Hair Loss-HELP! Thyroid factors and more!

I see hair loss in my practice often and there are multiple drivers of the underlying reasons.

How to Reverse Hair Loss: 

1.  Make sure your thyroid labs are optimal.  When your hormone production is disrupted, specifically the output of hormones T3 and T4(the primary and secondary hormones produced by your thyroid), it affects the life cycle of each strand of hair.  This includes the development of hair at the root, how long it grows before falling out, and its replacement by new growth.  Thyroid hair loss often looks like a general thinning across your scalp or eyebrows.  The first recommendation if you are dealing with thyroid hair loss is to have your doctor run a full thyroid panel to make sure your TSH, Free T4 (FT4), Free T3 (FT3), and Reverse T3 (RT3) levels are all optimal. Your provider needs to order all of them and use optimal not “normal” reference ranges.  I like a TSH of 1-2, T4 of at least 1, T3 of 3.2 or higher.  Work with your practitioner to make sure you’re on the right type and dose of supplemental thyroid hormone.  Free T3, the active form of thyroid hormone, plays a big role in the health of your hair, yet the most commonly prescribed supplemental thyroid hormone is a T4-only hormone.  Many thyroid clients have difficulty converting T4, the storage form of the hormone to Free T3, and do better on natural desiccated thyroid hormone, such as Armour or NP thyroid which includes both T4 and T3, or by adding in a T3-only form of supplemental thyroid like L-Tyrosine.  Optimize your diet for Thyroid health.  Ditching toxic and inflammatory foods and adding in plenty of the nutrients needed for essential thyroid function.  Inflammatory foods to eliminate include corn, gluten, soy, nightshades, nuts and seeds.  Instead, you’ll want to focus on eating real, whole foods rich in the nutrients needed for thyroid health, including iodine, selenium, zinc, iron, vitamin D, B vitamins, and vitamin A. If you are low in these nutrients, your thyroid can’t adequately produce its hormones.  I recommend a diet with plenty of grass-fed, pasture raised meat, leafy greens, starchy vegetables, organic fruits, and healthy fats to combat thyroid hair loss. 

2. Take a high-quality multivitamin.   

3. Increase your iron if you have ferritin under 100, TIBC over 350 and saturation under 20.  I like Simply Heme iron and it absorbs best without side effects and you don’t need cofactors.  Iron deficiency, in particular, is a common cause of thyroid hair loss in premenopausal women.  Specifically. ferritin, the protein that stores your iron, since they are menstruating monthly.  It is particularly common among women following a vegetarian or vegan diet.   

4. Add in Collagen Protein.  Collagen is a protein packed with amino acids, including glutamine.  It gives your hair its strength, your skin its elasticity, supports healthy bones and joints, and helps maintain gut health.  Your body produces collagen on its own, however, your production of it decreases as you age and if you are chronically ill or stressed your ability to produce it is reduced.  

5. Check for low stomach acid.  If you have a chronic illness such as thyroid dysfunction or an autoimmune condition, you may not be fully digesting and absorbing all of the nutrients that are vital for thyroid function and healthy hair.  A primary reason for this is low stomach acid, which breaks down your food once it reaches your gut.  Some telltale signs of low stomach acid include acid reflux, gas, and bloating, particularly after heavy meals high in protein. 

6. Balance your hormones.  Many women develop or see a flare in thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy or menopause when our bodies are going through major hormonal shifts.  If your estrogen levels are too high, due to either hormonal changes or chronic stress, the excess estrogen increases your levels of TBG, thyroid-binding globulin.  When thyroid hormones are attached to TBG they remain inactive, so T4 can’t be stored in your tissues or converted to Free T3, causing hypothyroid symptoms such as thyroid hair loss.  PCOS and high testosterone can cause hair loss 

7. Balance your blood sugar.  Eating lots of carbohydrates and not enough quality proteins and healthy fats can send your blood sugar on a rollercoaster.  These dramatic swings in blood sugar encourage your body to convert more T4 to Reverse T3, an inactive form of thyroid hormone.  This slows down all of your metabolic processes and can cause thyroid hair loss.  To avoid this, I recommend starting off your day with a high-protein breakfast. 

8. Address adrenal fatigue.  These hormones help to regulate blood pressure, electrolyte balance, blood sugar, immune response, digestion, and more.  Chronic stress which many of us face on a daily basis, puts your adrenals on overdrive for extended periods of time, leaving you in a state of adrenal fatigue.  The flooding and eventual plummeting of stress hormones has many negative impacts on the thyroid.  It slows thyroid production, reduces your ability to convert thyroid hormones to their active form, and increases thyroid hormone resistance, causing hypothyroid symptoms, including thyroid hair loss. 

9. Test vitamin D and get it to 70-100 optimally 

10. Consider a Methylated B complex supplement 

Keep Moving Forward 😊 Sarah