Hair Loss, Possible Reasons Caused by Our Toxic Environment

I went to see the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with some friends.   Their 4 YO daughter has severely thinning hair, and the problem has been going on for a year.   About since when they moved into a new home.

The Doctors are all befuddled, so I decided to take a few hours and launch from my existing knowledge into new actionable knowledge.

Anyone with any input, please chime in.

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It is not surprising the medical industry has not been able to figure this out, they often just proceed from “the most likely thing” and proceed with trial and error.    Often no one doctor takes an interested enough approach---asking all the questions, and all the right questions.       They just aren’t allowed enough time by “the system” and they are conditioned into looking at things as “what can I solve with a drug”.    It’s pretty horrible, but we know that is the way it is, so it is up to us to be the smart ones, I hope this helps you at least understand the main possibilities.

It would be good to solve this before she starts with school, and maybe finds out the other kids are giving her a hard time, or even bullying her.

The trouble with trial and error, is that things can go on a long time, and possible damage and long term damage could result if the underlying problem is not figured out.    If  there is a thyroid problem, it would be horrible to not discover this for say 4 years during an important growth phase.   

Big stress, in addition to the causes listed below, could also be a cause.   

Yellow is to highlight a point, blue is actions for you to take

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My knowledge and research on hair loss leads me to suspect environmental causes, there may be more than 1 cause.

Tap water, just hard water can cause hair loss, as with all things, some people can be more susceptible than others.

http://beautyhealth.tips/best-ways-to-prevent-hair-loss-due-to-hard-water/

1. Get water tested for hardness, other chemicals, esp mercury and lead.
2. If hardness confirmed, can de mineralize the hair with acid----Apple Cider Vinegar, see article.   Get a water softener

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I was correct that it is not just chemo that damages hair, but radiation itself.

https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/a?dbs+hsdb:@term+@DOCNO+2146

      2)  CUTANEOUS RADIATION SYNDROME (CRS): Exposure to

          radiation can damage the basal cell layer of skin,

          resulting in inflammation, erythema, and dry or moist

                             desquamation. Epilation may occur when hair follicles are damaged

(that means hair loss)

CT Scans, are particularly dangerous, they are basically just a whole bunch of Xrays all at once, maybe you receive 20 years of radiation in 15 seconds.   They should be avoided by everyone, at almost any cost, MRI is better imaging as just about everything other than some bone problems.    One should always force their doctor to prescribe the MRI, not CT.   

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/09/25/high-ct-scan-radiation-is-deadly.aspx

Females, and especially young females, are at the worst risk for radiation damage.

Most likely exposure to radiation in southeast Wisconsin is through Radium in drinking water, or Radon gas that seeps into basements from the ground.    Radon gas goes to the lungs and sticks.    Both Radium and Radon are Alpha emitters, which are the worst and most powerful types of radiation once they get inside the body.   

Wisconsin has a lot of uranium in the ground.    This decays into Radium and Radon.    At my house, water was tested and was over the limit in Radium.    

3. Get a water softener (that works on not just reducing hardness, but will eliminate say 90% of the radium) AND everyone in the world should be running drinking water through an RO system, use this for ice also.   3M makes a cheap one, like $150 parts.   I have this and it works well. 

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/radiation-therapy-side-effects-hair-loss

Hair follicles are very sensitive to radiation, and your treatments may cause you to lose your hair.

Different components of skin react to radiation with different sensitivities; loss of hair occurs after treatment with relatively low doses of radiation, indicating that the hair follicles are highly sensitive to ionizing radiation. ^1-3 Despite intensive investigations of radiation damage responses of skin in the past, the molecular mechanisms for these responses are still not well elucidated.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1867021/

Thyroid problems can cause hair loss via not  enough metabolism regulating hormones.

1. Damaged thyroid
2. Lack of Iodine

Thyroid Damage: There is an epidemic of thyroid problems throughout Japan and USA in peoples of all ages.   This start as nodules which are like a soft tumor and they can affect the ability of the thyroid to function, even if cancer doesn’t develop.     After Fukushima, due to absorption of radio-active Iodine I-90, affected kids after now seeing over 500 times the thyroid problems as before.    And the medical institutes are helping to cover it up, to protect the nuclear industry.     For the most part, that risk is over, I-90 see half of it go away in just 8 days, so in 80 days that radioactivity is pretty much completely gone.   

4. You should be able to talk your doctor into doing an ultrasound on the thyroid, it’s simple and quick.    It won’t show if iodine deficiency is the problem, but will show if there is another problem.     Because health care is “rationed” these days, it may be useful to state that a family member has a thyroid cancer or thyroid problem, that may be all they need to hear to check off a box on their forms and thus justify the medical procedure and cost.
5. Thyroid function tests are easily available as blood tests.    The standard blood panels will tell if there is a problem, but not what the problem is.    So the answer is to talk your doctor in ordering a full “thyroid function panel”.   Again, mentioning and prior family history related to thyroid is going to be very effective in allowing your doctor the justification to order the tests.   This is the “new world of health care” that we live in, adapt to it, you pay a LOT for it.    Do what you need to do, to get proper treatment.

Thyroid improper function due to lack of Iodine.   

They used to put Iodine in salt, now most salt does not have iodine added, and people are using less salt.    In Wisconsin, the soil is low in iodine, so those who eat a lot of vegetables are actually more likely to have an iodine deficiency problem.   Solution is simple, Kelp anyone?

Some people are worried that now Kelp from the Pacific may be radioactive, that’s pretty unlikely, given that the half life of radio-active Iodine I-90 is short, just 8 days.    So it is very dangerous, but only for a short while.   Don’t be scared of kelp.    There are also kelp pills in vitamin form as a powder, which can be opened up and put in yogurt.  

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Fungal infections are becoming more common and worse in humans.    Fungal infections seems to be mutating into more dangerous and “effective” forms due to toxins in our environment, including radiation.

Humans immune systems are also getting weaker, as 70% of the immune system is created in the gut.   The gut is now being attacked by all of the “fake food” basically anything that is processed, in a box or bag.    GM and GE type foods can also be seen by the body as not a food buy an “invader” causing an inflammation type response or allergic response.    Pesticides, herbicides, and the infamous Glyphosate (roundup) also attacks the gut and good bacteria.

Gut “Flora” represents the types of bacteria that are in the gut.   There are about 17 type of “good bacteria”.    Natto, Lacto, for 2 of them.   Yogurt, Natto, Kimchee are all great, anything properly fermented.    Also there are now simple pills which have pro-biotics and enzymes, most do NOT need refrigeration, and for kids, can be crushed and added to yogurt, add honey if needed but don’t get carried away with kids, honey is powerful stuff.

Ringworm of the scalp is the most common fungal infection which causes hair loss.   A strong immune system (i.e. healthy bacteria in the gut) will help avoid this, fight this.   Hopefully, a doctor would have figured this one out already if that was the case.

6. Everyone should be trying to get a natural (pill is OK too) pro-biotic diet.    It’s a no brainer.

Sometimes the body’s immune system attacks the hair follicles,  could be toxins in the environment, reaction to all the “fake food” that is everywhere, maybe even a chemical in some particular shampoos.     Possibly even an allergic reaction to a particular type of food. 

7. Eliminate fake food wherever reasonable.     Too much vitamin A can cause hair loss.   

You can get excess vitamin A from your diet (especially if you eat a lot of liver), supplements (cod liver oil being the most common culprit), or medications. The Mayo Clinic recommends 2300 IU daily for women.

8. Overall, this is a tough one, to find if one particular food is causing an allergic or immune system response.     Maybe minimize types of foods given, to just 4 or 5, and see if improvement happens.   If no improvement, the problem might be one of the 4 or 5 you are still giving.    But it’s a tough road, not an easy process.   If improvement happens, add back in some other foods, and if improvement stops or slows, be suspect. 

Consider a “contact” type allergic reaction.    Change pillows, bedsheets, blankets, winter hats, etc.

9. Be very suspect of any prescription medications the child may be on.    Google them, if any.

22. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)

Not to be confused with sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), this organic compound found in many hair products has gotten a lot of attention recently. There’s a lot of controversy about whether SLS is bad for you and your hair.  On top of that, there’s a lot of incorrect information about SLS floating around on the internet.

The National Toxic Encephalopathy Foundation says that if you don’t rinse the shampoo out of your hair that has SLS in it, it can deposit in your hair follicles. This will damage the hair follicle that can lead to hair loss, as well as irritate the skin around the follicle, which can cause dry skin and dandruff. It can also disturb the growth of new hair, slowing it by eight times its normal rate of growth.

Read more about what you need to know about sodium lauryl sulfate and women’s hair loss.

29. Lupus (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus)

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy parts of the body, including the hair follicles. It affects around 1.5 million people in the U.S., more common in women (especially in African-Americans and Asians), and often affects women during their childbearing years. Symptoms vary from person to person, and may appear and disappear, but almost always include joint pain, which can develop into arthritis.

http://www.hairlossinwomen.org/hair-loss-causes/

Some diet choices may help also

4. Grapefruit Is Beneficial For Hair Too

https://thelifesquare.com/grapefruit-detox-health-benefits-8573788/

The oil of pink grapefruit is very advantageous for your hair. It makes hair shiny, silky and smooth.

Pink grapefruit diminishes the oily scalp and increases the blood circulation properly which enhances the hair growth.