HAIR FALL – A SIGN, NOT A DISEASE

HOMEOPATHY, the second largest system of medicine, is based on treating the patient in disease and not the symptoms only. In regard to this important principle, we as homeopaths try to evaluate the cause of the illness and then aim to eradicate it from the root cause, definitely considering a symptomatic improvement, but at the same time, the wellness factor.
In today’s highly digitalised world, where there is less time to relax and more to work, individuals are running after time. What matters is that we have eventually forgotten to take care of the God gifted, beautiful, amazing human body and end up developing signs and symptoms very rarely found a decade before. Among a lot of new diseases prevailing among a very young group of population, Hair fall ranges from 16-96% among various age groups and almost in every case represents a more viable underlying disease than being the only symptom in the person.
The cause of Hair fall, or medically Androgenetic alopecia (MPB and FPB) lies in finding the underlying illness, deficiency, stress, causative physical factor and hence treating the patient, though there are limitations to the result.
To understand deeply about the problem, we first need to understand what AGA exactly is.
AGA or Androgenetic Alopecia is an androgen mediated response of the body which results in Hair fall, thinning of the hair and baldness leading to the formation of a pattern on the scalp in form of a horse-shoe and is labelled as MPB in males, FPB in females. Although hereditary in most of the cases, the actual process begins only when the triggering factors affect which may range from a simple problem like dandruff to a major illness like thyroid.
The rate of hair fall increases to a level where it is in imbalance with the growth rate and this results in development of empty areas from wherever the hair have fallen and hence no recovery in the shortest possible time.
Thinning of the hair is a result of the miniaturisation of the hair follicle hence resulting in the growth of a hair shorter and thinner than its predecessor and hence not adding to the density of the scalp.
The rate of lengthening of the hair becomes slow and hence the need for frequent haircuts reduces. The female finds a decrease in the length and thickness of her pony tail or pleats and finds her volume to be reduced.
All this adds up to the stress and anxiety which the patient feels on seeing excessive hairs on the floor, on the towel, in the washroom, on his keyboard, etc. This makes it difficult to treat it all the more.
Another major reason for the hair fall in females are Pregnancy and Menopause , a change of life rather than a disease condition. Here again the rate of fall exceeds the rate of growth and hence leads to a patterned loss of hair. The quality deterioration of the hair happens rapidly if the female is deficient in essential nutrients and vitamins. Problems like hypothyroidism, diabetes, etc. add to the toll and may even lead to a male type FPB, though very uncommon and rare, but a possible condition.
A similar sudden increase in the rate of fall is seen after debilitating disease conditions like typhoid, jaundice, malaria, dengue, etc. Here, the hair fall comes up as a sudden occurrence and the amount of hair falling across the day is very high. Although, the condition rarely leads to AGA, it is alarming to control the problem else the loss of volume becomes irreparable.
Diseases like Hypothyroidism, Diabetes, etc. show a late onset of the problem and here at times the medicinal treatment being given for the major disease adds to the hair fall. Although late, but here the typical AGA pattern is very much visible and the condition has been progressing since a long time as per the chronological sequences of the signs and symptoms developing over a period of time.
The female fraternity has been more inclined to various experimentations with their mane in this modern day times. Though the positives are there, but the negatives are more potent and have lead to a steep increase in cases of FPB. Colouring, smoothening, straightening, perming and various cosmetic avenues have added to the wear and tear your hair goes through hence rendering it more susceptible to tarnish under the pressures. What adds in as a fuel to this fire , is the nutritional deficiencies , stress, hormonal imbalances , hence making it a problem prevalent in 8 out of 10females.
The female illnesses resulting from major hormonal imbalances has become more of a lifestyle oriented problem in today’s time and among these the most common is POLYCYSTIC OVARIES (PCOS). The leading symptoms are hair fall, hirsutism, irregular menses, acne , weight gain, mood swings and dandruff which adds to the hairfall. More so PCOS is the most common cause of hair-fall in females today.
The homeopathic system is a cause-based system of medicine and is largely helpful in treating chronic diseases. Hair fall is a sign with some underlying cause and so its treatment comes under the parlance of our beautiful and logical science.
Cause based medicines help in restoring the imbalance of the hair-cycle and help in maintaining the condition, thereby also helping in treating the underlying illness for which the patient is less concerned but the illness is of grave nature to cause some irreparable damage.
Case example: A female, aged 35 years visited the doctor stating that since last 3 months, she has been noticing a very large amount of hair fall and she has been clearing off her hair from all across her floor, her pillow, her bathroom, etc. She reports a loss of volume of the hair with decrease in the thickness of her pony tail and loss of shine and texture from the hair. Her only concern is to help her regain her lost hair back and to see to it that she does not lose her mane. The patient’s concern is of utmost importance and needs to be attended to immediately and in the shortest possible time. But before we do that, we need to understand the CAUSE, so as to restore her health of the hair back in the most gentle and permanent way as per our doctrines.
As a homeopathic consultant, we need to evaluate the cause and based on it only we need to render the right treatment. Being a problem that has started since last 3 months only, our first step is to rule out the occurrence of some debilitating disease which might have affected health in a short time and hence rendered the hair-cycle to come in an imbalanced state. A condition of ATE or Acute Telogen Effluvium needs to be assessed and accordingly the medicines are prescribed.
A negative history for such illnesses, now brings us to rule out the possibility of an unwanted chemical effect on the hair in form of any of the cosmetic abuses. In most of the cases, such a history is positive and so is the treatment.
In a case where such cosmetic abuse is absent, an acute condition of hair fall is attributable to some change of life, in this case a pregnancy which is more of an indisposition rather than an illness for a short span of time. A further probe into the case, a rapid hair fall problem more than 6months asks for treatment here.
Once we are sure that all these histories are in negation, we try to assess if there is some chronic problem related to the symptom of hair fall which is a part of a bigger problem. The evaluation of menstrual history, metabolic changes, symptoms related to skin, GIT, respiration, etc. help us arrive at the probable diagnosis of the underlying disease and hence help in treating hair fall as well.
In this case, the problem started 3 months before only and since no acute condition was deciphered, more details was asked. On probing, she reported a scantiness of menses flow in the last 1 year though regularity was never an issue. She had mild bouts of mood swings at the approach of menses, with pain before menses and had been having marginal increase in weight since last 1year. Further, she reported that she has been taking some hormonal pills to avoid getting pregnant although since last 5 years but the major changes have happened in the last 1 year only. The case was one of abuse of contraceptives and could be well taken care of by homeopathic prescribing.
Our pretext is to understand the root cause and then treat hair fall rather than just treating the symptoms alone which will not be beneficial in long run. The answer lies in deciphering the exact reasons for the problem and prescribes accordingly.
The type of hair fall being discussed is a gradually developing problem and hence requires a treatment par excellence for a longer time to restore the condition. Hair cycle is of 3 to 7 years and so we need to monitor the changes for a minimum of 3 years to ensure that the recovery is permanent and the condition does not recur.
Treatment needs to be supplemented with proper hair care and diet.
Hereunder, we are listing some points to remember with regards to Hair Care so as to maintain the condition of the hair in good condition:
1. Oiling is a must for hair. In any case oil acts as a nutrition for the hair but the frequency and type of oil to apply depends on the texture of the scalp and the hair.
2. Shampooing the hair regularly helps in maintaining the quality of the hair. The choice of the shampoo depends on the type of scalp and suitability.
3. Diet plays major role in enhancing the inner strength of the hair from the root till the tip. An iron and protein rich diet is a must must for the hair.
4. Avoid gels, creams, styling lotions for longevity of the hair. It is advised to switch to organic and hand-made serums and lotions for the hair to avoid unnecessary damage.
5. Flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, soya, eggs, chicken, fish, almonds, etc. are some foods providing hair the required nutrients for growth and better texture.
6. Regular exercise to keep the blood circulation strong helps in strengthening the hair roots and hence helps in decreasing the hair fall.