crown of glory3We have an aversion to aging in America. Most people, especially women, resist aging and do whatever they can to slow down, avoid, or reverse the process. If you disagree, consider these facts:

“…in the past few decades, the market for anti-aging products and services has grown into a global industry valued at an estimated $261.9 billion in 2013, up from $162 billion just five years ago, according to BCC Research, a publisher of technology market research reports based in Wellesley, Mass.”(1) AND “This is expected to increase to nearly $345.8 billion in 2018, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.7% between 2013 and 2018.” (2)

By these figures, you would think that aging was unnatural or a disease, but…

 

Biblically gray hair is referred as a crown of splendor to the aged, but what about to those in their 20s, 30s or 40s? Their glory or brilliant appearance is in their strength according to Mishlei (Proverbs) 20:29. I found my first wild, gray hair when I was around 25, probably because these silvery strands seem to have a mind of their own.  Often sticking straight up, they are much more coarse and kinky than the hairs of our youthful color-- so annoying! At first I yanked them out, but then as time went on, I realized that soon I would be bald, so I resigned myself to these wily critters in agreement that gray hair is a glory, and I internally vowed to accept my crown with dignity…. but I was not elderly yet, and I’m still not! It wasn’t until my training as a Certified Master Herbalist, subsequent research, and continuing education that I learned that there are CONTROLLABLE factors that contribute to a "silver crown":

 

Genes load the gun and environment pulls the trigger.” (3) 

By the way, the same folks that claim that chlorine is linked to gray hair say there is no such thing as male pattern baldness; it is due simply to blocked follicles that become starved of nutrients, leading to a gray color.So unblocking hair follicles by eliminating toxins in the diet and environment can not only restore the color of your crown but its abundance as well!

Blood circulation to the scalp can restore hair color and growth. Cutaneous circulation to the scalp is proven to be affected by cigarette smoking (5), so one more reason to NOT smoke! Additionally, exercise, inversion equipment, slant boards, or using herbs, supplements, and essential oils that promote circulation to the periphery may be helpful.

 

“Not a shred of evidence for this notion has been reported in the scientific or popular literature. Our hair becomes gray from using the same chemical used by those who bleach their hair from bottles; as we age we become peroxide grays.”(6) (more about peroxide graying later)

However, regardless of scientific evidence, there are thousands of people (do your own Google search) who attest to the fact that after a major stress or trauma such as the death or injury of a loved one, serious injury, intense pain, surgery, grief, or even no apparent stress, hair color can turn white literally overnight or over the course of several days. (7) Why not? After all, if stress can impair your immune system, and your immune system regulates normal bodily functions (pigmentation being one of them), then a high level of stress can impair pigmentation production. B Vitamins are excreted more rapidly during stress as fuel for the adrenals and pituitary, and a few studies seem to indicate that specific B vitamins such as B1, B6 & B12 can help restore melanin in grey or white hair. (8)(9)

“Human hair greying is linked to a specific depletion of hair follicle melanocytes affecting both the bulb and the outer root sheath.” (10)

Extreme stress can exhaust B vitamin stores in the body, thus depleting the melanin which would cause gray hair, and then over time when the body has built up its stores of B vitamins, the melanin is restored along with natural hair color. Interestingly, many people have reported having dark roots return to white hairs, indicating that graying can be reversed and natural color restored! 

Proteolytic enzymes, or enzymes used between meals on an empty stomach, scavenge stray proteins from the blood and work in much the same way as protomorphogens to heal organs affected by autoimmune disorders.

By age 40, it is estimated that the average adult has cumulatively lost approximately 40% of their kidney function.” -Dr. Larry J. Milam, HMD, PhD

These TCM herbal combinations enhance kidney chi:

Ayurvedic Medicine commends Shilajit for strengthening vitality and is reported to due to its nutrient-dense profile, containing at least 85 minerals inionicform, as well as triterenes, humic acidandfulvic acid.  Bringaraj and Amla powders are two more Ayurvedic remedies believed to enhance hair health and growth. Read on for a truly unique source of colloidal minerals from nature’s ancient treasure chest…. 

L-methionine is another amino acid often deficient in vegetarians and which deficiency can promote canities. Again, adequate protein intake including all 9 essential amino acids is important, which may include whey protein, eggs, or vegetarian sources such as avocado, chia, or quinoa.

A past study using mice "engineered to age faster" found that lengthening the rodent's telomeres reversed the aging process, ABC News reported. After gene therapy, researchers noticed that the mice's fur went from grey back to its original dark brown. (22)

Thyroid health is crucial to maintaining your natural hair color, and copper is a co-factor to iodine which is the key nutrient of the thyroid. Iodine deficiency will manifest in a host of undesirable symptoms, including dry, brittle hair, nails and skin (sounds a lot like copper deficiency, huh?). In fact, although several people groups around the world consume high amounts of iodine, goiter is not present ONLY in the groups that ALSO have adequate copper intake.pper is a required co-factor to utilize iodAs a side note, copper is absorbed through the stomach and small intestine, so again you can see the connection between healthy gut function and canities. 

So, as you can see, the body performs quite a balancing act so that we can maintain our youthful hair color and prevent a premature “crown of splendor” from taking root (pun intended!). Whether related to genetic, physical, or emotional status, the presence of gray hairs is nonetheless heavily influenced by nutrition-- vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, protein, enzymes, co-enzymes, etc. And in today’s world, try as we might to eat a healthy diet-- which I highly recommend,

 

"It's not just what you eat that kills you, it's what you don't eat. The key to health is giving your body all the 90 essential nutrients." -Dr. Joel Wallach

We need more than food to be healthy. Soils are depleted, with only NPK being added in the form of chemical fertilizers containing synthetic forms of Nitrogen, Phosphorous & Potassium. Just as our children can only inherit what we have to give them in the form of genes or finances, our foods are limited to the nutrient profile of the soils they are grown in. Our foods are depleted because our soils lack the nutrients that they once had… but there is an answer! Do you wonder what the mineral levels are in your body? Contact me to get 15% off on a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis during the month of November and to learn about An Ancient Treasure Chest of Nutrition that will get you started on The Road to Your New Vitality.

Got a penny in exchange for your “crown of splendor”?

L’chaim-- To Life!

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