Wednesday 21 December 2011

Whey Protein: A Great Way to Obtain Healthy Hair Growth

It’s normal to lose about 50 to 100 strands of hair every day. Your hair naturally goes through a growth, rest and loss cycle, with new strands growing to replace the lost strands. But if you notice your hair falling out excessively or thinning noticeably, dietary factors could be at play. Nutritional deficiencies can cause hair loss, especially insufficient protein intake. Whey protein, a popular protein supplement, may be helpful in this situation.

What Is Whey Protein?
Whey is a type of protein found in milk. Your body absorbs whey protein better than any other type of protein. For this reason, whey is a popular protein for supplement powders, bars and drinks. Whey protein powder also is available at many supermarkets, drugstores and health-food stores; it can be easily mixed into milk, juice, smoothies, oatmeal or yoghurt to add roughly 20 to 26 grams of protein to your beverage, meal or snack. Whey protein drinks and bars are marketed as snacks or post-workout recovery beverages, and vary in their protein content. Check the product label for details.

Protein and Hair
Hair is largely made of protein, according to nutritionists. Sufficient protein intake, therefore, is essential to support the proper growth and regrowth of your hair. The general recommendation for protein intake is 0.8 grams of protein for each kilogram of body weight. However, athletes in training may need more.

Safety and Side Effects
Whey protein is generally considered safe. However, as with other supplements, whey protein can cause adverse side effects and problematic drug interactions for some individuals. Whey protein may cause low blood sugar, low blood pressure and increased bleeding in certain people, and should be avoided if you have a milk allergy, are pregnant or are breastfeeding. Always consult a physician for medical approval before taking whey protein supplements.

Considerations
Several other potential causes for hair loss and thinning exist besides protein deficiency. Extreme stress, hypothyroidism, other hormone imbalances, illness or surgery, rapid weight loss and other nutrient deficiencies can also contribute to abnormal hair loss. If you are concerned about hair loss and regrowth, consult your physician. She may want to conduct tests to rule out problems such as a thyroid disorder. If your hair loss is associated with nutritional deficiencies, then your physician or a registered dietitian can help determine the necessary dietary changes.

Thursday 1 December 2011

Finding the Best Hair Loss Treatment

The best hair loss treatment — does it really exist or is it a myth? Many a hair loss treatment products claim it’s the best brand, the best formula or the ‘best’ whatever. Can these statements about being the best really be true or is it all a marketing hype? What do you think?

The fact of the matter is there is a ‘best hair loss treatment’, and that’s the one that’s best for you. It may not be even close to what’s best for your mother, father, relatives or friends. What works the best for one person may not be appropriate for another person. When you’re looking for the best, you have to consider what problem you are trying to solve with the solution you think you need.

There are many different causes of hair loss. Some of these hair loss problems are easy to fix and some of them are in need of a more complex treatment.

It could be that the hair loss treatment that will work the best for you would be as simple as changing the shampoo that you use; particularly if you have been using that exact same brand for a very long time. It’s possible that shampoo overuse has caused some clogged pores on your head so the hair can no longer get through. Using a different shampoo can remove the excess gunk the other shampoo was leaving behind.

The food you eat may or may not have enough of the vitamins that your hair needs. If this is the case, then the best hair loss treatment for you would be to start taking vitamins that are formulated to regrow hair. Doing a search on the internet for ‘hair growth vitamins’ should give you all the results you need and more.

It’s possible that some of the drugs you’re taking could be making your hair much more prone to fall out. Always read the potential side effects of any drug you take. If you find that a drug or drugs you’re taking are making your hair fall out, then the best hair loss treatment for you would be to ask your doctor for drugs that don’t make your hair fall out.

To find the best hair loss treatment for you, first you have to know what’s causing the problem before you can find the treatment that works for you. Then you’ll have the best hair loss treatment you can find.