Hair loss and ridges on nails

[Salt4yourwounds]

Hello there,

I bought It Starts With Food in early-mid September of this year and jumped into it a whole30 right away, think it was Sept 13, though only completed 2 weeks. I do eat still quite different than before, I take care to not have much added sweeteners, avoid vegetable oils, avoid gluten and think about my carbs over the span of the day.

I felt kind of "hopped up" during those weeks, had trouble sleeping, didn't think a lot of it. A week into it I got a period that was more cramp-y than usual but not terribly painful or anything. What struck me as odd about that one was it was a little over one week into the active pills of my BC (and thus two weeks after I'd previously had a period). BC is the only medication I take.

Anywho, jump to now, and I am losing much more hair than normal and can tell my ponytail is quite a bit smaller around. If something causes your hair to go into shedding, the trigger happened 2-3 months prior (this is the time it takes for the hair to detach and fall out). I also have horizontal ridges across my nail beds which I found are called beau's lines and indicate a systemic disturbance. It's just a singular ridge, I'm assuming from when I did the whole30. Not much else has gone on with me that would've caused it.

So, my question is does this mean I have bigger issues and the whole30 caused my system to go out of wack more than a normal person? Or is this normal? If it were I guess I would've liked a fair warning that your body can be so shocked or stressed that your hair will fall out later or whatever...

About me: 26 yo female, 5'3" 125 lbs

[Robin Strathdee]

Salt -

First of all, I'm sorry to hear that you're having troubles. It's never fun to have issues like this without a clear cause.

Now, to get into your question...

YES, the Whole30 program can be a stressor to your body at first, as it causes (for most folks, coming from a SAD) a significant hormonal and bacterial shift in the body. BUT, it generally takes 2-3 weeks for your body to adjust to the changes (some less, some more) and sort itself out hormonally and digestively. During that time, it's not uncommon to have digestive troubles, strange cycles, trouble sleeping, shifting energy levels, mood swings, etc. Your hormones are working hard to adjust and that can have you all over the map. Just take a peek into this section and you'll see some of that.

However...You quit the plan right in the thick of it, thus enjoying all of the stress and none of the benefits of changing your physiology. Had you continued on, your body would have adjusted and you would have felt just fine or even fantastic. All it takes is a browse through of the Success Stories section to see what a little patience will get you.

Also, unless you kept a food log, it's impossible for us to look back and see where you might have been missing out on things, or to help you tweak your intake. Since your hair and nails are potentially showing signs of under-nourishment (I won't say malnourishment because I think that's a bit heavier than this), there's a good chance that you weren't eating enough food in general and protein and fat in specific.

I would really love to see you give the program another shot - with support and advice from all of us here. I think that once you got through the adjustment phase, you'd see some incredible improvements (especially in your hair and nails).

[Salt4yourwounds]

I wish I would have kept a journal :-/ no such luck unfortunately... The only other time a shed like this and nail ridges has happened to me was when I went off nuvaring a few years ago and that was hormonal. I've never really had it happen at any other time, not even through major stress coupled with really poor diet while moving to another country. If it is hormonal and from a sudden drop in hormones, I fear the same would happen to me again and I really hate losing the handfuls of hair..

If I do try it again I'm thinking it will be after my hair has recovered. So maybe next year I'll be back here :-/

[Robin Strathdee]

I should add, too, that hair loss is not a side effect we hear about. So, if you're concerned you may want to check with your doc.

[jennrider]

I had significant hair loss after giving birth (happened all 4 times). It could be a hormonal thing. I also have ridges into nails. I'm not sure what's causing it, but I eat a tremendous amount of veggies, fat and protein since doing W30. They have not gone away so I must still have something off. I noticed that my hair started coming in thicker about two weeks after finishing W30 so it could be you didn't give it enough time to work.

[Shantess]

Both hair loss and nail ridges can be symptoms of a thyroid issue. Your hormones could be "off" as a an adjustment to the Whole30 but since you stopped that a while back, I'd guess it's more related to the birth control you're taking.

[Salt4yourwounds]

You know, I've suspected thyroid issues before. It runs in one side of my family. But I get TSH run often and it's on the high side of the range but "normal" (who knows if that's actually normal). The thing is that there is a "trigger" to a hair shed and if I had stayed with the plan longer (or even if I was still doing it) I would be shedding hair right now anyway, because of the hormone drop incident. It's possible my body would have gotten used to the new level of hormones and would be adjusted, but the trigger is what causes the shed. Which is why I say I could come back to the plan later, and stick with it the whole way, but I'd still expect hair loss 2 months later.

Because this doesn't happen to a lot of people, I do suspect there's some issue going on with me in the hormone department, which I've tried to explore with a doctor and endocrinologist and obgyn and dermatologist. All never seemed to take my concerns very seriously, thought I was fine. I feel something's off though, ... part of the reason to try the whole30 actually. I have now just read a little about going low carb suddenly can cause thyroid issues in people though. If it was something, I'm guessing that is what happened. Link: http://drcate.com/going-low-carb-too-fast-may-trigger-thyroid-troubles-and-hormone-imbalance/

Their solution? Going to lower carb in a gradual fashion. Wish I'd had that knowledge a few months ago

[Emily]

A Whole30 shouldn't be low-carb. I know it's been said before, but it's hard to know whether yours was without a food log.

It sounds like you are pretty informed on thyroid issues; if you haven't found StoptheThyroidMadness I recommend it. Like you said, TSH isn't a great indicator of thyroid function. Do you know if Free T3 and Free T4 have been checked?

Keep reading, and keep looking for a doc that you like and trust. You may have to move onto the fringes; the doc who helped me the most (way WAY more than any other doc) didn't take health insurance and had a lot of non-traditional ideas. You sound like you might be open to unconventional ideas (and you are here!). Unfortunately no one cares about our body or how we feel as much as we do... keep advocating for yourself.

Good luck! Feeling like "something's off" and not being able to find an answer can be incredibly difficult.

[Lily]

The ridges in nails may also point to a lack of absorption of the nutrients you are eating. They are passing right through your system, possibly due to a lack of acid in your stomach to break things down well.

[bmwcaos]

I'm new to the forum - signed on because I've been shedding much more hair than usual and my nails are definitely weak. I've noticed this since I started the Whole 30 in the beginning of July. This has been the only side effect. I've been following the Whole 30 since then but not strictly. Have wine a few times a week, and sometimes oatmeal and a small amount of sugar and dairy. But lots of protein and veggies, much more than I ever had before. Lost 20 pounds and 2 pant sizes since July but the hair loss and weak nails have me concerned. Could be related to my age - I'm 52 and haven't gone through menopause (well, not officially). I was tested by my OB on my last visit and she said to come back next year.

 

Not sure what the reason is, but I don't want to be bald by Christmas - ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but I don't want to lose any more hair!

[SugarcubeOD]

Here are a few past forum posts on hair loss

 

http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/23507-hair-lossthinning/

 

http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/5243-whole30-hair-loss-and-weird-ailments/

 

http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/21896-hair-loss/

 

There's a theme that it could by your thyroid so you may want to consider getting it checked as well as your B12.

There are a ton more results for this topic, just google Whole 30 hair loss and you will find threads with lots of info

[ShannonM816]

I'm new to the forum - signed on because I've been shedding much more hair than usual and my nails are definitely weak. I've noticed this since I started the Whole 30 in the beginning of July. This has been the only side effect. I've been following the Whole 30 since then but not strictly. Have wine a few times a week, and sometimes oatmeal and a small amount of sugar and dairy. But lots of protein and veggies, much more than I ever had before. Lost 20 pounds and 2 pant sizes since July but the hair loss and weak nails have me concerned. Could be related to my age - I'm 52 and haven't gone through menopause (well, not officially). I was tested by my OB on my last visit and she said to come back next year.

 

Not sure what the reason is, but I don't want to be bald by Christmas - ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but I don't want to lose any more hair!

 

SugarcubeOD pointed you toward some past discussions, but I'd really recommend that in addition to reading up on those topics and seeing if anything fits, that you post a few days' worth of food (including approximate portion sizes), water intake, exercise, and sleep, just to see if there's anything obvious that leaps out at anyone that might make a difference. Occasionally people go lower carb or lower fat than the Whole30 actually calls for, and that could make a difference. I'd recommending starting a new discussion over in the Troubleshooting section so more people will see it and you get more feedback.