HOW TO REVERSE HAIR LOSS IN HYPOTHYROIDISM

Many women with hypothyroidism experience excessive hair loss , which, while not a dangerous symptom by any means, can be really discouraging.

The process by which hair grows is complex. Blood vessels, skin cells and sebaceous glands are involved, and all of them depend on adequate levels of T3 and T4 hormones (the primary and secondary hormones produced by the thyroid). Otherwise, the life cycle of the hair will be affected, that is, how long it grows before falling out and being replaced by a new strand.

How to identify hair loss due to thyroid problems ?

Hair loss associated with hypothyroidism usually manifests itself as gradual thinning of both the scalp and eyebrows. Here we do not see localized hairless patches. The most common thing is to notice that when brushing your hair you lose more strands than usual with each pass. If this is your case, it could be interesting to evaluate your thyroid function.

The good news is that it can be treated. By working to optimize your thyroid function you can recover healthy and strong hair .

How to reverse hair loss in hypothyroidism

1. The first thing is to check thyroid function. Request a complete profile from your endocrine doctor. This includes: TSH, total T4 free T4, total T3, free T3 and reverse T3. It is important that all these parameters are present because normally only TSH and total T4 are requested and there may be thyroid dysfunction even when these two hormones are within normal limits. What's more, a good specialist will know how to distinguish between hormones in a normal range or in an optimal range (we must focus on optimizing function so this information is important).

2. If you take medication, make sure you are taking the correct type and dosage . Once you have the analysis in point 1 in hand, you can review again with your endocrinologist the type and dose of medicine you take. Sometimes it may be necessary to make some small adjustments.

3. Improve thyroid function through diet . Each case must be assessed individually, which is why the mpunti team works with personalized protocols. What we can tell you is that for proper thyroid function the basis must be an anti-inflammatory diet, rich in micronutrients such as selenium, zinc, iron, vitamin A, vitamin D, etc. And it is low in substances that act as toxins, damaging both the immune and endocrine systems. Correct nutrition alone can make a big difference.

4. Repairs the intestine. If there is digestive inflammation (you will know it by symptoms such as bloating, abdominal distension, gas, constipation or diarrhea) we have two problems. Firstly, it involves a constant activation of the immune system and, therefore, inflammation that has a negative impact on thyroid function. On the other hand, a damaged intestine will not correctly assimilate the nutrients in the diet, which are necessary to synthesize hormones, activate them, etc.

5. Balance your sexual hormones . Many women develop thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy or menopause, times when the body goes through major hormonal changes. If there is excess estrogen, a protein called TBG (thyroid binding globulin) increases, which is like the taxi that transports thyroid hormones through the body. While they are inside the taxi, they are inactive. That is to say that we can have correct hormonal levels but if there are many taxis those hormones will not be fulfilling their function .

6. Balance your blood sugar level . Here there are several strategies to follow and the ideal is that we assess your case in a personalized way. What's good for you doesn't have to be good for another woman. Roughly speaking, we can comment that if there is an excess of sugar in the blood, the hormone T4 (inactive) instead of becoming T3 (active) will tend to become reverse T3 (inactive). Strategies to regulate blood sugar include diet, physical exercise adapted to the person, regulation of circadian rhythms, etc.

7. Address stress . Of course it couldn't be missing from the list. Chronic stress is constantly telling the brain “we are in danger, reserve energy in case we have to fight or flee.” And how do we save energy? Well, by lowering the metabolism, or what is the same, the production/activation of thyroid hormones. Are you missing hours in the day? Do you need to make certain difficult decisions? Does your stress come more from how you treat yourself? There are many forms of stress and we are not always aware of it. If this is your case, let yourself be accompanied by a professional.

From the mpunti team we can help you with all these strategies. Give yourself the opportunity to improve your quality of life!

If you want to improve the activity of your thyroid gland and put an end to the symptoms of hypothyroidism, make your initial appointment with our team of professionals here https://mpunti.es/products/nutricion-pack-inicial or by writing to info@mpunti. is if you have any questions.