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Nuttgirl
Raw Newbie
For the last year and a half I’ve been dealing with my hair thinning out and feeling very dry. I went to doctors and dermatologists and they could never find anything wrong. I had a blood test a year ago and everything came back fine….iron levels ok, thyroid ok, etc.. I just assumed at that point I was vitamin deficient (B12 or one of the B vitamins) and started to take vitamins. I just thought I wasn’t getting enough calories, fat or B vitamins since my hair problems seemed to get a little better when I binged (I know..not good).
Skip ahead to now. I am still dealing with dry hair and hair loss and now I also have small dry cracks at the corner of my mouth called angular cheilitis. In addition my skin has been a little itchy. I’ve tried a few different vitamins including multi-complex B vitamins. I’ve tried adding extra nutritional yeast to my food. I’ve even tried increasing my greens consumption. I’ve noticed very little improvement.
Scared and fed up I went to a different doctor and had a full blood work up including my iron levels, B12 levels, and thyroid checked. I just got off the phone with the doc and both my iron levels and B12 levels are ok. He said that my thyroid is a little low and my triglycerides are a little high. Unfortunately high triglycerides run in my family. I’ve been dealing with that problem since my teenage years. I am little freaked out about my thyroid problem. I may have to start on some meds and the idea of being on it for the rest of my life scares me. The doc said the meds are optional right now because the thyroid levels are only a little low but it is something I need to watch very carefully. I decided to make an appointment with him this week so I can get some more info.
I feel so lost. I eat healthy for the most part and try to exercise regularly and I am dealing with health issues I never had to deal with before. I am even more perplexed because my symptoms started over a year ago but my thyroid checked out fine at that point. Part of me still feels like it is a vitamin thing because occasionally when I do eat unhealthy foods my hair seems to fall out less. I don’t know anymore. You know what really kills me?? My boyfriend is easily 50 lbs. overweight, smokes 1 to 2 packs a day, and rarely exercises and he is healthy!! I don’t get it.
Comments
wow, that is all overwhelming I’m sure. I know a woman who had similar problems with her hair and wrinkles and did an intensive colon cleanse (blessedherbs.com) and then a full body organ cleanse. Afterwards she then went raw. Now she feels so much better and her skin has improved very noticeably as well as fuller hair. The cleanse is natural although extreme but it may be worth it.
I don’t know much about thyroid problems except that my entire life my family thought I had issues with thyroid but after millions of bloods tests they couldn’t find anything and when I went raw all those problems immediately went away.
I hope this helps!
I was thinking about giving a brown seaweed extract a try. Supposedly it is very helpful for thyroid issues. Has anyone tried this extract before? I’m wondering how it compares to regular seaweed or other sea veggies?
Nuttgirl – I don’t know if you read it or not but someone posted a post in the ‘beautiful hair’ thread about doing the liver and gallbladder cleanse. She said that she knew lots of people who were cured of their hair loss by cleansing their liver and gallbladders. I would look into this if I were you. If your liver and gallbladder are not clean, you can not absorb all the wonderful nutrients rich raw foods you are eating for you hair.
I don’t have a hair loss problem myself but my hair does grow pretty slow -even though I eat lots of good hair foods and take MSM – so I am wondering if I need to cleanse my liver and gallbladder because I am not getting the optimal absorption that I want. Definatley something to look into.
Lots of the times when the body is not clean the organs can’t do their job as wonderfully as they usually would. They do so much work for us and get run down dealing with toxins from bad food, bad water, medicines etc. They need a break to get cleaned out.
From all your posts, you seem to be more in the traditional medicine side of things (correct me if I am wrong) – a life time of medicine is not the answer to getting rid of the problems. The body can heal – you just need to give it a chance and listen to it.
Doctors really only know how to dispense medicine (notice how they never give you any nutritional advice or really know what causes your problems many times – they just write you a prescription) – they are not even required to take nutritional classes when they go through school – it is sort of like an elective. What they learn is how to prescribe drugs for things. There is no quick fix when you are sick – which is why drugs only cover the problem. It sounds like the doctors have never really helped you – why do you keep going back then? Try something different!
If you haven’t cleansed before, I would really recommend you look into it. It sounds like you don’t want to do the drugs so that is good. It also sounds like you are detoxing – and sometimes our bodies need to shed the old hair to bring in the new (I know not the most attractive option but sometimes you need to just hang in there and let the body do its work – the hair will come back!)
The reason the hair loss stops when you eat some unhealthy stuff is because that stops you detoxing. If the bf went raw, he would probably start lossing more hair too because he would start detoxing also. Do you really consider your bf better off than you? He is 50lbs overweight, smokes and does not exercise – that is not healthy.
Lots of people might look OK on the outside but inside their bodies are a mess! He might not think he has any health problems now but he might have all sort of problems brewing inside of him if he keeps living that way. It will catch up with him some day – you watch. You on the other hand are living healthier so you will fix your problems and live longer and better.
I really hope you try some different than the doctors. The seaweed should be fine to take if you are deficient in iodine (try eating it just like it is and not the extract – the extracts often add other things to them you don’t need like alcohol and are often watered down). But I really think you should look into a cleanse. It definatley can’t hurt to try it.
At this point I really think it is more than just detoxing as this has been going on for over a year. I will look into a cleanse though. I do want to keep all my options open. I just don’t want this to turn into a medical nightmare especially if this is a thyroid issue.
Nuttgirl.. I can totally relate. When I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, my doctor told me that the disease can raise your triglycerides and once on meds, (I take a natural supplement) it usually goes down.
Hair loss and dry skin are very common symptoms. The thing about our metabolism is that it varies on an hourly basis, so when they took the blood test, it is just your metabolism at that time.. not every minute. I felt eons better once I started my meds…
Coconut oil and sea vegetables are very very good for the thyroid. :) Good luck!!!
RawSarah,
What kind of natural supplement do you take? Do you also take other meds?
The best test for thyroid is taking your temperature. If it’s low, your thyroid isn’t working properly.
There is a lot more to this than taking meds. A lot of people who take the thyroid meds do not get better, even though their thyroid tests come back positive. Mary Shoman has a huge website online devoted to this. And I found another great resource with a different take on thyroid: http://www.wilsonstemperaturesyndrome.com. He also has instructions for taking your temp and determining if it is low.
I’ve tried some of the Wilson formulas. The herbal formulas are excellent. The one for thyroid is here: http://www.wilsonstemperaturesyndrome.com/Produ…. It’s entirely herbal, reasonably priced, and may do the trick.
But I tried his T3 protocol – did it faithfully for a year, in fact, with a registered practitioner of his program—and it really screwed me up. I seriously do not recommend that. I recommend trying his thyrocare herbal formula and eating a lot of seaweed.
The best seaweed for this is bladderwrack. You can get it from the Maine seaweed person. There are a couple of people in this town who have been taking it and they look great. I’m about to embark on it myself.
Be forewarned, it is not a pleasant thing to ingest, in any form. It smells like something simultaneously peed and died in it. And it’s tough tough tough, even after it’s soaked and simmered. My friend researched this completely and said the best way to take it is to simmer it for about 20 minutes in a bunch of water, then throw out the seaweed and drink the water. Every day. The water has most of the iodine and other minerals. The seaweed itself is too tough to chew or even blend. Well, I haven’t tried it in the K-Tec, didn’t want to mess up my carafe with that ghastly smell.
Good luck.
Nuttgirl – Detoxing can take alot longer than a year. Have you been 100% raw in the last year? If not, you are probably still detoxing. The fastest way to clean out and detox out your body is a cleanse. Also just going raw doesn’t eliminate all the toxins from the body. It will take years and years for raw to do that. You would have to be 100% raw with no supplements or anything. The cleanse the the quickest way to get detoxing over with.
How long have you been raw? How long it takes to detox depends on many factors – how bad your diet was before you went raw, if you stayed raw or not and how bad your health is. It you have a lot of problems to heal it can take quite a while. There is no time schedule for detoxing. It is different for every person. If you keep putting medicines and synthetics (vitamins) in your body, you may never finish detoxing. Vitamins are not the sort of thing that the body recognizes to digest properly. They contain fillers and things that can get stored as toxins. Most raw foodies don’t believe that vitamins are even used by the body at all – they just get eliminated as waste and some parts get stored in the cells and tissues.
There is no ‘quick fix’ pill or vitamin or extract for anything – not for hair or hyperthyroid or anything. I am afraid you will be disappointed if you are looking for a vitamin or a pill to fix it all. Seaweeds like greenie is suggesting and herbs are very helpful for healing. But try to take these things in their purest form – you will get the highest concentration of the “healing nutrients” that you are taking them for. Don’t resort to buying a vitamin or a pill at the store.
This is not about detoxing but rather thyroid imbalance. While there is no quick fix, medical attention maybe necessary and I don’t think we should be too quick to dismiss medical intervention just because it is not “raw.” The whole point at least for me about eating a raw vegan lifestyle is about being healthier and sometimes we can not always achieve that through our food alone. Sometimes it is necessary to take meds or seek medical attention especially if it deals with potentially serious medical conditions like a diabetes, underactive or overactive thyroid,etc..
-Losing your hair for a long period of time is not detoxing -Having straw-like,dry hair for a long period of time is not detoxing -Breaking out into skin rashes or having itchy skin for a prolonged period of time is not detoxing -Feeling tired or lightheaded on a regular basis is not detoxing
Many raw foodists are too quick to say that these symptoms and others are part of the “detoxing process” but in reality it is your body telling you something is not right. In my case, it is my thyroid. Yes, I had to go to many doctors to find out why I was experiencing all this crap but I finally found my answer. While I am not thrilled about possibly being on some meds I don’t want to dismiss that idea either. If it is absolutely necessary than so be it. I have a doctors appointment this week to go over my blood test results completely and to see what options are available to me. I rather be on meds and healthy will a full head of hair then be natural and bald and risk further health complications down the road.
I know there are many on this board who have experienced similar problems. I highly recommend you visit your doctor and get a complete blood workup, including your thyroid checked in addition to iron and B12 levels checked. The normal values for blood tests can be different from lab to lab so if you do not feel satisfied with the answers from one doctor go to another. That is what I had to do and I finally found out what was wrong with me. The more aware you are of the problem the faster you can work on resolving it so you can lead a healthy life.
Nuttgirl, you have some very good observations.
I’d just like to add that there are 4 different thyroid hormones & you should get All 4 Thyroid hormone levels checked.
Some doctors do not run the whole series when they do your blood work.
I know because I have been on thyroid medication for 14 years.
The best MD to see would be an Endocrinologist.
Before they even put you on meds you should have a baseline Ultrasound done (on your thyroid gland). When I finally saw an Endocrinologist she was upset that they didn’t do an initial Ultrasound for me.
Once you start taking the meds your thyroid will atrophy (wear down) and then it is difficult (if not impossible without serious problems) to stop taking meds.
So please see a VERY Good MD before you go the route of medication.
As you wrote—medication still may be necessary, but it’s wise to exhaust all means of determining if that is your best path at this point in your life.
After all – how could anyone know for sure without further examination? You may be experiencing Adrenal Fatigue or something else.
Nuttgirl -
I didn’t say you couldn’t go and see doctors – if you want to get their advice go ahead – no one can force you to go or not to go. I am not dismissing anything. Doctors are wonderful to have around for emergencies etc but I honestly feel they don’t know everything about health and nutriton and I don’t feel that a lifetime of medicine a good option for anyone. If they did know everything, wouldn’t they have solved your problems by now? Sometimes it is necessary to take the reins ourselves rather than putting our health in a doctors hands and wait for the miracle.
Who are doctors anyhow? They are everyday people like you and me who went to school for many years to learn more about drugs and the body and they took an exam to get a license. You and I could study these things too – you don’t need a degree to learn all this stuff.
But you posted for help on here and I am trying to give you some alternatives. This has been going on for a year you say and nothing is helping (doctors, medicines, vitamins). There is nothing wrong with trying something different.
Not everyone feels that the doctors is the only way to go. I would be disheartened if everyone thought that the only option was medicine from a bottle. That is why this forum is here! Raw food presents you with the alternative option. Lots of people spend years with their doctors and they couldn’t get any relief from their problems they return to raw food and took a chance and they healed themselves. I would like to see the same thing happen for you!:)
I have a lifetime of experience with hair issues (loss, dry hair etc) and I have a cosmetology degree – maybe you don’t think my experiences and advice are comparable to the pills and advice from your doctor and that is for you to decide but just because someone is not a doctor doesn’t mean they can’t give you good advice too. For myself, I would much rather get advice from someone who has gone through what I am going through and has cured it in alternative ways. Hair loss isn’t a life threatening situation.
But this IS a raw food forum and you are asking for people advice on here. they are trying to live more natural and toxin free lives. They spend their free time posting replies and their experiences to you. You could at least be open to trying new things. I spend hours posting on here to try to help people because I would like to feel I made a difference. It is worth it if you can make difference in someone life. People on here are interested in the alternatives to medicines, doctors etc.
Raw food HAS cured hyperthyroid, hypothroid, cancer, diabetes, hair loss and a whole slew of other things. There are tons of stories to read if you don’t believe me. Do a search for it – you will find stories a plenty. In order to cure these problems, these people had to completely change their lives, diets and the way they think about health care. Cleansing was part of some of these success stories.
People get hyperthyroid because something is wrong in their bodies – they get this way because of previous bad lifestyle, dietary habits. Raw food/cleansing can help fix this. Lookie here at few of the stories:
http://www.rawfoodinfo.com/pictures/lgepic_vict…
http://www.welikeitraw.com/rawfood/2007/09/lucy…
I also have some personal friends too who have cured this by doing raw food and cleansing and their hair grew back too! Their stories aren’t posted on the web though.
Your statements like “-Losing your hair for a long period of time is not detoxing -Having straw-like,dry hair for a long period of time is not detoxing -Breaking out into skin rashes or having itchy skin for a prolonged period of time is not detoxing -Feeling tired or lightheaded on a regular basis is not detoxing” Can you please send me your sources for your statements to say none of this might to be due to detox? How much experience do you have is this area? If you know all of this for a fact already, than why are you posting on here for help? Apparently you seem to have all the answers?
If you want help you have to be able to take other people suggestions. If you want to try them fine but if you don’t. “Raw foodists” aren’t all saying that. I am not saying that. What I am saying that you could still be detoxing and you should not dismiss that either. You should leave your mind and your options open.
I have been following your posts about your hair loss because I truly want to help you. I haven’t had hyperthyroid but I have had some serious hair loss myself and it is frightening and scary. I see alot of anger and fear in your posts.
I never had to go to a doctor to fix my hair loss. I am trying to share my experiences with you to help you out. But I feel that my posts are in vain here. I ask you question about your lifestyle, diet etc because I want to help you and get a better idea of what is going on with you so I provide some better advice to you but you rarely answer the questions. How can we help you if you don’t help us understand?
You have started several threads on your problem and posted on other threads asking for help. You are still having problems. I am just curious of whether not or not you have tried any of the advice people have given to you on here?
If you are only interested in advice that includes doctors and medicines, than you should say so at the beginning of your thread.
Good luck to you but I won’t try to give you advice anymore as you seem so resistent to anything that isn’t “mainstream” which is sad because if you gave it a shot it may work for you. Like I said before it won’t hurt to try it – if it doesn’t work you go and try something else or go back to the doctors.
Please don’t feel my post on here was being mean to you. That was not my intention. I was just trying to help but you don’t seem to be at that plateau yet to receiving the alternatives. I hope that some day you will and I truly hope you find answers to your problems and someday will have faith in your bodies ability to heal itself!
I wish you all the best and good luck to you! queen
Nuttgirl If I were you I would go see a holistic practitioner they do not deal with drugs and will be better qualified at finding out the problem and the solution take it from me, my “MEDICAL DOCTOR” so nicely was feeding me drugs and leading me into an early grave so much so that I didn’t have the strength to do anything but lay on the couch Thank God for the two angels of holistic medicine that in seven months time got me back on my feet and doing great! I still have ways to go I was on meds for 20 years and that takes time she said it will take at least another three years to catch my lungs back up to speed. Your body will heal itself but it will need some help along the way. For a help with your skin and hair (maybe this might help some, maynot)for me I had to stop using shampoo and soap because I would get so sick and unable to breathe took a long time to make the connection, I now use baking soda for both my hair and body and my skin is even softer than before, I also use a few quirts of apple cider vinegar for a rinse now and then my hair was so thin before and it was a big joke about me “SHEDDING” around the office but it seems to be thicker and less “fur balls” to clean up besides did you no that laurel sulfates will cause your hair to fall out?! and it is in all the main stream shampoos and soaps even in the toothpaste. Not to mention that most contain Petroleum, that should not be in or on your body anywhere no wonder we are all so sick leave the oil in the ground it is killing us in more ways than one lets all go Green!!!!!
oh yeah I have also been detoxing and it takes time I am trying to do the whole raw life but I am struggling and found this site in hopes of people to help make the transition better. Detox can take years so keep up on the raw it has accelerated things for me as for your bf, i did not know how much was actually wrong with me until they started going away and it is just WOW all the time getting better is so exciting!!
queenfluff
I am suggesting that as raw foodists that it is irresponsible to blame every medical condition on detoxing. When you experience certain medical conditions for such a long period of time and shrug them off as “detoxing” you are doing yourself a disservice. It is even more of a disservice to tell others that it is normal and not to seek medical advice….just eat raw and hope things work out for you. The whole point about eating raw is being healthy. One of the ways to do that is to listen to your body and when something isn’t right you should act upon it and look for solid solutions instead of taking ridiculous advice.
While I do think raw can be a wonderful healthy lifestyle I also think there is balance for both traditional and holistic medicine. Sometimes raw can’t “cure” everything and you need professional medical assistance. Don’t be too quick too dismiss things you know nothing about and tell everyone you’re detoxing. And as far as your “experience” well apparently it isn’t serving you too well either since you are still experiencing hair trouble yourself.
As far as my problem it has finally been diagnosed as a thyroid problem. It has been a long and frustrating journey but at least now I have a much better idea of what I can do to resolve it. I’m still a raw foodist and continue to be one but at the same time I am keeping all of my medical options open. There is absolutely nothing wrong with any raw foodist seeking a balance of both worlds. It is very unfortunate that many people continue to push their limited way of thinking onto others or feel that it is necessary to only believe in 1 mindset in order to conform to a label.
Good luck to you too. And please don’t worry about giving me advice because I certainly will not be taking it.
Nuttgirl, yes balance is key in just about all things (if not all).
Please don’t take this next part as a lecture because I truly don’t mean it that way.
I believe that people on this blog site are just so interested in helping that sometimes we might sound overbearing – even when that is not at all intended. It’s hard communicating just in writing because we can’t hear each other’s tones & inflections, or see each other’s body-language. Sometimes an innocuous off-the-cuff comment could inadvertly come off as mean-spirited or unfriendly.
Regarding thyroid dysfunction – I too, have personally been diagnosed with thyroid problems (hypothyroid) and I don’t like to think about anyone else having to deal with it. I know how frustrating it can be—the lethargy, dry skin, hair loss etc….the thyroid gland effects the metabolism of all cells in the body.
As I wrote in a previous post— Seeing a very good Endocrinologist may really help. And getting a base-line Ultrasound of your thyroid could let the doctor have an idea of possible pathologies of the gland itself. There may be a chance that you don’t have to go on medication. I hope so. Not that the meds are ‘painful’ or anything, but it’s just difficult to get the correct dosage and having to be dependent on it can be a drag.
It can be very trying.
Wishing you all the best for good health & true happiness.. Cheers!
Nuttigirl -
Your post to me was mean. My posts to you were not mean and you are definatley miss reading them. It is just wrong to be mean to people who are trying to help you .
My hair is is perfect shape! I never said it was falling out. At one time (many years ago) it did and I was able to fix it and stop it and now it grows in thicke and shiney and healthy. Which was why I was trying to help you out. I really don’t know where you got the idea that there is something wrong with my hair because it is in its best shape ever.
Doesn’t matter anymore because it is not worth talking to someone who is so can’t gracious except advice from others (even when they were the ones who asked for it in the first place). It is just wrong to say mean things to people who are trying to help you out. Very sad.
Queenfluff, Every one is allowed to have opinions, and I for one love the help and time you are giving to others. Thanks,
NUTTGIRL – I am not a healthcare practitioner and can only rely on my own experiences and what I read. For the most part, I put no faith in anecdotal stories and I am skeptical of mainstream medical information as it is often based on profitability for the medical industry. This leaves me in a difficult place when trying to evaluate what options are best for me. I think everyone else is in the same boat, but they may not know it.
Your symptoms are common, classic hypothyroidism. You may have something else going on but I think that is a good place to start since you are having hypothyroidism symptoms and you have had some indication that you have a thyroid issue.
I think your instincts to see a doctor are correct if you have a thyroid problem. The downside is that very few conventional doctors know how to properly evaluate a thyroid problem and know less about how to treat it. I discovered this by suffering for years with hypothyroidism, going from one incompetent physician to the next, each telling me I was just fine because my TSH came back normal. After spending hours on the web investigating this problem, I learned I had to find a doctor who actually understood the thyroid and that is really hard to find. A good place to start is an endocrinologist. In my opinion, any doctor who discovers you have a thyroid problem and limits your bloodwork to a TSH test is incompetent. When you educate yourself on the topic you will understand why I deliver such a harsh critique.
Educate yourself. It is the best medicine you will ever get when dealing with hypothyroidism. I would also suggest that if you need medication, ask a doctor to start you on Armor Thyroid, which is a natural medication containing full thyroid hormones. It is also cheaper than the synthetics, which usually only supply one of the hormones (T4), which is why so many patients on that product have a normal TSH result but continue to have symptoms and suffer believing their hypothyroidism is under control when it isn’t.
Hypothyroidism, if not properly treated, sucks and is very dangerous as it can lead to other significant health issues, like cardiovascular illness. It will screw with your day-to-day life, especially as you get older. It can easily become part of a multi-hormonal imbalance that zaps your energy and fatigues your adrenal glands. Get it under control as soon as possible.
Here are two really good links that will help you educate yourself, but don’t stop there:
Thyroid at About.com
Mary Shomon is not a healthcare professional but she is a well-informed thyroid advocate who has written many books and articles that have led people with thyroid issues to finding a solution that works when their doctor did not know how. I credit her with my primary thyroid education.
Stop the Thyroid Madness
You will also want to read up on how soy and fluoride both adversely effect your thyroid. Fluoride damages the thyroid (very high concentrations found in tea) and soy isoflavins can cause thyroid problems and worsen them (by binding to the receptor site for thyroid hormones, thereby preventing cell intake of your thyroid hormones or any replacement hormones you take).
Best of luck to you.
Just a thought, but what are your iodine levels like?
I has subclinical hypothyroidism which mysteriously corrected itself, i wasnt on a raw diet but i had started taking a supplement with iodine in it. Iodine is essential to create thyroid hormones. Its a simple solution and worth a try.
Also, do you still eat any soy products? Soy is really bad for thyroid health.
queenfluff- I think your comments where very helpful and insightful from everything I have been reading and learning bad hair is a sign of a clogged liver, and there are other things that contribute as well, but the liver keeps coming up in my research for so many things. Luckily the liver can heal itself once we help remove the load so that it can. I welcome any advice you have to offer, you seem to be VERY well informed!
Nuttgirl- Please do not take comments to heart we are all here looking for answers and learning from each other. I have been on here for only a short time but I have received so much good advice, some I will try and some I will not, and some I will have to consider but I am grateful for it all. I came here for options,I do believe everyone is here to help and they do not mean to attack anyone, I always try to read emails at work with a happy tone that way if anyone says something that could be taken wrong it makes it better, Honey helps the medicine go down easier!! Ask and you will recieve I wish you the best and I hope you find the answers you seek. Health problems are scarey, I know there were many times I didnt think I was going to make it to the ER in time. But I see the light at the end of the tunnel now and I know I am on the right track The answers will come when you are ready so leave the door cracked open so they can make there way through Best Wishes