Hair Loss-help!

Posted by nycgrrl on July 1, 2008 at 8:26pm in General Chat

Hi-
I have been high raw for 4 months, and in the last month, maybe 3 weeks, I have experienced a lot of hair loss..in the shower every day chunks of about 10-20 strands fall out...I have very thick hair, so it's not noticeable, but wonder what this is attributable to...has anyone else experienced this??? My nails are strong still, but I am wondering if this is a detox thing, or if I am eating insufficient B vitamins (hard to fathom, really) or protein (I eat about 10% protein on a 1600 calorie a day diet)...I am reading on the Mayo site that physical and or emotional changes can manifest as hair loss up to 3 months later, and I know that my detox was strong (not crazy strong, but like pimples and greasy hair and fatigue) for about 2 weeks, so perhaps this is just the aftermath of that.

Updated: okay, so i just bought a supplement for Hair Skin and Nails from the HFS...it has a bunch of vitamins in it..I took one pill, which is 1/3 the dosage they recommend, and with 20 minutes, my scalp stopped tingling. I don't know which ingredient in the pill might have helped. Perhaps the Biotin?

Anyone know raw foodies consumption of biotin? It's found in grains, eggs, and a bit in spinach, mushrooms and corn...also in legumes....Biotin is critical for hair growth etc, and this was the nutrient that the guy at my HFS suggested might be deficient for me.

I am going to take this supplement in a low dose for 2-3 weeks and see if my hair loss decreases.

Am curious about other's experiences with biotin.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by nycgrrl on July 2, 2008 at 6:50am: anyone?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Toni on July 2, 2008 at 6:59am: I have been going though this too. Unfortunately, I haven't found a solution. I have tried many different things too. This has continued for almost 3 months now. Maybe, it will stop soon. My skin looks great-- but my hair is thinning. In fact I haven't even had to wear makeup in the past month, so it is difficult to say. Everyone says greens are key and that has helped a bit, but not enough yet.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by el-bo on July 2, 2008 at 7:13am: your house has been built on bad bricks

just an analogy, of course,,,,

consider that as a cooked foodie your body did the best it can with undernourished, cooked cells that the diet provided...your body cells are constantly dying, regenerating....it is a constant daily thing....the body gets rid of the bad cells to make way for new 'good' cells

hair and weight are 2 of the most noticeable things that the body destroys so that it can rebuild stronger....many people on raw diets become painfully thin at first..this is the body clearing away the bad...if those same folk manage to stick it out (even in the face of others worries/concern), they usually find that after a while their bodyweight increases and normalises

break down, clean and then rebuild using good , raw food, cells

i think it's the same with your hair....your body wants to rid itself of its bad stock....if you stick with it, i bet that your hair will become a lot more lush

stress is also a factor....my mum went through a period in her life where she lost pretty much all the hair on the back of her head...this was most definately stress-related

stick with it and don't add to the loss by stressing...your body knows what it's doing

hope this helps :o); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Toni on July 2, 2008 at 7:24am: Some medications and conditions can cause this, but I have heard that most hairloss is all linked to stress.
I know I didn't start this discussion. But I hope you are correct el-bo. I was getting way too thin. But may weight is starting to normalize maybe hair is next. Thanks for the encouragement.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by el-bo on July 2, 2008 at 7:28am: just trust that your body will do what it needs to do

your weight regaining is a good sign

stay cool :o); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by nycgrrl on July 2, 2008 at 11:46am: my weight is about where it should be, but over the last 2 weeks i have felt a real decrease in my appetite, so i haven't been eating as much,. i don't even want to drink my whole smoothie, which is CRAZY! so i am trying to eat, but my caloric intake is probably too low.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by nycgrrl on July 2, 2008 at 11:44am: thanks elliot
not too stressed, really, but just want to be sure i am eating as well as i can. i do know i have had iron-deficient anemia in the past, and this "tingling" feeling I constantly have in my scalp is just waaaay bizarre...kinda freaking me out!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Toni on July 2, 2008 at 11:47am: Wierd. I have the exact same thing. My iron and minerals have all been checked too. One doctor said according to my blood I am alkaline inside, but probably not outside. Someone mentioned it could be heavy metals. I might do a heavy metal detox.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by nycgrrl on July 2, 2008 at 4:45pm: i am thinking it might be biotin....do you eat alot of that?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Toni on July 2, 2008 at 4:48pm: I took that vitamin for a while, but I haven't seen great results from it. Isn't that just another form of a B-complex vitamin-- or some mix of B vitamins.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by nycgrrl on July 2, 2008 at 4:50pm: no biotin is a specific nutrient. look it up at whfoods.com--there's lots of good stuff there. it's not a complex or mix.; ▶ Reply to This