Hair Loss

Hair shedding is usually a delayed response to something that stressed the body 2 to 3 months earlier, which is why Meghan calls hair a lagging indicator. Losing around 100 hairs a day is normal turnover. A big stressor pushes many follicles into their resting phase at once, and they all shed together months later, often for about 6 months. Hair is nonessential tissue, so the body lets it go first to protect the heart, brain and organs. The causes she sees most:

• ■A trigger about 3 months back, such as surgery, an illness or high fever, a breakup or move, coming off birth control, or a baby
• ■Rapid weight loss, including on a GLP-1, which also tends to cut protein, iron, zinc and B vitamin intake
• ■Low iron stores, which a standard blood count can miss unless ferritin is run
• ■A thyroid that isn't converting T4 into active T3, which a TSH test alone won't show
• ■Poor absorption from low stomach acid or a compromised gut lining
• ■Hormones that aren't clearing, which can show up as thinning at the crown or a widening part alongside jawline acne or irregular cycles
• ■Chronic stress that keeps cortisol high, and chronic under-eating
• ■Stagnant lymph. Meghan calls the scalp a drainage field, so scalp massage and lymph work are part of her approach
• ■High toxic burden, including heavy metals, worth considering once everything else is ruled out

What she would do first:

• ■Ask for the right labs: ferritin, a full iron panel, a full thyroid panel (TSH, free T4, free T3, reverse T3 and thyroid antibodies), vitamin D and zinc. If your cycles are irregular or you have jawline acne, ask about androgens too.
• ■Stop biotin before you test. Tell your doctor if you take it, because high-dose biotin can interfere with some results, including thyroid tests.
• ■Look back 3 months and write down anything big that happened.
• ■Start with the exits before any hair supplement: a bowel movement every day, enough water with minerals and enough protein.

If you're on a GLP-1, she suggests making protein the first priority at every meal, checking ferritin, keeping your bowels moving and talking to your prescriber before changing your dose. Round bald patches, a painful, red or scaly scalp, or very rapid loss need an in-person evaluation. Her free Drainage Starter Guide covers the daily practices for opening the exits.