How to fight hair loss

 

Progression-stage categories of hair loss

Hair falling out? Need hair health fast?

This might seem like a weird topic to talk about on a nutritionist’s blog site, however, this topic is based on personal experience. My natural reaction to hair loss is embarrassment. The more I read, however, the more I realize I really don’t need to feel that way. And so I became motivated to find the solution.

I’ve been told by some there are no real solutions and that I should just get some Rogaine for women and learn to live with it. “After all it is probably just genetic.” Arrgghhhh! Well, I relented and I did just that and it has seemed to help some. But I’m not looking for a Band-aid, I want to get to the root of the problem. No pun intended!

You see this problem with hair loss has been going on now for a couple of years and I’ve noticed it’s been increasing. My hair is getting thin enough now that the loss is noticeable to me. Fortunately, my curly locks help to hide it.

I saw my dermatologist today who very frankly recommended I take supplements of folic acid, biotin, and vitamin B12 which are known to support hair health. I knew these were important nutrients to consume and I do eat foods with all of these nutrients and take a basic multivitamin. When I questioned him about this, he said it’s very likely that I wasn’t getting enough.

In my searching, I found a great article that I felt worth sharing that discusses the causes of hair loss. Click here to read the article. What I learned is that there are many reasons for hair loss and that can include nutrition deficiencies, hormonal imbalances and menopause.

If you’re also having a “bad hair” day, month or year like I have, start by eating a balanced, plant-based diet that includes moderate portions of protein-rich foods — the more organic, the better. Avoid or limit refined foods with added sugar, saturated fats and high sodium. Drink plenty of clean water and give up the soft drinks. Reduce your stress and increase your exercise.

I’ve already starting taking suggested supplements and I plan to write more about this journey to solve my “bad hair” year in the near future. Stay tuned.

Lori Drummond, R.D., L.D.

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Boomers need more protein

by Lori Drummond, RD, LD

Studies show that adding supplemental protein to the diet can be beneficial for aging baby boomers with a range of health issues. Because protein plays so many key roles in our body, we must keep our protein intake adequate.

Generally speaking, older people aren’t getting enough protein even though their needs are not as high as they once were.

As we mature, our physiological processes slow down and therefore extra attention must be placed on them in order to avoid the problems associated with aging. Simply put, as we age our bodies are in need of greater upkeep.

Click here to read the rest of this article

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Processed meat boosts health risk

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Eating bacon, sausage, hot dogs and other processed meats can raise the risk of heart disease and diabetes, U.S. researchers said on Monday in a study that identifies the real bad boys of the meat counter.

Eating unprocessed beef, pork or lamb appeared not to raise risks of heart attacks and diabetes, they said, suggesting that salt and chemical preservatives may be the real cause of these two health problems associated with eating meat.

The study, an analysis of other research called a meta-analysis, did not look at high blood pressure or cancer, which are also linked with high meat consumption.

“To lower risk of heart attacks and diabetes, people should consider which types of meats they are eating,” said Renata Micha of the Harvard School of Public Health, whose study appears in the journal Circulation.

“Processed meats such as bacon, salami, sausages, hot dogs and processed deli meats may be the most important to avoid,” Micha said in a statement.

Based on her findings, she said people who eat one serving per week or less of processed meats have less of a risk.

The American Meat Institute objected to the findings, saying it was only one study and that it stands in contrast to other studies and the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

“At best, this hypothesis merits further study. It is certainly no reason for dietary changes,” James Hodges, president of the American Meat Institute, said in a statement.

Most dietary guidelines recommend eating less meat. Individual studies looking at relationships between eating meat and cardiovascular diseases and diabetes have had mixed results.

But studies rarely look for differences in risk between processed and unprocessed red meats, Micha said.

She and colleagues did a systematic review of nearly 1,600 studies from around the world looking for evidence of a link between eating processed and unprocessed red meat and the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

They defined processed meat as any meat preserved by smoking, curing or salting, or with the addition of chemical preservatives. Meats in this category included bacon, salami, sausages, hot dogs or processed deli or luncheon meats.

Unprocessed red meat included beef, lamb or pork but not poultry.

They found that on average, each 1.8 oz (50 grams) daily serving of processed meat a day — one to two slices of deli meats or one hot dog — was associated with a 42 percent higher risk of heart disease and a 19 percent higher risk of developing diabetes.

They found no higher heart or diabetes risk in people who ate only unprocessed red meats.

The team adjusted for a number of factors, including how much meat people ate. They said lifestyle factors were similar between those who ate processed and unprocessed meats.

“When we looked at average nutrients in unprocessed red and processed meats eaten in the United States, we found that they contained similar average amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol,” Micha said.

“In contrast, processed meats contained, on average, four times more sodium and 50 percent more nitrate preservatives,” Micha added.

Last month, the Institute of Medicine urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to regulate the amount of salt added to foods to help Americans cut their high sodium intake.

The FDA has not yet said whether it will regulate salt in foods, but it is looking at the issue.

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Don’t let your health take a vacation

Dr. Joseph Mercola reviews the basic food principles you need in order to understand healthy and practical options for diet while traveling or even at home.

 
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Bad diets out, nutrient density in

Joel Fuhrman, MD, talks about diets that don’t work, and nutrient density as the key to healthy eating.

Please click the video player screen below to watch the video.

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Good Health Media — Information you need for pursuing good health
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‘Super-size Me!’

I’ve encouraged many people to watch Supersize me!, a frightening account of a young man who ate nothing but fast food for 30 days and nearly died. Please encourage others to visit this site to watch this movie.

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Good Health Media — Information you need for pursuing good health
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Just a heartbeat away

Did you know that your heart is the strongest muscle in your body? That it completely circulates your blood every 20 seconds? That your circulatory system is 62,000 miles long?

I have a new dietitian friend who works in Stuart, Florida who sent me an amazing YouTube video today. It has a very important heart health message that everyone needs to see and hear because either we ourselves are at increased risk for heart disease or someone is that we know. The music is pretty cool, too!

Follow this link to see… YouTube Preview Image

 

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Rats lesson? Junk food is a drug

I am encouraged when I see powerful confirmations of what I’ve insisted for years. This report regarding the narcotic, addictive effects of sugar and fat doesn’t surprise me at all. I hope it prompts you to cut back on junk food, even if it means conceding that it took lessons from rats to change your view — Lori

 

By Jeff Ostrowski
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

In a study that compares cupcakes and cookies to cocaine, scientists at Scripps Florida say rats fed a diet of junk food grew so addicted to unhealthy food that they starved rather than eat healthy fare.

Scripps Florida scientists Paul Kenny and Paul Johnson say junk food changed the rats’ brain chemistry in the same way that chronic cocaine use alters an addict’s brain function. Their study, published Sunday in the journal Nature Neuroscience, bolsters the increasingly popular theory that Americans’ bulging waistlines can be blamed in part on the addictive attributes of unhealthy food.

As part of three years of experiments, Kenny, an associate professor, and Johnson, a graduate student, served one group of rats healthy, nutritionally balanced fare. Another group got unlimited access to the worst stuff Johnson could find at Publix, including bacon, sausage, cheesecake, pound cake, Ding Dongs and frosting. [Read more...]

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Sludge in your tank?

By Lori Drummond, R.D., L.D.
GoodHealthConsulting LLC founder

Do you have sludge in your tank?

Sludge…in the gallbladder, that is?

The gall bladder is our holding tank for bile.

Gallbladder sludge, a/k/a, biliary sludge, is “a common term that is applied to an abnormality of bile … of the gallbladder.” Specifically, the bile within the gallbladder contains microscopic particles, usually cholesterol or pigment, embedded in mucus secreted by the gallbladder. Over time, sludge may remain in the gallbladder, it may disappear and not return, or it may come and go.” (Medicinenet.com)

Ever wonder if you have sludge? Or gallstones? [Read more...]

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Stay tuned for exciting progress

The start of something very special that changed many lives always began with a first step.

And so, GoodHealthMedia.com’s “under construction” site is live.  Visit this site every few weeks and you’ll see changes, just as those working to improve their physical health see changes over many weeks.

We value your input so feel free to submit comments.

Have a great day and remember that good choices bear the fruit of good outcomes.

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