Hi Claire – glad you’ve kicked

There are a few mechanisms of action that can cause hair loss post-covid:

1. Possible iron anemia: it’s normal for the body to sequester ferritin (the storage form of iron) when there’s an inflammatory dynamic such as a virus. The pro-inflammatory interleukin-6 in particular increases something called “hepcidin” in the liver, which regulates and impairs iron absorption. So test your hemoglobin, iron and ferritin levels. Ferritin should ideally be between 50-70ng/ml for a menstruating woman. Anything higher than that can indicate the sequestering of ferritin as I mentioned, which means there’s still an inflammatory dynamic or a simmering infection going on.

2. Immune nutrient depletion: during a viral infection, it’s possible that certain nutrients become depleted to help produce white blood cells necessary to help the body fight. In particular, I would test zinc and vitamin A, both of which are needed (in addition to iron) for thyroid conversion from T4 to T3. Hypothyroidism is a common cause of hair loss.

3. Folate deficiency: the immune system requires a lot of folate – especially folinic acid (NOT folic acid). Growth of hair requires a lot of folate as well – especially folinic acid. If your immune system uses the majority of your folinic acid, your hair is left with very little. The result? Your hair becomes undernourished and falls out. B vitamins work well in combination if looking at supplementing. I like Thorne Basic B capsules or just a B12/B9 combo like Seeking Health’s HodroxyB12 with Folinic Acid lozenges. These can also be tested in blood.

Here’s a great study on this: https://jag.journalagent.com/ijmb/pdfs/IJMB-75047-ORIGINAL_INVESTIGATION-YORULMAZ_ERTUG.pdf

4. Stress: when the body is in a sympathetic dominant state, digestion gets compromised, and hydrochloric acid production decreases in the stomach. Without good stomach acid, we don’t break down and absorb our proteins and other key nutrients needed for good thyroid function and hair growth. The Gut Health Masterclass covers this in more detail. Adrenal support and stress reduction is key!

Hopefully these mechanisms of action help you understand how multi-faceted the causes can be.