Re: hair problem - QUESTION -

[Guest guest]

,

Prevention goes a long ways. If I had known what I know now I would have

supplemented before and prevented the hair loss.

Rhonda

-My daughter has been on the diet going on three months. Should I start

supplementing with selenium, biotin and zinc BEFORE she starts hair loss?

Is this a viable preventative measure???? She has so little hair anyway, I

hate to think of her not having the bit she has.... , mum to dear

, keto diet since May

Rhonda Ackerman ackerman@...> wrote:I'll confirm 's answer,

look at supplementing with biotin, selenium and

zinc. Our daughter went through this twice. The first time we added extra

zinc and biotin. Her hair grew back but half of her bangs/fringe would not

grow. About a year later we quit supplementing with the biotin and zinc due

to her ratio being low (about 1.5) and her hair once again began falling

out. We presently live in Australia and could not find a biotin supplement

without dye and other " stuff " in it that triggered seizures. We did not

restart the zinc We decided to try giving her selenium. Her hair has grown

back nicely (the best yet since starting the diet) and all of her bangs have

been growing. She has been taking the selenium for about a year. We have

not supplemented with any extra biotin or zinc. But, after reading 's

post on low levels of zinc causing poor growth I'm wondering if our daughter

might benefit from extra zinc for her growth has been slow on the diet.

Rhonda

[Guest guest]

Since starting the diet we have used an excellent adult multi-vitamin for

Shan (Kirkland brand at Costco). This did not prevent her from having hair

loss. I did a little internet search and I agree with that we

should be careful with zinc. Too much zinc can decrease copper absorption

and lead to other problems. It was recommended that if a person is taking

50mg or more of zinc that they should supplement with copper. Also they

said that a person should not take more than 100mg a day. I noticed on my

multivitamin that it contains 22.5 mg of zinc and 3 mg of copper. Both are

listed as 150% daily recommended value.

I found some good information on biotin at

http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic238.htm This site shows a definite

connection between poor hair quality and biotin deficiency. There are

anticonvulsant medications that can lead to biotin deficiency. Tegretol

(carbamazepine) is listed as one. My daughter, Shan, was on high doses of

this drug for over 5 years prior to starting the diet. This in itself could

have made her more prone to hair loss on the diet. Biotin deficiency is

very rare and is found in many foods. Shan's multi vitamin contains only

10%. I have decided to restart supplementing her with 150mcg daily as a

preventive measure and to help her be even healthier especially since she is

still on a small dose of trileptal.

I only found a little information on selenium. What little I found they did

not mention loss but interesting it talks about sore legs in the few people

who are deficient. These people were on TPN (total IV nutrition for their

food that did not contain selenium). Shan use to have many episodes of leg

cramping and soreness during the first 1-2 years of the diet. Looking back,

she has not had any problems since starting selenium. There are articles

that talk about animals, especially sheep, who have a " white leg " syndrome

associated with selenium deficiency. Their leg muscles cramp and are

painful. One article did mention that " loose hair " was a symptom of

selenium toxicity. I'm guessing that if toxicity could cause loose hair

that deficiency could cause loose hair as well. Shan is proof. When we

started the selenium we were not supplementing with extra zinc or extra

biotin at the time. She was just taking her usual multivitamin and

calcium/magnesium supplements. Her hair was falling out like the first

time. It quit falling out and started to grow after starting selenium. In

fact, it has grown back nicer than when we were supplementing with biotin

but it still is not at the thickness it was prior to starting the diet.

The amount of selenium I'm giving is 25 mcg. I'm keeping the total amount

under or at the amount that is recommended daily for an adult.

Rhonda

Dear Rhonda

I am sure that is good advice. I checked when I picked up her calcium

prescription and selenium and biotin are sold without a prescription. What

dosage did you use for Shan. She would have been about the same age as

when you used it. I would guess is heavier, though. Need to figure

out those calories!!! Also wondering if stevia brought on last seizure, as

it came three days after beginning to use it exclusively instead of

sweetener...

Thanks, again. .. mum to , keto since May 04