Hair loss

Ayureda believes that the imbalance in the 3 doshas – Vata, Pitta, Kapha is the main cause of any disorder occurring in the body. These 3 doshas individually, together or sometimes in combination give rise to various disorders. Hairloss is a disorder commonly faced by lot of people today and inspite of trying lot of medicines are not finding an answer to it. As per ayurveda hair are considered to be the byproduct of asthi dhatu (bone tissue). Any factors leading to depletion of asthi dhatu will ultimately cause hair loss. Vitiation of vata and pitta dosha cause this depletion and lead to this disorder .Thus as per the ayurvedic mode of treatment measures should be made to pacify these two.

Causes of hairloss

Physical conditions

Local unhygienic conditions

Exposure to cold wind

Dandruff

Systemic conditions

Hypertension

Chronic illness like hepatitis, tuberculosis, renal failure.

Malnourishment

Psychological conditions

Stress

Anxiety

Dietary causes

Intake of hot, spicy food specifically including excess of chilies, pepper etc.

Skipping of meals

Excess intake of cold beverages

Others

Constipation

Over exertion

Consumption of excessive alcohol

Excessive Smoking

Pathogenesis of disease

Various causative factors

Vata dosha vitiation Depletion of asthi dhatu Pitta dosha vitiation

Weak hair as a by product

Dry, Rough hair Enter the hair follicles

Hair loss

Thus if proper ayurvedic treatment is undertaken for treating mainly these doshas we can definitely find an answer to this problem.

Management

Detox therapy :

Nasya – giving nasya with shadbindu taila is preferred in hairloss.

Basti – basti helps in removing the excess vata out of the body and thus preferred.

Virechan – (in milder form) one can have gandharva haritaki or triphala churna to avoid constipation and thus monitor the vata levels.

Other rejuvenative therapies:

Shiro –Abhyanga – massaging the head with brahmi taila, narikela taila is beneficial.

Pada – Abhyanga – massaging the feet with oils like tila taila etc can show good results

Shirodhara – absolutely useful in hair fall associated with stress and other psychological conditions

Oral medications:

Amalaki - Commonly known as amla or indian gooseberry is found all over india. It is considered to be the best herb for pacification of pitta dosha and prevents hairfall. This fruit serves as the richest natural source of vitamin C and contain anti-oxidants which help to remove toxins from body.

Triphala – this is a mixture of three vitalizing herbs – haritaki , bibhitaki and amalaki. This combination known as triphala churna has a mild laxative property and can be taken on daily basis to get rid of constipation which is the main cause of vata vitiation.

Yashtimadhu - This herb is known as liquorice in English.It is sweet in taste and is used for pacification of pitta dosha. It helps in improving the hair growth.

Guduchi - This herb is found as a climbing shrub commonly found in the tropical regions of India. It is used for pacification of pitta dosha. It is used in infective conditions of

scalp. This herb is known to nourish the asthi dhatu which is invariably involved in the pathogenesis of this disorder.

Ashwagandha This herb known as winter cherry in English is found mostly in regions of temperate climate. This herb is known to pacify the vata dosha. In ayurvedic texts it is mentioned to be as rasayana for vata dosha and hence indicated to be taken regularly by vata prakruti persons. It is also indicated in various disorders like loss of sleep, loss of sexual drive, impotence and other such disorders causing mental stress ultimately leading to hairfall.

Dietary and lifestyle advice.

Make sure you are eating well. A balanced diet including green leafy vegetable, fruits, milk, meat, eggs etc provide the right kind of nutrition to the body.

Try to minimize stress.

Washing your hair regularly is very important.

Wet hair should also be dried gently and slowly.

Regular physical exercise is very beneficial as it helps in balancing the aggravated doshas.