Explaining The Link Between The Thyroid and Hair Loss

Posted on September 21, 2011 by
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Thyroid disorders can create many different symptoms, such as depression, weight gain or loss, fatigue – and hair loss. In this case, where the cause of the hair loss is due to a thyroid disorder (such as hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism), treating the hair loss as a disease in and of itself is not advised. This would be treating the symptom – the loss of hair – rather than the cause, the thyroid problem.

Additionally, hair loss is also a side-effect of common thyroid treatment. Read on to find out more.

The Thyroid and Hair Loss

A problem thyroid and hair loss in women is far more likely to occur than in men, because issues with the thyroid are far more prevalent in females than males. The thyroid is a gland, located in the throat, that is responsible for regulating the body’s metabolism, energy use, creating proteins, and controlling the body’s response to hormones. It is primarily due to the role of hormone responses in the thyroid being ineffective that causes hair loss.

Hair loss caused by thyroid problems can come about through both hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) and hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid), although it’s much more likely to occur as a result of the former. Hyperthyroidism causes overproduction of the thyroid hormone, which then affects the hair follicles by transferring testosterone – which is needed for hair regrowth – into it’s weaker form, Dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is unable to facilitate hair growth, yet it takes up the place of testosterone that should be doing the job. Hence the hair regeneration does not occur, and the person experiences hair loss.

Hair Loss Caused by Thyroid Medication

Firstly, it is very important that you take the right medication for your thyroid. Should the thyroid medication work properly, there’s a good chance the losing of hair stops, and hair regrowth occurs. It is very important to note that some of the actual treatments for thyroid disease cause hair loss as a side-effect. The drugs in question are ones that contain levothyroxine (a synthetic thyroid hormone). So this means that many of the common medications for thyroid disease, such as Levoxyl, Synthroid, and Unithroid cause hair loss as a side-effect.

In many cases one can take levothyroxine and not experience hair loss – the key is finding the right balance. For instance, a patient might be taking more than enough of the hormone to enable the thyroid to function properly, yet too much that it’s causing hair loss. Reducing the dose slightly to the point where thyroid treatment is not affected, might be enough to eliminate the hair loss problem.

In instances where there’s a trade-off between effective thyroid treatment and combating hair loss, one should always choose effective thyroid treatment. A proper functioning thyroid is vital to maintain good health – whilst hair loss is generally only a hit to the ego. Should experimenting with other thyroid treatments not yield results in reducing the loss of hair, a patient of thyroid disease should seek other options to alleviate the problems caused by hair loss, such as wearing a wig. Proper treatment of the thyroid should be the main priority and then dealing with the hair loss a secondary factor.

For more information hair loss caused by thyroid disease and treatment, visit this article by Mary Shomon at about.com. She’s an expert in thyroid disease and has experienced first hand losing her hair due to thyroid medication.

Conclusion

Having a thyroid disease, particularly hyperthyroidism, can lead to hair loss. Unfortunately, when treating thyroid problems, a side-effect of popular medication is the loss of hair. This doesn’t mean one is destined to suffer from hair loss indefinitely: attaining the right balance of medication can reduce the unwanted side-effects whilst still treating the thyroid; seeking an alternative medication is always an option (always consult a specialist); and learning to live with and accept hair loss might even be the best course of action. Always keep in mind that proper treatment of the thyroid is vital, whilst the loss of hair is a manageable inconvenience.

 

Categories: Cause and Diagnosis, Women

A Breakthrough Cure for Baldness Coming in 2012?

Posted on September 12, 2011 by
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Every year, those afflicted by baldness are hopeful that a scientific breakthrough will allow for a revolutionary new pill, or cream, or laser that is capable of reversing the effects of hair loss. And every year, the pharmaceutical companies and research facilities are performing new tests in order to meet the growing demand for a cure for baldness. Let’s take a look at how close they may come in 2012 to finally finding an effective treatment that can cure baldness.

In The Search for a Hair Loss Cure, 2012 Holds a Lot of Promise

There’s no doubt that a company or research team that discovers a new hair loss cure – one that is highly effective yet has minimal or no side-effects – will make an astronomical sum of money. So the incentive and will is certainly there. Over the past two years, there have reportedly been significant breakthroughs in finding a hair loss cure: more than any other time in history. Given the amount of money at stake for the ‘winning’ miracle treatment is increasing every year with the number of new hair loss sufferers, and scientific knowledge in this area is increasing almost exponentially due to the new wave of stem cell research, it’s no surprise that experts are extremely optimistic. In fact, we’ve already come very close, and experts are in agreement that a cure for baldness will be found in the next few years.

There Already is a Cure for Baldness – If You’re a Mouse

Over the past year, there has been at least two notable ‘breakthroughs’ in finding a cure for baldness – but so far these have only been practically achieved in mice. The first method is through manipulating stem cells to regrow hair follicles. These claims originally surfaced at the back-end of 2010, and the head researcher, Roland Lauster from Berlin Technical University, says the cure for people would be available within 5 years. So, a bit soon for 2012. However, as it’s not at all unrealistic to expect a breakthrough cure for baldness, 2012 should yield promising signs as researchers continue to explore stem cells for solutions.

This year mice were also treated to another hair loss cure – the use of a chemical compound that blocks the effects of stress on the hair. They had 100% successful results of growing back hair on bald mice, with just five days of applying treatment. A criticism from the dermatology community of this hair loss cure is that, should the product work well on humans, it will only be effective for people that lose their hair due to stress or other non-hereditary factors. Those that suffer genetic hair loss and baldness, such as male pattern baldness, will not be cured from this form of treatment. For hereditary sufferers of hair loss, it seems as if stem cell research holds the most promise.

Conclusion

Although there are no new cures that are specifically slated for release in 2012, there is plenty to get excited about as there have been many breakthroughs recently. While 2012 might not be the year that a long-suffering hair loss affected person may finally get the cure they’ve been after, it is more likely than ever to be the year that a definitive cure is achieved once and for all, which could then realistically become available in 2013-2014.

Categories: Latest News and Breakthroughs

Essential Building Blocks: The Best Vitamins for Hair Growth

Posted on September 8, 2011 by
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Hair Basics

Each human hair grows from a follicle in the scalp. It goes through three stages – a Growth phase or Anagen (2-3 years), Resting Stage or Catagen (2-3 months) and finally Loss or Telogen. Since the growth phase is the longest, almost 90% of our hair at any point of time are in the growing phase.

Growing healthy hair needs the follicular cells to be in the pink of health. A healthy flow of blood carrying oxygen and nutrients is vital to provide the follicle cells with the ingredients that they need to ensure healthy hair growth.

 Vitamins

Appropriately named as they are vital for the well being of the body, vitamins act as co- enzymes and co-factors responsible for ensuring that our physiological and biochemical processes run at optimal levels. There are two types of vitamins –

a) Water soluble vitamins like Vitamin B complex and vitamin C

b) Fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A and D

Care is needed when using supplements for fat soluble vitamins as they may accumulate in the body and have toxic effects if consumed in large quantities.

The Best Vitamins for Hair Growth

Changing lifestyles have been accompanied by the adoption of diets rich in energy but devoid of the much needed minerals and vitamins to stop hair loss, or thinning hair. Both men and women alike need an adequate intake of vitamins for healthy hair, and especially to combat the effects of hair loss.

1) Vitamin A – An important vitamin for hair loss, it is readily produced in the body from beta carotene. It is responsible for maintaining the skin and associated tissues like the hair and nails in excellent health.

2) Vitamin B complex – are the best vitamins for hair loss. Among the B vitamin family B6, folic acid, biotin and B12 are vital for maintaining hemoglobin levels which in turn are related to the amount of life giving oxygen reaching the hair follicles. Natural sources of B6 include meat products and soybean while wheat germ, cereals and grain contain ample folic acid. Similarly B12 can be obtained from eggs, meat and fermented food products. One rarely needs to worry about Biotin as its requirements are met by gut bacteria. Hair loss coupled with intestinal disturbance may indicate that one is missing out on one or more of these good vitamins for hair loss.

3) Vitamin C – is another hair loss vitamin. Responsible for the development of healthy collagen, a type of glue that keeps cells together, vitamin C ensures that hair have strong roots and breakage is minimized. Peppers, citrus fruits and green leafy vegetables like spinach are excellent sources of this vitamin.

4) Vitamin E - is an antioxidant that helps in scavenging free radicals. It also increases oxygen flow in the body and improves the skin tone. A healthy skin in turn results in a lower incidence of infections and heathier hair, making this one of the important hair loss vitamins. Green leafy vegetables, nuts and grains are excellent sources of this vitamin.

Categories: Supplements