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Hair fall is one of the commonest symptoms with which patients present to us. Sometimes it is an associated symptom of some other major disease symptom or it is the disease per say. I have not observed any age limit for this problem. Rather, the age limit is decreasing sadly day by day for hair problems. Earlier hair troubles usually used to start during mid thirties, but today many teenage girls and boys complain of some or the other hair problems. The major complaints about hair are hair fall, dandruff, alopecia aerata, premature graying of hair, brittleness of hair, split ends, dry scaly scalp etc.
Many times first question asked to us doctors in our clinics is- “Which oil or shampoo shall I use to grow nice and healthy hair?” Well, do these oils and shampoos really help your hair? At least these external applications are mere external and never lead to any inward nourishment, however their advertisements may boast. No wonder anti-dandruff shampoos lead to enhanced dandruff 2 to 3 days after shampooing. That’s why it is necessary that one treats any hair problem internally.
Also the increasing pollution, stress, night-outs, etc are some other factors that have aggravated the hair problems in many. Therefore, even if we suggest internal medication in homeopathy, we must also ensure that we educate the patient about right modes of living, natural lifestyle, and how to handle stress. Then only it will be what we can say as a “Complete Therapy”!
Factors important to consider before one starts hair treatment homeopathically-
(1) Root cause- In most cases of hair fall, some or the other cause can be traced, given the patient gives apt history to his doctor (Well, it’s certainly the duty of doctor to pursue the patient to give apt answers). The cause can be physical like some intermittent fever that could be traced back, child-birth, lactational phase, some chronic illness, some drug abuse, excess alcoholism, bad hygiene, some hormone treatment, etc. The importance of telling this is that, unless one knows the cause, complete hair treatment cannot be undertaken. And it is also important to note that if the causative factor turns into maintaining cause (like for example, in case of bad hygiene), no treatment can be of help. Depending upon the cause, apt homeopathic medicine and its dosage can be chosen, but in case of external cause, it has to be nullified before starting treatment.
(2) Internal factors- This is what is called as constitutional factor in homeopathy. Every individual is born with certain traits. Those traits need be identified and treated according to the physical characteristic and mental characteristic symptoms of the patient. It is imperative to ask questions right from the childhood of the patient to identify an unknown cause that may be the cause sometimes. Also the miasmatic study is extremely crucial in case of hair fall. Identifying difference between psoric, syphilitic, sycotic, and tubercular hair fall paves the way for better recovery and faster compliance from the patient.
(3) Hereditary factor- One of the commonest questions some patients ask is- “My Dad is a bald guy and he developed baldness in his mid-forties. Do I still have a chance not to develop baldness at such a young age with your treatment?” Important question indeed. Definitely certain hereditary or genetic factors play a crucial role in hair growth and maintenance. We often see nice long hair in a girl whose mother also has thick and shiny hair. Obviously the opposite is also true. The rule of thumb in such cases is that, if the homeopathic treatment is started immediately after you notice the start of developing baldness, better are the results. There have been cases of baldness successfully treated with homeopathy in middle age too, but such cases are few and we must acknowledge that. Start your treatment early and you certainly have a chance to have thick hair in your middle age when your Dad was a bald guy!
Let’s see some important homeopathic medicines that help in treatment of baldness-
- Fluoric acid-
- Alopecia, tendency to develop alopecia in families
- Alopecia aerata
- Brittle hair
- Idiopathic hair fall
- Hair falls in spots, vertex baldness
- Hair tangles easily
- Buoyant attitude towards life
- Extreme irritability and anger
- All complaints aggravated by warmth and better by cold application etc
- Phosphoric acid-
- Any sort of grief leading to hair fall
- Takes stress easily
- Early graying of hair (sometimes in childhood)
- Progressive thinning of hair
- Difficult comprehension of things
- Long-standing effects of mental agony and patient lives in the state of shock for long
- Extreme debility
- Craves juicy things
- Phosphorus-
- Patchy baldness
- Dryness of hair and scalp, itchy scalp, dandruff
- Hair fall in handfuls while combing
- Alopecia aerata
- Frontal baldness
- Thin physique, long fingers, high cheek bones
- Weakness with excess emotional vulnerability and impressionability
- Extremely sympathetic persons who go out of the way to help others
- Hair fall after any hemorrhagic disorder
- Scurvy
- Fearful when alone
- Better in company
- Graphites-
- Hair fall on sides
- Patchy baldness
- Itchy, humid eruptions on scalp that emit fetid odor
- Constipation associated with hair fall
- Chilly, fat patient with tendency to develop one or the other skin problems
- Menopausal hair fall
- Mezereum-
- hair stick together
- fall in handfuls
- crusty eruptions on scalp leading to hair fall
- itchy scalp, dandruff
- psoriasis affecting scalp leading to hair fall
- sensitive to cold air, skin rashes, eruptions, crusts below which is yellow purulent matter
- Sepia-
- Baldness menopausal
- Hair fall after delivery of the child with mental depression, leading to indifference later on
- Hair pains when touched because of extremely sensitive hair roots
- Irritability increased, with snappish attitude
- Pimply eruptions near the hairline on forehead
- Silica-
- Baldness in young people
- Hair fall in frontal and forehead region
- Early graying of hair
- Chilly with excessively sweaty cold palms
- Nervous and anxious disposition
- Mild types
- Fixed ideas, highly impressionable
The above given are thus some of the most widely required drugs for the different hair problems. Apart from them, Psorinum, Medorrhinum, Natrum mur, Selenium, Lachesis (typical pregnancy hair fall), Merc sol, Kali carb, Lycopodium, Borax, etc are some other important drugs. Finally the necessity to figure out the exact constitutional remedy is the crux of long term positive result in cases of hair fall and baldness!
