Thyroid and Hair loss
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flowinlocks
Well-Known Member
My sis is experiencing this right now. Hopefully others will chime in with what worked for them.
nadiacurly
New Member
Here in holland you first have to see the doctor and do a blood test. And especially with medicine it's: what works for you doesn't have to work for the other..
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I'm hypo (underactive). I have slowed growth and thinning combined with periods of heavy shedding. The shedding happens once or twice a year.
I am currently on 60mg of Armour, prescribed. My doctor and I feel that as long as it's working, I won't be switched to one of the synthetics. My fatigue has improved considerably and so has my weight. I feel better than I have in years and really my only complaint is hair-related. I thought it would thicken back up but it hasn't. I hope that it eventually will though it's been 2 yrs. But I'm losing much less hair lately so you never know!
I am currently on 60mg of Armour, prescribed. My doctor and I feel that as long as it's working, I won't be switched to one of the synthetics. My fatigue has improved considerably and so has my weight. I feel better than I have in years and really my only complaint is hair-related. I thought it would thicken back up but it hasn't. I hope that it eventually will though it's been 2 yrs. But I'm losing much less hair lately so you never know!
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tashboog
I'm on Instagram
I'm hypo as well. I have several bald patches in my hair. I've been dealing with hair loss since I was in my 20's and I've just turned 39 last month. I'm on a low dose of the generic synthroid. Since I've started my healthy hair journey, my hair is doing a lot better. I still have the bald patches but there is actually hair starting to grow in those areas especially since I've been using my oil blend 
. Despite of my condition, my hair is still growing and I even achieved my goal this year of APL. I've also started incorporating black tea rinses which has also helped slow down the shedding. I've also been to several dermatologist and they couldn't do anything to help with my alopecia but at least my oil blend is slowly working .
. Despite of my condition, my hair is still growing and I even achieved my goal this year of APL. I've also started incorporating black tea rinses which has also helped slow down the shedding. I've also been to several dermatologist and they couldn't do anything to help with my alopecia but at least my oil blend is slowly working .
tiffers
Whisper "bleep boop" to yourself when you're sad.
I have hypo/Hashimoto's.
When it first developed, it was hell. Despite being damn near obsessive and doing everything I could to retain, I lost about 80% of my hair. It was thin, hard, dry and each strand stuck to the next. My hair literally sounded like velcro when I tried to seperate the parts that were stuck together. It was a horrible mess.
That's when I disappeared from the board for a while. Seeing everyone's progress and the maddening "OMG! I lost three strands of hair, am I going bald?!" threads just about threw me over the edge.
After a year or so, I ended up just chopping it all off out of frustration and now I'm natural because of it.
I didn't take any meds. I'm anti prescription/doctors unless the situation is dire. I don't trust them.
I took a million vitamins a day. Off the top of my head: Alfalfa, Evening Primrose Oil, EFAs, Gotu Kola, iron, horsetail and a few others. It was a long journey, but I finally got my hair back under control.
When it first developed, it was hell. Despite being damn near obsessive and doing everything I could to retain, I lost about 80% of my hair. It was thin, hard, dry and each strand stuck to the next. My hair literally sounded like velcro when I tried to seperate the parts that were stuck together. It was a horrible mess.
That's when I disappeared from the board for a while. Seeing everyone's progress and the maddening "OMG! I lost three strands of hair, am I going bald?!" threads just about threw me over the edge.
After a year or so, I ended up just chopping it all off out of frustration and now I'm natural because of it.
I didn't take any meds. I'm anti prescription/doctors unless the situation is dire. I don't trust them.
I took a million vitamins a day. Off the top of my head: Alfalfa, Evening Primrose Oil, EFAs, Gotu Kola, iron, horsetail and a few others. It was a long journey, but I finally got my hair back under control.
Tiffers, isn't the dryness the worst?! Glad to hear you've turned it around. 
And I also understand having to lay low/take a break board-wise. It's frustrating to see my once full, thick mane fall like needles on an old Christmas tree while I witness others' progress lap mine several times over! You see when I joined vs. my post count, right?!
Good health to all of those struggling!
And I also understand having to lay low/take a break board-wise. It's frustrating to see my once full, thick mane fall like needles on an old Christmas tree while I witness others' progress lap mine several times over! You see when I joined vs. my post count, right?! Good health to all of those struggling!
grownupnai
Active Member
I'm currently concerned that I have hyper thyroid problems. I lost 7 kilos on my scale which is about 13 lbs in 2 weeks not doing anything, except the past couple of days I have been eating no processed wheat(except beer). I only started eating like that, including no dairy because i was feeling sick. My hair is shedding like crazy and I'm only 25. All my friends are telling me I look pail and I'm a brown skinned black girl with 85% white friends in a really white country. I didn't even think it was possible, but I have dark circles around my eyes. I started taking floradix, a natural iron supplement and I'm eating about 50% organic. I eat mostly rice, quinoa, beans, lentils and lots of veggies like cabbage, chard, zucchini and a bit of sweet potato, pumpkin. I am pretty convinced that my thyroid blood work will come back and say something about that part of my body. Maybe I'm paranoid, but im scared of doctors and already started looking into natural cures.
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grownupnai
Active Member
Also I think for me it makes sense. Considering how thick my hair was at 18. I'm only 7 years out from that point and haven't seen many doctors since. I haven't had my thyroid checked since then and I have about 1/3 of the hair that I use to have. My hair was always fine, but super thick and I could afford to lose so many strands at that point. maybe that's why it has taken me so many years to notice the problem. It's excessive shedding at this point and so I cant avoid it any longer. I also recently decided to grow my hair again. It's not all short so I can see longer strands just falling out with bulbs from my scalp. I don't have any breakage. I don't want to be bald. I'm really scared actually. 
mzsophisticated26
New Member
I was diagnosed with hashimoto's/hypo last year and my thinning and bald spots took a turn for the worst this year. I have always had thin hair but my crown is sooo thin and I have large silver dollar size bald patches in my temples that wont grow. In addition I have thalassemia minor and vitamin D defiency. I reached SL in 2009 and my hair is still barely scraping APL. I am not on any meds yet because my thyroid still has some function and I dont want to take meds unless I have to. I have recently thought about giving up my quest for long hair journey and cut my hair back to a short tapered cut. The dryness, shedding and balding is frustrating me.
aicramphoto
Member
I'm hypo (slow) and I am on low dosage synthetic. Was diagnosed in 2001 and been on same dosage ever since. Did not lose any hair but this year noticed slight receding hairline. Could be old age cause I reached a milestone this year and hormones are changing. Weight is good, skin is very good, have no other health issues (no blood pressure, diabetes, heart, etc.).
So far my hair is still growing, but my issue, as my other posts have said, is retention. Currently, I am stepping up my protein inside and out. I am semi-vegetarian (chicken twice a week) and I have a tendency to slack off eating protein. I force myself to eat the chicken because I still like it and I get lazy with other sources. The jury is still out on processed soy, estrogen and breast cancer and I am at that age.
I did lose my eyebrows. I am trying to see if I should supplement the synthetic with a natural remedy. I am currently trying DHT supplements and external DHT follicle stimulators. They take 6-8 months to show progress, so we will see.
Not sure if the other people who responded are all young ladies, but I am concerned with those of you who have been diagnosed and are not taking any medications. Some thyroid issues are the easiest to treat (not curable, but highly treatable) and I feel blessed that so far the only thing I have to do is take one little pill (albeit for the rest of my life). Please don't mess with this, it can lead to other issues that may not be so easy to treat. Please think about it.
So far my hair is still growing, but my issue, as my other posts have said, is retention. Currently, I am stepping up my protein inside and out. I am semi-vegetarian (chicken twice a week) and I have a tendency to slack off eating protein. I force myself to eat the chicken because I still like it and I get lazy with other sources. The jury is still out on processed soy, estrogen and breast cancer and I am at that age.
I did lose my eyebrows. I am trying to see if I should supplement the synthetic with a natural remedy. I am currently trying DHT supplements and external DHT follicle stimulators. They take 6-8 months to show progress, so we will see.
Not sure if the other people who responded are all young ladies, but I am concerned with those of you who have been diagnosed and are not taking any medications. Some thyroid issues are the easiest to treat (not curable, but highly treatable) and I feel blessed that so far the only thing I have to do is take one little pill (albeit for the rest of my life). Please don't mess with this, it can lead to other issues that may not be so easy to treat. Please think about it.
mzsophisticated26
New Member
aicramphoto, I am 30yrs old My endo told me she did not want to start me on meds because my last blood test the function was still okay and she said she would prefer the function to stop working on its own before I progress to meds. My thyroid is also enlarged with nodules so if I have to get surgery then I know I will have to take meds at that point. I have to get blood test and ultrasounds every 6mths.
aicramphoto
Member
gn1g
Well-Known Member
We
What's your oil blendI'm hypo as well. I have several bald patches in my hair. I've been dealing with hair loss since I was in my 20's and I've just turned 39 last month. I'm on a low dose of the generic synthroid. Since I've started my healthy hair journey, my hair is doing a lot better. I still have the bald patches but there is actually hair starting to grow in those areas especially since I've been using my oil blend
Guinan
Re-Branding
I was diagnosed with Graves disease (an overactive thyroid) when I was 25. During that time I was under ALOT of stress and was taking weekly diet flushers. My endocrinologist told me that those two things may have caused my Graves Disease; especially the diet cleansers. My endo said that a lot of these diet supplements are designed to stimulate the thyroid. I don't know how true this is regarding what's causing thyroid problems.
My hair sheds like CRAZY due to the Graves disease and anemia. I haven't experienced any bald spots but I do get thinning around my hair line. I have been really trying to focus on retaining.
tashboog
I'm on Instagram
@gn1g that was awhile ago when I made that oil blend. I don't even remember what I had in it
. However I can tell u what I'm currently using for my bald spots. The one thing I use now is a dermaroller before applying my oil treatment. My current oil blend is 2-4 oz aloe vera gel, 1 capsule of moringa, 3 drops of tea tree eo, 3 drops peppermint eo, 3 drops lavender eo, 3 drops sandlewood eo, 3 drops rosemary eo, and 3 capsules saw palmetto. This is supposed to be really good for alopecia. I haven't been using it that long but I saw a lady on youtube who had alopecia and grew back her hair using moringa and aloe vera gel.Oh I am so sorry! I pray you are healed ASAP! Wow this makes sense, the theory is good, but I never thought about diet supplements stimulating the thyroid.
You might want to research Zinc and black strap molasses I am not a doctor, but please do your own research! but always check with your doctor before trying anything. Hope you feel better soon! Sending out good energy to you
and that your hair becomes thicker, stronger, longer and stop shedding.I was diagnosed with graves 11 yrs ago and am still fighting this disease. I got it from being under extreme stress for a long period of time and then being pregnant. I also think eating processed food also played a part.
My thyroid screws with my hair and skin in cycles. I get hormonal cystic acne, massive shedding and extreme skin and hair dryness.
ilong
God's Own
@Wenbev - I agree with the bolded. I think processed foods are the DEVIL! The foods contain so many chemicals needed to preserve the foods. Our society LIVES on "fast, quick, processed foods. Some grocers no longer stock fresh lettuce in the produce section and only offer the bags of (preserved) lettuce. The fresh fruit and vegetable sections in grocery stores are less than half the size of the frozen food section containing frozen processed foods dinners, lunches, meals, etc. Frozen foods can contain as much as 1800mg of sodium! Sugar content in some foods is even worse. There is no wonder why diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease rates are increasing. Energy drinks (red bull, monster, 5 hour energy) are fast killers, IMO. Many of them accelerate the heart rate (putting to much stress on the heart), lead to depression and hypertension.
I agree with many dieticians that these food and diet choices are directly responsible for obesity, increased rates of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and other life threatening diseases.
The affect of these bad choices are visible in young people today as we see young girls with extra large breasts, large derrieres and male and females with large bodies in general. They remind me of how a chicken looks that has been injected with steroids or growth hormones.
@ilong Preach! You are so right. The moment I eat something processed, my body is screaming at me. I am in the process of cutting out some dairy as those foods can be highly processed as well like some cheese and yogurt. I try to buy as much fresh as I can as close to the farm when possible. Not always an option bc I live in Vegas. I do most of my food shopping at Sprouts or Whole Paycheck and prepare my meals for my family.
I so agree with the children looking waaay too grown these days. 9-10 year old girls with full breasts and already on their cycle is becoming the norm.
luckiestdestiny
Well-Known Member
Did you take RAI? Are you hypo now? If so are you on only synthroid or synthroid and cytomel (t3 and t4) OR all natural hormone like WP or Armour?
If you take only synthroid you may be one of many people who can't tranform t4 into t3 well. That happens with age, and even sometimes just because your body can't do it. That means your hormone isn't converting properly so you're still having hypo symptoms but the doc isn't hearing it as long as he thinks you're in "range". If you can get him to switch you to syntroid and cytomel combo that will help as it allows you to have more than one hormone (t3 and t4 as synthroid alone is only t4). But the ultimate is all natural versions (there are some such as WP thyroid and Armour). You can do a search on line for others on Mary Shoman's site. You would need a doc who will prescribe them and is updated on the newest research. You can look at the top doctors list by Mary Shoman (expert in autoimmune thyroid illness).
http://www.thyroid-info.com/topdrs/
Click your state and search for surrounding cities and then look for doctors that prescibe natural dessicated thyroid or are willing to. They are more like your body's natural hormone (more compatible than stuff engineered in a lab). With synthroid I had more than what you mention, I also had fogginess, forgetfulness, and just felt like everything was dulled including my emotions. It was like someone turned off the light the minute I was given RAI and I went hypo. Some people's body can't convert T4 to T3 easily and that's why it's better to have at least synthroid AND cytomel. But better for natural because it has all of the T's the body needs. When I took synthroid, cytomel my memory improved. When I took WP Thyroid my energy came back (not completely but much better), and my memory improved even more, weight came off (thank goodness because I eat super healthy and had a fast metabolism [was super slim] before RAI), and sluggishness disappeared. I chose WP Thyroid because it has less fillers. I asked my doctor to prescribe it (he had me on synthroid and cytomel but said he would consider Armor for me) instead of Armor. He did and I couldn't be happier. Oh and my hair stopped shedding and appears stronger. Impossible? I say it's closer to your body's hormone and that's why your body processes it differently. Antiquated doctors say it doesn't matter but all the modern research in the New England Journal of Medicine backs it up PLUS other countries use natural hormone. They don't even recommend RAI as it's so bad for the body. Places in Europe like France and even Canada, do not use recommend synthroid as its go to like the U.S does. For some reason the U.S likes us sick.
As for hormonal cystic acne which seems to happen with thyroid issues (and I used to have perfect skin before I had a window of cystic acne creep in and am now normalizing everything), I found that borage oil works for me. It's the GLA in there that normalizes hormones. If you can combine it with DIM all the better (but know that DIM should not be taken when pregnant). Nordic Naturals is the one that worked for me : https://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Natur...TF8&qid=1475235294&sr=8-1&keywords=nordic+gla I did not need DIM but I have a friend with hard core cystic who did both DIM and GLA to get rid of her problem combined with a good skin vitamin that has vitamin A and zinc, etc.
Also finally, this info can apply to anyone with a low thyroid who needs hormone support. Go with natural if you can. I am not a doc. This is just a recommendation. I happen to have zero thyroid hormone left. Zero. My thyroid was completely destroyed by RAI (I ended up hospitalized because it was so low that my body shut down, it happened super fast because I was given too much RAI). But for anyone who needs to supplement hormone (thyroid), natural hormone will be closer to the body's own and accepted easier into the body than something foreign (pharmaceutical) and it has been around longer than synthroid without harm or inconsistencies. When Pharma moved in, docs started recommending pharm instead of all natural alternatives. HTHs
JJamiah
Well-Known Member
I have Graves' disease, hyperthyroidism, lactose intolerant and celiac disease....my hair and me have been fighting.. I am back to weekly TLC. Nothing more.. Ongoing battle. My used to be perfect skin is depressing... Thank goodness for makeup.
luckiestdestiny
Well-Known Member
I too have grave's disease. You really have to up the conditioning game (at least for me) with Grave's. I was given radioactive iodine and I feel that just made things worse.
Guinan
Re-Branding
I did radioactive iodine too and I feel the same thing; it made things worse. I think if it becomes overactive again, I may just have it removed.
luckiestdestiny
Well-Known Member
@luckiestdestiny I did do RAI within weeks of being diagnosed. however my thyroid is quite aggressive (as described by 3 diff drs) and I am still hyper and on tapazole. My dr want me to take it out and that is NOT happening. I am looking into a naturpath and have consulted the medical medium Anthony Williams who has suggested a radical diet change removing all types of dairy, wheat, eggs, etc and focusing on veggie proteins and very lean meats like chicken and turkey breasts amongst some other dietary additions/changes . It is a very difficult diet to maintain.
I also get the brain fog. I put a carton of fresh orange juice in the cupboard just yesterday. heart palps, night sweats, trembling fingers, heat intolerance, being out of breath (I used to be a runner), weight gain and best of all Graves eye disease. that sucks most of all. You were nice enough to share your surgeon for the eye surgery a couple years back, but my endo does not think I'm a candidate at this time for surgery as my numbers are still off.
do not do RAI and if you have dont do it again!!!! trust! If I had taken the time to research I would not have done it.
I also get the brain fog. I put a carton of fresh orange juice in the cupboard just yesterday. heart palps, night sweats, trembling fingers, heat intolerance, being out of breath (I used to be a runner), weight gain and best of all Graves eye disease. that sucks most of all. You were nice enough to share your surgeon for the eye surgery a couple years back, but my endo does not think I'm a candidate at this time for surgery as my numbers are still off.
do not do RAI and if you have dont do it again!!!! trust! If I had taken the time to research I would not have done it.
luckiestdestiny
Well-Known Member
That sucks but it's good that you are working to balance. If you even get remotely close to balancing it, go stat to the dr for orbital decompression. My eyes are back to normal now in appearance and have remained that way for years...almost a decade and that is even when I have gone out of balance. If you are getting double vision at times I would head to him stat and ignore the other doc. You can balance things while taking pressure off your eyes. It can get so bad that you lose your eye sight and you don't want that. Most docs will say to just observe. But you have to live with the pressure, on and off pain, and sometimes double eye sight at times. And what about dizziness. ...are you getting the room spinning thing at times? My doc explained it's from the graves untreated eyes coupled with the pressure, and the eyes attacking themselves. Not fun. Some have one or all symptoms but any are not fun plus vanity wise it isn't fun either. I am sure you want to look and feel better. No matter what have a plan to eventually get that done because my doc was and is amazing. I occasionally follow up with him when in town to check the pressure, etc and everything is still great. He fixed a lot of major problems for sure. Don't let this take years. Get yourself in balance and then get to the doc to have the surgery. I don't know of any other way to reverse the eye situation. But maybe someone out there knows of something holistically as well.
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