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What is Menopausal Hair Loss?
Menopausal hair loss involves a typical pattern of loss of hair in women, caused by hormones, aging, and genetic predisposition. Other names for this is female pattern baldness and Alopecia in women.
Hair grows from its follicle at an average rate of a 1/2 inch per month. Each hair grows for 2 to 6 years, then rests, and then falls out. A new hair soon begins growing in its place. At any one time, about 85% of the hair is growing and 15% is resting.
 Baldness occurs when hair falls out but new hair does not grow in its place. The cause of the failure to grow new hair in female pattern baldness is not well understood, but it is associated with genetic predisposition, aging, and levels of endocrine hormones (particularly androgens, the male sex hormones).
Changes in the levels of androgens can affect hair production. For example, after the hormonal changes of menopause, many women find that the hair on the head is thinned, while facial hair is coarser. Although new hair is not produced, follicles remain alive, suggesting the possibility of new hair growth.
The typical pattern of female pattern baldness is different than that of male pattern baldness. The hair thins all over the head, but the frontal hairline is maintained. There may be a moderate loss of hair on the crown, but this rarely progresses to total or near baldness as it may in men.
So, let’s look at the chemistry of aging, which will give us an insight into menopausal hair loss.
Lack of proper amounts of HCL
As we age.....we note that the production of Hydrochloric Acid (HCL) in the digestive tract is decreased, especially after age 40. Since HCL is essential to the absorption of protein and minerals needed for hair growth, it is no wonder that this alone may cause changes in a variety of ways. It is obvious that we need to encourage the body to produce more HCL for the absorption of these nutrients. I know that this is probably contrary to all of the TV, radio, and magazine ads touting the need to reduce stomach acid. The truth is thatour stomach acid is very important in the role of protein and mineral absorption.
So...what can help HCL production? First of all, a good quality Zinc supplement may be helpful and I also suggest taking Enzyme Solutions combination #32. This will encourage your body to produce HCL. Menopausal Hair Loss I suggest a good Colloidal or Ionic mineral blend to supplement the missing minerals while you are working on increasing the HCL. You may also benefit from iron in the form of food sources such as beets and spinach, or beef liver, if you eat meat.
The estrogen connection
Excess estrogen is often linked to hair loss. This could happen for a variety of reasons. If the liver is not functioning properly it may not be able to pull the excess estrogen from the blood to eliminate it through the bowel.
The bowel is the favored route of elimination of estrogens once they are filtered out by the liver, so if a woman has a history of constipation this elimination route is blocked. If the waste is allowed to remain in the bowel for longer than the ideal 18 hour transit time, the friendly bacteria in the colon actually recycles the estrogen back into the blood. This recycled estrogen, in addition to the new amounts being produced, causes a severe overage of estrogen that has been connected to menopausal symptoms such as thinning hair and bones as well as vaginal dryness.
Use of Indole 3 Carbinol helps the body to detoxify and remove this excess estrogen, provided that the bowel is moving. If the body has excess estrogen, it can be offset with use of extra natural progesterone to keep the ratios balanced. John Lee discusses this option at length in all of his books. The most commonly suggested dose is about 20 milligrams of progesterone (Pro-G-Yam Cream)daily applied topically to tender skin areas.
Thyroid function
Another common reason for hair loss is low thyroid function (hypothyroid ). Other symptoms that might be associated with hypothyroid conditions are constipation, fatigue and foggy thinking.
Taking supplements like Nature’s Sunshine Thyroid Support or Thyroid Activator may be helpful. Hair loss is very common after child birth and should be a red flag to balance the entire endocrine system to stave off postpartum blues. In fact even if childbirth was not in your recent past the endocrine system may be the weakest link in the hair loss picture. I would focus particularly on both the thyroid and adrenal glands.
Other helpful suggestions
Nature’s Sunshine makes a product called HSN-Complex. (HSN for Hair, Skin, Nails) I have found all of these helpful for menopausal hair loss. This product has helped in as little as two weeks. The herbs used are very high in Silicon which is known to improve the health of the hair follicles. Because of the horsetail content, in this formula should not be used during pregnancy or breast feeding. B-Vitamins have long been noted as being helpful for hair loss. The specific B-vitamin related to hair loss is Biotin, however PABA and Pantothenic acid are also involved. Since I rarely, if ever, suggest anyone take a single B-vitamin, I prefer that a good quality B-Complex be used.
Flax Seed Oil or Evening Primrose Oil is used to improve the skin, therefore the hair. (If you think digestion of fats may be a problem for you I suggest you look at the article All About Fats for ideas to help you metabolize these important nutrients.)
Hair has a very high protein content, therefore it is important for you to be eating and digesting proper protein to grow hair that will be strong. A Protein or Amino acid supplement may be helpful. (See All About Fats acticle for more information about protein and protein digestion)
Homeopathic remedies may also be helpful. Sepia, arnica, lycopodium, phosphorus or acidum nit. have all been indicated for hair loss. I suggest that you research this idea, and consult with someone trained in homeopathy to help you decide the best remedy for you. If you are looking for books about homeopathy we have found everything written by Asa Hershoff (Homeopathic Remedies , Herbal Remedies (Kindle) , Homeopathy for Musculoskeletal Healing ) to be great information.
No matter what area seems to be the reason for hair loss, I suggest that you take a solid look at the diet, digestion and elimination. As you know most imbalances in the body start with one of the stressors.
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