The secret to reversing what every woman fears: hair loss
Whether it’s from stress, genetic disposition, or even the effects of COVID, a sudden or accelerating increase in hair loss ranks high among the anti-aging fears that women have. Learn what causes your hair loss and what you can do to minimize and reverse it
There’s a reason you’re upset after examining your hair brush or cleaning out the shower drain. You’re losing hair.
Some 50% of women experience excessive hair loss at some point in their lives. That’s bad enough but during the stresses of the pandemic and its aftermath, things got worse. The Atlantic recently referred to 2021 as “a near perfect mass hair loss event.” Among the heavily searched phrases during the pandemic were :
Hair loss after COVID 19
Hair loss after COVID vaccine
Hair loss Long Covid.
You can be health-oriented, stay fit with yoga, keep up with fashion, but nothing seems to work well when your hair is not co-operating. A full head of hair is associated with health and vitality in our image-obsessed culture. It can be a frustrating exercise to style and disguise hair loss. If your hair has thinned noticeably, or if the shedding is extreme, it can feel downright disfiguring.
Today there are hair loss solutions all over the Internet, from vitamins to red-light therapy, from steroid creams to nutritional advice. But solutions to hair loss aren’t all created equal. And if it happens to you, it will take time and patience to get results, usually months, not days or weeks.
To replace lost hair, consider working with a practical homeopath who can recommend healthy solutions and coach you through a customized approach to meet your needs.
Why we lose hair
A trip to a dermatologist may identify the type of hair loss you are experiencing. It can be anything from telegen effluvium, where more shedding than re-growth happens, to female pattern baldness, which is considered genetic and hormonally triggered, or it might be the autoimmune disorder Alopecia Areata.
To figure out what is causing hair loss there are several contributing factors to consider. Be mindful that hair thinning and loss can be temporary or chronic. Hair loss is considered to be different than hair shedding. The medical term for hair loss is “alopecia.”
Here below are factors that increase hair loss and/shedding:
Hormonal changes during menopause. When estrogen and progesterone dip, DHT, an androgen, can negatively impact hair follicles, leading to female pattern baldness.
Stress, illness, sudden weight loss, medications, lack of nutrients, poor diet, genetic variations in methylation pathways, blood sugar issues including metabolic syndrome and diabetes, leptin resistance, thyroid disease, even viral infections such as COVID, can also cause more shedding, leading to telogen effluvium.
Hospitalization, surgery, and childbirth are also times of stress to hair.
Medications to lower blood pressure, or resolve gout, and high doses of vitamin A can also create problems with your hair.
Gut health is a potential factor, as digestion of proteins is important to making strong hair. Celiac disease, or leaky gut or other malabsorption issues can lead to hair thinning or loss.
Alopecia Areata, an autoimmune disease, can cause hair loss in patches on the head or all over the body . It affects nearly 150 million people world-wide who include children as well as adults . Psychologically Alopecia is difficult on people, but since it is non-scarring hair loss where follicles remain alive, the chance that your hair can regrow is high. The trigger for Alopecia Areata appears stress. It is also more commonly seen in those who have allergies, or hypersensitivity of some kind.
Keeping things in perspective: the hair growing cycle
Hair shedding is a natural occurrence in our bodies. Some hair falls out while others grow in. Growth and decay should be in balance. When the balance is interrupted — when hair falls out and less hair grows in — hair loss happens. It’s helpful to have some understanding of how hair grows and stops growing:
Anagen or growth phase – lasts for 3-5 years. This is the phase of hair growing. Normally, approximately 85% of hair strands on your head are in this phase.
Catagen or transitional phase – lasts for approx. 10-20 days. It is the phase where the hair stops growing.
Telogen or resting phase- lasts for about 3 months after which the hair falls out. Normally 10% of hair is in this phase
Although we are constantly moving through this cycle, where we lose on average a 100 hairs a day being, we are usually replacing our hair on an ongoing basis.
During telogen effluvium, the anagen phase slows down, meaning that fewer hairs enter the next two stages. With this condition, as many as 70% of hairs move into the telogen phase, causing more shedding and less new hair to come in. Hair appears thinner, and new hair that does come in can also appear finer.
Telogen effluvium is a usually temporary. But if it lasts longer than six months, it is considered chronic. Some people get relief and hair grows back in, but then the cycle starts up, and more hair is shed again
Chronic telogen effluvium, however, can be a disturbing problem after a viral infection, and is symptom associated with Long Covid. A viral infection can cause a significant amount of stress and it can take a while to get back to normal. Stress can draw on our nutrient reserves. It is important to consider targeted nutritional support during times of stress. For example, here are areas to assess for deficiencies.
Vitamin D, zinc and iron levels.
A viral infection can use up lots of folate and B12.
It is important to make sure methylation pathways are supported.
Solutions: how practical homeopathy works in reversing hair loss
For newcomers to practical homeopathy, this natural health approach can be tailored for a specific person/situation, relying on easy-to-use remedies developed by the Banerji Clinic in India with its extensive clinical practice, allowing for an average success rate of 80% for a particular condition.
Homeopathy has good success with telogen effluvium as well as some types of Alopecia Areata. There are also remedies for genetic conditions such as female pattern baldness. Well-chosen homeopathic support is also beneficial for helping women through times of hormonal stress, and during and after a viral illness. An example of specific remedies or protocols that might be considered after some understanding of the underlying condition are:
Ustilago 200 twice a day, with Hepar Sulphuricum Calcarea 1M once a week for hair loss of any type
Sepia 200, once every 3 days, is helpful for hormonal imbalances, particularly around menopause or after childbirth. It works well for a woman who is fatigued and losing interest in looking after her family.
Phosphorus can be effective when hair falls out in bunches. Roots of hairs are weak.
Silica 6xcan strengthen hair.
Thallium, China, or Mancinella may be helpful after an exhausting illness.
Gut support remedies will help with food intolerances. These remedies help to repair the gut, which then better ensures we are absorbing nutrients, which may be causing issues with hair loss
Homeopathy has many more remedies that can be considered for hair loss. A person skilled in homeopathy studies the case history of a client in detail to determine the possible root cause of their problem. Once they have evaluated the cause, they suggest a suitable homeopathic remedy.
Just remember, hair loss solutions take time and patience to work, building on careful assessments of the causes and continuous monitoring of progress when using homeopathic remedies. Don’t panic! You can turn things around.