Hair loss….at my age!?

Greetings readers! I wanted to share with you a story of a 16 year old patient of mine. We’ll call her Chloe. Chloe came to see me because she was having hair loss, or spotty alopecia. She had been seeing a dermatologist for her hair loss and after trying many things the dermatologist had resulted to doing steroid injections into her scalp on the bald spots. While this therapy worked for the hair loss, it was leaving boggy spots on her scalp that felt funny. Both Chloe and her mother knew this was not a long term solution to the problem, but rather a Band-Aid approach.

I recommended two types of testing. I had Chloe do our complete nutritional panel (also called micronutrient testing) and genetic testing. The total cost for this testing was about $500. The results…..AMAZING! As it turns out, Chloe was severely deficient in B vitamins, several key nutrients and copper. Copper can be a cause of hair loss as can some of the B vitamins. She had several genetic enzyme deficiencies that were the cause of her B vitamin deficiency.

Chloe started a nutritional program that included a gluten free diet, vitamin supplementation, copper supplementation and lifestyle changes. Upon returning for follow up visit her hair loss had stopped completely, her skin had cleared completely, and she reported feeling much better overall. At her 6 month follow up appointment, her hair issue was completely resolved and she reported that her ADD had improved dramatically. In fact, she reported getting all A’s on her final exams! She had previously been a struggling student with an Individualize Education Program (IEP). She still has an IEP at school, but it is my belief that much of her cognitive issues were a result of her extreme malnutrition. Chloe and Chloe’s family have subsequently become one of my greatest sources of referral in my practice.

It is stories like Chloe’s that make me excited to work with patients every day. When we give the body what it needs, it has tremendous power to heal itself! To learn more about whole body nutrition check out my book!