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Hair Health

Providing your body with the right nutrients and making the right lifestyle changes can slow and even halt hair loss...

The condition of our hair is often a great sign of the underlying health of our entire body, and you really are what you eat. Often our hair and nails are the first parts of us to show nutrient deficiencies and signs of illness. Although a number of products can be applied to the hair to improve its appearance, true hair health comes from the inside, out. Soft, shiny, and smooth hair is a sign of good health, and a loss of these characteristics can indicate underlying imbalances in the body.

Hair Growth
In the same way that all of the cells in our bodies are replaced over time, our hair goes through similar life cycles. For more information on these cycles, please see our Hair Loss article. Although hair is not alive itself, it is a substance produced by living hair follicle cells in our skin. Hair grows at a rate of about ½ to ¾ of an inch each month. In order for our body to produce this growth, it requires the nutritional building blocks to do so. The major building blocks of hair are: protein, fat, water, and trace minerals. The final component of hair is the pigment molecules, which give each person’s hair its distinctive colour.

Hair Concerns
There are a number of conditions that can affect hair growth and quality. For more information on these cases, please see our Hair Disorders article. When hair is dry and fragile, it is important to nourish it with oil to promote increased strength. This can be particularly beneficial in those with insufficient sebum production from their skin (those with dry skin). Trimming hair regularly to remove split ends early in their development can help to prevent them from traveling up the hair and further reducing its strength.

Skin Health

Your skin is constantly exposed to stress from the environment such as sunlight, pollution, wind, and toxins. By taking the right supplements, you can improve the health of your skin and reduce premature aging...

The skin is the largest organ in the body. It has several important functions. It acts as a barrier to the external environment including harmful microbes, chemicals and radiation. It allows the exchange of water and some nutrients. It can eliminate toxins, minerals and other substances that have built up inside the body.

It modifies vitamins, like vitamin D, into more active forms. It helps to regulate body temperature. It is a monitor as to the health of our internal environment because the skin is one of the last organs to be nourished. Signs of deficiency often show in the skin before other areas of the body have been affected.

Healthy skin also impacts on our mental and emotional well-being because skin is one of the first things we notice when we see someone. Skin can be used to judge a person’s age, social status and health. Billions of dollars are spent each year in the cosmetics and personal hygiene industry. A great majority of this is to make our skin look healthier and more youthful. What can we do naturally to help our skin so that it will be healthy and maintain its youthful appearance?

Skin is made up of several layers. The epidermal outer layer contains keratinized skin cells. It is the fibrous, protective shield for the body. The epidermis is firmly attached to inner layers of irregular connective tissue, the dermis. The dermis contains collagen, the structural support, and elastin, the stretchy support. Only the dermis has blood supply, nutrients reach the outer skin layers only by diffusion.

Nail Health - Signs & Symptoms

The nails, like the skin, can tell us so much about the internal state of the body, including nutrient deficiencies, infection and much more. In Chinese medicine, the nails are controlled by the liver...

Adult nails typically take 6 months to fully grow out. Meaning a mark or line halfway up the nail may be due to trauma from as far as 3 months back.

Infections of the nails, can be both frustrating and slow to treat.

Bacterial and Fungal infections of the hand and toe nails van often be caused by improperly cleaned instruments during manicure and pedicure. Funagal infections of the toenails can also be a sign of candidiasis or yeast overgrowth in the body. Treatment can take years to treat and often require having the top of the nail filed down, in order to speed up treatment. Systemic or internal treatments are usually necessary to address the root and fully treat the infection. The nails will be thick and may start to yellow and have an "eaten away" appearance. The nails may also start to come away from the underlying skin.

"Clubbing of the nails" is a term used to describe swelling of the fingertips under the nail bed. It results in a loss of the normal angle between the nail and the nail bed. Overall, it is a sign of heart and or lung problems affecting blood flow to the fingertips. It can be a sign of a serious condition and should not be ignored.

Horizontal ridges, otherwise known as "Beau's lines" are a sign of temporary stoppage of nail growth. This can be due to significant physical or emotional stress (sickness/infection, an accident, grief due to loss). Multiple, less defined horizontal ridging could be a sign of zinc deficiency.

Vertical ridges can be a normal finding, which becomes more noticeable as we age. According to Chinese medicine, it could mean an excessive consumption of carbohydrates and/or a lack of protein, or a sign of a high salt diet.

White spots: White spots on the nails can be a normal sign of trauma during nail development. They will disappear as the nail grows out. White spots are also said to related to a possible zinc deficiency or a sign of heavy metal detox, which may also manifest as white bands. If an individual is undergoing heavy metal detoxification, they may also see an increase in these white bands. According to some, this is a sign that the organ are being effectively detoxified.

Spoon-shaped nails: also called koilonychia, can be a sign of iron deficiency anemia, as can an overall paleness, which may also signify poor circulation.

Brittle/Weak Nails: Nails that are brittle or weak and break easily are commonly seen in hypothyroid conditions, as well as Raynaud's. Low iron can also play a role here. Supplementing with biotin can help to support the health and tonify the strength of the nails. Similar to peeling nails (below) this can also be caused by excessive water exposure or immersion.

Peeling Nails: Peeling away of the outer layers of the nail may not be indicative of overall health, as much as it is simply as sign of poor nail health. Chronic exposure to cold, dry air, chronic immersion in water or improperly dried finger and toenails can cause peeling. Nail treatments aimed at locking in moisture (applied like a nail polish) and increasing fatty acid intake in the diet, may help to remedy this problem. Also try wearing protective gloves if immersing your hands in water or a strong cleaning solutions for a long periods of time.