Accupuncturist Didn't Think Vegetarian Diet Best Option....

[beautiful_love]

I went to an accupuncturist at a wellness center for a first-time consultation today. I had originally gone in to the wellness center to speak to someone about hair loss, and I was referred to this accupuncturist who is said to have helped people re-grow hair.

I also suffer from anxiety and depression, which the accupuncturist specializes in. We talked for over an hour, going through my health history, discussing treatment plans, etc.

He asked me if I was a vegetarian. I told him that I was, and he said that this is likely the reason I have lost so much hair. I am a woman in my early
30's, and have been a vegetarian for about 2.5 years. True, I have noticed that my hair loss began around the time I started my vegetarian diet. I have been supplementing my diet with protein drinks, green drinks, B12, a hair multi-vitamin that includes silica, MSM, and other things. I use a special shampoo and conditioner. Nothing has helped thus far.

The accupuncurist told me that he was a vegan for seven years, and that being a vegetarian/vegan is almost a physical sacrifice for the body. He wasn't telling me to eat meat, but he was suggesting to me that incorportating something like salmon in my diet, once a week, could help my body in many ways.

He explained that along with the accupuncture treatments he would give me, he would also supply medicinal vegetarian herbs that would help restore the health of the blood in my body, which would assist with my mood, my digestion, my sleep, and my hair.

I am very interested in accupuncture--I am nervous about the financial cost of it (which would be a 2-3 month treatment plan at $60/week) I don't make much money, but I am willing to sacrifice things in order to help my health. I have been crippled by my depression and anxiety, and also feel very self-conscious about my hair loss.

I just want to make sure I am doing the right thing to help myself. When I told a long-time friend what the accupuncturist said about the vegetarain diet, he said that the accupuncurist sounded like a quack, and that I should get a second opinion.

The people at the wellness center seemed to think very highly of this accupuncturist. My counselor reccommended I go to this wellness center.

I am feeling nervous and confused. Do I take the accupuncturist's comments about vegetarianism as a sign he is not to be trusted? He gave me a free accupuncture session, and it seemed he was confident and competent.

Can anyone tell me what their experiences with accupuncture have been, particularly if you have done it for several months as part of a treatment plan?

[Concertina]

I don't know anything about acupuncturists, and how knowledgeable they are in regards to nutrition. I can say that I have been to dietitians who see no problem with vegetarianism. I was actually in an eating disorder unit where one of the patients was vegetarian, and they allowed him to remain that way. See a dietitian for a second opinion.

[Crazyaboutdogs]

What specific reason are you going for accupuncture? Hair loss is a common problem for women who are anorexic because they are not getting the proper nutrition. If your hair loss has coincided with your switch to vegetarianism then clearly you are doing something wrong with your diet. You should read up (from reputable sources) on the proper foods to eat when you are a vegetarian in order to get the required nutrients so that you won't suffer from hair loss and loss of muscle mass. It is probably not a good idea to solely depend on artificial products which provide nutrients. Going to an accupuncturist is a completely separate issue from diet...I think he was telling you this based on his experience with being a vegetarian, rather than from his credentials as an accupuncturist.

[beautiful_love]

Thanks for the replies--I have been eating a diet that is rich in the nutrients a vegetarian needs. I eat a lot of whole grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and I do eat eggs and dairy products and make sure to get Omega 3-6-9 oils in my diet.

I was beginning to think my high stress level/anxiety and overall depression was causing the hair loss, considering my diet has been far healthier than it was when I was eating meat. I used to eat nothing but processed foods and lots of sugar--and I felt better than I do now!! It doesn't make sense, but maybe vegetarianism is harder on my body than I thought it was? It is hard for me to think about eating meat, for emotional and spiritual reasons, but maybe I could have salmon once a week and see how I feel?

[pinkelephant]

He's right. It's hard to get all your nutritional needs as a vegetarian. We're meant to eat meat as well as vegetables. We absorb things better from actual food than from supplements. My hair fell out when I wasn't eating properly (at all) too.

[Concertina]

I gave up vegetarianism on a whim, thinking that my problem was inadequate nutrients; namely B12 (I was a hypochondriac). I did not see a doctor or a nutritionist/dietitian, but took it into my own hands. It was a stupid mistake, as my problem was menial caloric intake.

You seem to value your vegetarianism. Don't give up on it unless you have had a professional assess your eating habits and they instruct you - without a doubt - that you should reintroduce meat into your diet.

Stress most definitely can cause hair loss. You might want to look into seeing a mental health professional, or at the very least research stress management along with relaxation techniques.

[tiredofvampires]

He is giving you sound advice.

I have been vegetarian before, and known many vegetarians who could not continue on the diet, even with the "right" combinations of other proteins and essential fatty acids. I can tell you from personal experience that while it was hard for me to commit to the changes, I found that eating animal flesh was crucial to my health (even though I still have chronic problems that are quite complicated, including those you are suffering from.)

The truth, according to highly trained acupuncturists, natural health doctors, and others in this type of professional field (and they ARE "professionals", as long as they are properly qualified), is that some people just are not able to assimilate the amino acids properly from non-flesh alternatives. It's not just about getting enough gram for gram protein, it's also about your body getting the mixtures of aminos that are it needs. Vegetarians who do well that way can become quite militant and not realize that everyone is different, and individual in their body's way of handling protein metabolism, digesting and assimilating. SOME PEOPLE SIMPLY CANNOT BE HEALTHY WITHOUT ANIMAL PROTEIN, and this is something I've seen in myself, despite what my mind was telling me I wanted, and it's something many of my friends have also realized. There are a few amino acids (like l-carnitine) that are not even in non-meat sources of protein.

Also, it's very hard as a woman to get adequate iron on a vegetarian diet. Vegetable sources are often not absorbed well. I actually found that not only did I need to eat fish (salmon's a great choice), but I have to eat red meat every now and then, too. (One symptom of anemia is hair loss.)

Keep in mind that the Chinese medical system is not like ours -- it's extremely complex, and when an acupuncturist evaluates your symptoms and checks your pulses and tongue, etc. they are detecting where your body is too weak or too "strong", and are looking to balance that. For people with certain constitutions, animal protein can strengthen and harmonize some things that are out of whack. This is very common advice in acupuncture, with the symptoms you have (and I have had.)

This does not suggest this practitioner is a quack at all.

I do not find that standard nutritionists have helped me with the imbalances and deficiencies that I've had with my health. (You SHOULD get a regular blood test eval for all the standard things that are tested for, but if it's a clean bill of health, then I wouldn't abandon what you're doing here.) Their testing methods are too gross and crude and do not pick up fine subtleties, as TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) does. It's looking for your weak areas within a whole picture, not just isolating this nutrient or that nutrient.

I have had a lot of acupuncture and while I have trouble affording it, I can say it's one of the few things that really does seem to help me when I go (though you may need "tune ups".) I would take this acupunturist's advice if I were you, the worst it can do is not help. But it can't hurt you to eat salmon once a week. That is actually very conservative. I need animal protein twice a day.

Try to get wild salmon, because the farmed salmon contains a lot of contaminants.

[IndigoEye]

Nice pricing there. Mine's $120 a week and that's half off jsut because he likes me [and knows i can't afford it.]

This is a new realm of treatment for you and you're going to have to learn a good bit about your health and Chinese medicine to get through it all.

If you want to continue with him, I highly suggest the book
Healing with Whole foods by Paul Pitchford. Only $35USD but so worth it. It's huge and has everything in it. My doc told me to get it and I did. The accupuncture and tonic treatment wasn't working though so I started thing about parasites. He "didn't believe in them" so I read the chapter on parasites, went to my last doc who does QRA analysis. I had parasites and got rid of them in a month. That's quick. Now the chinese medicine should work.

So you can see by that, it get's tricky some times and you have to be your own boss with your health- ALWAYS. That means you have to learn a good bit if you're chronically ill. this book is the way to learn if you're into Chinese medicine.

Also, as you may have found out by now, they don't speak in terms of bloodwork, labs, hormones and pills in chinese medicine. It's "damp", "hot", "cool", "stagnant" blood etc. You have to remember this stuff each time you choose what you eat so you don't annihilate your expensive treatment with the wrong foods. This books it the guide that's always there for you.

So I'll be back into it soon myself for a ton of chronic heavy illnesses.

Make sure they know you can't afford to send his kids to college too. They may friend-price you.

[lavenderdove]

have you been to a regular doctor? there are lots of medical reasons for hair loss, including thyroid and hormone problems which many young women can be susceptible to.

i think you should go and get your blood analyzed to see if you have a medical problem rather than diagnosing yourself.

[IndigoEye]

Wow. I forgot to mention that one of the first signs of my heavy metal toxicity was my hair falling out. Most docs aren't trained to check for that so maybe cover it with yours.