Case Study: Hair Loss And Exhaustion

Tracey was a 42 year old lady who came to see me because she was fed up with feeling so sick. The problems she wanted most help with were exhaustion, mood swings and scalp hair loss. Tracey had not felt well for many years and she had seen her doctor regularly. There were several abnormalities in her blood test results when I looked at them.

Tracey was a very busy person. She had two part time jobs and one of them was physically demanding. She was chronically exhausted but had no other option than to keep going. Losing scalp hair was stressing Tracey very much. She learned how to style her hair in a way as to minimize the problem, but when she parted her hair for me I could see the extent of the hair loss. Tracey found this incredibly upsetting and she cried a lot during the consultation.

Every month, a week before her menstruation began; Tracey became extremely irritable and upset. She flew off the handle and became snappy at her children and partner. Tracey dreaded this time and desperately wanted to feel calmer and happier. Tracey’s doctor had ordered a celiac disease blood test that came back positive. Additionally, her blood test result also showed iron deficiency, vitamin B12 deficiency and vitamin D deficiency. These deficiencies needed to be corrected if Tracey’s health was to improve.

Gluten was inflaming and irritating Tracey’s digestive lining, which was inhibiting the proper absorption of nutrients. This meant that no matter how nutritious her meals were, her body was simply not able to extract the nutrients from her food.

My recommendations for my patient:

• The positive celiac disease blood test meant Tracey needed an intestinal biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. This ended up being positive. I explained the importance of adhering to a completely gluten free diet. I also asked Tracey to avoid all dairy products for the time being. When the intestinal lining is inflamed, it is impossible to digest dairy products properly and they can just worsen inflammation. Nutrient deficiencies are an incredibly common cause of fatigue and scalp hair loss.
• Glutamine is healing and soothing to the lining of the intestines, helping to repair the damage caused by gluten. I asked Tracey to take 1 teaspoon twice daily.
• I gave Tracey a vitamin D supplement and asked her to take the capsule with breakfast or lunch each day.
• I gave Tracey a vitamin B12 supplement. B12 deficiency causes a lot of fatigue and it can be harmful to the health of the brain if prolonged.
  An iron supplement was also needed. Tracey’s ferritin level was only 14, which was a huge contributor to her hair loss.
• Hormonal problems contributed to the irritability and premenstrual syndrome that Tracey suffered with. I gave her a magnesium powder and asked her to take a teaspoon each evening with her meal. I also gave her a progesterone cream. Bio-identical progesterone is wonderful for thickening the scalp hair. It also helps to stabilize mood and emotions before menstruation.

Tracey is booked to see me again in another 4 weeks and I look forward to monitoring her progress.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.