Does feeling tired seem like a way of life for you?
Have you noticed you are shedding more hair than usual and have brittle nails?
Hair loss can be a devastating condition for many women,
with many being either at a loss where to turn to for help or just too
embarrassed to discuss it with health professionals.
Medical Hair Restoration Australia director and trichologist
Kate Dawes says many women dismiss the above symptoms as something that is
simply a manifestation of either being a woman, age and or a busy life.
“Sometimes women think this is just another thing that I
have to put up with because I’ve reached a certain age,” Mrs Dawes says.
“This just isn’t the case. It’s important to investigate the
reasons why.”
Mrs Dawes says she counsels an increasing number of women whose
lethargy and hair loss is due to a simple nutritional deficiency.
Hair loss caused by poor nutrition can be successfully
treated with nutritional supplements such as iron, essential fatty acids and
vitamins and minerals.
Anaemia is common among women, particularly those on restricted
diets who experience heavy menstruation, and this often contributes to hair
loss.
She says while pathology results showing ferritin levels of
20 -30 are often seen as normal, much higher ferritin levels of around 70 are
needed to maintain healthy hair.
Mrs Dawes says good dietary sources of iron include red
meat, green leafy vegetables, shell fish, egg yolk, nuts and cereal.
She says it’s a good idea to eat foods rich in vitamin C to
enhance iron absorption.
Women with hair loss and less than ideal ferritin levels are
often prescribed the iron supplement Ferrogradumet, along with a vitamin C,
supplement, to increase absorption.
She says female and male clients are also achieving
excellent results in improving the health of their hair and minimizing hair
loss with the Help Hair Protein Shake.
Developed by United
States based hair transplant surgeon and
dermatologist Dr Larry Shapiro, the Help Hair Protein Shake is distributed by
Medical Hair Restoration in Perth Western Australia.
Other recommended supplements include essential fatty acids
(EFAs) such as omega 3 fatty acid & 6 linoleic fatty acid and lysine.
Good dietary sources of EFAs include primrose oil, grape
seed oil, flax-seed oil, nuts and seeds, salmon, trout, tuna and mackerel.
Foods such as cheese, eggs, potatoes, milk, meat and lima
beans provide sources of lysine.
