Hair loss is one of the classic symptoms of thyroid dysfunction. That’s because hair follicles require thyroid hormones in order to produce hair. Thyroid-related hair loss can be diffuse–thinning hair on the scalp, eyebrows and other parts of the body. Or it can occur in patches. Autoimmune thyroid disease can lead to low body temperatures and hair loss, and thyroid antibodies can often be found with blood tests. However, far more people can have hair loss from low body temperatures due to stress even when all their thyroid tests are normal. If the hair loss comes on during stress with other symptoms of low body temperature such as fatigue, itchiness, depression, insomnia, hives, PMS, trouble concentrating, and so on, it is more likely that the hair loss is related to the low temperatures and other symptoms. It’s normal for the body to slow down in response to stress, but sometimes the metabolism remains persistently slow and causes problems.
Even though thyroid gland disorders can lead to low body temperatures that respond well to proper thyroid treatment, far more often, people suffer from low temperatures even when their thyroid glands are normal. Of the people that have thyroid-responsive low body temperatures, probably 5% have thyroid gland problems and the rest don’t.
A low temperature, typically below 97.8 F, is more than enough to explain low thyroid symptoms or symptoms of a slow metabolism. For the most accurate results, use a liquid metal thermometer, take it three times a day, starting three hours after you wake up, for several days, and average the temperature for each day.
If your body temperature is consistently low, you can discuss taking a course of T3 (active thyroid hormone) with your doctor. Then, take your body temperature every day during treatment. You’ll be looking for oral body temperatures that average 98.6 with treatment. (See “How are body temperatures measured” for complete instructions.) You’ll also be looking to see if you feel better all-around–more energy, better mood, and, of course, less hair on your brush and more on your head.
Many of the patients who are treated adequately with T3, alone or in combination with T4, see a significant improvement in their symptoms in a few weeks to a few months. However, it can take 3 to 10 months for normal hair growth to resume. Treating hair loss can be a little tricky and sometimes discouraging because patients often experience ups and downs during T3 therapy on their way to overall and sustained improvement. The downs might only be a few days out of a month, but that can sometimes be enough to lose some of the hair that’s been regrowing. Nevertheless, many people have been able to regrow their hair with the help of T3 when they haven’t been able to with any other approach.
Other causes of both thyroid dysfunction and hair loss can include adrenal exhaustion and nutritional deficiencies.
See “List of Medical Providers” to find a doctor in your area who can help you use T3 to treat low thyroid function.
REFERENCES
Guran T, Bircan R, Turan S, et al. Alopecia: association with resistance to thyroid hormones. J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2009 Nov;22(11):1075-81.
Kasumagić-Halilović E. Thyroid autoimmunity in patients with alopecia areata. Acta Dermatovenerol Croat. 2008;16(3):123-5.
Lo Sicco K, McGuire S, English JC 3rd. A retrospective study of thyroid structural abnormalities in alopecia patients. Dermatoendocrinol. 2011 Oct;3(4):251-4.
Vincent M and Yogiraj K. A Descriptive Study of Alopecia Patterns and their Relation to Thyroid Dysfunction. Int J Trichology. 2013 Jan-Mar; 5(1): 57–60.
Hi, Gluten may make antibodies to the thyroid and hair loss. Gluten can make antibodies to the thyroid. Gluten is wheat/barley/rye…oats. Hair loss by gluten may not regrow. Gluten can hurt all glands of the body and make hormones be off. I take Amour thyroid and Synthroid. Amour only turned off 12 hours later and let my Factor V Leiden clotting disorder kick in while I walked and blood was circulating and caused a clot. The clotting disorder only kicked in when my thyroid is low.
TSH should not be gone by…gluten may make antibodies to the thyroid and pituitary that makes TSH…so TSH number may be low and doctors may withhold thyroid medicine. Go by Free T4 and Free T3. Alternative doctors may help more with thyroid. Many people are not getting thyroid help or Celiac help.
My temperature was 96 degrees when I got gluten contamination…then the Synthroid didn’t have the cofactors of Se/zinc etc. to turn T4 into T3. Nuts not in a shell and meat with basting may have gluten contamination on them.
Thank you for your great article!