What if you could improve your hair, nail, and skin’s appearance and health from the inside out?

I see many patients in my practice asking about natural health supplements that would help them with better skins, hairs, and nails. Before any supplement recommendations, however, we would have to look at the main reason for your hair loss. Common nutritional deficiencies causing hair loss include vitamin A, vitamin D, zinc, iron, and essential fatty acids deficiencies. 

Aside from nutritional deficiencies, your hair loss might be a side effect of the medications you are using. 

 Following are the list of the most common medications that may cause hair loss:

• Antibiotics
• Anticoagulants (Coumadin, heparin)
• Antidepressants (Prozac, lithium)
• Antiepileptics (Valproic acid)
• Cardiovascular drugs (ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers)
• Chemotherapy drugs
• Endocrine drugs (Clomid, danazol)
• Gout medications (Colchicine, allopurinol)
• Cholesterol-lowering drugs
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Ibuprofen, naproxen)
• Ulcer medications (Zantac)

Hair loss naturopathic treatments:

Once the leading cause for your hair loss is identified, I may put you on some supplements and herbal formulas. Biotin (also known as vitamin B7), for instance, may act as nature’snature’s beauty salon, working to strengthen your hair and nails. It may also have a positive effect on blood sugar levels. Because biotin is a water-soluble vitamin, you may have some every day. Biotin may also be used as a treatment for healing dry scalps, treating fragile nails and brittle eyelashes! Eggs, meat (organ meats in particular), nuts, and mushrooms are all good sources of this beauty-enhancing vitamin. 

In addition to biotin, essential fatty acids and vitamin E might also be helpful for your hair. Essential fatty acids, such as fish oil and flaxseed oil, are important for your hair luster. Vitamin E increases oxygen flow to the scalp and helps your hair grow longer.

Naturopathic treatments for your skin:

 Aside from hair loss, skin issues such as aging skin are another primary reason for many patients’ visits. It is important to note that a few recent studies show that wrinkles and skin cancer might be somehow linked (1). So, your skin’s appearance and health may not be just crucial for cosmetic purposes! 

Although more research will be needed, two new studies published in Oct 2018 show that physical changes in skin and skin wrinkles may, indeed, be linked to skin cancer in older adults. In older adults, the same thing that causes wrinkles is also linked to metastatic melanoma (a type of skin cancer that spreads to other body organs). Additionally, our skin relies on a network of collagen and elastin, two proteins that maintain the structure of our skin. HAPLN1 factor is a protein that binds collagen and elastin together. (HAPLN1 is lost during the aging process)(1). Aside from new studies pointing towards the link between wrinkles and skin cancer, the physiological changes brought on by aging to our skin may further help existing tumors spread to other areas of the body. Tumor cells sitting in the skin (that were basically bound by this tight network of collagen and elastin and HAPLN1) may more readily leave that primary cancer site and spread all over the body(1). In a nutshell, we know that our skin health has a greater purpose than solely cosmetic purposes.

As you may already know, skin aging may be caused by oxidative stress. A recent study published in Nov 2018 shows that zinc also can activate an organic molecule. This organic molecule can, in turn, help protect against oxidative stress and aging. Zinc is also found in dark chocolate (2). 

Aside from zinc, other nutrients are also crucial for your skin health.

This is why when I do cosmetic acupuncture, I also ensure a dietary and supplemental recommendation that would cover your skin’s specific needs.

Let me know if you’d like to book a session to learn more about supplements and herbal formulas that may help you with your hair, nail, and skin health. You can call me at (416) 684-5514. You may also book an appointment on the following page: click here.

(1)https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/11/181102083430.htm

(2)https://cancerdiscovery.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2018/09/29/2159-8290.CD-18-0193