Hey! Where's My Hair?? Part II
Cause #2 Iron Deficiency and Hair Loss
I hope you enjoyed my first post where I discussed hypothyroidism as a cause for all that hair you see in your brush, in your shower and just generally not on your head!! If you missed it, no worries you can check it out here: http://jaclynshedden.com/blog/2017/5/4/hey-wheres-my-hair.
Now I want to tell you about another very common, but highly overlooked cause of hair loss, IRON DEFICIENCY!!
Do you feel just utterly exhausted sometimes and no matter how much sleep you get or how healthy you eat- you just want to sleep ALL DAY!!
I understand!! As women we are always doing, thinking and planning our next move and when we are exhausted going to the grocery store after work feels like you just ran a half marathon.
Have you ever had your ferritin levels checked? Ferritin is a blood cell protein that stores iron. Ferritin is stored in your body’s cells until it is time to make more red blood cells. Ferritin is vital for survival and low levels of ferritin can cause unexplained fatigue, dizziness, headaches, weakness, ringing in your ears, pain in your legs, shortness of breath and HAIR LOSS!!!
In a perfect world your ferritin level should be above 50ng/ml. Women can have low iron levels if they have heavy periods and their ferritin levels become depleted. When ferritin levels start to decline, hair loss can start and may continue until your ferritin levels are optimized. Ferritin is also important for hair regrowth and optimal thyroid function, which I also listed in my previous as a possible cause of hair loss.
So if you have never had your ferritin levels checked, get it done girl!! If you discover your ferritin. Blue Skye Health offers affordable labs for all our patients. A thyroid panel is only $28 and an Ferritin level is $25. If your levels are low Blood Builder by Mega Food is a great iron supplement that is easy on the gut! If you want to schedule a free consult to discuss what labs would be good to check, please call our office @ 813-533-6000.
Gratitude, Trust, Love and Abundance always,
Jaclyn
Your Natural Nurse Practitioner
