thin and limp hair

Aidan

Aidan

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About a year into having CFS I noticed that my hair was often going very thin and limp at different periods, and that this would correlate with the severity of certain symptoms. When I say going thin, I do not mean losing hair. I mean each strand goes thinner. It isn't just a trivial amount, it completely changes how my hair looks and feels. It has nothing to do with hair washing either. In just a matter of hours it can go from being thick with a lot of shape and volume, able to stand up on its own in a quiff, to then being extremely thin and limp and not able to stand at all.

My blood tests come back with no issues, although I was at one time very vitamin d deficient and my hair was constantly having this problem at that time. Just recently, I have gotten the same symptoms back from when I was vitamin d deficient despite my levels being very healthy. This includes the constantly limp hair which is what motivated me to make this post. One thing that fixed it temporarily was when I took DHEA-S supplements, for a few days my symptoms improved dramatically and my hair was back to how it used to be. But this didn't last, and it was definitely not a good idea for me to take DHEA.

Has anyone else had this strange issue with their hair? It's difficult to find on google, because searching thin hair only seems to come up with
 
Aidan

Aidan

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Learner1 said:
Sounds like nutrient deficiencies. Have you done a comprehensive nutrient test like a Genova Diagnostics NutrEval or Metabolomix+?
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I haven't, only had some of the main ones tested with standard bloodwork. I think it's unlikely to be a nutritional problem for a few reasons, mostly because I never skip meals and eat a range of nutrient dense foods + supplements. But I definitely think this is worth checking nonetheless, so thanks for the suggestion.
 
YippeeKi YOW !!

YippeeKi YOW !!

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Aidan said:
When I say going thin, I do not mean losing hair. I mean each strand goes thinner.
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This seems unlikely. The thickness or thinness of each hair shaft is determined by the width of the hair follicle, and its general health. The first is determined genetically, the second is self explanatory.

If for some reason the width of your hair follicles is changing, it generally is a multi-year transition, not something that can occur from day to day, and it wouldn't affect hair that's already grown out, it would only affect new growth. It would be like your eye color changing overnight, then changing back. Not impossible I guess, but highly unlikely

There must be something else at work here ....I wish I could be helpful in figuring out what, but today I can barely figure out the stairs ....
 
Learner1

Learner1

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Aidan said:
I haven't, only had some of the main ones tested with standard bloodwork. I think it's unlikely to be a nutritional problem for a few reasons, mostly because I never skip meals and eat a range of nutrient dense foods + supplements. But I definitely think this is worth checking nonetheless, so thanks for the suggestion.
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Recommended dietary needs are based on healthy populations. ME/CFSpatients are not healthy people. This article discusses different nutrient needs based on disease states:

https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/150/Supplement_1/2593S/5913286

Furthermore, people do not have the same nutrient needs. The classic book by Roger Williams,"Biochemical Individuality" discusses factors that contribute to vastly different nutrient needs within different individuals.

Then, there is microbiome composition. The different bacteria in our microbiomes do different tasks and absorbing and processing nutrients, which again, can cause very different nutrient needs for the entire body.

Even with a high quality diet, it is virtually impossible to get 100% of every dietary nutrient within a normal amount of calories.

Metabolomics studies of ME/CFS patients have found deficiencies in various B vitamins, antioxidants, and amino acids that can greatly impact our immune function and energy levels.
 
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