Has anyone else experienced hair loss... - Gluten Free Guerr...
Has anyone else experienced hair loss/thinning?
Hi Margaret, I believe that you will find that the best food that you can have for this problem is sea vegetables or seaweeds. If you have never tried them before then you will find the easiest one to begin with comes in a packet called 'Sea Salad' which is made up of several mild flavoured seaweeds that do not need to be soaked but can be added to soups, casseroles, stews, gravies, salads, sandwiches, fruit cakes, etc.
Dulse is a dark red seaweed that is beautifully mild, and lightly nutty in flavour. It requires a little soaking and then may be eaten without cooking and eaten as a vegetable with hot dinners or cool salads. Nori is dark green and is traditionally used for wrapping up sushi but the sheets may be toasted and eaten as a snack - you can also get this seaweed crumbled into tiny pieces and sold in small packets which may be sprinkled onto any food for easy use. Kelp can be purchased in large packets of dried leaves which need to be soaked and cooked before eating or may be purchased in a powder form for sprinkling into and over food. This is also available in a tablet form. There are other varieties on the market but those above are usually the easiest to purchase. Seaweed is packed full of vitamins, minerals and micro nutrients which helps to strengthen hair and increase hair growth.
Add to these brewers yeast if you are able to find a gluten free variety if not a good quality Vitamin B Complex. B vitamins are water based and you may find it beneficial to take them and slowly sip a half pint of tepid (cool boiled) water afterwards.
Topically - lightly massage a little tepid to warm olive oil into the roots and wrap the hair in a towel for half an hour or leave the oil in whilst taking a bath - then gently wash the hair as normal. Olive oil strengthens both the hair and the hair roots and promotes hair growth.
Wonderful information, thank you so much. I will certainly give all these things a try and also switch to seaweed shampoo. Will keep you posted!
I saw Philip Kingsley, trichologist 15 years ago. He told me my early hair loss and thinning (and individual strand density depletion) could be due to malnutrition and anaemia after doing extensive bloodwork on Harley Street (yes, that bad!). He told me to eat more protein, supplement iron and have a wide range of vits/minerals. Apparently ferritin levels need to be quite high to have good hair (look online). But he told me it was urgent that I showed results to GP who was rude about me going to a private lab. As I didn't know that there was a disease called coeliac disease that might be responsible, I couldn't act on the information. Diagnosed 2 years ago so you can imagine what the hair looks like now. All my non coeliac family have fab thick hair.
My friend is hypothyroid and her scalp is now see-through, so there's another possibility.
and make sure you get your thyroxine levels checked - thinning hair and low levels go together. I always know when my husband's prescription needs changing before he has the blood tests (I cut his hair every few weeks)
Thankyou Lois. I had blood tests on Wednesday which included thyroxin levels so should get results within next 2 weeks.
I was diagnosed with CD 3 yrs ago and am now 66 so yes, age will play a part. Another factor is that I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes 4 yrs ago and the changes started 12 months after being on Metformin. Hey Ho, wigs are wonderful these days should it get too bad and there are far worse things that people have to cope with.
yes! I'm now 39 and about years ago I went to the doctors about a bald spot about the size of a 10p piece. She did some blood tests which showed a Vitamin D deficiency but said it was alopecia areata. This was before I was diagnosed with a gluten intolerance. Doctor advised it was just one of those things. It seemed to clear up on its own, but last year I found another one in a different place on my head, again, doc advised alopecia/just one of those things. A couple of months later I went for a massage and the lady also did food intolerance testing, and diagnosed a gluten intolerance. all my gluten symptoms are non-gastric. I did a search for gluten + hair loss and found a couple of forums discussing it. I eliminated gluten from my diet from August 11, and my hairdressers advised shortly after that my hair was getting thicker and new hair was growing - she had noticed it thinning but didn't want to mention it before so as to avoid worrying me! My practitioner/massage lady advises it is also linked to my hypothyroidism which has been treated for the last 5 years, ie hairloss is down to a combination of gluten + thyroid. Unfortunately I never had much joy with my doctor - I was advised to take 24 painkillers a day for 7 days for the excruiating sinus-like headache I was getting which cleared up overnight the minute I stopped eating gluten. sorry for the long post - hope it helps
My sister is gluten intollerant and has alopecia areata which is an autoimmune disease, I'm also gluten intolelrant (DNA testing) and have thyroid disease, which is also an autoimmune problem. Those are known and documented gluten issues. I also have arthritis and Fibromyalgia.
interesting - I didn't know alopecia areata was also an auto-immune disease, I do know that if you have one you can be more susceptible to developing others. Shame my doctor didn't pick mention this
i too suffer from thinning hair, i am a fellow coeliac and i did used to have very thick hair to the point that i was way too thick, now, sadly it is the complete opposite, i have been taking my b vitamins, iron, and silica which is good for strengthening hair and giving it the vitamins it apparently needs, it is also gluten free, (beware so many hair loss supplements have gluten & wheat protein in) the gp just put it down to my anaemia but obi diet plays a huge role also.
Hair thinning is often a sign of:
- thyroid problems
- low iron
- B12 deficiency
Always ask a Dr about this as it should be investigated.
Have been told I have a Vitamin D deficiency and seeing GP tomorrow so wondering if this may be contributing to hair loss. Will keep posting as and when I know more.
I've just been told by my Hairdresser that, gross I know- eating spoonfuls of baking powder/arrowood, can help thicken hair! Obviously, resolving the underlying health problem is compulsary, but it's still a handy tip.
Topically peppermint oil added to a mild shampoo base with prvent further hair loss, just two drops.
Certainly worth giving it a try Maryelle, thankyou!
i have the odd acation now when i have hair loss it soon puts me back on a gf diet.iv diagnosed all my simtoms myself i know more about cd than my dietition and my doctor. im living with it. iv changed doctors now and they are more clued up to cd.but i still know more than they do. iv had cd over 30 years but diagnosed9 year now and i dont think i will ever get the hang of it totally.theres always somebody adding something to food then decide to take it out .its so confusing.
Yes I experience this it is very disheartening. I use coconut oil as a treatment to help. And since following FODMAP it has made a huge difference to my comfort and self confidence
My hair is also in awful condition. I am on a gluten free diet and also have other health problems.
Louise can you please tell me what coconut oil use ?
KTC 100% pure coconut oil. From a very well known on line order service.
Try mixing it with cinnamon or quinoia as a hair exfoliate if you have have dry a dry scalp. And then wash out.
Avoid conditioners every day.
Rub coconut in your hair in the bath leave it in and sleep with it in.
Put a towel over your pillow. Best night sleep ever as you will be so excited to see results.
Has anybody experienced Depression after being Diagnosed?
Why have I been referred to a psychiatrist? Has anyone else? 
