December 23 2009, 8:41 am PT | Posted in: Female Hair Loss
(female)
Hi - two weeks ago my Md told me I was really deficient in vitamin d. I started taking 5000 units a day and to my astonishment - when I washed my hair- almost NONE came out… ( usually its handfuls) … also muscle spasms stopped and i feel great…Vitamin D is a miracle… really!
Now that your vitamin D deficiency is cleared up, so is your hair loss. That’s great news! Congratulations!
I’m posting this to show that female hair loss has so many potential causes (a partial list can be found here), and some solutions are as simple as adding vitamins to your diet. Talk to your doctor!
Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):
Vitamin D really is a “miracle” on some level. It does amazing things for the immune system and the overall health of the entire body. Everyone should take it daily (at least 2,000-4,000 IU), because most people do not get nearly enough of it.
I agree. The one thing I think is interesting is how it seems so many more people have cancers and other illness than 30 years ago. It also seems many more people lose hair than when I was a kid…the one constant is doctors insisting people avoid the sun at all cost. It just seems like an interesting concept i have been wondering. My vitamin d level was 5!! which was severly low. I have been on vitamin d for almost a year and I’m still not optimal range. Iam a male and am hopeful this is why my hair is diffuse thinning over whole head with very little mpb. I’m 40 and I am now up to 5000iu of d3 a day. I’m hopeful it helps my hair.
As a certified nutritionist and alternative health care provider, I take serious issue with the above comment. It is premature and dangerous.
I am all for “higher-than-recommended” levels of many vitamins. I believe, in general, that the RDAs are set too low. The RDA for vitamin D is 400 IUs daily. Strong evidence is mounting that higher levels of vitamin D are required and I expect the RDA to be updated within the next few years.
However, just because something is good does not mean that more of it is better. Too many people make this mistake. This is even more true with vitamin D because it is fat-soluble and is stored in the body. It can build up to toxic levels. Instead of boosting the immune sytem, large amounts can actually weaken it. You must know where to draw the line. There is no basis in the world to sugggest taking amounts in the range of 2000-4000 IUs daily as suggested in the comment above.
Taking into consideration all of the latest research, a daily dose of 1000-2000 IUs seems to be in order. Your daily sun exposure must also be considered as well. People that spend most of their times indoors would require levels on the higher end of the scale and vice versa. Most doctors that keep current on the latest nutritional research are recommending 1000 IUs daily. 2000 is the highest anyone should consider going. Anything past that is bound to be counter-productive.
Keep in mind that just because vitamins are natural, it does not mean that they are perfectly safe. Vitamins are not “whole foods.” They are isolated compounds and in large amounts they have drug-like effects (and adverse reactions.) More is not always better.
For many years, nutritional writers and vitamin advocates were recommending large amounts of vitamin E. It is now becoming firmly established that dosages past 200-400 IUs per day cause many adverse reactions. Sadly, people were taking large amounts of that vitamin to try and ward off health problems and were actually causing more problems than they were trying to prevent. The same holds true for folic acid, beta-carotene and several others.
Bottom line: Yes, the RDAs are set too low for many vitamins, but don’t go to the other extreme and think “the more the better.”
As a nutritionist, you should be aware your information is horribly out of date.
The vitamin E death worries were proven to be invalid when the research study from 2004 was shown to be incomplete and flawed.
Vitamin research is still in its infancy. Why don’t you do some more recent “research” on what the “industry” is saying. Everything so far suggests:
1. Vitamins are great for you
2. Everyone will have different needs for different levels of vitamins based on their individual genes.
In my case, my doctor prescribed me 50000 IU of Vitamin D once a week plus daily supplements as well. He showed me the latest research, and it supported my own research when we discussed treatment options.
http://www.rayandterry.com/wellness_information.asp?section=FAQ%27s&question=120
And in conclusion, never take medical advice from a nutritionist.