Combating Hair Loss

3 HEALTH TIPS to Help with Hair Loss

BY DR. EUDENE HARRY

1. 2. Eighty eight percent of women experiencing issues with hair loss feel that it has a negative impact on their daily life. Seventy-five percent feel that it negatively impacts their self-esteem. Why is our hair so important to us? It boils down to the simple matter of our hair being, well, not so simple.

After all, this isn’t just hair. Instead, we, as women, attach our sexuality, confidence, self-esteem and even our femininity to our hair. So, whenever our hair starts experiencing any adverse reactions, such as falling out, breaking, frizzing, splitting at the ends or turning gray, panic sets in because, to some of us, it is not just losing hair—it feels like losing a crucial part of who we are.

If you’re experiencing hair loss, no need to panic. Here are some basic health tips to help with hair loss and know when it is time to go see your doctor. EVALUATE YOUR DIET AND LIFESTYLE HABITS: Take a good look at how you eat, sleep, work and live, and then ask yourself the following questions: • Is your diet supplying the nutrients you need to support healthy hair growth? Remember, healthy hair starts from within. • Have you done a lot of crash or yo-yo dieting? If so, keep in mind the effects may not be seen for up to three to six months. • Are you vegan or vegetarian? All of these factors can cause a relative protein or nutrient deficiency that can cause hair loss. • Are you constantly under severe stress, or have you recently experienced a traumatic event or illness? In this case, hair loss may continue for eight to twelve months. • Do you smoke or consume excessive alcohol? This can lead to excessive hair loss and premature graying of the hair. Knowing that your diet, lifestyle, or stress level may be damaging your hair is a great way to begin to isolate the problem. EXPLORE YOUR HAIR-CARE ROUTINE: Look at what you do on a daily basis and try to determine if this routine is helping or hurting the growth of your hair. These are some questions you may ask yourself: • How often do you perform some processing on your hair? • Do you perm, relax or color your hair? • Do you often wear your hair in tight ponytails, braids or curlers? • What types of shampoos do you use? • How often do you shampoo? • Do you condition your hair? Over treating your hair, using harsh shampoos or conditioners and perpetually twisting or tightening your hair can do damage that can lead to permanent hair loss or simply unhealthy hair. Less can be more. See if you can limit the amount of processing. Yes, we may be not ready to let our gray hairs show but coloring too frequently may leave us without any hair to color.

3. Here are some tips to try in order to keep from over coloring your hair and keep it healthy between salon visits: • Try using powders or sticks that temporarily camouflage grays so that you don’t have to color as frequently. • Speak with your hair-care specialist about coloring products that may be gentler on the hair. • Avoid combining processing procedures, such as relaxing and coloring, at the same appointment. • Limit styling your hair with high-heat appliances. • Occasionally, let your hair air dry. • Speak with your stylist about products that make this process possible. TAKE STOCK OF YOUR MEDICATION AND SUPPLEMENT LIST: For example, did you know that too much vitamin A or the mineral selenium can actually cause hair thinning and loss? Certain medications or drugs can cause the hair to go into the resting phase too early, thus causing excessive shedding. This can occur weeks or even months after starting the medication. Some examples of drugs that can contribute to excessive hair loss are thyroid medications, acne medications with vitamin A, cholesterol-lowering drugs, anti-seizure medications, and blood pressure medications to name a few. Speak with your doctor or pharmacist about your medication and supplements and their potential side effects.

WOMEN’S HISTORY ROADMAP: FOUR HISTORIC SITES TO VISIT

BY PIERA VAN DE WIEL

We travel to get away from our everyday lives, to relax and to catch some sun in the new “IT” destination. It’s Women’s History Month, so let’s educate ourselves on some incredible women that should be celebrated. If you’ve been itching to go on vacation, now is the perfect time to travel through women’s history! Here are some destinations where you can take your own self-guided tour to learn about inspirational women — where they traveled to, where they made their success, where they gained recognition and even where they started global movements.

TAKE FLIGHT LIKE AMELIA EARHART Amelia Earhart known as “Lady Lindy” was the first woman and first person to fly across both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. She was given multiple awards including the Gold Medal from the National Geographic Society, presented by President Hoover; the Flying Cross from the U.S. Congress and the Cross of the Knight of the Legion of Honor from the French Government. She was an international hero of her time up to her mysterious disappearance.

Earhart made a solo trip specifically from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Oakland, California. You could also do her Pacific Ocean crossing! Visiting the sites where Earhart made history is a subtle way to honor her memory.

A ROAD LESS TRAVELED WITH ROSA PARKS Rosa Parks sparked a movement after she refused to give up her seat to a white man on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Parks’ refusal ignited the fight for racial equality and subsequently, when she was arrested, it launched the Montgomery Bus Boycott. She was deemed the “first lady of civil rights” and the “mother of freedom movement.” So join Rosa by NOT taking the Montgomery bus, but instead renting a car and taking a trip to the Alabama Hills. The state where Rosa stood up for what she believed in has many rolling plains and nature sites to offer. You can push yourself to go hiking through the rocky hills and wait until the cover of night to see the beautiful stars.

GET INVENTIVE WITH HEDY LAMMAR Hedy Lammar, a well-known American-Austrian actress, was a box office sensation in the ‘30s and ‘40s, but she was also an inventor! She was posthumously placed into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. She co-invented an early technique for spread spectrum communications, which is now a vital necessity for today’s wireless technology. + HER PLAY

MARCH THROUGH NEW YORK LIKE JEANNE MANFORD Jeanne Manford was the first mother to join New York City’s pride march in 1972, where she accompanied her son, Morty. Ultimately, this led to the creation of the PFLAG organization (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) of which Manford was a founding member. So, visit New York this month to live the history of its famous residents!

During World War II, she was also part of the “secret communications systems,” a means of changing radio frequencies to keep enemies from decoding any important messages. Her fame goes beyond entertainment and she officially became an American citizen in 1953 where she spent her days in Casselberry, Florida, until she passed. So, if you want to visit the place she called home, book now!