Efficacy of homoeopathy in patchy hair loss
Alopecia areata is one of the most common forms of patchy hair loss. It manifests as small, bald patches on the scalp. They may appear suddenly or in a relatively short span of time. Patchy hairloss is not life threatening but it can cause significant damage to one’s self image.
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition, in which White Blood Cells (WBC) attack and destroy our hair follicles. This causes the hair to rapidly fall out resulting in the formation of bald patches. Alopecia areata is non-contagious and does not spread because of using common combs, hair brush or contact with a person suffering from it. It affects both sexes and all ages.
Total hair loss of hair on scalp is called Alopecia Totalis and complete loss of hair all over the body including eyebrows, eyelashes and other parts of the body is called Alopecia Universal. The exact reason why WBC’s start behaving this way is not understood, although the following may be implicated:
- 1/5th of individuals with patchy hairloss may have family history of this type of hair loss.
- Persons having thyroid disorders are more prone to develop patchy hair loss.
- Anemia and Stress could trigger patchy loss of hair.
Post treatment when hair begins to grow back in the bald patch, it is light in color and thin initially. Over a period of time, the thickness gets better, just as normal colour is regained. When patchy hairloss presents with large patches or does not respond to treatment, the individual may resort to wearing a wig or hairpiece.
Short Case…
29 year old Avinash, a pilot by profession, working with a famous airline suddenly discovered a patch of hair loss on this scalp 8months ago. He immediately sorted treatment with conventional medicine but the patch kept increasing. Worried about his increasing patch he visited a homoeopath for treatment of the patchy loss of hair. After taking detailed case history he was prescribed homoeopathic medicines with instructions on diet. Just in 3months time he recovered all lost hair in the patch and he continued to take treatment for another 9months to prevent its recurrence.
Homoeopathy for Alopecia Areata
The most common conventional treatment for Alopecia areata is local steroid injections with or without oral steroids. It has known side-effects when used on long-term basis. Chances of recurrence are almost 50% with conventional methods of treatment.
Homeopathy is the safest way to treat alopecia areata. There is only 9.1% chance of recurrence with homeopathic treatment as compared to conventional method of treatment.
Homoeopathy treats gently without damaging the vital organs unlike conventional methods which could damage the scalp skin causing permanent scars.
If Homoeopathy is considered as treatment option in the early stage of the disease, then the overall control of the disease in future is much better. The duration of treatment in homoeopathy will depend on the cause as well as the severity of the condition. Large and multiple patches obviously take a long time to be treated as compared to smaller and fewer patches.
Homoeopathic medicine helps to deal with stress more effectively.
Homoeopathy is absolutely free from any side effects.
Homoeopathy helps to stimulate body's natural healing capacity and restores the deviated immunity back to normalcy.
Self Help
Increase intake of proteins like soya, fish, eggs, chicken, beans and legumes.
Have adequate fruits and green leafy vegetables in your diet daily.
Add raw unprocessed nuts to your diet.
Include pumpkin seeds and flaxseeds as they nourish your hair from the roots.
Keep yourself well hydrated by drinking adequate water.
Avoid smoking and better still if you can give up smoking as it is bad for hair and could lead to hairloss.
Reduce stress levels with relaxation techniques such as yoga and meditation.
