I lost a fair majority of my hair during pandemic. I am naturally light haired and watching my already thin hair fall out in the shower was upsetting, to say the least. Here is the thing about hair— We don’t actually need it to live. While hair loss can be triggered by a number of issues, including a shift in hormones, thyroid problems, pregnancy, vitamin deficiencies and yes, genetics, hair can be one of the first things to cut ties when the body is under stress and inflamed.
Lets switch topics quickly and talk about trees. When you see a tree with dead branches, it does not mean the tree itself is dead. However, the tree might still divert energy and nutrients to that branch in order to revive it.
Dead branches are not helpful to the tree.
In fact, it might prevent the tree from healing and even put the whole tree at risk for disease.
Hair, the part you can see, is not living. Each strand of hair grows from its own hair follicle, located on the skin and is made up of protein— mainly keratin. Inside each follicle is where the magic happens, as blood delivers nutrients to the cells that form the hair that gets pushed out of the body, resulting in the actual strands. There are different cycles of hair growth, so it is actually normal to lose up to 100 strands from you hair follicles during periods of renewal.
Keep in mind, that any product that promises to promote new hair growth, yet focuses on the strands themselves, is misleading. The key is the scalp and the hair follicles. So let’s backtrack to the part where our human blood, the same blood that is in circulation delivering nutrients to our vital organs: heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, etc. are also relying on those same nutrients for the hair follicles.
While there are a number of reasons hair loss can occur, stress and inflammation affect every aspect of our well-being, not limited to hormones, digestion, blood pressure and sleep, all of which affect our body’s ability to assimilate nutrients. While having beautiful locks is not always a sign of good health, just like a tree’s branches, our body may attempt to protect our cells during times of heightened stress, or an inflammatory lifestyle, by diverting nutrients away from the hair follicles.
Enter colostrum. Yes, I am referring to “Liquid Gold”, or the first milk a mammal born female produces during pregnancy. Most species will begin to naturally produce colostrum just prior to giving birth. It contains the first nutrients an infant will receive upon birth. While we might tout certain foods in Nature as “superfoods”, colostrum is the only superfood that can be created by the body and is designed to sustain, nourish and protect new life.
Not only is colostrum powerfully nutrient dense, but it can help to seal the human tissue in the digestive tract, supporting a healthy immune system. When speaking to my clients/patients, I like to refer to colostrum as the protective wallpaper that helps to keep out pathogens and irritants.
Now, you might be thinking, “Lauren, why would you be recommending an adult take colostrum and what does this have to do with hair and trees?”
Benefits of Colostrum:
- Colostrum contains powerful anti-inflammatory properties and can help to reduce the side effects from a variety of inflammatory conditions like asthma, but also alleviate inflammatory symptoms like IBS and lessen the body’s reaction to allergens and food sensitivities.
- Cytokines in colostrum can aid in the healing process and promote new healthy human tissue.
- Antibodies in colostrum increase the body’s response to infection.
- Circulation-boosting properties can improve delivery of vital nutrients to areas in the body that may need more support.
- Colostrum contains lactoferrin which functions as an anti-bacterial, antiviral, anti-fungal and anti-parasitic glycoprotein that also helps to regulate how iron is absorbed in the body.
I could go on, but if you think this information may be too good to be true, consider this… Colostrum and then breastmilk are the first foods an infant is expected to receive for the first 6 months of their lives and breastfed babies have fewer infections and hospitalizations than formula-fed infants. When we harness the nutrients and incredible properties of colostrum from goat, or bovine, our adult bodies can capitalize on these super nutrients too.
One month after starting to take powdered colostrum in my water, I noticed crazy new hair growth (as if I had grown a layer of bangs over night). Over a year later, my hair looks better than it has in over a decade.
If you are going to take one supplement, colostrum is where I would start.
Don’t let the world wear you down. Take colostrum. You don’t need to be like the tree that loses its coveted, but dying (or dead) branches.
Have questions? Shoot me an email.
Work with Lauren Gillan, CN. You can find her at FeminologyMD.com in Dallas or @laurentgillan on Instagram.