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Biotin - the Gray Hair Fix! And hair LOSS too???
When I read that it's "almost impossible to get a biotin deficiency" I just laugh. Four months after I started taking alpha lipoic acid the right side of my head hair was almost completely gray! I was sure I was dying. Luckily, a little research showed alpha lipoic acid's interference with biotin activity might be the problem and since Adelle Davis had always referred to biotin for gray hair problems, I decided to give it a shot.
Lo and behold, after starting 1mg (1000mcg) of biotin a day (every day I took the ALA!) not only did the new gray hair grow back colored, but the gray hair I thought was normal grew back colored, too! It's amazing! Encouraged and feeling rather heady, I attacked the remaining gray hair with a copper peptide spray - with 80% success! I'm saving a fortune in coloring sessions at the beauty parlor!
Biotin, a water-soluble B vitamin, acts as a coenzyme in the metabolism of protein, fats, and carbohydrates. Severe biotin deficiency results in impaired functioning of the immune system, as well as a scaly dermatitis that resembles seborrhea (a condition characterized by reddened, oily scales on the face and scalp). The 1000 mcg. I took is considered to be about 5 times the amount of biotin we need. It's well-known that eating a lot of raw egg whites can cause a biotin deficiency (Adelle Davis was talking about that back in the 50s!).
Biotin may help control blood sugar levels (large amounts, like 5 to 16mg per day)
Biotin may improve nerve damage in diabetics. (large amounts, like 5 to 16mg per day)
Biotin may help dry, splitting nails, supplementation (2.5mg per day for 2-4 months)
Hair loss and gray hair: Since biotin is needed to maintain hair growth and hair color, if these conditions are caused by biotin deficiency, biotin supplements will have a therapeutic effect.
You can't eat enough food to get a therapeutic dose of biotin but for daily maintenance these are good Food sources of biotin:
organ
meats, oatmeal, egg yolk, soy, mushrooms, bananas,
peanuts, and
brewer’s yeast.
Symptoms of Deficiency:
dermatitis
depression
hair loss
hair graying
anemia
nausea
brittle nails
Deficiencies can be a result of:
rare inborn diseases
high raw egg white consumption
Long-term antibiotic use
High alcohol use
IBS
Long-term use of anti-seizure medications
Stomach disease
Overdose:
Excess intake of biotin is excreted in the urine; no toxicity symptoms have been reported.
For absorption:
Works with pantothenic acid (B5) and vitamin B12
Here's the deal on the gray hair I experienced: Researchers think that perhaps biotin and alpha lipoic acid may compete with each other for
absorption or uptake into cells. MAY is the operative word but studies with animals have shown this to be true. I believe in my case this was exactly what happened but I may have had extra factors at work.
From the healthnotes database comes this one caveat - and look at the amount she was taking!
There is one report of a 76-year-old woman who developed a life-threatening condition
(eosinophilic pleuropericardial effusion) while taking 10 mg of biotin per day and 300 mg of
pantothenic acid per day. (That's 10,000 mcg.) However, it is not clear whether the vitamins caused
the problem.
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