Hair loss
and its Homoeopathic management in day to day practice.
Prof G R Mohan.
M D (Hom),
PGDip (Env Stud),
Principal, Devs
Homoeopathic Medical college,
Ankireddypalli,
RR District, A P-501301
HAIR CARE IMPORTANCE:
Hair reacts to our
state of well being. This includes our physical, spiritual, and emotional bodies. many people don’t feel right unless
their hair looks perfect. If their Hair
looks good they feel great. Hair grows everywhere on the external body except for mucous
membranes and on the soles of the hands,
feet, and lips. Shampoo
is the largest segment of the global hair care market, accounting for 39.1% of
the market's total value. According to a forecast, by 2015 global hair care
market is going to reach $57,675.2 million mark. Money spent on hair products is very high, recent past even homoeopathic
pharmaceuticals are coming out with various brands of shampoos and hair oils.
Each strand of hair is made up of the
medulla,
cortex, and
cuticle, the innermost region the medulla
are typically only used for determining species and ruling out suspects. The cortex of the hair shaft is located
between the
hair cuticle and
medulla, the hair
cuticle is the
outermost part of the
hair shaft,
attractiveness of hair is due to the cuticle. Cuticles are often damaged by
excessive mechanical manipulation such as brushing, using heat (like using
curling irons) or chemical processing (like perms or texturizers). Although the
cuticle is the outermost layer of the hair, it does not give the hair its colour
because it has no
melanin, which is the pigment responsible;
the colour of a person's hair depends on what type of
melanin they have, which is found in the
cortex.
All natural hair colours
are the result of two types of hair pigment. Both of these pigments are melanin
types, produced inside the hair follicle and packed into granules found in the
fibers. Eumelanin is
the dominant pigment in dark-blond, brown, and black hair, while pheomelanin is
dominant in red hair. Blond
hair is the result of having little pigmentation in the hair strand. Gray hair
occurs when melanin production decreases or stops. The shape of the follicle
determines the shape of the cortex, and the shape of the fiber is related to
how straight or curly the hair is.
A hair does not
continue to grow indefinitely; Hair follows a specific growth cycle
with three distinct and concurrent phases: Anagen, catagen, and Telogen phases
Anagen phase : Anagen
is the active growth phase of hair follicles. The
root of the hair is dividing rapidly, adding to the hair shaft. During this phase
the hair grows about 1 cm every 28 days. Scalp hair stays in this active
phase of growth for 2–7 years. The amount of time the hair follicle stays in
the Anagen phase is genetically determined. At the end of the Anagen phase an
unknown signal causes the follicle to go into the catagen phase.
Catagen phase : The catagen phase is a short
transition stage that occurs at the end of the Anagen phase it signals the end of the active growth of
a hair. This phase lasts for about 2–3 weeks while the hair converts to a club
hair.
Telogen phase :The Telogen phase
is the resting phase of the hair follicle .When the body is subjected to
extreme stress, as much as 70 percent of hair can prematurely enter a phase of rest,
called the Telogen phase. This hair begins to fall, causing a noticeable loss
of hair. This condition is called Telogen effluvium.
Diet
required for good grout of Hair:
To increase your hair's length, shine or thickness can be achieved by
healthy hair by eating well and maintaining a balanced diet. Essential omega-3
fatty acids are needed to support scalp health," says Andrea Giancoli, a
dietitian in Los Angeles. A deficiency can result in a dry scalp and thus hair,
giving it a dull look. Dark green vegetables also provide iron and calcium.
Kidney beans and lentils are important part of hair-care diet. A zinc
deficiency can lead to hair shedding; nuts should be part of regular diet.
Walnuts contain alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid that may help
condition your hair. They are also a good source of zinc, as are cashews and
almonds. Eggs and whole grains are one of the best protein sources. Low-fat
dairy products like skim milk and yogurt are great sources of calcium. Spinach
is an excellent source of vitamins A and C, which are needs to produce sebum
the oily substance, secreted by your hair follicles, is the body's natural hair
conditioner.
Common causes of Hair loss:
Everyone loses some hair every
day. Losing up to 100 hairs a day is normal.Hair loss can best be
defined as a decrease in the percentage of hair follicles on an individual's
scalp in the anagen phase with a corresponding increase in the percentage of
hair follicles in the Telogen phase.
In women who have
irregular menstrual cycles, continued episodes of
acne, or too much body hair (hirsutism),
androgens,
testosterone hormones
should be tested. Decreased
estrogen production after reaching menopause,
Androgenetic Alopecia: This is by far the leading type of hair loss in
men and women and is a result of genetics. This genetic hair loss is hereditary
and can be inherited from either side of the family. Commonly known as male and
female pattern baldness, this type of hair loss is due to the action of
dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which attacks the hair follicles and causes hair
loss.
Condition like pregnancy, chemotherapy for cancer
treatment, very high fevers, severe illnesses, and sometimes even high levels
of stress can result in Telogen effluvium. In this condition a lot of hair is
lost in a short span of time, anti-thyroid medicines are known to cause hair
loss and Traction Alopecia which is due to excessive pulling of hair for tight
ponytail hair style, diet largely
composed of highly-processed foods, high stress levels. Side effect of
chemotherapy. sun exposure are also causes.
HAIR LOSS DIAGNOSIS
Androgenetic
alopecia can usually be diagnosed by examining the scalp and
Hair
analysis
Homeopathy treats the person as a whole. It
means that homeopathic treatment focuses on the patient as a person, as well as
his pathological condition. The homeopathic medicines are selected after a full
individualizing examination and case-analysis, which includes the medical
history of the patient, physical and mental constitution etc.
Fundamental
cause is: Can be a single miasm or all the three, in psoric miasm hair is
dry, lustreless, breaks and splits, hair fall is frequently seen, and fall from
crown, itching of scalp. In sycotic
miasm hair is very oily and greasy, hair fall out in bunches in the sides,
fetid odder is present. In pseudo psora
hair is sticky, matting of hair is seen, it is oily greasy, with fetid smell,
in Syphilitic miasm hair fall is in small circular patches, fishy odder is also
seen.
If it is due to Pseudo chronic diseases because of
avoidable noxious influences or some maintaining causes and in their treatment require
just correction of causes. In hair loss
better to correct if Anaemia if present, any abnormalities with Thyroid, Stress
related problems etc
Exiting and Maintaing causes are to be kept in
the mind like excessive pulling of hair
for styling.
Homeopathic medicines are known
to give very good results in cases of alopecia areata. The medicines most
commonly found useful are –
Acid-flouricum, Phosphorus, Graphites, Apis, Ars-alb, Calcarea, Hepar-sulph,
Psorinum, Kali-carb, Rhus-tox, Sepia, Psorinum, Calc-phos, Carbo-animalis,
Selenium, Kali-phos, Lycopodium.
Cara ©1997 Miccant
Ltd
Boericke - Head
HAIR,
BRITTLE, HARSH, DRY (10)
2 bad,
2 bell, 2 bor, 2 graph, 3 KALI-C, 2 plb, 3
PSOR, 2 sec, 2 staph, 2 thuj
HAIR,
FALLING OUT, ALOPECIA (32)
3 ALUM,
2 ant-c, 3 ARS, 2
arund, 2 aur, 2 bar-c, 2 calc, 2 calc-i, 2 carb-v, 3
FL-AC, 3 GRAPH, 2 hyper, 2 kali-c, 2 lyc, 2 manc, 2 mez, 3
NAT-M, 3 NIT-AC, 2 petr, 3 PH-AC, 3 PHOS, 3 SEL, 3 SEP, 2 sil, 3
SYPH, 3 THAL, 2 thuj, 3 VINC, 2 zinc,
2 bac, 2 sphing, 2 thyr
HAIR,
GRAY, PREMATURE (4)
2 lyc, 3
PH-AC, 2 sec, 2 sul-ac
HAIR,
GREASY (3)
2
benz-n, 2 bry, 2 merc
Phatak - Phatak
HAIR,
FALLING (24)
1 alum, 2 ars, 1
ars-s-f, 1 aur, 2 calc, 1 carb-v, 1 fl-ac, 3
GRAPH, 1 hell, 2 hep, 2 kali-s, 1 lach,
2 lyc, 1 nat-m, 1 nit-ac, 3
PHOS, 1 sep, 1 sil, 1 staph, 3 SULPH, 1 thal,
1 thuj, 1 thyr, 2 ust
HAIR,
FALLING, ILLNESS, SEVERE, AFTER (3)
1 carb-v, 1 manc, 1 thal
HAIR,
FALLING, BEARD OF (4)
1 graph, 1 kali-c, 1
plb, 1 sel
HAIR,
FALLING, CHILDREN IN (1)
1 nat-m
HAIR, FALLING,
COMBING WHEN (1)
1 canth
HAIR,
FALLING, HANDFULS BUNCHES IN (5)
1 carb-v, 1 mez, 2 phos,
1 sulph, 1 thal
HAIR,
FALLING, LACTATION DURING (1)
1 nat-m
HAIR,
FALLING, PREGNANCY DURING (1)
1 lach
HAIR,
FALLING, PARTURITION AFTER (3)
1 carb-v, 1 lyc, 1 sulph
HAIR,
FALLING, SPOTS IN (7)
1 alum, 1 fl-ac, 1
graph, 1 hep, 1 lyc, 2 nat-m, 2 phos
Murphy -
Head
DANDRUFF
scaly hair comes out, skin peels off with itching and smarting (1)
1 staph
A Case of Alopecia Areata an evidenced based treatment :
Alopecia Areata
is a common idiopathic disorder in which there is a patchy loss of hair that
usually begins on the scalp. If all the hair on the scalp is lost the condition
is called alopecia totalis, and if there is complete loss of body hair it is
designated as alopecia universalis. The essential basis is cessation of hair
growth with premature club-hair formation. Heredity, emotional stress and its
frequent association with autoimmune disorders like Addison’s disease,
thyrotoxicosis, Hashimoto’s disease, pernicious anaemia have been implicated as aetiological factors.
The exact cause, why hair follicles
undergo this kind of destruction, is not known but a genetic component to this
is suspected. Family history of Alopecia
Areata or any of the other auto-immune diseases (such as hypothyroid,
diabetes, cancer, ulcerative
colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.)
The most widely accepted hypothesis
is that alopecia areata is a T-cell–mediated autoimmune condition that is most
likely to occur in genetically predisposed individuals
Prevalence of Alopecia Areata in the general population is 0.1-0.2%.
The lifetime risk of developing alopecia areata is estimated to be 1.7%.
Alopecia areata is responsible for 0.7-3% of patients seen by dermatologists;
worldwide prevalence of alopecia areata is the same as that in the United
States. A male-to-female ratio of 1:1 was reported. As many as 44% of people
with alopecia areata have onset at younger than 20 years. Onset in patients
older than 40 years is seen in less than 30% of patients with alopecia areata.
Alopecia areata most often is
asymptomatic, but some patients (14%) experience a burning sensation or
pruritus in the affected area. 80% have only a single patch, 12.5% have 2
patches, and 7.7% have multiple patches. No correlation exists between the
number of patches at onset and subsequent severity. Alopecia areata most often
affects the scalp (66.8-95%); however, it can affect any hair-bearing area. The
beard is affected in 28% (males; see first image below), eyebrows in 3.8%, and
extremities in 1.3% of patients (see second image below). More than one area
can be affected at once
Diagnosis is on clinical grounds; a scalp biopsy seldom is
needed, but it can be helpful when the clinical diagnosis is less certain.
The following are few associated conditions
Atopic dermatitis is seen in 9-26% of patients with alopecia areata.
Vitiligo is seen with an incidence varying from 1.8-3%;
clinically evident thyroid disease was found in 0.85% of 1700 patients with
alopecia areata. Collagen-vascular diseases have been found in 0.6-2% of
patients with alopecia areata, Diabetes mellitus was found to be more common in
control subjects (1.4%) than in patients with alopecia areata (0.4%). Alopecia areata is seen in 6-8.8% of patients
with
Down syndrome.
Stressful
life events within the 6-month period preceding episodes of alopecia areata
were significantly higher in patients with alopecia areata compared with
patients with androgenetic alopecia or tinea capitis.
A
Case:
A boy aged 14
years, 37 KGs weight came to my clinic on 09092011, with single complaint of
patchy hair loss as shown in the visual below,
Case was with few symptoms , he was timid, bowels
constipated, Cracks over nostrils, dryness of skin. These few symptoms were
repertorised as show below : Graphites,
calc carb, phos, Ars Alb
090911 Graphitis30C was given 5 doses and placebo for 15
days, there was not much improvement Bacillinum 1M, one dose was given on 2309
alone with 15 days placebo.07 10 11 was better by 70% as show in the visual, Graphitis30C was given 5 doses on
2110 along with placebo for 15 days. The
patch was almost 9O% covered by hair.
The patient was a economically backward ,he stopped the treatment.
09-09-2011
23-09-2011
23-11-2011
References:
1) Bajaj
A K ,A P I Textbook of medicine 6th
Edition , 1999.
2) Phyllis
Speight , A Comparison of the chronic
Miasms,Jain publishing Co, New Delhi
110055.
3) Cara
@ 1997 Miccant Ltd
*********** published in G R Mohan,Medicina Futura, vol:1 issue 1, April 2012
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