We joke about hair loss. Perhaps that’s why it is so embarrassing when the joke is clogging your comb or filling up your bathroom sink. We all lose 50 to 150 hairs per day. For most of us, those lost hairs immediately start growing back. For others the hairs aren’t replaced. Fortunately there are many steps you can take to avoid, reduce or even reverse hair loss.
First is diet. Americans have the highest rate of baldness of any population on the planet. Populations, like the Japanese, who once were almost entirely free of baldness, now are experiencing an epidemic of baldness as they adopt the American Diet.
The Standard American Diet (SAD) is known to damage hair and the scalp structures that keep it in the head. It is better to eat a Mediterranean Diet or the South Beach Diet. Avoid carbonated drinks that acidify the body. Excessive dieting can be a factor; make sure you have adequate nutrition whether you’re dieting or not. The right levels of protein, Iron, Zinc and Copper are important. Taking too much of any of those will also cause hair loss. The trick is to find the right level. Have a hair analysis done. This will reveal any mineral deficiencies.
Work to make your body more alkaline and less acidic. One way to do this is to eat more vegetables. Commercial meat in the US has too many hormones and antibiotics which can cause hair loss.
Be very careful about the chemicals that you put on your hair. This is especially true of dyes and shampoos that dry the hair. Other products have alcohols that can affect the scalp which holds the hair. In general use hair products that are as natural as possible.
Stress can be a big factor. Find a technique that really unwinds you. Meditation, prayer, walking in nature, or exercising in pleasant surroundings are just a few suggestions.
For women, the hormone changes with pregnancy, birth control or menopause may affect the quality of your hair. Some of these changes are obviously temporary. Others may need a better diet, a supplement or a medication to correct.
Parasites can cause hair loss by preventing your body from getting all of the nutrition in your food. If you suspect that you have parasites, talk to your doctor, or simply take some acidophilus to rebuild the helpful bacteria. Detoxifying the body has been beneficial for some individuals.
Talk to your doctor to rule out a fungus infection of the scalp. She may also want to rule out some autoimmune diseases that cause hair loss.
There are several herbs and supplements that are reported to help with hair loss. None of them can be assumed to work for everyone but they might be worth a try if you’ve done everything else. Reported to help are: Aloe, Arnica, Birch, Burdock, Catmint, Chamomile, Horsetail, Licorice, Marigold, Nettles, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Southernwood, and Stinging nettle. Talk to your doctor before adding herbs to your long-term health regimen. Some herbs like licorice can raise blood pressure or interfere with other pharmaceuticals.
We all know that baldness has a hereditary component so it may be impossible to completely stop excessive hair loss. Even when it is hereditary many of the 100 hairs you’ll lose today can grow back if you give them a healthy body in which to develop.
First is diet. Americans have the highest rate of baldness of any population on the planet. Populations, like the Japanese, who once were almost entirely free of baldness, now are experiencing an epidemic of baldness as they adopt the American Diet.
The Standard American Diet (SAD) is known to damage hair and the scalp structures that keep it in the head. It is better to eat a Mediterranean Diet or the South Beach Diet. Avoid carbonated drinks that acidify the body. Excessive dieting can be a factor; make sure you have adequate nutrition whether you’re dieting or not. The right levels of protein, Iron, Zinc and Copper are important. Taking too much of any of those will also cause hair loss. The trick is to find the right level. Have a hair analysis done. This will reveal any mineral deficiencies.
Work to make your body more alkaline and less acidic. One way to do this is to eat more vegetables. Commercial meat in the US has too many hormones and antibiotics which can cause hair loss.
Be very careful about the chemicals that you put on your hair. This is especially true of dyes and shampoos that dry the hair. Other products have alcohols that can affect the scalp which holds the hair. In general use hair products that are as natural as possible.
Stress can be a big factor. Find a technique that really unwinds you. Meditation, prayer, walking in nature, or exercising in pleasant surroundings are just a few suggestions.
For women, the hormone changes with pregnancy, birth control or menopause may affect the quality of your hair. Some of these changes are obviously temporary. Others may need a better diet, a supplement or a medication to correct.
Parasites can cause hair loss by preventing your body from getting all of the nutrition in your food. If you suspect that you have parasites, talk to your doctor, or simply take some acidophilus to rebuild the helpful bacteria. Detoxifying the body has been beneficial for some individuals.
Talk to your doctor to rule out a fungus infection of the scalp. She may also want to rule out some autoimmune diseases that cause hair loss.
There are several herbs and supplements that are reported to help with hair loss. None of them can be assumed to work for everyone but they might be worth a try if you’ve done everything else. Reported to help are: Aloe, Arnica, Birch, Burdock, Catmint, Chamomile, Horsetail, Licorice, Marigold, Nettles, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Southernwood, and Stinging nettle. Talk to your doctor before adding herbs to your long-term health regimen. Some herbs like licorice can raise blood pressure or interfere with other pharmaceuticals.
We all know that baldness has a hereditary component so it may be impossible to completely stop excessive hair loss. Even when it is hereditary many of the 100 hairs you’ll lose today can grow back if you give them a healthy body in which to develop.
