Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Thyroid Hair Loss Natural Remedies

What Steps Can I Take To Prevent Or Slow Hair Loss

7 (More) Treatments for Thyroid Hair Loss that Work

Unfortunately, certain types of hair loss are genetic, and very little can be done to prevent them. Genetic types of hair loss include alopecia areata and female pattern hair loss.

But other types of hair loss can be brought on by stress and a poor diet. Do your best to eat a balanced diet, and find ways to take care of your mental health.

For added benefit, stay up to date with your routine checkups. Anemia, low levels of vitamin D and abnormal thyroid hormones can all affect the health of your hair. Simple bloodwork from your primary care physician can determine if these conditions are contributing to your hair loss.

Black women in particular are prone to a type of hair loss called traction alopecia, which is caused by heat, chemicals and tight styles that pull at the hair root, including some braids, dreadlocks, extensions and weaves.

Why Does Hypothyroidism Cause Hair Loss

The thyroid hormones T3 and T4 are responsible for the modulation of biological processes of the hair in multiple ways.

T3 and T4 together down-regulate the death of keratinocytes or cells that create the keratin, a building block of your hair.

Lack of thyroid hormones makes hair cells die quicker and hinders regrowth.

T4 on its own up-regulates the proliferation of these cells that form the hair matrix. It also increases the duration of the growth phase of hair cells.4

If your thyroid isnt active enough, you simply dont have enough of these hormones in your body. So your hair cells die quicker and are not replenished. This is what causes hair loss due to hypothyroidism.

Male Vs Female Hair Loss

The cause of hair loss in men is due to the hair follicles sensitivity to DHT . DHT is a male androgen hormone that causes follicles to shrink, resulting in a shorter life span and decrease hair production. Normally after hairs fall out another hair starts to grow from this same follicle, but if DHT is high hair growth decreases. Male pattern baldness follows a pattern of a receding hairline that progresses to an M shape and then continues to the familiar U shape.

Female pattern baldness is characterized by thinning on the top or the center of the head. Female hair loss is generally due to high levels of stress, hormone imbalance, thyroid conditions or toxic exposure. Women are actually most likely to suffer from hair loss due to hormones. Think pregnancy, menopause, birth control pills and other hormonal changes that women so commonly go through. Having polycystic ovary syndrome is another hormonally related health problem that can contribute to hair loss from the scalp but unwanted hair growth in undesirable places.

Research also shows that there might be a male equivalent of PCOS related to male hair loss. One study found that men with premature male pattern baldness had hormonal profiles similar to women with PCOS and they also had significantly higher insulin resistance. This shows how proper hormone balance in men is also important to health, specifically hair health.

Recommended Reading: For Thyroid Test Is Fasting Needed

Will My Hair Grow Back After Thyroid Treatment

While most cases of hair loss due to hypothyroidism are reversible, it will take some time for the hair to grow back.

1. Billoni N et al. Thyroid hormone receptor beta1 is expressed in the human hair follicle. Br J Dermatol 2000 142: 645-52.

2. Chapman RS and Main RA. Diffuse thinning of hair in iodide-induced hypothyroidism. Br J Dermatol 1967 79: 103-105.

3. Freinkel R and Kreinkel N. Hair growth and alopecia in hypothyroidism. Arch Dermatol 1972 106: 349-352.

4. Mayo Clinic Staff. MayoClinic.org. Hypothyroidism . . Published December 6, 2017. Accessed December 13, 2017.

5. Myers, Amy. AmyMyersMD.com. 10 Tips to Reverse Thyroid Hair Loss. . Published October 10, 2016. Accessed December 13, 2017.

6. Northrup, Christiane. What is Thyroid Disease? Common Thyroid Disease Symptoms To Look For. Christiane Northrup, Christiane Northrup, M.D.

7. Osansky, Eric. Natural Endocrine Solutions. . Published January 28, 2016. Accessed December 13, 2017.

8. Rajapet, Meenal. StyleCraze.com. . 8 Simple Ways to Combat Thyroid-Induced Hair Loss Naturally. Published September 19, 2017. Accessed December 13, 2017.

Powerful Plants For Thyroid Support

10 Tips to Reverse Thyroid Hair Loss

Herbal adaptogens are a helpful way to stabilize your hormones. They also help lower levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, and balance T4 levelsyour thyroid hormone. The following herbs, spices, and foods can support your thyroid function and alleviate thyroid symptoms by balancing hormones:

  • This herb helps to balance hormones by calming the bodys response to stress. It is also known to boost endurance. As a result, it can help combat inflammation and boost your immunity. Add some ashwaganda to dandelion lattes and protein balls for an extra health kick.
  • Is also known as Siberian ginseng, because it has impacts that are similar to Panax ginseng. It helps lower the over-reactivity of the HPO axis, a feedback loop between your brain and other organs such as the kidneys, that is involved in the fight or flight response when you are stressed. Eleuthero can help balance out hormones to prevent excess levels of adrenaline and cortisol impacting on the body. This hormonal balance also helps stabilize thyroid function.
  • Assists in protecting the thyroid gland from oxidative damage and may help to lower levels of cortisol. It is also used by integrative practitioners to increase energy.
  • This comes from the active component of the thick, knotted rhizome root of the Zingiber plant and has potent anti-inflammatory actions. These help to stabilize the thyroid gland and reduce the risk of underactive and overactive thyroid conditions.
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    Causes For Thyroid Hair Loss

    Here are some common thyroid disorders that can lead to hair loss

  • Hypothyroidism: Severe and prolonged hypothyroidism can cause hair loss.
  • Hyperthyroidism: Severe and prolonged hyperthyroidism can cause hair loss.
  • Hashimotos thyroiditis
  • Graves disease
  • Besides thyroid-related issues, here are some causes for Hair Loss:

    • Male-pattern or female-pattern hair loss is inherited
    • Medications used in chemotherapy
    • Age, especially after 50, is a factor
    • Over-styling or product use can cause hair damage
    • There isnt enough protein or iron in your diet
    • Damage to the body
    • Stress that lasts a long time
    • Disorders of the immune system
    • Muscle weakness
    • Unexpected weight loss

    The good news is that thyroid-related hair loss is usually only temporary. Even if you start taking treatment for thyroid hair loss, you may experience hair loss. But, dont worry, this could be due to the hairs natural life cycle.

    How Long Do Thyroid Symptoms Last

    Symptoms of hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism usually improve once the underlying condition is treated. Some symptoms caused by severe or longstanding diseases may take longer to resolve.

    Thyroid symptoms caused by medication side effects or diet are resolved by stopping the medications or adjusting the diet. Thyroid symptoms that occur during pregnancy or after delivery may resolve on their own or need treatment for a short time. Sometimes an illness or inflammation also causes temporary thyroid problems that improve in a few weeks or months.

    But most thyroid conditions will require treatment in the form of medication, radioactive iodine treatment, or surgery.

    RELATED: Understanding thyroid problems during pregnancy

    Read Also: Eye Bulging Due To Thyroid

    What Does Thyroid Hair Loss Look Like Symptoms And Signs

    Generally, it starts with you shedding some hair, and then it gets worse. Then the crown of your head starts to become more visible as hair loss continues and it gets worse and worse.

    Depending on your specific imbalances, you may observe one or all of the thyroid hair loss symptoms:

    • Hair loss in the front portion and or the sides
    • Hair thinning and loss from the parting, thus revealing your scalp significantly. Or you may experience âuniform hair thinning all over your scalp
    • Receding of hairline above the temples, thus making your forehead look out of proportion
    • âChange in texture of the hair: Hyperthyroidism hair texture is dry and brittle. Hypothyroidism hair texture is fine and soft.

    Treatments That Can Help Stop Thyroid Related Hair Loss

    Thyroid hair loss – How to stop hair loss & regrow your hair

    Before we get into the treatments there are a few things that you should know.

    The first is that some of these treatments are FDA approved and others are not.

    But just because they are not FDA approved does not mean they arent effective.

    Sometimes it doesnt make sense to seek out FDA approval if everyone sort of understands and knows that certain therapies are effective.

    Obtaining FDA approval costs a lot of time and money and if treatments and therapies are used off-label for that purpose already, it often doesnt make sense for the manufacturer to spend the time to get that approval.

    Second, all of these therapies have the potential to be effective but that doesnt guarantee that they will work for you!

    You may find that you respond to one therapy better than another but the opposite may be true for someone else.

    Because of this, you may need to spend some time experimenting with these treatments to figure out which works best for you!

    And third, dont count on your doctor to be aware of the treatments we are about to talk about.

    These treatments come from various fields of medicine including cosmetic dermatology, regular and off-label prescriptions, and even medical devices.

    Its highly unlikely that your endocrinologist or regular family practice doctor knows about all of these therapies or will be comfortable recommending their use.

    This also means that they probably wont be covered by insurance.

    With that out of the way, lets talk about how to regrow your hair!

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    The Link Between Thyroid And Hair Loss

    To get a clear picture of the relation between thyroid and hair loss, let us first understand the hair growth process.

    • Hair starts growing from the roots on your scalp.
    • Scalp’s blood vessels provide nutrients to the root and help in hair growth.
    • Hair pushes up through your skin. The oil glands help maintain the required moisture in the hair.
    • Hair grows for sometime and then falls off as a new hair growth cycle starts.

    The hormones of the thyroid gland, T3 and T4, directly affect hair growth and its development. When the hormone production is disturbed, it can lead to hair thinning across your scalp.

    Autoimmune conditions like alopecia are often seen along with thyroid and lead to bald hair patches.

    Conditions like PCOS that are related to thyroid can also lead to hair loss.

    Antithyroid drugs like carbimazole and propylthiouracil can also lead to hair loss in certain people.

    Home Remedies For Treating Hair Loss Due To Thyroid Disorders

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    These home remedies and hair care practices are not backed by scientific evidence. However, anecdotal testimonies suggest they are safe. Consult your doctor if you have any concerns.

    • You can treat adrenal fatigue with a proper diet and yoga.
    • You can reduce stress by aromatherapy. Massaging your hair with the essential oils of rosemary, lavender, or eucalyptus may improve hair growth. Remember to dilute the essential oils with carrier oils like that of coconut or jojoba before application. Always perform a patch test before you start using essential oils for hair growth.
    • Herbs like chaste berry, palmetto, false unicorn, dong quai, and red clover are known to treat hair loss. However, consult a doctor before you start using them.
    • Methods to boost blood flow to hair can improve hair growth. These can include a hot oil massage or inversion method. Consult the respective experts for more details.
    • Avoid hairstyles like tight buns or ponytails that tug at your hair and weaken it, making it prone to breakage and loss.

    Read Also: Normal Range For Thyroid Antibodies

    Homeopathy Treatment For Thyroid

    The thyroid disorder, according to homeopathy, results due to emotional strain and frustration, which restricts the flow of life force energy into various organs and glands. Thyroid dysfunction is one of these autoimmune glandular dysfunctions as per homeopathy. Because homeopathy is based on a persons specific constitution, there prevails a good possibility of healing. Both hyper and low thyroid problems may benefit from homeopathic treatment.

    The thyroid is treated with medicines and surgery, however, homeopathic treatment for the thyroid enhances thyroid gland function through natural ways. Homeopathic remedies operate by enhancing the bodys natural healing abilities. Homeopathic treatments drive the body to reactivate hormone secretions, replenish and restore thyroid tissue, and allow the body to heal itself through the pituitary and other glands as a whole.

    Consider homeopathy for a safe, natural, effective, and long-lasting solution to your thyroid problems.

    Consult your doctor before attempting to treat your hair loss at home. Thyroid problems usually dont cause hair loss until theyve progressed to the point where theyre severe. Hair loss could also be a sign of a more serious medical problem. To notice regrowth and manage additional problems, you might require medication in addition to home remedies. Within a few months, with the correct treatment, you should notice hair growth.

    There Are Root Causes Behind Thyroid Hair Loss

    Pin on Thyroid Hair Loss

    Thankfully, after a long journey to restore my thyroid function, my hair returned to being as full and healthy as ever. However, when I first meet with thyroid patients, they are oftentimes struggling with thyroid hair loss even while being treated for their thyroid dysfunction.

    As with many health issues, this is often because conventional medicine doctors fail to identify and address the root cause of thyroid symptoms. I discuss all of these environmental root causes in my book, The Thyroid Connection.

    In this article, Ill share ten tips for addressing the root causes of thyroid hair loss and getting your hair back to being full, shiny, and healthy!

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    Is Your Hair Loss Due To A Thyroid Disorder

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    Hair loss is a natural phenomenon that increases with age. However, how to identify if your hair loss is associated with a thyroid disorder? You may check for the following symptoms.

    Symptoms of hair loss associated with thyroid disorders

    • You have hair loss throughout the scalp and not in discrete areas. Uniformly sparse scalp hair is a symptom of thyroid dysfunction. Alopecia areata where patchy hair loss happens is usually associated with autoimmune thyroid disease.
    • You experience slow and gradual thinning of hair. Since thyroid disorders, like hypothyroidism, develop over a period, the symptoms also take time to manifest.
    • You observe dry, brittle hair or thinning hair on your scalp.
    • You have hair loss throughout your body.

    It is evident thyroid disorders can cause hair loss. But can this be reversed? What does the science say?

    Can Such Hair Loss Be Reversed

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    Telogen effluvium can be reversed by removing the trigger factors . Hence, hair regrowth could be possible if the underlying thyroid disorder is corrected. Generally, thyroid supplementation helps correct the hormone levels in the body and may aid hair loss reversal.

    Keep in mind this is a slow process. Results can take anywhere between six to eighteen months to show . Results also can vary from person to person.

    In the following section, we discuss the various treatment options available for hair loss due to thyroid disease.

    Read Also: Can Thyroid Make Your Eyes Pop Out

    Yoga For Thyroid Hair Loss

    Regular practice of yoga is beneficial for hair growth as it increases blood circulation to head and scalp region. Right yoga asana help to stimulate the thyroid gland, thus help in production of thyroid hormones. Here are some beneficial yoga asana for thyroid hair loss:

    • Vajrasana the thunderbolt pose is useful to calm you mind and tone up your digestive system. It supports regular bowel movement and natural detoxification of the body. This reduces the problem of excess hormones in the form of androgens.
    • Shirsasana the headstand pose enhances blood circulation to the scalp, stimulates the blocked channels in hair follicles and promotes growth of healthy hair.
    • Sarvangasana Shoulder stand pose is quite effective in increasing blood supply to the scalp region, thus improving the supply of nutrients to the hair follicles.
    • Bhujangasana the cobra pose improves blood circulation in vertebral column. Thus, it supports nervous system health. This in turn helps to reduce your stress levels, calm your mind and tone up your endocrine glands.
    • Some other yoga poses that are also useful in reducing of hair fall, hair loss and baldness are:

    Make Sure Youre On The Right Type And Dose Of Supplemental Thyroid Hormone

    THYROID DISEASE AND HAIR LOSS | My Tips for long healthy hair

    Once you know all of your thyroid levels, you can work with your doctor to make sure that youre 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, such as Synthroid® or Levoxyl®. Many thyroid patients have difficulty converting T4, the storage form of the hormone, to Free T32, and do better on natural desiccated thyroid hormone, such as Armour® or Naturethroid®, which includes both T4 and T3, or by adding in a T3-only form of supplemental thyroid hormone, such as Cytomel® or a compounded time-release T3 formula. I discuss in detail all of the different forms of supplemental thyroid hormone in my book, The Thyroid Connection. Determining which supplemental hormone is right for you is a crucial step in reversing thyroid hair loss.

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    Natural Remedies For Thyroid Issues

    1. Ashwagandha

    So for starters, the No. 1 natural remedy you need to start to support the thyroid is ashwagandha, which is proven to heal thyroid and adrenal issues. Ashwagandha is known as an adaptogenic herb. Adaptogen herbs mean they help you adapt and deal with stress, and ashwagandha has been used for thousands of years in Chinese medicine.

    Other adaptogenic herbs can include things like tulsi or holy basil also things like rhodiola and ginseng and licorice root. All of those are adaptogen herbs, but ashwagandha may be the most effective at naturally supporting overall thyroid health, especially as a natural treatment for hypothyroidism and Hashimotos. In fact, in the studies on it, it was actually shown to help both hyper and hypothyroid symptoms, which is amazing.

    So, you should definitely add ashwagandha to your hypothyroidism diet since it works as a way to treat hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism.

    2. Selenium

    The No. 2 thing you should consider adding in to overall improve your thyroid function is selenium. The benefits of selenium are critical actually, selenium has very powerful antioxidant-like functions. In fact, studies have shown that selenium helps balance out T4 in your body hormones, so again, taking a therapeutic dose of selenium every day has also been shown to benefit thyroid function.

    There are also foods high in selenium you can consume, including:

    5. Proteolytic Enzymes

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