Alopecia or Hair Loss-An Ayurvedic Cure

A luxuriant crown of hair markedly enhances a person’s appearance; more importantly, it is an indicator of good health. Unfortunately, many people suffer from loss of hair and this leads them to try several methods of restoring their crowning glory.

Alopecia – the scientific term for hair loss – may be a result of several different factors and understanding the cause of your hair loss is important to know how to handle it.

Causes of Alopecia

Hair loss is mainly due to some type of damage of the hair follicles or the hair shaft. This damage may occur because the body’s immune system for some unknown reason begins to attack the hair follicles. In this condition called alopecia areata, patches of hair fall out. The other type of hair loss is called androgenetic alopecia which is an inherited condition where the hair begins to thin and then falls out.

Besides people with a genetic tendency for hair loss, alopecia is also seen in people who are getting old or those on medication such as chemotherapy or those suffering from thyroid problems.  

Treatment of Alopecia

Although some drugs are available to deal with baldness, they are not very effective; also, their effects last only as long as you continue to take the medication. Steroids may be used to stimulate hair growth but there are other side effects of such treatment. 

Wigs are an option but many people don’t consider them aesthetic; hair transplant  or hair implants can be quite expensive and not without risk. In other words, there is not much that modern systems of medicine can do to help you deal with alopecia. However, some of the traditional systems of medicine such as Ayurveda have a solution to this tricky problem.

Ayurvedic Concept of Hair Loss 

According to Ayurveda, hair is a product of bone tissue and any sort of disturbance in metabolism that disturbs this tissue affects hair health. Of the three doshas present in the body, an excess of Pitta dosha is believed to be responsible for hair loss. 

Therefore, anything that increases this dosha in the body is said to affect hair health. Hot weather, intake of sour, salty, fried, acidic and excessively spicy food; too much consumption of coffee, tea and alcohol, a non-vegetarian diet rich in meat and smoking are some of the factors that lead to alopecia.

Ayurvedic Treatment of Alopecia

The treatment of alopecia in Ayurveda makes use of several methods. First is diet management to reduce or balance the level of pitta. Herbs such as Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus) and bitter vegetables that improve digestion have a proven efficacy in treating hair problems.

After a thorough examination of your symptoms of hair loss, an Ayurvedic physician may advise you to take an Ayurvedic tonic such as Chyavanaprash and Narasimha Rasayanam or more specific metabolism-correcting medicine such as Thikthakam kashayam.

Along with this, the Ayurvedic doctor will also give you tips on caring for your hair. Massaging your scalp and hair with coconut oil or medicated oils such as Kanjunnyadi oil or Neelibhringadi oil on a regular basis can help prevent hair loss. 

Your doctor will also recommend that you wash your hair using herbal powders that contain Amla (Emblica officinalis) and Shikakai (Acacia concinna); unlike commercial shampoos that contain sodium lauryl sulfate and therefore cause excessive drying out, these substances prevent the complete loss of oil from the scalp.

If your doctor believes it necessary, you may need to undergo some form of traditional therapy such as Abhyangam, Nasya, Dhara or Thala pothichil. These therapies include some form of massage with certain essential oils and help to improve circulation to the scalp and also reduce stress with the net effect of improving hair health.  

With its focus on tackling the root cause of a health problem, Ayurveda is one of the most promising modes of treatment for chronic problems such as alopecia. Once you begin Ayurvedic therapy, not only will you find a solution for your hair loss problems, but you will also find yourself enjoying overall good health because of the holistic nature of the treatment you receive.