The Long Haul: Part 4
Hair Loss & Hormones
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Covid definitely seems to shove folks into further hormonal imbalance.
The word on the street from clinician friends who are treating post-Covid patients and what makes sense clinically to me, it seems Covid pushes people over the threshold of whatever line of health struggles they were teetering on.
It hits their weak spots, and from what I’ve seen clinically after a decade + in practice, many women on nudging up on several subclinical hormonal issues like hypothyroidism and imbalanced sex hormones before they ever encounter Covid.
This is nothing new as ANY strong illness can do this.
The difference now is that we are seeing it in droves with this virus as everyone is eventually going to be exposed to it.
You know what else causes sudden and aggressive hair loss? Hypothyroidism or low thyroid function.
It’s often the first sign that something is wrong for people. “I keep finding handfuls of hair in the drain after I wash my hair or on the bath mat after I blow dry!”
If someone is subclinically low in thyroid, progesterone, sitting on the edge of menopause or walking into menopause, a severe bout of illness can shove them right over that line.
Being prescribed the wrong thyroid medication, that is keeping lab numbers optimal, but not the human taking them, is another culprit.
If you are experiencing hair loss, I HIGHLY suggest finding a doctor who can assess your thyroid health.
Most MD’s can not and will not comprehensively assess. They will run a TSH for your thyroid assessment and tell you everything is ok. That’s not good enough.
You’ll want to find someone who can not only assess you functionally for low thyroid, but who isn’t afraid to prescribe some thyroid hormone if needed. This is not going to be your typical MD or even a health coach who claims to read labs (I love health coaches, I’m not a fan of them interpreting labs. There’s a lot there that can be missed without extensive formal education. This is a “function in your proper lane” situation.)
As for other sex hormones, they can play a part as well. You’ll want the full workup and someone who not only knows how to do it, but who knows how to interpret them.
Side note: Not EVERY functional medicine or Naturopathic physician is going to have this skill set. You’ll have to do your research and you may even need to travel. Most likely they will NOT accept insurance so it will be an out of pocket expense. It’s worth it.
Are there other mechanisms related to the virus that could be contributing to hair loss?
Covid induces an inflammatory state in the host. MANY mechanisms at play here and, as always, how you enter into any sickness will dictate how you endure and exit said process.
88% of US adults are metabolically unhealthy.1
That means they are walking around rocking low grade inflammation 24/7 due to poor metabolic health and their immune system is somewhat compromised from it. Going into Covid with inflammation brewing will obviously induce even MORE inflammation.
I’ve seen, on multiple occasions, metabolically unhealthy struggling with hair loss in the past. This is not unique to Covid. Again, Covid seems to push people over the edge of their already weak links.
Nutritional deficiencies may indeed play a role.
Deficiencies of key nutrients like zinc, iron, biotin and protein can contribute to hair loss.
Zinc is viral replication inhibitor. Most people I’ve found to be zinc deficient upon testing. It’s challenging to get some patient zinc replete, it can take years to months. Combatting a virus will “use up” zinc stores. This could contribute to hair loss as a result, amongst other things.
Viruses LOVE iron. They depend on iron to efficiently replicate. Some viruses will selectively infect iron-acquiring cells or influence the cellular iron metabolism.2
Other nutrient deficiencies related to hair loss include biotin, collagen and protein. These are building blocks to hair.
While deficiencies of these nutrients are medically considered rare in modern society, let’s face it. Most Americans eat nutrient deficient garbage for their day to day “food”. The acronym for the Standard American Diet is “SAD” for a reason. I’m not surprised that hair loss is happening.
I have recently launched a formula to support healthy hair growth called Beauty in a Bottle, which is an advanced collagen generator. It also supports healthy joints! In addition I carry a highly absorbable Zinc inside my store. You can check them out HERE.
What about alopecia?
Alopecia IS the technical term for hair loss. It’s what Jada Pickett-Smith is suffering from currently.
Alopecia areata has been shown as a known side-effect from the vaccine.3
The mechanism with the vaccine most likely is due to the spike protein. As the vaccine turns the recipient into a spike protein factory for an unknown period of time.
That’s literally the mRNA vaccines mechanism of action (and yes, J&J does this as well). mRNA codes for spike protein, human cell makes spike proteins, human immune system sees spike protein and makes anti-body to said spike protein. We don’t know when or even IF this factory setting turns off once it’s been turned on. The spike protein is PRO-INFLAMMATORY.4
Being infected by the virus ALSO exposes the individual to a load of spike proteins from the natural infection process. How much depends on viral load. Sicker people with compromised immune systems tend towards higher viral loads.
As I’ve said before, viral load/titers matter. The more virus in the host, the more spike proteins.
Who gets higher viral loads/titers?
The following conditions tend to beget high viral loads/titers due to having higher ACE2 receptors (the receptor that binds the virus), along with more inflammation, leading to a reduced immune response as a result:
Obese bodies (fat cells have high levels of ACE2 receptors)
Diabetics (both types) and/or metabolic syndrome
Malnourished folks (most Americans are overfed and under nourished)
Elderly (due to “inflammaging”, the natural increase in inflammation that comes with age)
Heart disease, Kidney disease, Liver disease (this comes with diabetes)
This is just a handful, but you get the point.
Hence me beating the drum for the past 2+ years encouraging folks to eat nutrient dense food, get their metabolic health in order, reduce adipose (fat) tissue and build muscle. Alas, I was vilified as “ableist” for daring to mention these strategies. But you now see the utility.
For a deeper dive into more on the post-viral sequelae of Covid19, I’ve recorded an entire episode on the topic.
Lastly, I will close with this. Don’t waste your money on serums and topicals. Find a good doctor who can first assess your thyroid properly and isn’t afraid to treat with hormone. Get your metabolic health under control! Your thyroid and hormones will never be optimized if your metabolism is a wreck. Become nutrient replete. Heal your body so your hair stops falling out.
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