Sugar Avoidance / Reduction

For those who are interested in seeing if their hair pulling is food-related, there is a simple test that can be done: eat as much of a snack such as peanut 'M&M's (containing sugar, chocolate and legumes) as you can stand at one sitting, washing them down with Coca-Cola (cola, caffeine and more sugar or aspartame, which is just as bad).  If in 2 days there is a noticeable increase in hair pulling urges, then you could consider abstaining from "bad" foods.

Unfortunately, it appears to take from 30-40 days to purge the gut and skin of their bad effects fully, and it also seems to take several attempts and about a year of trying for most pullers to achieve the desired results.  People report that avoiding sugar and caffeine – which act more quickly – is the most rewarding way to start.

The list of foods that aggravate this condition includes concentrated natural sugars, tomato seeds, soy products, yams, MSG, and ibuprofen.  However, there are a few "good" foods, which partially counteract the "bad" ones, including garlic, most acidic fruits, dry red wine, unsweetened yogurt, and a chemical family called gluconates.

Avoidance of refined sugars is commonly recommended by natural doctors.

Elaine Gottschall, author of Breaking the Vicious Cycle, has proposed that gut dysbiosis is a major cause of Crohn's disease, with small and large bowel fermentation being a key component.  She has used a Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) restricted in disaccharide sugars and devoid of cereal grains to alter gut flora.  When digestion of carbohydrates such as starches and some sugars is impaired, these items are poorly absorbed.  Yeast and bacteria can then overgrow in response to these newly available nutrients, increasing toxic by-products and mucus production, resulting in further injury to the small intestine and malabsorption.  Digestion is worsened – thus "the vicious cycle".  The purpose of the SCD is to deprive the microbial world in the small intestine of food it needs to overpopulate and irritate.

A high sugar diet causes obesity with further insulin resistance and aggravation of PCOS.  According to Jerilyn Prior, M.D., the increased insulin from sugar consumption stimulates androgen receptors on the outside of the ovary, causing a failure of ovulation and the typical PCOS symptoms of hirsutism and acne.

Avoid stimulants such as caffeine, alcohol and sugar, which may interfere with melatonin production.

Sugars have a depressive effect on the immune system.

Sugar and corn syrup found in many desserts impair the engulfing power of white blood cells.  The worst offenders are found in canned soda, candy bars, pastry and other processed desserts.  Even sugars found in fruit juice, when consumed quickly, will have a depressive effect on immune cells.

Avoid foods high in simple carbohydrates such as refined sugars (sucrose, fructose, corn syrup), fruit juices, honey, and maple syrup.

Sugar consumption is a known weakener of the immune system.  Regular use of rapidly-absorbed sugars slows down your immune system's ability to dispose of invading organisms.

Sugars have a depressive effect on the immune system.

Ingesting refined sugar increases triglyceride levels.  People with elevated triglyceride levels should therefore reduce their intake of sugar, sweets and other sugar-containing foods.  Even added fructose will raise triglyceride levels, but the fructose found naturally in foods should be less of a problem.

Eating a lot of foods high in refined sugar increases blood lactate levels and may induce panic in susceptible individuals.

Consuming foods that contain simple sugars makes the problem worse.  Avoid sweets other than fresh fruits, if tolerated.  In addition, consider avoiding products that only "taste" sweet (artificially sweetened – low calorie).  Even though they may contain no sugar, sending signals to your brain that something "sweet" is being consumed may have negative consequences.

Take some form of sugar; alcohol lowers your blood sugar levels.

Avoiding factors that encourage bone loss can be as just as important as calcium intake.  Diets high in refined sugar, protein, salt, caffeine, and phosphorous contained in soft drinks, all promote calcium excretion in urine.

See the link between Giardia and High-Fiber Diet.

Due to its inhibition of the immune system, sugar consumption should be stopped until all bronchitis symptoms have ceased.

Sugar and refined carbohydrates should be avoided.

See the link between Restless Leg Syndrome and Caffeine Avoidance.

People with a high intake of sugar (mono- and disaccharides) increase their risk of developing Parkinson's disease by a factor of three as compared to people with a more moderate intake.

The bacteria that come together to become plaque use sugar as a form of energy.  They multiply faster and the plaque grows in size and thickness.  Some of the bacteria turn sugar into a kind of glue and use it to stick themselves to the surface of the teeth.  This makes it harder for the bacteria to get washed away by saliva.

In research published in 1983 from the University Department of Medicine, scientists stated, "Bile is significantly more saturated with cholesterol after 6 weeks on a refined carbohydrate diet (white flour and sugar) than after a similar period on an unrefined carbohydrate diet (whole wheat and grains)."