Hair-Loss

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?

There are a few common reasons for hair loss:

• Not being diagnosed as Hypothyroid due to
  the questionable TSH test. Need I say more?
• Taking T4 only medications like Synthroid or Levoxyl:
  ​We know that taking these types of medications require proper conversion of T4 to T3 and good levels of iron and B12 are necessary for this conversion process to happen and most hypothyroid patients have issues with both of these. High Reverse T3 is also an issue with T4 only medications. High rT3 leaves you hypo.
• Being on too low of a dose of NDT or T3 medications: This keeps you hypothyroid which can lead to hair loss. It’s important to have your doctor understand how to dose these medications properly and know what optimal lab ranges mean.
• High or low cortisol Levels:  By not treating adrenals properly, high or low levels of cortisol are related to stress and inflammation which can impact how our bodies produce and use other important hormones that can impact hair loss.
• Low iron: Hair follicles are made up of cells that need hemoglobin. When you don’t have enough iron, your body can’t produce the hemoglobin in your blood. Hemoglobin carries oxygen for the growth and repair of cells in your body, including the cells that stimulate hair growth.
• ​Low B Vitamins: All of the B vitamins are required for red blood cell metabolism. Low B12 and folate levels can slow the production of new red blood cells. Eventually, this problem can lead to low levels of iron in your blood as old red cells wear out and die and aren’t effectively replaced.
• Sex hormones: Extra progesterone, particularly if cortisol is good, can run down the other pathway and convert to DHT and other androgens which can cause hair loss.  Low testosterone with elevated DHT will promote receding hair line. DHT is a metabolite of testosterone.

Below are a few other common reasons for hair loss

• Hormonal changes
• High iron and/or heavy metals due to the MTHFR mutation
• Lyme Disease
• Pregnancy
• High levels of Selenium due the MTHFR mutation or supplementing it when one did not need to.