know of something I could try?

JVW: There is a treatment for sciatica pain that many Tahoma Clinic patients have reported using with great results: daily injections of 100 milligrams of vitamin B1 and 1,000 micrograms of B12. Eventually the dose is tapered down according to the patient’s response.

It’s not a cure that works 100 percent of the time, but most people who try it do get relief. There’s even a study that backs up my clinical experience. It clearly showed that this simple therapy works, even though most patients with sciatica don’t have deficiency in B vitamins.

Of course, I’m not discouraging regular exercises and building and maintaining your strength. But it’s good to know there’s a way to relieve your pain when your sciatica becomes more acute.

What is sciatica?

Sciatica is a relatively common form of low back pain and leg pain. It’s characterized by pain that runs along the sciatic nerve, which extends from the lower back down the back of each leg. Sciatica is usually caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve, and the pain can often be very severe.

Yours in good health,
Amanda Ross
Managing Editor
Nutrition & Healing

Sources:

Kantor J, Kessler LJ, et al. “Decreased serum ferritin is associated with alopecia in women.” J Invest Dermatol 2003; 121(5): 985-988

Mauro GL, Martorana U, et al. “Vitamin B12 in low back pain: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.” Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2000; 4(3): 53-58