Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hello, welcome along to Age Better with me, Liz Earle. Now, Mondays are your space, the time when I tackle your questions and sift through the science to bring you what really matters without the overwhelm.
So if there's something on your mind, do send it my way, a wellbeing-related question or concern, and I will do my very best to bring you research-backed responses to help you live well and age better. You'll find all the details on how to get in touch in the episode notes. And I will remind you again before we finish.
Chapter 2: Are infrared saunas good for my health?
Well, coming up today, we are talking infrared saunas, whether they can be beneficial for your health for Holly. A question about the impact of hair dye on your gut from Jules and hair loss with testosterone from Margaret. And is it a case of if it isn't broken, why fix it?
When it comes to HRT, we'll be exploring that for Adrienne and I will be sharing my thoughts on smart scales and nighttime routines for Jeanette. And lastly, how do you improve sun damaged skin when you've tried everything? Taking on that concern from an anonymous listener.
Well, we're going to kick things off with Holly's question and you write, Hello, I know many times on the podcast it's been discussed how wonderful morning sunshine is for your overall health and well-being. But what about those times of year when it's hard to come by? What are your thoughts on infrared saunas as an alternative?
Well, very good question, Holly, especially during our long UK winters. OK, so natural sunlight does far more, as we've talked about here, than just boost vitamin D. So morning daylight is helping to regulate our circadian rhythm. It's improving sleep, our mood, our hormones, our energy production. And then sunlight on the skin is also supporting our circulation and our cellular repair.
So infrared saunas, they are a bit different from natural daylight. They're using infrared light waves and they're heating the body from within. So you've got near and mid infrared wavelengths and they overlap with parts of natural sunlight and they help improve our circulation, our muscle recovery, our mitochondrial energy production, which is really good.
And there's also growing interest in their anti-inflammatory effects because infrared heat can reduce oxidative stress and improve blood flow and just generally help support our cellular repair pathways. So many users, for example, notice benefits for joint stiffness or for aches and pains. Their skin might start to glow a bit more or they might feel a bit more resilient to stress.
But they are not a replacement for real sunlight. So the reason being infrared saunas don't provide the bright full spectrum daylight that our brain needs for circadian signalling. Nor do they trigger vitamin D production like UVB sunlight does. They just don't produce the wavelengths that do that. So I think they're excellent, but they're not giving us the complete picture.
They're actually giving us a slightly different version, enhanced in some areas with the red and the near infrared, but obviously missing some of the other spectrums. It's not to say I'm not a fan. I am. I have an infrared sauna. I think it's fantastic. But I'm using it for mitochondrial energy and inflammation more than setting up my circadian rhythm. Two distinctly different things.
So if we're looking at circadian rhythm, particularly in the winter, I'm actually a big fan of SAD lamps. So seasonal affective disorder and daylight bulbs. So SAD lamps, they work mainly using very bright, visible light. I mean, really bright.
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Chapter 3: How does hair dye impact gut health?
You're typically talking around 10,000 lux. So that's similar to a very bright summer's day. And they especially have this blue enriched wavelengths that are really important for circadian rhythm because they signal daytime to the brain. And that's why they give us that alert little cortisol spark and make us energized and responsive.
It also helps with things like serotonin and balancing mood and sleep timing. It sets up melatonin for later in the day. So daylight bulbs are also good. They're a lot cheaper, but they don't have as much power as a sad lamp. So daylight bulbs are useful because they brighten up indoor dark spaces when the weather's really grey and dingy.
They have a lower intensity than the dedicated sad lamps, but they are still nevertheless helpful and a much easier to use low cost option. You could just Put a couple of daylight bulbs in your desk light or in your bedside light for when you wake up.
Chapter 4: Is testosterone causing my hair loss?
If you wake up in the morning and it's dark, but you know that you've got to get going, you know, having a daylight bulb could actually help you. So I see all these things, infrared saunas, sad lamps, red light devices. They're all usefully supportive for sure.
But getting outside into natural daylight whenever possible, even on cloudy mornings, you know, the light is still quite bright, believe it or not. If you don't believe me, you can download a lux meter and you can test it and see for yourself. But even on a cloudy day, your outdoor lighting in terms of lux is likely to be higher than indoor lighting when we get the short wavelength of light.
I hope that's answered your question and super interesting to research. Well, coming to Jules' question next, and you've sent in a voice note, which we love receiving.
Hi, Liz. My name's Jules. I live in WA, Western Australia. Love the podcast.
Chapter 5: What are the benefits of using smart scales?
Just been listening to your episode about hair, which was very interesting. Was interested to understand whether or not, colouring my hair could affect my gut microbiome or inflammation levels. Yeah, I'd be interested to hear if you have any research or thoughts on that. Thank you.
Well, hi Jules.
Chapter 6: How can I improve the appearance of sun-damaged skin?
Greetings to Western Australia. Interesting question. And I think especially because we are becoming increasingly aware, aren't we, that what we put on our skin and our scalp can ultimately affect the rest of the body too. And actually think about the scalp. It's actually one of the more permeable areas of skin on the body. There are lots of blood vessels and you've got hair follicles there.
So small amounts of what we apply there on the scalp can potentially be absorbed. Now, traditional permanent hair dyes often contain chemicals such as ammonia, peroxide, PPDs.
Chapter 7: What should I include in a healthy nighttime routine?
And these have all been shown to potentially trigger scalp irritation, maybe allergic reactions and inflammation in some of us. Some of us are more susceptible than others.
Chapter 8: Should I change my HRT after my periods have stopped?
Now, when it comes to the gut microbiome, of course, the research is not fully there. It's still emerging. We don't have strong evidence that occasional hair colouring is going to directly disrupt gut bacteria.
But there does seem to be a broader link between chemical exposure and inflammation and overall body burden of artificial chemicals or synthetic chemicals, especially in people who are already sensitive or or may be prone to inflammatory issues.
Some women might notice headaches, for example, or skin flares after having their hair coloured, and that may well be a sign that their body is reacting to certain ingredients. So if you do colour your hair, I would say go towards gentler options where possible. You know, the ammonia-free formulas, you can have low-toxin salon brands, definitely avoiding PPDs, strong fragrances.
Also, that can be another potential irritant. And then, of course, if you want to support your gut in helping to clear away... any buildup of chemical residue, then you need to do that by focusing on detoxification. So that would be your methylation pathways for those of you who are into your nutritional research.
So having plenty of brassicas, you know, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, those brassica family of vegetables to support with your B vitamins, your methylated B vitamins and But generally a colourful whole food diet, plenty of omega-3 fats. The omega-3s are very good for being anti-inflammatory. Curcumin also is another good supplement for that.
And plenty of fibre, plenty of fibre, plenty of water to help carry things through the system. So bottom line, if you don't have an allergic reaction, personally, I wouldn't be overworried about occasional hair dye use, especially if you are using some of the, quote, low toxin brands and your hairdressing salon will be best able to advise you on that.
And definitely ask your salon about these kind of cleaner formulations first. I think is a wise long term approach. We're moving on to another hair related concern. And this is a question from Margaret who writes, Hi Liz and team, really love all your work and podcasts. I have a question on hair loss. I'm 52 in the midst of menopause on HRT and delighted with the results.
I was also prescribed testosterone, but I heard it can cause hair loss. Any truth in this? Also, I feel I get constipated when on it, so I tend not to use it. Just wondering if any other ladies experience this. I'm very concerned because my hair loss and thinning seems to be rapid and I'm wondering what to do.
I've heard that once you lose hair, the hair follicle dies and you can't regrow the hair. Any help would be greatly appreciated as it's a big worry. Oh, Margaret, yes, a big worry indeed. So let's look at testosterone. Yep. In some women, it can contribute to hair shedding. In other women, it can actually make hair grow, especially in the places where it's applied.
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