Q: How can I prevent/reverse thinning hair? (A.T., Oviedo, FL)

A: The quickest natural remedy is high-dose biotin, a type of B-vitamin. Some of the better shampoos contain biotin. Taking 8-10,000 mcg of biotin in capsule form each day can help restore a lush, full quality to your hair within 4-6 weeks. You may have to hunt (check with your local naturopathic doctor) to find a high-dose biotin that doesn’t require swallowing a handful of pills. Another tip: avoid conditioners or use them sparingly. They tend to have lots of chemicals (much more than shampoos) that ultimately poison the hair. Spend the extra money for high quality hair products, preferably with organic ingredients. Massage your head every night to stimulate blood flow to the scalp.

Cindy was starting to think about investing in a wig. At age 45, she was single with a career in research that she enjoyed. Lately, she had taken to not leaving the house without a hat or scarf on her head. Naturally shy, the prospect of dating or socializing was even more agonizing now since over the past 18 months the hair on her head, once quite thick and lustrous, was noticeably thin. She used to enjoy brushing and “fixing” her hair, which she had considered one of her best features. She came to me quite depressed about her on-going hair loss, because the problem was progressing. I confirmed she had not recently had a Hepatitis B shot series. An article appeared last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association (278:117-8, 1997) linking the Hep B vaccine to increased incidence of alopecia (balding) in women. No, she hadn’t had the Hep B series. I asked if she had ever had cancer and been exposed to chemotherapy. No. My next thought was to make sure she didn’t have a thyroid problem. Either over or under-active thyroid function can cause hair thinning. No problem there according to a review of symptoms, confirmed by a blood test.

My next thought was B-vitamin deficiencies, in particular a vitamin in the B family called biotin which is crucial for proper hair and nail growth. In high doses, 5-8 grams daily (5000-8000 mg), biotin can be very effective in restoring head-hair growth, with no known side-effects. Some specialty shampoos feature biotin for this reason. After a 6 week trial of high dose biotin, however, Cindy’s hair looked about the same. I started digging a little deeper. It turns out that Cindy had moved into a house 18 months previous who’s water supply came from a well that is close to an old mine (we live in Southeast Alaska). Both cyanide and mercury were commonly used during the height of the mining days to separate the ore from the “tailings” or rocky debris from the old mines. A hair analysis confirmed that Cindy had high levels of both of these heavy metal toxins in her tissues and that this was very likely a prime cause for her hair loss. So she began a chelation program to rid her body of these toxic metals. The Greek word “chelare” means “to bind.” Chelation means binding of one substance to another. The protocol was:

1. 8 grams daily of Vitamin C in 4 divided doses to help clear toxins out of the fat cells, where they preferentially “hide out.”
2. 2 tablespoons daily of spirulina powder in pineapple or cherry juice in 2 divided doses. In Germany there is a popular mining technique for nearly spent mines with very little ore remaining. This consists of spraying an algal slurry over the mine walls, then scraping it off with a huge squeegy. The algae is extremely effective at chelating the bits of metal that remain in the mine walls. The algae binds to the metals and in mining, is taken to a lab where heavy solvents are used to remove the ore, but in the human body, the bound up metal will be excreted through the urine and fecal matter, which is exactly what you want to happen. Other algal products are fine for this purpose; Hawaiian spirulina is, however, my favorite.
3. Diet modification to include lots of dark leafy greens, fresh fruit and organic grains but no sugar, dairy, fried foods, alcohol, caffeine or red meat for 4-6 weeks. Tofu or fish is fine if baked or steamed.
4. At least 8 large glasses of pure water daily, but NOT with food. Drinking water with meals will dilute those precious digestive enzymes and make nutrient absorbption less efficient. It will also reduce the amount of water available to the body for dilution of toxins.

Cindy was very motivated, and followed the protocol faithfully. She started to see improvements in the lustre of her hair within the first week. I asked to add another component to her protocol; a trick I learned in China while studying acupuncture. This is to rub a slice of fresh ginger directly onto the scalp daily before a gentle hair washing, using a very mild shampoo. Try to get a shampoo with a minimum of chemical ingredients. The ginger is a warming herb which stimulates circulation to the scalp, providing fresh blood with oxygen and nutrients to the tender new shoots of hair. In the second week on her cleansing diet, Cindy was delighted to observe lots of new hair growth. After 2 months, her cyanide level was normal and the mercury level was much reduced. She continued on with the diet, with some modifications so that she could eat out or with friends, because by this time her confidence about going out without covering up her head had been restored.

Bibliography

• The Harvard Guide to Somen’s Health. Carlson KJ, Eisenstat SA, Ziporyn T. Harvard U Press, Cambridge MA, 1996
• Optimal Wellness. Golan R. Ballantine Books, 1995
• Principles of Dermatology. Lookingbill DP, Marks JG. WB Saudners Co, Philadelphia PA, 1993.

Caroline, a new mother in her mid-twenties, came for help in a state of deep depression. The first words out of her mouth were “I’m turning into my mother…” When I asked her what that meant, she said that both of them were moody, irritable with their loved ones and, the symptom that was upsetting them most of all, going bald. While many women (and men) will exaggerate the extent of their hair loss, there was no doubt that Caroline’s once-lush mane was noticeably thin and dry; her scalp was scaly and visible at the forehead and temples. I asked her if there was a history of thyroid problems in her family. She confirmed that there was not, and that both she and her mother had recently evaluated their thyroid status by blood test, because either over- or under-active thyroid function can cause hair thinning. However, I kept with my hunch that there was a hormonal component to this puzzle.

Caroline had a 4-month old and while she loved her daughter deeply was having a hard time adjusting to the demands of parenting. She was suffering from a very real phenomenon called “post-partum blues” which is triggered by a precipitous change in hormonal status at the time of delivery. During pregnancy, levels of estrogen (mainly E3, or estriol, the “safe” estrogen) are very high as is, of course, progesterone, the major hormone in maintaining gestation. Both the estriol and the progesterone drop off sharply during labor and delivery and the mother can be left hanging with this profound shift to the pre-pregnancy state. Similarly, Caroline’s mother was going through the thick of menopause and her estrogen and progesterone levels were declining steeply, especially the progesterone. Not all women experience hair loss at menopause but it is not an unheard-of side-effect of shifting hormonal status. One set of hormones effects all the other hormones; declining sex hormones will often up-regulate thyroid hormones and adrenal hormones.

To counteract the relative estrogen dominance in both women I prescribed a course of “natural” progesterone to help ease their transition back to a state of hormonal balance. There are numerous reasons why hormone imbalance is more prevalent today, not the least of which is use of synthetic hormones like the Pill, depleted nutrients in our soils, and thus in our foods, and environmental pollution. Let me also clarify that “natural” progesterone means manufactured in a laboratory from a plant base; usually yams (Dioscorea villosa or barbasco) or soybeans. This is in contrast to the completely synthetic progestins (such as Provera), which the body does not recognize as food, and may cause liver problems. I purposefully will not give a specific dosage for the progesterone because it is important to work with a practitioner familiar with natural hormone replacement therapy and get a prescription specifically tailored to your individual needs. Although plant-based progesterone is generally very safe, and widely available in health food stores and pharmacies, I urge you to work with an experienced doctor for this part of the treatment. In a nutshell, I adminstered progesterone to both these women to combat the symptoms of relative estrogen predominance: moodiness, depression and fluid imbalance (dry in some areas, swollen in others).

What about the hair loss? B vitamins are essential in the proper manufacture of hormones because hormones are fat-based molecules and lack of B-vitamins will impair long-chain fatty acid synthesis. One B vitamin in particular is well known for helping to combat dry, scaly scalp (including the infantile cradle cap), easily-splitting nails, depression, insomnia, and hair loss. This is the B-vitamin called biotin, who’s principal function in the body is the manufacture and utilization of fats and amino acids. Although no official RDA exists for biotin, my clinical experience has shown that 100 mcg daily is adequate to supplement diets high in cheese, organ meats and soybeans. But, not all folks eat that way. Also, antibiotic use can severely decrease biotin levels by destroying biotin-producing gut bacteria. I prescribed 8,000 mcg daily (8 mg) for Caroline and asked her to stay on this dose for at least 6 weeks. Biotin is extremely safe, including for lactating mothers, with no known adverse side effects. In addition, I asked Caroline to minimize her intake of refined foods, stand on her head 3-7 times weekly for 25-40 breaths (she practices yoga, so I knew I could include this in her treatment protocol!) to bring fresh blood to her scalp, and drink a cup of Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) tea daily for the mineral content, particularly silica, which is an essential component of strong, healthy hair. She started to notice an improvement in the lustre and thickness of her hair within a week, and at our last visit she told me her mother had agreed to start a yoga class.