The possible wonders of the Crazy Lenten Diet
One recent article I read made me wonder if the Crazy Lenten Diet did me some good this year--more so than just putting myself on pause from eating a bunch of crap. It was titled "It's not all in your head: Your hair is falling out," by Jessica Schiffer. Her byline read The New York Times, but it was published in the Trib. Basically, pandemic stress is triggering hair loss. I personally haven't noticed much of a difference, maybe a little, because typically I shed like a Labrador just in general.
The article went over a few thoughts for people looking to regain their pre-pandemic hair, and in a section titled "Tackling hair loss holistically," there was a paragraph about Misty Gant, a New York wellness coach, and what she first started doing when she noticed hair loss:
Her first point of attack was an anti-inflammatory diet that cut out sugar, gluten, dairy and alcohol and incorporated colorful fruits and vegetables, oily fish and healthy fats like avocados and nuts.
This...is pretty much how I was eating during Lent. I never realized it had anti-inflammatory properties. Then I thought about it, given how my head basically felt swollen all the time after I was sick in December. Remember, I kept saying I felt like I had a permanent cold and my nose and ears were constantly swollen-feeling. That made me stop and take stock of how I was feeling at that moment. Honestly? I think things have improved. There's still a bit of a swollen feeling there, but it's so low-grade and minor that it doesn't bother me. Part of me thinks that it's possible I simply got used to the situation as my new normal, but at the same time I noticed I haven't been as full of mucus as I had before. Interesting. Part of me doesn't entirely want to go back to the way I was eating before, because I know it's bad for me, but this really makes me think that continuing how I've been going really is in my best interest for the time being. My sniffer still has issues, and my tinnitus has gotten worse (I notice it almost daily, particularly when it's quiet at home; before it would flare up every now and again), but for the most part I feel like myself.
The rest of that section had some interesting thoughts from Misty on how to regrow hair. The first paragraph here is actually the continuation of the paragraph above:
She kick-started a new supplement routine of Omega 3-6-9, turmeric with fenugreek, evening primrose oil and two tablespoons of aloe juice a day, a combination she believes to be anti-inflammatory and lubricating for the skin and hair.
She began giving herself daily scalp massages using Bumble and Bumble Tonic Primer, which includes rosemary oil, an ingredient that some studies have found to encourage hair growth. Two days a week, she doused her hair in a mixture of coconut oil and pure rosemary oil and left it in for 24 hours. Though not a quick fix, it seemed to pay off: She now has tufts of baby hair growing in at her temples.
I don't know that I would ever try what's mentioned above, but my hair has never been in great shape and not cutting it during the pandemic isn't exactly helping. I thought I'd file this away in case I ever wanted to try it.
The article went over a few thoughts for people looking to regain their pre-pandemic hair, and in a section titled "Tackling hair loss holistically," there was a paragraph about Misty Gant, a New York wellness coach, and what she first started doing when she noticed hair loss:
Her first point of attack was an anti-inflammatory diet that cut out sugar, gluten, dairy and alcohol and incorporated colorful fruits and vegetables, oily fish and healthy fats like avocados and nuts.
This...is pretty much how I was eating during Lent. I never realized it had anti-inflammatory properties. Then I thought about it, given how my head basically felt swollen all the time after I was sick in December. Remember, I kept saying I felt like I had a permanent cold and my nose and ears were constantly swollen-feeling. That made me stop and take stock of how I was feeling at that moment. Honestly? I think things have improved. There's still a bit of a swollen feeling there, but it's so low-grade and minor that it doesn't bother me. Part of me thinks that it's possible I simply got used to the situation as my new normal, but at the same time I noticed I haven't been as full of mucus as I had before. Interesting. Part of me doesn't entirely want to go back to the way I was eating before, because I know it's bad for me, but this really makes me think that continuing how I've been going really is in my best interest for the time being. My sniffer still has issues, and my tinnitus has gotten worse (I notice it almost daily, particularly when it's quiet at home; before it would flare up every now and again), but for the most part I feel like myself.
The rest of that section had some interesting thoughts from Misty on how to regrow hair. The first paragraph here is actually the continuation of the paragraph above:
She kick-started a new supplement routine of Omega 3-6-9, turmeric with fenugreek, evening primrose oil and two tablespoons of aloe juice a day, a combination she believes to be anti-inflammatory and lubricating for the skin and hair.
She began giving herself daily scalp massages using Bumble and Bumble Tonic Primer, which includes rosemary oil, an ingredient that some studies have found to encourage hair growth. Two days a week, she doused her hair in a mixture of coconut oil and pure rosemary oil and left it in for 24 hours. Though not a quick fix, it seemed to pay off: She now has tufts of baby hair growing in at her temples.
I don't know that I would ever try what's mentioned above, but my hair has never been in great shape and not cutting it during the pandemic isn't exactly helping. I thought I'd file this away in case I ever wanted to try it.