Heed Your Head’s Warning: Hair Loss Doesn’t Have to be a Natural Part of Aging

Unexplained hair loss, or dull, brittle, lifeless hair, can be embarrassing and affect one’s self-esteem. But, in many cases, it’s also a sign of a larger health issue or body imbalance, according to Ayurvedic medicine.

So if your hair is thinning or falling out, it’s time to heed your head’s warning that something is out of whack.

The good news is there are ways to regrow hair naturally through diet, herbal supplements such as Elanveda’s Healthy Hair, meditation, medicated scalp massage and other natural remedies.

Following a few simple steps and making necessary diet changes will help eliminate factors and toxins that inhibit hair growth while adding nutrients to promote thick, beautiful hair and regrow hair naturally. And who doesn’t want strong, silky, luscious locks?

To properly address hair fall or thinning, you must get to the root of the problem, whether it’s a bad diet, environmental and hygiene factors or other body imbalances.

Ayurveda doctors believe that hair loss is primarily related to your body type and the balance of your mind-body constitution, or doshas. There are three main types related to earth elements – Pitta, linked to fire and; Vata, associated with air and space; and Kapha, tied to air and water.

People have different hair features per the dosha that dominates:

Pittas normally have brown, blonde, light, fine and silky hair; they face problems like premature graying and baldness and oily hair in hot, dry weather.

Vata types have hair that’s generally dark, coarse, wiry, and frizzy; hair gets tangled easily and is prone to split ends.

Kaphas characteristically have dark or light, thick, heavy, wavy that is lustrous but slightly oily.

Regardless of body type, fiery Pitta dosha governs the digestive and endocrine systems. Having excess pitta is the chief cause of hair problems, according to Ayurveda, and Pitta is increased by excessive intake of acidic and inflammatory foods such as tea, coffee, alcohol, meats and fried, spicy foods.

Hair is a byproduct of bone formation; the body processes responsible for building strong bones are linked to hair growth, according to Ayurveda. Hair is nourished by the nutrient plasma derived from the food you eat.

This is why hair loss leads back to diet, as certain foods harm the body rather than help it. Excess pitta in the sebaceous gland, at the root of the hair, contributes to excessive hair loss. So you must identify the main factors in your diet or lifestyle increasing pitta dosha to bring it in balance and maximize the body’s ability to regrow hair naturally.

Other reasons for hair loss include:

• Hormonal imbalances and age-related changes. In men, a high concentration of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in hair follicles causes hair fall. In women, hormonal imbalances both during pregnancy and after delivery and during menopause cause thinning hair.
• Stress, worry and lack of sleep
• Improper diet or inadequate nutrition
• Toxic substances such as alcohol and smoking
• Dandruff, dry scalp or fungal infections
• Diseases like lupus, diabetes, typhoid, viral infections, anemia, surgery
• Some medicines like birth-control pills, anti-depressants, or those used for gout or during chemotherapy
• Heredity, tying hair too tightly, and accumulation of dirt on scalp, blocking pores and weakening hair roots, are other non-medical factors

Ayurvedic treatments address these core issues to control hair fall and help regrow hair naturally. Next week, we will discuss the many ways to promote natural hair restoration through diet, supplements, oil massage and other at-home solutions.

by Marla R. Miller