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Grey hair and Lyme??

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Posted 12/23/2015 12:49 PM (GMT 0)
I'm 27 now, but two years ago at the age of 25 driving in my car to work, I noticed my first grey hairs in the mirror of my van. I was SHOCKED to see grey hair at 25. I pulled the couple out. It's been two years since I started noticing the grey hair and I have more now. Not a lot, maybe 20 hair strands or so scattered throughout my hair. I really do not like it and have to colour my hair to hide it. I have dark brown hair so the grey stands out.

My questions is, does Lyme Disease cause this to happen? Premature graying of hair? My parent's did not go grey early.
Posted 12/23/2015 2:04 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, the reduction of trace minerals that act as substrates affects catylase action and the deposition of melanin.
Posted 12/23/2015 2:18 PM (GMT 0)
Wow... so it really is a lyme related thing? Does anyone have any info I can read up on about this? Do you know if once I get Lyme under control it will reverse itself?
Posted 12/23/2015 2:22 PM (GMT 0)
Could a mould issue also cause this to happen?
Posted 12/23/2015 2:26 PM (GMT 0)
Thyroid issues can also cause this.

I had "advance notice" of developing Graves' Disease when I found my first grey hair at age 23.
Posted 12/23/2015 3:10 PM (GMT 0)
Really? Maybe I should mention to my LLND about the grey hair I have. Plus my other post I made about the hair loss. She knows I have hair loss but not about the grey hair. They could still be both related to just the Lyme... or mold issue though.

My TSH reading was 1.46 and normal range at the lab is 0.30-5.60 MIU/L. What do you think about that result?
Posted 12/23/2015 3:25 PM (GMT 0)
Ironically, I just posted on your other thread that healthy people have TSH .3 - 1.0 and that anything over that is suspect for hypothyroidism.

Unfortunately, your lab (just like almost every other one) is using an outdated range. The range was lowered in 2002 to .3 - 3.0 which is really still too high.

While your TSH stands a chance of indicating healthy thyroid function, it certainly wouldn't hurt to confirm thyroid function by looking at the actual levels of thyroid hormone that are available for use by the body:

Free T4 (T4 or thyroxine, free, direct)
Free T3 (tri-iodothyronine, free, serum)

TSH is a pituitary hormone. Looking at that to evaluate thyroid status is like looking at the odometer when you want to know how much gas in in your tank.

For whatever it's worth, my TSH was MUCH lower than yours when I started thyroid hormone replacement.....and my FreeT4 and Free T3 levels were too low for my body's needs.

Do you not have fatigue, anxiety, and/or sleep issues? Any of these can also be caused by hypothyroidism.

In fact, hypothyroidism can manifest in over 300 different ways. You can see just how at the bottom of the following link:

hypothyroidmom.com/300-hypothyroidism-symptoms-yes-really/

Just as with Lyme, a person doesn't need to have every symptom on the list to be dealing with the condition. And, Lyme is famous for causing hypothyroidism.

I think it's worth ruling it out.

And, I think it will be worth your while to share your results here. All too many doctors look at in-range levels and declare the patient "normal" when he/she is anything but.

We all know how screening tests fail us as Lymies. Well, the TSH test is really a screening test and sole reliance on it has left over 30 million Americans undiagnosed....and countless improperly treated. Sound familiar?
Posted 12/23/2015 3:34 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the info CD. I'm due for a checkup with my family doctor sometime in Jan or Feb and I'll ask to have my full thyroid checked (Free T4 and Free T3) to be sure my thyroid is in check. I had extremeee fatigue before starting treatment for Lyme in July, it has since then improved a lot. I think mostly from the supplements my LLND has me taking like B12 shots, NAC, ALA +R.. vitamin nutritional supplement.. I know some of those can improve your energy. No sleep issues really. All though I do have my spells where it is hard to fall asleep a few times a year but nothing notable. Anxiety, yes sometimes.
Posted 12/23/2015 3:36 PM (GMT 0)
General stress on the body can cause grey hair, and our bodies are definitely under stress. A while distressing on one level, it really means very little to a doctor. They should be much more concerned with thyroid function, or detoxing abilities or any one of the other things that go wonky during a Lyme infection
Posted 12/23/2015 3:55 PM (GMT 0)
I thought it was a myth that stress can cause grey hair? I have definitely been under a lot of stress... for most of my 20s if not all of them. I'm 27 now.
Posted 12/23/2015 4:03 PM (GMT 0)
While I really, really hope you're not dealing with hypothyroidism, please be aware that it can cause nutrient absorption issues. Replacing certain nutrients as you now have been obviously made a difference for you. Let's hope it's as "simple" as Lyme.

Please also be aware that stress can trigger thyroid disease. Again, not saying you have hypothyroidism as a result...just saying :)

I'm glad you'll pursue thorough testing.
Posted 12/23/2015 4:06 PM (GMT 0)
I'm not going grey, but white and had significant amounts of it by the age of 32 - so it started before that. I was born with deep red hair, yet was a strawberry blonde by a very early age - and it kept progressing. I am now frequently mistaken for a platinum blonde (or that I dye my hair), unless I show them that tell tale red streak that lays underneath the 'blonde'.

I was infected at the age of 7 with RMSF, had significant evidence of chronic Bartonella by age 8 and significant evidence of chronic late stage Lyme by age 9. All the stress causing white hair would all line up for me. Stress is a dangerous thing, it not only makes small changes like what GH is saying, but if left to continue on, it makes bigger and bigger changes in our body until it gets our attention.... or lands us in the hospital where it gets our attention.
Posted 12/23/2015 4:18 PM (GMT 0)

cd3764 said...
While I really, really hope you're not dealing with hypothyroidism, please be aware that it can cause nutrient absorption issues. Replacing certain nutrients as you now have been obviously made a difference for you. Let's hope it's as "simple" as Lyme.

Please also be aware that stress can trigger thyroid disease. Again, not saying you have hypothyroidism as a result...just saying :)

I'm glad you'll pursue thorough testing.

Technically cd, it's the nutrient absorption issues that cause the hypothyroidism. It's all interwoven into our immune response and neopterin production (according to some.)
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