Anemia and Hair Growth

Does anyone else suffer from anemia? I've suffered from this off/on for the past 10yrs now. Last year, my levels got down to the levels 8.6 which is not good I was on iron tabs 3x a day for about 4 months. My bloodwork then showed I was increasing about 1 point/month.

Anyway, I haven't been taking my iron at all since about Jan/Feb. The past few months, I've noticed alot of breakage. My hair seems to be drier (it's looking better with DC's though) and not to mention my body is tired. I feel like my hair is breaking or just not growing at the rate it was when I was more actively on my iron supplements.

Anyone else suffer from anemia? How does it/has it affected your hair growth? How much iron do you take? Can you notice a change in your hair when your blood levels are low?

I was diagnosed about 2 months ago. I've been taking iron pills 3x per day.

I've also had hair breakage that I just can't figure out the cause of. I've been placing the blame on everything except anemia. I'm glad you brought this up.

Oh yeah, I've been having problems with dryness too.

I was VERY anemic when I was a vegetarian. I don't remember the exact levels but my doctor told me that my iron storage was dangerously low. Basically, I couldn't even give blood and he told me I HAD to eat meat (no matter what the vegan experts say YES animal protein is absorbed in the body differently than veggie protein). I'm now a meat eater and still take my multi and haven't had problems since, but if I don't supplement with my multi (I still don't eat a lot of red meat) I get symptoms of fatigue, and I'm frequently cold anyway. My hair is doing well, although I am crazy about keeping it moisturized.

EllePixie said:

I was VERY anemic when I was a vegetarian. I don't remember the exact levels but my doctor told me that my iron storage was dangerously low. Basically, I couldn't even give blood and he told me I HAD to eat meat (no matter what the vegan experts say YES animal protein is absorbed in the body differently than veggie protein). I'm now a meat eater and still take my multi and haven't had problems since, but if I don't supplement with my multi (I still don't eat a lot of red meat) I get symptoms of fatigue, and I'm frequently cold anyway. My hair is doing well, although I am crazy about keeping it moisturized.

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I've only donated blood once. I was 16, I passed the 'blood test' where they put a drop of blood in the water. Anyway, soon after I went to French class, then passed out! Since then, no more blood donations from yours truly!

I'm currently vegetarian, yet I have no plans to ever go back to meat. You are right, meat protein does absorb differently. It takes longer to digest + you dont' get it's full potential. But, that isn't what this thread is about. I plan on buying nutritional yeast, and eating more beans, quinoa, etc for my protein intake.

*CherryPie* said:

I was diagnosed about 2 months ago. I've been taking iron pills 3x per day.

I've also had hair breakage that I just can't figure out the cause of. I've been placing the blame on everything except anemia. I'm glad you brought this up.

Oh yeah, I've been having problems with dryness too.

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I made a thread maybe 3 weeks ago complaining about breakage. I figured it was the Scurl/glycerin products I was using. Then figured it was my headband holders..It just hit me the last few days that it may be my anemia!

Whatever my numbers are (12-15 is healthy range) I plan to take my iron pills 3x a day until I meet the minimum numbers. Once I reach that mark, I'll be on maintenence and just take 1 iron pill per day.

Nasdaq_Diva said:

I've only donated blood once. I was 16, I passed the 'blood test' where they put a drop of blood in the water. Anyway, soon after I went to French class, then passed out! Since then, no more blood donations from yours truly!

I'm currently vegetarian, yet I have no plans to ever go back to meat. You are right, meat protein does absorb differently. It takes longer to digest + you dont' get it's full potential. But, that isn't what this thread is about. I plan on buying nutritional yeast, and eating more beans, quinoa, etc for my protein intake.

I made a thread maybe 3 weeks ago complaining about breakage. I figured it was the Scurl/glycerin products I was using. Then figured it was my headband holders..It just hit me the last few days that it may be my anemia!

Whatever my numbers are (12-15 is healthy range) I plan to take my iron pills 3x a day until I meet the minimum numbers. Once I reach that mark, I'll be on maintenence and just take 1 iron pill per day.

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Really? Wow, I was just responding to your thread; there's nothing wrong with being a vegetarian. I didn't even know you were a vegetarian when you first posted, so all the defensiveness isn't necessary. Animal protein is a source of complete protein, while vegetable protein is not. Often, vegetarians need to mix different foods to get the full benefits of simply eating meat (which I don't feel like mapping out b/c I'm lazy, just gimme some turkey). My doctor (as did my father, who is also a doctor) told me this - believe me, I had read MANY vegan books and was all aboard, but I'm going to go with a medical expert...

Furthermore, I was having trouble maintaining my weight because there are more carbs and calories in many veggie protein sources rather than lean meats.

Anyway, I hope your hair gets better and good luck with your journey.

Have anyof you ladies considered your bloodtype? I'm an O+ so if I don'teatmeat, my body gets out of wack. Look up your blood type and see which foods are best for you!

thanks for starting this thread.

I have a history of anemia, especially when I was a vegetarian. I typically don't take iron because I have enough problems with getting backed up (tmi).

I've been on a high protein/low carb diet for most of the year so I was very surprised when my dr called to tell me that my iron was very low.

Right now i'm in the process of testing for gluten sensitivity and food allergies. I'm eating more meat this year than I have in my entire life so I want to see if there is an absorbtion problem.

My feet are ALWAYS freezing but I haven't noticed any dryness or breaking this time. I think my hair is really loving the coconut oil treatments and bunning.

I do try to keep my vitamins ramped up (for my hair).

I'm O+ also, and I kinda have that problem too.

Avan207 said:

Have anyof you ladies considered your bloodtype? I'm an O+ so if I don'teatmeat, my body gets out of wack. Look up your blood type and see which foods are best for you!

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Avan207 said:

Have anyof you ladies considered your bloodtype? I'm an O+ so if I don'teatmeat, my body gets out of wack. Look up your blood type and see which foods are best for you!

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I'm O+ too...thank you!

girl, take your iron pills........................

lwilliams1922 said:

thanks for starting this thread.

I have a history of anemia, especially when I was a vegetarian. I typically don't take iron because I have enough problems with getting backed up (tmi).

I've been on a high protein/low carb diet for most of the year so I was very surprised when my dr called to tell me that my iron was very low.

Right now i'm in the process of testing for gluten sensitivity and food allergies. I'm eating more meat this year than I have in my entire life so I want to see if there is an absorbtion problem.

My feet are ALWAYS freezing but I haven't noticed any dryness or breaking this time. I think my hair is really loving the coconut oil treatments and bunning.

I do try to keep my vitamins ramped up (for my hair).

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lwilliams1922 said:

I typically don't take iron because I have enough problems with getting backed up (tmi)....

I do try to keep my vitamins ramped up (for my hair).

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Please go back to taking your iron. Your body is MUCH MORE IMPORTANT than your hair growth! Do you know the potential affects of having too low iron? Fainting, heart attack, fatigue, and chest pains among other things..

*CherryPie* said:

girl, take your iron pills........................

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Yes, agreed! Please take your meds!

I have been anemic all my life. I don't know my levels but I take ferrous sulphate once a day. I used to take it twice a day but it caused constipation so I stopped. I also eat ALOT of iron rich foods and have been doing so since I was a little girl. I also noticed when I stopped eating beef (mainly liver) I would feel worse so I went back to it. My hair has not suffered but I am always cold and always tired. I recommend incorporating much more iron-rich foods in your diet and cooking with a cast iron pan. My korean teacher me that the pan REALLY made a difference after many Korean women became anemic. They figured out the reason was because many people stopped cooking with cast iron pans and once those pans became popular again, the prevalence of anemic decreased. My aunt confirmed this as well. I haven't gotten one yet because I always forget but you should get one.

For the past few months I have been dealing with excessive shedding and didn't understand why until recently. I had stopped taking my iron pills and since I started back, the shedding has decreased. I just wish that I had realized it a lot sooner

Nasdaq_Diva said:

Does anyone else suffer from anemia? s.

Anyone else suffer from anemia? How does it/has it affected your hair growth? How much iron do you take? Can you notice a change in your hair when your blood levels are low?

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Yes (in addition to a thyroid problem...sigh!). Not sure if it's fibroid related or what but yes yes yes! My doc has me on iron. Just found out that slow fe is just as good as his prescribed pills. He told me I could take those instead. But if I don't take them right or levels or low:
hair gets brittle and breaks. Or just grows slow

I'm on chlorella so I have periods of fast healthy growth and periods of slow snail growth (when low on iron or my thyroid levels drop again), then back to fast healthy growth when those levels are fine.

My levels are harder to balance as sometimes they change on their own (different foods, etc, or maybe it's just the way my body processes medicine) and has to be adjusted (or maybe it's the fibroids when it comes to the anemic part and I'm just getting more anemic). At any rate I can always tell because my hair snaps and/or gets brittle and then I KNOW what's up and get on the ball.

LaFemmeNaturelle said:

I have been anemic all my life. I don't know my levels but I take ferrous sulphate once a day. I used to take it twice a day but it caused constipation so I stopped. I also eat ALOT of iron rich foods and have been doing so since I was a little girl. I also noticed when I stopped eating beef (mainly liver) I would feel worse so I went back to it. My hair has not suffered but I am always cold and always tired. I recommend incorporating much more iron-rich foods in your diet and cooking with a cast iron pan. My korean teacher me that the pan REALLY made a difference after many Korean women became anemic. They figured out the reason was because many people stopped cooking with cast iron pans and once those pans became popular again, the prevalence of anemic decreased. My aunt confirmed this as well. I haven't gotten one yet because I always forget but you should get one.

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Who knew? I guess I'm getting a cast iron pan stat!

I'm so happy to read a thread about this. I've been fighting anemia for over 10 yrs now and it seems like a never ending battle. I too would stop taking my iron tablets because of the constipation (sorry!). After years of fatigue, heart palpitations, pale skin and dark circles under my eyes, I decided to do something about it. I absolutely refuse to take the tablet form of iron.
I'm currently taking a liquid form of iron which is almost immediately absorbed by the body and doesn't have to be taken in addition with anything else (orange juice, calcium) in order for it to be beneficial. Because of this my nails and hair have flourished! Since I discovered the wonderful benefits of EV Coconut oil on the hair (back in June) I've been going crazy over the stuff. Actually, I think I'm overdoing it.
Every other night or so I saturate my hair with EVCO and run the oil all the way down to the ends of my hair. Now that I think about it, I initially began to use the EVCO on my hair when I read that it helps to thicken the hair and LORDY BEEE has it!!!!! I've seen about a 90% drop in shedding (i can hear the angels singing! - ahhhhhhhhhhh!) HOWEVER, my hair is desert dry :-( which I don't understand. I use so much of this EVCO that if I skip a day and let my hair down, it would be a dull dry to the touch.
I had alot of shedding prior to which scared me and I didn't know what the problem was. Not having any iron seems like a very likely culprit.
BTW, being constipated is eliminated with liquid iron. Since it is immediately absorbed into the body, it doesn't have to be broken down. It is very gentle on the body. You can find it at Vitamin Shoppe in a cute brown bottle. I can't think of the name. Google "liquid iron vitamin shoppe "and you'll see it. it's a tad bit expensive but well worth every penny. Trust me, buy it and you'll never go back to tablet form again.
I wish you all the best!!!

I am anemic and have been for most of my life. I was never able to donate blood. A couple of years ago I would stand up too fast or get out of bed too fast and would black out (faint). I have had 2 blood transfussions and there was a time when I wasnt even allowed to drive.

I take 3 iron pills a day and 2 stool softners (tmi sorry) and a b12 for energy once a month. I dont recall how my hair was because when I was really bad I was going to the salon weekly. My hair is fine right now but I am taking my meds like I should.

i am very anemic but also hardheaded and i dont take my iron pills like im supposed to and so i get real tired and am cold all the time. but i may have to try the liquid iron that might be better for me. but as for the op question i never really paid attention to see if when my iron gets low if i have more breakage or dryness.

Very interesting thread...I'm pregnant (2nd time) and when pregnant my iron gets quite low. In the last few months I've been taking my iron pills, on and off because of the opposite of constipation
I've also noticed the growth I was getting in the beginning of my journey (I'm at day 103) is much less. I couldn't figure out why and lookie here now I have an idea You ladies are awesome

I'm a former anemic, for those of you who are stating that iron pills are causing constipation, I highly recommend these Iron Capsules: Garden of Life Raw Iron. I can attest that these capsules helped me tremendously when my levels were low, caused no constipation and can be taken with or w/o food.

Garden of Life | The Vitamin Code | Single Nutrient Formulas

I don't have it now (thank G-d) but I do know that people who normally consume a very high diet in iron-rich foods have tremendous hair growth. Look at the Ethiopians. People think it's hair texture....it's the diet rich in iron enriched teff flour. That's the flour with the highest levels of iron in a grain in the entire world. Maybe this was just family....but 3 inches growth a month....nothing strange. No kiddin'.

Are you increasing your leafy greens, grains and root vegetables? I know how iron can wreak havoc on your digestive system. Time-released iron is best, we all know. But beets are very good for you, even canned. Hope you get it under your belt and that your breakage stops.

I have anemia due to extremely heavy menstrual flow. I have been taking iron pills and birth control prescribed by my doctor to fight it. My mom has it too so I'm sure part of the reason is genetic, and the menstrual flow just made it a lot worse. I keep up with my Birth Controln everyday, but not my iron pills. I haven't taken them in so long. Me being anemic does not harm my hair growth. However, i am constantly tired. I must fight to stay awake.

Hmm southernstunner so that's why everytime I get up I have to fall back to the floor and hold my head down for minutes. Doctors kept saying that was caused by low blood pressure but I don't have low blood pressure. I never knew it could be related to iron deficiency.

Does anyone know where the liquid iron is sold. I would rather take that than a pill

Volver_Alma_Gitana said:

I don't have it now (thank G-d) but I do know that people who normally consume a very high diet in iron-rich foods have tremendous hair growth. Look at the Ethiopians. People think it's hair texture....it's the diet rich in iron enriched teff flour. That's the flour with the highest levels of iron in a grain in the entire world. Maybe this was just family....but 3 inches growth a month....nothing strange. No kiddin'.

Are you increasing your leafy greens, grains and root vegetables? I know how iron can wreak havoc on your digestive system. Time-released iron is best, we all know. But beets are very good for you, even canned. Hope you get it under your belt and that your breakage stops.

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Very, very true. Diet is super imporant. I'll be honest, the last couple months my eating habits haven't been the greatest! I know what I have to do, yet I've just been dragging my feet.

I was online looking up liquid iron supplements. It's pretty pricey ($34+) for something that only lasts 1 month! I've never dealt with constipation with taking iron pills though, even when I take 3 a day. I drink A LOT of water, eat alot of green veggies too.

Volver_Alma_Gitana said:

I don't have it now (thank G-d) but I do know that people who normally consume a very high diet in iron-rich foods have tremendous hair growth. Look at the Ethiopians. People think it's hair texture....it's the diet rich in iron enriched teff flour. That's the flour with the highest levels of iron in a grain in the entire world. Maybe this was just family....but 3 inches growth a month....nothing strange. No kiddin'.

Are you increasing your leafy greens, grains and root vegetables? I know how iron can wreak havoc on your digestive system. Time-released iron is best, we all know. But beets are very good for you, even canned. Hope you get it under your belt and that your breakage stops.

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Can you tell us more about this? That sounds ideal for both anemia and hair growth. Do you go to certain ethnic markets to buy it or would you buy it online? I've never heard of this before.

Black Ambrosia said:

Can you tell us more about this? That sounds ideal for both anemia and hair growth. Do you go to certain ethnic markets to buy it or would you buy it online? I've never heard of this before.

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It's a staple of the Ethiopian diet. It's millet. You can get Indian millet at Indian grocers or brown teff (harder to get) at Ethiopian ones or even Whole Foods/Coop's. You make a sour dough bread (injera) with it but that's too difficult for people who don't know. There are some recipes you can get using teff for American tastes. We make Ethiopian food kinda regularly and I only like it as injera. But you can google for more American-type recipes:

http://www.teffco.com

For liquid iron supplements (and follow the advice of a doctor..iron is toxic if in excess), you can get Geritol. If the links don't work, try Google.

Nasdaq_Diva said:

Very, very true. Diet is super imporant. I'll be honest, the last couple months my eating habits haven't been the greatest! I know what I have to do, yet I've just been dragging my feet.

I was online looking up liquid iron supplements. It's pretty pricey ($34+) for something that only lasts 1 month! I've never dealt with constipation with taking iron pills though, even when I take 3 a day. I drink A LOT of water, eat alot of green veggies too.

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Well in approximately 4.5 years, I'll be willing to pay that price. The reviews on amazon sound awesome especially from people with IBS so it's probably worth it.

I am also anemic. In HS my hair was very dry and brittle because I wasnt taking iron supplements. One day, my hair dresser asked me out of the blue " Do you take vitamins". She didnt even know about my doctor saying I was anemic, it was through the state of my hair she could tell. It was breaking and shedding like crazy. After a couple of months my hair got a lot better. Now I try to take a least a multi vitamin with extra iron everyday.

I also suffer from anemia from time to time. I eat a spinach/turkey salad everyday because I don't prefer to take pills. I am usually cold, low-energy and feel that my hair grows slowly at times. Other than the salad, I rarely eat meat.

Nasdaq Diva, you (and everyone else on this forum) are a Godsend! I'm so glad you raised this topic. I am severely anemic. I take 325mg of Ferrous Sulfate 3 times a day and my levels are in the ones. On my lab results, it says "ALERT". Even taking the iron, I don't get up to average levels. But enough about that...I absolutely believe anemia is linked to hair growth and health. My sig pic is when I was taking iron regularly (3 times a day). Not only did it help my hair, but I swear it helped my mental and emotional stability. Now that I slacked off taking it, maybe that's the reason for my hair woes. I don't really get constipated, but I do get bloated. To counter that, I eat one cup of applesauce and one cup of Activia every night as my bedtime snack. Thank you for sharing...I'm going to get back on my iron regimen and let you know what results I achieve. And, thanks to you, I'll be drinking more water. I'm horrible about that. Sometimes I go 2 or 3 days with just coffee.