Re: 9 months, no slowdown in hairloss! Actually it has gotten much worse...Yes I feel lost!

hi, sorry its taken a while to get back to you. this may give you more info that you wanted, or you may already know it all, if so, forgive me please, but it may be a while before i can get back to the computer again, so i wanted to write it all down while i thought of it!
yes, i thought you might have tried a lot of stuff already:)I assume they tested for thyroid too, and that came back ok? well, i would say, either go back on your good diet, or if you dont feel like eating too much at the moment, go back onto supplemements once your blood tests are done(though most supplements should be taken with food or just after a reasonable sized meal, to aid digestion of the tablet) - the testing of deficiencies for vits and mins in the blood is very useful, and will give you a good indication, if they test for everything. however, remember that the levels at which we are "normal" are quite basic and are merely enough to keep us alive and in reasonable health. however, when we have something going wrong somewhere or our lifestyle is taking its toll in some way, then we usually need a lot more than the "normal" level, to allow our bodies to get over the problem. Once the problem is dealt with though, it is good to reduce supplement dosage where possible to basic levels. Though there are some people who do seem to need to keep up higher than usual levels in their blood stream, just to feel ok, so we are all individual, and nothing should be set in stone!:)
I will deal with supplements first - It sounds like your job is stressful:) as you probably know, stress eats up B vitamins like there's no tomorrow, and you also need B vits for the digestion to work effeciently so that you get vits and mins from other foods, for hormones, as well as for hair, skin etc. so i would definately supplement with B vits, unless you have any other medical reason for not doing so. i would go for around 100mg B complex per day. This is quite a high dose, so it would need to be a timed release tablet, so it is releasing a small amount over say an 8 hour period, for your body to get the best benefit. (this should be taken after a good amount of food or half way through a meal, and swallowed with enough water to get it down!!) i would also take a fish oil capsule(omega 3) 1000mg, and evening primrose 1000mg per day. you may get a fish oil capsule that includes omega 3 as well as vit A from cod liver oil. thats even better, as Vit A is needed for hair too. Otherwise you could take a low dose cod liver oil capsule - only low dose, because it is possible to overdose on vit A (mind you, you would have to take a lot!!) I would also take an acidophilus product of some sort(look for makes that are kept in the fridge) - or eat good live NATURAL youghurt every morning and evening - yoghurt must not be had with flavourings or with fruit added, just plain, off the spoon!! and taken on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning, about 3 tablespoons. then leave it a good half hour before you eat anything or drink anything else. also, at night, just before you go to bed and brush your teeth!:)
You can take a strong multi mineral tablet to give you a bit of everything, but i would also take extra silica from horsetail grass, and make sure you are getting a good amount of zinc in your mineral tablet. ask the health store assistant for advice on this.
Diet
it goes without saying that we should all eat fresh veg, fruit, a little lean meat (if we are meat eaters) and lots of oily fish, and have nothing processed or packet food - not always easy , but if you can do it, your body will thank you for it:)
One interesting thing is this day and age where so many foods are labelled as "bad" for us, is that if you dont get enough salt in your diet, your hair falls out! so although you dont want to add salt to everything, as you can overdose on it, you do want a little salt in your diet somewhere. all foods have some natural sodium but adding a little to your potatoes or in the cooking process is very important.
if people have an imbalance between the sodium and potassium level it can aggrevate high blood pressure, so i always use cider vinegar (which is alkalising) as my normal vinegar which is high in potassium. apples eaten every day, are good too.
with the summer here, its easy to eat salads till they are coming out of our ears:) just add olive oil and cider vinegar and herbs like oregano as a dressing, no need for processed salad creams etc. include mainly freshly bought veg and fruit, with the emphasis on "fresh" as in "in season" - fruit and veg starts to die as soon as it is picked, so the longer it has been stored the more nutrients it loses. if you like oily fish, then have it at least 3 or 4 times a week - if not, then go for the fish oil capsule i suggested above.
guess you probably know that coffee can have all sorts of odd effects on the body. caffeine is an adrenal stimulant which can interfere with blood Sugar levels. it can in some people also interfere with the elimination process of toxins etc from the body, and while it is fine to have a cup or 2 for people already in good health, i would usually not suggest it for anyone with any stubborn health problem, so i would always say, no caffeine, and not even decaff unless it has been decaffed without the use of chemicals, and even then it would still be quite acidic for the body. i dont drink it at all, so am no expert is the makes available these days. herbal teas are great - chamomile is soothing and might be useful for those stressful days when you are working in a crisis situation!:) peppermint is refreshing but should Only be taken after food - the reason for this is that is stimulates your digestion which in turn gets your stomach pumping out acid which it needs to digest your food - that is fantastic after a heavy meal, because you need the extra acid then, but you really dont want to be pumping out acid onto an empty stomach. (same goes for any peppermint thing, like chewing gum - that too, should really be best taken after food). the other thing that concerns me with peppermint is that it is often hosted as a caffeine free drink, but i have a good old medical book which lists all the ingredients and volatile oils etc found in all herbs done from tests some years back, and peppermint has caffeine in it naturally occuring. just because it is natural, doesnt mean it is free from caffeine. after all, coffee is natural too lol. so i dont know if those packets that say peppermint, caffeine free tea, have had the caffeine taken out or if they just dont know about the caffeine or what lol. well, i am getting off point here, and waffling along, as i often do..:) so i would stick with lots of water for general drinking and chamomile tea for hot and wet stuff. you could try making your own up, for fun, like fennel seeds mixed with a little ginger cut or grated from a piece of fresh ginger - quite stimulating for the digestive system again, so that one, only after food, also. Lemonbalm herb makes a lovely tea, also, and can be taken any time.
Alcohol is acid and uses up your B vits very quickly, so try to avoid it at all costs while your hair is still giving you problems. Also, if at all possible try some kind of relaxation technique if you havent already:) something like 10 mins of gentle deep breathing with your eyes closed before you go into work, or at lunch time. anything along those lines will help.
well, i guess you will probably know a lot of what i have said anyway, but i do hope that some of it may be of help to you. you could also see a reputable and properly qualified herbalist in your area, to see what else they suggest. whatever you try or do, it is going to be a minimum 3 - 4 months just to settle things to an even keel, before starting to actually get better and see positive results, which could be another 3 -4 months after that, so any program you go on has to be a long term one. oh yes, i just remembered...Kelp!!! silly me, kelp has helped a lot of people with hair growth problems over the years. It helps the thyroid gland work better, and i have known many people whose thyroid tests came back ok, or at least, within the "normal range", yet when they gave the thyroid the nutrients it needed by supplemementing with kelp over a number of months, they gradually got their hair back, so if you havent already tried it, give that one a go also!! Or if you are fed up with supplements, then i guess any seaweed would be ok - go for sushi hehe (cant stand the taste of it myself lol, so i would rather take a supplement hehe). anyway, i better stop writing now, before you get eye strain reading all this:) take care, i sincerely hope that something starts to work for you sooner rather than later, and that within the next 6 months or so, your hair starts to come back to it's rightful place - the top of your head!:) all best wishes, and thinking of you:) x Tweet