Discover How Doctors are Reversing the Symptoms of Hair Loss

Another missing piece of the feeling fucked up after 40, puzzle. Our hair! Because we care about our hair. And take notice when it starts to thin, break or disappear. Freaking out, thinking it will no longer be there. And since I’ve had that very real scare, admitting with shame that at one point it became my only care. The conversation you’re about to hear just might blow your ears because it’s less what we put on our hair and more about what interferes with the inner workings of what’s inside us, here, that makes the difference of whether or not we can make it reappear. 

A hair homage to women of the world everywhere, because it’s a hot topic of transition for many of us in, well, transition. Which is one of the reasons for our latest podcast episode with Dr’s Hyman and Boham from the Doctor’s Farmacy, where they talk all about, you guessed it, our hair up there. And since we typically only hear one side of the hairy story, I wanted to share a perspective based on the reflection we see in the mirror. And that it’s not necessarily our predetermined genetic journey but our choices that lead to the point of hair despair.  

Obviously things change as we age, and by things, I mean us. And by us, I mean me. My mind and my body. No surprise there. But it’s not just from an ever increasing number of candles on my gluten free, sugar free, dairy free, organic birthday cake, blessed by monks on the himayan mountain tops. As you’ll hear, it’s also the health and vitality of what those candles represent, and whether or not we keep them burning long and bright or, as I’ve experienced, dim and rarely lit. Hair loss, thinning, breakage, dulling...it’s all a thing. At least, it’s been my thing. A big thing, actually. A really, very big thing. A thought to end it all and start from scratch, Sinead O'connor kind of thing. Or spend an entire paycheck and put off paying my bills because it was my obvious lack of expensive hair products and experimental beauty treatments that caused the apparent malfunction of my mane...kind of thing.   

Bad hair day, bad day. Good hair day, good day. So, yeah, I literally just boiled my life down to the whim of my hair. You ever been there? Or...is it just me? Hmm, maybe I am that special snowflake I always knew I should be. Or maybe, probably, I’m part of the herd mentality, in which case forgive the inquiry, but do sheep even have bad hair days? 

And how is it that my entire mood and therefore my whole day can be affected by the triumph of my tresses? What makes it so tied to who I am, my identity, how I think and feel about myself? I honestly don’t know. Okay I do know because in the words of Carly Simon, you’re so vain, so vain, you probably think this...hair is about you, don’t you? And if you’ve never had the absolute and total pleasure of being at the mercy of your own mutinous strands of mayhem, then, I don’t even know what to say except consider yourself blessed I guess. And in the oh so compassionate words of my daughter, you’re dead to me. Because my hair has been a source of pride, indifference, and unbelievable hate... with a side of utter disgust. This crazy brown mass coming from above has the ability to see my spirits soar or bring them down to shit. I’ve cursed it, yanked it in frustration and desperation and shed a thunderstorm of tears over it. And that was just yesterday. I’m kidding, Actually it was this morning. 

But it wasn’t “a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away,” that my #hairgoals soon became my unfulfilled hair wishes, hopes and dreams. No, it was here, on planet earth, only a few short years ago. And of course, because it’s all connected, my skin wasn't far behind. I mean, was this it? Was I just way over mileage on this 1974 model T body? (T for Tracy, BTW, in case you didn’t quite catch that.) Too much wear and tear to keep the motor running. Ready to scrap myself for a few spare parts? But wait! There’s hope! Oh happy days! For a small, large fee, the billion dollar beauty industry of my dreams might have the answer to reversing the tick tock of my aging clock. Go, follow the yellow brick road to the bright lights of the dazzling beauty counter sights. Cheerful places with smiling faces offering up the secret brew to a more glowing and youthful you.      

Okay, so, is this all really true? Unfortunately, fortunately, I’ve seen the man behind the curtain and he ain’t pretty. Because there is no anti aging, fairy. That’s just the reality of the beauty industry fantasy. And unless your name is Doc Brown and you own a time travelling Delorean, there’s no turning back the liver spotted hands of your own clock. So, I don’t defy my age, I embrace it and work with it. I face it head on with courage, excitement and exploration. That’s right, I own my age! Okay, yeah, no, not really. I’m starting to make even myself sick here. Because I’m definitely still trying to defy, turn my back on, give the finger to and push back with every ounce of my own strength. And that’s just to start. Obviously, my name is Tracy and I have a problem. So what I’m trying to say is, do as I say not as I do? Or not, you just do you.  

And as previously alluded to, not all signs of aging are, well, signs of aging. Remember, just because something is common, doesn’t mean it’s normal. What might seem like a symptom of getting older, could actually be the check engine light of ill health. And what we take for granted as something that comes with the start of a few gray hairs might also be years of warning lights and red flags that went previously ignored. So before throwing in the towel and offering up your first born to the cosmetic beauty Gods, look into a few of the tips and suggestions offered in the upcoming discussion. Diet, exercise, toxins, testing, because you can’t manage what you don’t measure, these are all important parts of our pretty picture. But it is just a part of that picture. Connection, relationships, purpose and spirituality, are also a few of the missing pieces. Definitely listen in, enjoy and learn while being mindfully aware that there’s always more of the puzzle to explore.   

Alright, I hope you enjoyed what you just heard. And if you’d like to go deeper down the rabbit hole, check out the full episode, “Getting to the root cause of male and female hair loss: a functional medicine approach with Dr. Elizabeth Boham and Dr. Marc Hyman on The Doctor’s Farmacy. Find links to that and both their social media in the show notes below.   

If you enjoyed today’s podcast please subscribe and share with someone you think might benefit and until next time, Thanks for listening.