hair loss

[Maria1223]

today when I was in the shower clumps of hair were falling out. when I dryed my hair with the towel there was alot of hair on the towel. does anyone know what causes this? . I have very thick medium lenth hair. don't want to loss any hair.

[skbird]

Hi Maria -

I don't know what exactly causes this. I do know that there is a condition called alopecia that is about bald spots, etc, that are supposed to be somehow related to CD.

About three years ago I went on a low carb diet, very abruptly, and I found I lost a bunch of hair. I didn't get actual bald spots but definitely lots of hair came out. I eventually got a short haircut. 6 months later I had all this one or two inch long hair sticking out between my regular length hair.

I basically went gluten free when I started low carb but added back in gluten (didn't realize I was sensitive) over the next few months. I felt my best when I was low carbing without gluten. I was told the hair loss was related to the shock to my system of changing my diet so abruptly, and also the 40 pounds I lost due to the change. I am now wondering if it had something to do with the problems I had with gluten and detoxing from it or what?

When this happened to me I posted it on many low-carb forums I participated in and almost no one could identify with it. So I don't think it's particularly a low carb phenomenon.

Stephanie
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Stephanie

[maria1223]

I've been on a g/f diet for 2 1/2 months . It is not a shock to my system. I know all about alopecia. I went through it with my girlfriends daughter, I don't think it is that .at one time I had hair down to my butt & very thick. I had to get it cut because I was to weak to take care of it . I want to go it back the way that it was. But I have to find out why it is falling out first.

[becca]

Maria -

My hair began to thin about 10 yrs ago, about the same time I was going through a divorce and raising 3 teen daughters, so I thought it was just stress. Then I began to have several of the other symptoms of CD over the next few years. I was dx with CD in May 2003.

Now my hair is very thin and fine. My GI doc told me due to the villi being totally destroyed I was not getting the nutrients I needed.

I am hopeful that my hair will at least thicken if not regrow when my villi are healed. I have asked if anyone knows of this happening, but have heard no reply, so as I said I remain hopeful.

Becca

[PrtPaty]

The two things that come to my mind about hair loss is medications and low thyroid.

I want to read more about hair loss because my youngest son began hair loss when he was only 22. He's quite bothered by it at his age. He saw the Dr. who wasn't much help, wouldn't do any tests because he didn't have insurance. He's trying to save money to get some tests. doesn't seem normal to get thinning hair so young.

I hope you can figure it out, Maria. Enough is enough, huh?
Patty

[maria1223]

I do have low thyroids I've had that for years I've been on medication since I was dx I have a distended stomach. I'm always hurting everyday. I take 9 different meds in the am just to try to function. at night I have to take 3 different sleeping pills just to get about 3 to 4 hours of sleep . I wake up about anywhere from 3 am to 5 am with this pain in my left lower back. no matter what I do this pain will not go away. 3 weeks ago I was in the hospital paralized from the neck down it was due to I did not have any pottasium in my body. they kept pumping IV bags of pottasium In me every 1/2 an hr plus giving me the pottasium pills. I was so scared when I could not move . If you could give me that site on hair loss it would be great. I've been g/f since dec 15 th 2004 I think that my villi are totally destroyed. My GI Dr. is an asshole he don't tell me anything I'm switching GI Dr's. My mother - in - law is a RN and she said she never liked my GI Dr. so she is going to get me a good GI. Dr. I also see a cancer Dr. and my family Dr. I'm going to go to a neuro Dr. on tues to get an EMG done than I' going to get that new proceedure do where u have to swallow a pill with a camera inside of it that takes 60,000 pics in 8 hrs. that all the other test don't pick up .

well be happy & healthy

[MaineFyrman]

Hi,

I started losing my hair when I was probably about 22 or 23. At this point at 40 I am totally bald on the top. Thinking it was because of my father and grandfather but now realizing that with CD it is associated. My father still has hair but just a bald spot.

Everyone else in my family has really thick hair and long even my brother did.

It kind of bothered me a little too when I was young and thinning fast but I took it in stride and said what the hell. If I am going to be bald I might as well make it look neat and shave it right down to the scalp. I do my whole head every twoo weeks and man do I have a hell of a tan in the summer.

It is how you look at life and adjust. I was a little scared when being diagnosed with CD this past Monday 01/31/05. But after some posts in here and some great replies, my outlook on this CD is getting better by the day!

Just keep the faith people!

[aklap]

[ElaineT]

My doctor put me on a low dose of depakote and my hair started falling out. Turns out I was unusually low on zinc and selenium because of undiagnosed celiac, and the depakote made what little I was absorbing unavailable to my body. Once I started taking One A Day 50 Plus that has zinc, selenium and panthenol, my hair started growing back.

Low thyroid can also cause hair loss - that happened to my mom.

Funny thing, Stephanie - I knew I was "allergic" to wheat and many other foods but only figured that I'm actually celiac when I went low carb and dropped ALL grains from my diet. I've been nearly gluten-free for 3 months and now my doctor wants me to eat wheat for 2 weeks to develop antibodies for the test - no way!!!

[skbird]

Elaine - no kidding! Two weeks wouldn't do it, anyway. There are many people on this list and others who have told stories of going back on a gluten diet for even 3 months and still not had any antibodies. From what I've read, not everyone even makes the antibodies. It's a major puzzle.

If you really want to be tested you should read up on Entero Lab - they can test without your being on a gluten diet. I decided to pony up the cash and do that so I sent in my lab kit last week, should hear before the end of the month.

The low carb thing is funny, huh? I started going somewhat off the diet after a year of being strict but kept having adverse reactions to things. Then after a while it was the low carb bread (which is only about 95% gluten it seems!) and then it was just other things, too. So glad to have figured it out better, now I eat more carbs but am still doing pretty well, unless I challenge things like the shellfish intolerance/allergy I seem to have or eat sugar...

Steph
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Stephanie

[skbird]

PS I was on depakote for 2 years about 9 years ago. I had been misdiagnosed as bipolar. Sometimes I wonder if it was all the misdiagnoses and wrong meds I was given that jump-started my gluten-intolerance...
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Stephanie

[mjbonsais]

I, too, lost some hair early on before my enterolab testing. Gluten sensitivity definitely does a manipulation with our vitamin and mineral usage with all body processes and organs. Skin, hair, nails so on.....

I saw my hair coming out while shampooing in the shower. Thank the Lord my hair loss didn't last too awfully long. I have naturally curly hair that is shoulder length. I am one of the late bloomers of CD. As I have made note of in previous posts, I have gone through menopause and believe it or not many symptoms are similar to cd! What a quandry I was in for quite awhile.

I still get low backache, some headaches but I have become "ultra" sensitive to any gluten whatsoever since going GF. The human body is surely our barometer with our ups and downs don't you think?

I now use neutrogena hair products as they are gluten free. Very good for the skin too. Their cosmetics are GF too.
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[skbird]

I didn't really think about this until the other day but I had really bad, peeling nails all the time, always splitting, until I went low carb. Then they grew out strong - my mom is always envious of my nails now. They started getting worse for a while there and now are just beginning to be stronger again. I went GF intentionally about 5 months back now so I'm thinking there is a definite correlation there. Wow, didn't put it together until now that the hair loss and nail condition would have been related to my consuming gluten...
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Stephanie

[maria1223]

yes I have went through early menopause at 25. But my hair started to fall out after I was dx with celiac. It was shoulder length & very thick from it falling out I had to get it cut. I got a cut just like hallie berry & it looks cute now it is not falling out. If ur hair is falling out u must get a good cut so the new growth can come in now that U are G/f it will grow back better. I talked to the hairdresser about not getting enough nutrition in ur body from ur C/D she advised me to get all the dead hair cut & now that u r healing the new strong hair will grow in as long as u r not. severely damaged. I hope that helps everyone

[mjbonsais]

My hair is thick and curly, so, my nutritionist says I am lucky. I truly believe it is up to the individual if you feel your hair is thin, then yes a good hair cut from a professional stylist is recommended. Anywho, hair grows back in most circumstances and it's all in your genetic makeup too.

Take care
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