This post, which is about hair, is probably one of the shallowest ones I've ever written. But what is it about hair that is so shallow? It's common knowledge that having a nice hair day is important. The rest of the day seems to be filled with magic from the moment we wake up, glance in the mirror, and realize that our top bun has left proper, succulent waves instead of strange, irregular angles of frizz. Our self-perception and identity are greatly influenced by our hair. The first thing movie characters do when they wish to change who they are is hide out in a truck stop restroom with a box of hair dye and go crazy with their manes.
Further, and admittedly sticking to the shallow side of things, I’m often suspicious when every photo of a man on Ok Cupid shows himself wearing a hat—what on earth is he hiding? At any rate, concerns about hair health gets people, namely women, into my office. Sometimes seemingly shallow, trivial health concerns act as gateways to lifestyle changes and a journey to health and wellbeing. Since our bodies don’t really require hair for survival, hair health, along with sex drive and energy, is one of the first things to decline when we enter into a state of imbalance. It therefore becomes an important initial warning sign that things have gone array with our health.
Hair loss is often a concern for many women and men. It’s normal to notice a few strands of hair in the shower—the average woman loses about 50 to 100 strands of hair per day. However, when patches of hair seem to be missing, areas of thinning are present or a reduction in overall hair volume (usually indicated by a decrease in thickness of the pony tail), this can point to possible pathological hair loss.
History and Labs:
When coming in to see your naturopathic doctor, he or she may ask you the following questions:
Do you notice any itchiness or flaking of the scalp?
These symptoms could indicate a number of skin conditions of the scalp
that contribute to hair loss: seborrheic dermatitis, infection by a
fungus called Malassezia furfur that causes dandruff, or psoriasis of
the scalp, an autoimmune condition. The ND may diagnose via
trial-and-error or perform skin-scraping to rule out a fungal infection.
A skin biopsy may be indicated to provide a definitive diagnosis,
however this test is invasive.
What do your labs look like? Comprehensive lab work
is necessary in patients with hair loss. It’s important to see what iron
status is, as well as thyroid health. Low iron or under-functioning
thyroid can be the root cause of hair loss as can high androgens, the
male sex hormones.
Which medications are you taking? Oral
contraceptives can cause a deficiency in vitamins and minerals, such as
zinc and B vitamins, that can cause hair loss. Other medications that
can cause hair loss include, and or not limited to, blood pressure
medications, antidepressants, antibiotics, acne medications,
chemotherapeutics agents, immunosuppressants and pain medications. An ND
can work with your doctor to decrease your list of medications by
addressing the root cause of concerns, if possible, or collaborate in
switching medications. This, of course, will only be done in
collaboration with the prescribing doctor.
What’s bugging you? Stress can contribute
significantly to hair loss. The mechanism of action is varied, but a
decrease in circulation to the scalp, protein deficiency and depletion
of vitamins used by the adrenal glands, can be possible causes of hair
loss. Telogen effluvium is a condition where the body pushes the hair
follicles into a “resting phase” so that they no longer grow and produce
hair. This is done because when under stress, the body enters survival
mode and does not dedicate precious resources to non-survival entities
such as hair health. Alopecia areata an autoimmune condition in which
the immune system of the body attacks the hair’s follicles, causing
large patches of hair to fall out. This is said to be cause or
aggravated by severe stress. Trichotillomania is a mental health
condition in which the individual plucks out hair as a self-soothing
mechanism.
What are you other symptoms? Weight gain, irregular
periods, acne and hair growth on the face can indicate PCOS, which also
can cause loss of scalp hair due to higher-than-normal testosterone
levels. Men with high testosterone will also experience more hair loss.
Digestive symptoms can indicate malabsorption of important fat-soluble
vitamins or iron, which can contribute to hair loss if resulting in
deficiency.
What hair products do you use? A sensitivity to
sulphates and/or other chemical additives to hair products can
contribute to hair loss or a decrease in the lustre and overall health
of hair follicles.
Treatment:
The naturopathic treatment for hair loss, involves identifying and
treating the root cause of symptoms, not the hair loss itself. A
potential treatment plan might consist of the following:
Restoring health by replenishing depleted or deficient vitamins and minerals.
Eliminating infection or scalp fungus if necessary.
Managing stress in healthy, constructive ways.
Balancing hormones and the immune system via herbs, supplements and dietary changes.
Nourishing the hair by adding in vitamins that support hair health,
such as fish oil. This also involves changing shampoos and conditioners
to more natural, sulphate-free forms.
Castor oil hair mask:
Once a week, when my hair starts looking drier and duller, I do a
castor oil hair mask and scalp massage. Castor oil is an anti-fungal and
anti-inflammatory oil. It has the added benefit of increasing blood
flow to the area it is applied to, in this case the scalp, which can
increase hair growth. It is also a wonderful moisturizer and
nutrient-rich hair supplement. It can help fuse together and moisturize
split ends. Performing a self-scalp massage is a great way to increase
body love by performing self care and has a grounding effect on the
body, which reduces mental-emotional stress.
Apply a liberal amount of castor oil to palms. Rub oil into palms to
warm it. Starting at the scalp, work oil into the hair follicles,
applying a firm pressure and moving the fingertips in circles. Massage
for 5 minutes, moving the oil through the shaft of the hair to the ends.
After performing massage, leave oil in hair for at least an hour or
overnight. Finally, shampoo and condition hair as usual to remove oil.
Warning: castor oil can stain fabrics so sleep with an old pillowcase
and wear an old t-shirt while performing castor oil scalp massages.
Epilogue:
If you haven’t noticed, this seemingly shallow subject matter is the
perfect segue into talking about a basic naturopathic approach, which
involves taking a thorough history, ordering lab work to find the root
cause of symptoms and then treating accordingly using non-invasive
therapies that aim to treat the cause, not just the symptoms themselves.
Notice how this is vastly different from walking into a supplement
store and purchasing a product called “Hair Loss Formula” or some other
facsimile. While this formula may replenish some deficient vitamins, it
is masking the real cause, which may be PCOS or celiac disease, and
delay effective treatment for these conditions. Hopefully this
highlights the importance of seeking a professional opinion rather than
self-diagnosing and self-prescribing!
Original article and credits: taliand.com via theheartysoul.com
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