Herbs/hair thinning article I found....

[Guest guest]

Hair Thinning in Women

This could be a B-vitamin deficiency, an endocrine problem, a stress

response or even heavy-metal poisoning.

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, 's

hair looked about the same. I started digging a little deeper. It

turns out that 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 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.

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, 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.