Excessive Hair Loss May Reflect A Poor Immune System

Last updated on 6 JUL 2017

There is no secret in preventing excessive hair loss. Prevention is by eating the right nutrition that is found in fresh fruits and vegetables.

Understanding Hair Loss

At any one time, 10 percent of our hair is at a resting period while the other 90 percent grows at about 1 cm a month. After about two or three months, the rested hair will fall out to be replaced by new hair.

The most common type of hair loss—alopecia—affects a majority of men and a smaller percentage of women from age 35. In men, the typical hair loss can be seen by receding hairlines towards the back of the head. Subsequently large patches of hair loss may leave a horseshoe-shaped tuft of hair. This latter form of hair loss usually occurs for individuals with issues in the liver, digestive system and pancreas.

In women, typical alopecia hair loss is seen in the thinning of hair all over the scalp, but more noticeably over the top of the head. Hair loss in children are not common, but a majority cases of alopecia in children will see restoration over time.

About up to 50 strands of hair drop daily is rather normal. Considering that we have about 100,000 strands of hair on our head, this amount is not a big loss. But, excessive hair loss without being replaced as quickly may cause some concerns. When this happens, we should best sit up and take notice and do something about it.

There are other types of hair loss, but here I will discuss hair loss that is affected by lack of nutrition.

Causes of Excessive Hair Loss

There are many reasons for excessive hair loss. One of the most common causes of hair loss is lack of certain essential fatty acids and proper essential nutrients over a prolonged period.

Lack of iron, vitamins A, C, the B vitamins, and sufficient amounts of collagen and protein, all contribute to hair loss. The B vitamins provide folate, biotin and inositol which are necessary for strong and healthy hair. One of the first things to try is a Biotin (vitamin B7) supplement, often a vitamin that many people are deficient in.

• Months that follow after a trauma (stress), a surgery or a major illness may cause loss of a large amount of hair. This is due to stress that cause a huge impact on your gut, lowering your immune system, and ingestion of medications. Getting back on your feet and nourishing your body back with wholesome food will see improved immune system and new hair growth.
• An over or under-active thyroid gland can cause excessive hair loss. A pregnant woman may also experience excessive hair loss due to hormonal imbalance and hormonal changes.
• Another culprit is drugs or prescribed medication. These include use of anti-coagulants, drugs used in chemotherapy to treat cancer, anti-depressants, contraceptive pills and overdose of vitamin A. Hair growth is usually restored when medications are stopped and proper nutrition takes over.
• Other causes are fungal infections and various chronic diseases. Because excessive hair loss is due to a poor immune system, it is something to be aware of as there are often other underlying conditions.
• Other hair problems: Oily hair occurs because of vitamin B deficiency. Dry or brittle hair—other than caused by too much chemical put on the hair—is a sign of essential fats deficiency. Poor hair growth and loss of color is a result of zinc deficiency.

Now hear this: A deficiency of iron and vitamin B12, and thyroid imbalance can cause premature gray hair. Smokers are four times more likely to go prematurely gray! Gray hair are actually transparent hair that contains dead cells in it, causing it to appear as unsightly gray.

Diet/Lifestyle Suggestions

There are a few things you can do internally and externally to reduce excessive hair loss:

Shampoo:

• Massage the scalp, wash your hair with high-quality organic shampoo suitable for your hair type, reduce use of hair dryer, heated rollers and curling wands.
• Years of using poor quality shampoo and lack of hair hygiene could be a cause of hair loss in later years. This can cause bottle bacilli (bacteria shaped like a bottle) which is a common cause of dandruff and hair-thinning problem.
• To correct this problem, apply apple cider vinegar (use only Bragg’s) or virgin coconut oil directly to scalp and leave for about 15 minutes before shampooing. Use a shower cap to contain the treatment while waiting it out, then wash off. Do this every time you shampoo until you see improvement. This method helps clean the scalp and restore the scalp pH.
• Ever tried using freshly-extracted juices as natural shampoo and mask for hair health? Read more here on how you can do this to nourish your scalp for a healthy head of hair.

Castor Oil:

• Applying castor oil on your scalp helps to prevent hair loss and in fact stimulate hair growth. Castor oil helps clean the scalp of bacteria, unclog hair pores and nourishing from outside in. Many people have found castor oil application to be effective for growing out thick, luscious hair!

Nutrition:

• One of the other best ways to prevent hair loss is feeding it from the inside out. Eating poorly causes hair to drop excessively.  Avoid eating excessive carbohydrates, carbonated drinks and processed foods. These all cause your blood to be acidic, causing mineral loss from your hair.
• Avoid unhealthy diet fads that make you lose weight too quickly. For, along with the unhealthy weight loss, you lose your precious hair.
• Sulfur/sulphur is a necessary mineral for beautiful hair growth. This mineral can be found in high protein foods like fish, legumes, nuts, eggs, beans, and some vegetables. When cooking, add in onion and garlic where possible. Also eat them fresh whenever possible!

Healthy Fats:

• Finally, the wrong kinds of fat that cause hair loss need to be eliminated and replaced with sufficient amount of EFAs like Omega 3. Taking 2 tablespoons of fresh flaxseed oil daily will effectively reduce excessive hair loss. Applying them on the scalp helps too!

Recommended Healing Foods to Prevent Excessive Hair Loss

Carrots contain the necessary carotenes that help prevent hair loss. Asparagus, cucumber, cabbage and spinach, all have high contents of sulfur that is necessary for hair and nail health.

Carrot	Apple	Bean sprouts	Alfalfa sprouts
Cabbage	Brussels sprouts	Asparagus	Broccoli
Cucumber	Kale	Spinach	Capsicum
Garlic	Onion	Leek	Ginger root

Bean sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, Brussels sprouts, they all contain high amounts of silica and sulfur that help strengthen hair to prevent hair loss. At sprouting stage is when these sprouts are richest in nutrition. They are also high in antioxidants, making them great foods not only for hair but also for overall health.

Some Suggested Combos (measurement for one portion):

• 300 grams of bean sprouts + a squeeze of lemon juice + 1-inch ginger root
• 2 carrots + 2 green apples + 1 cucumber + 10 Brussels sprouts + ¼ lemon
• 2 green apples + 1 cucumber + 2 capsicums +¼ lemon
• 2 green apples + 1 cucumber + a bunch of spinach or 6-8 leaves of kale + ¼ lemon
• 2 carrots + 2 green apples +¼ head of cabbage +¼ lemon

Learn how to make tasty green juices.

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About Sara Ding

Sara Ding is the founder of Juicing-for-Health.com. She is a certified Wellness Health Coach, Nutritional Consultant and a Detox Specialist. She helps busy men and women identify their health issues at the root cause, in order to eliminate the problems for optimum physical/mental health and wellbeing.

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