Alopecia: Causes and Natural Treatments. Self-Help!

Alopecia is a sudden and generally temporary loss of hair. There are two stages, or types. Alopecia areata is a disease that causes hair to fall out in small patches, which can remain unnoticeable. This disease develops when the immune system attacks the hair follicles, resulting in hair loss. And also, alopecia universalis, which is an advanced form of alopecia areata where the hair loss is far more extensive, often including eyebrows and eyelashes. The condition affects mainly men, and it’s known to affect women and children as well.

Although the exact cause of alopecia is unknown, it is thought to be an autoimmune condition where the person’s immune system mistakenly attacks the hair follicles. Often drugs, medication, alcohol and poor nutrition have played a role in the cause of this disease.

Can alopecia be cured?

As I have told my clients over the years, no one can say that a “disease can be cured”, because this is all dependant on how much damage has occurred and to how much compliance the person receiving the treatment brings into play.

Many clients have had success with changing lifestyle habits, implementing fresh food diets and including herbal, homeopathic and nutritional supplementation for the period of time necessary for the body to heal.

Standard medical treatments

Currently a number of synthetic drugs are being tried, such as Corticosteroids, Dithranol, Tretinoin, Minoxidil, Zinc, Systemic Cortisone, other irritants and immune-suppressive drugs, Finasteride, and Azelaic acid are also currently being used.

As you can see there is no singular drug therapy being used and many of the above will have interactions that will cause further harm, with no known reports of success.

The problem with using medications, such as synthetic drugs, is that they are not going to restore hair growth. They will deplete your immune function that will make you more susceptible to ill-health and at risk of other diseases, such as cancer. There are also a number of side effects, such as skin sensitivity, skin redness and severe itching of the skin.

Complimentary and natural treatments

These are the treatments that I have used over the years with great success. However, the success does depend on how chronic the condition is, which is if it has been long term, how much cellular damage it has made, and how much effort have you put into your recovery process.

Why natural remedies?

Herbal remedies are highly effective when it comes to restoration of cellular function and rejuvenation of organs and tissue. What is important for healing is that there is enough healthy cells for restoration so that rejuvenation of organs and tissue is possible. Herbal medicine, nutrition and nutritional supplements fuel the body to assist with restoration and rejuvenation from what is referred to as from an “Extra-cellular level. Homeopathics and Mineral tissue salts", which I will include in the next work within the cells, to help with cellular rejuvenation and in many cases detoxification.

We know that pharmaceutical drugs have so many serious side effects and no significant benefits when it comes to supporting your body's healing processes.

It is important when mentioning this for quality, efficacy and the proper medication for your health issue for when consulting with a qualified practitioner, instead of just buying over the internet without there being any knowledge of you or your condition. Also, not all medications are created equal and the cheapest is not always the best, neither is the most expensive.

Herbs to help with alopecia

• Saw Palmetto: One of the health benefits of Saw Palmetto is to support hair growth
• Damiana: helps in supporting and balancing hormone levels. It may help with restoration of hair growth. Damiana contains constituents that help support brain and nervous function.
• Bacopa: It contains alkaloids that have been found to activate proteins responsible for hair growth.
• Gingko Biloba: stimulates blood flow and improves circulation.
• Burdock: helps to promotes hair growth by improving blood circulation on the scalp and drawing the necessary nutrients required to foster hair growth to the follicles.
• Homeopathics to help with Alopecia
• Lycopodium: helps with anxiety and fear
• Silicae: helps strengthen hair follicles for regrowth
• Nux Vomica: assists with detoxification of harmful chemicals from the body
• Tissue Salts
• Nat Mur: For the correct distribution of fluid in the cells. For deep emotions, grief and depression. Swollen extremities, water retention. Runny nose, watery eyes, hay fever and mucous membrane symptoms also improve with Nat Mur and in conjunction with Nat Sulph, due to the detoxification support
• Nat Sulph: In conjunction with Nat Mur, it is nature’s diuretic. A toxin cleanser and liver decongestant. Therefore helping to improve cellular function and restoration due to the detoxification within each cell.

Julie’s Just for You Stimulating Scalp Tonic

I have formulated this tonic that people have found helpful. It includes rosemary oil, which increases peripheral circulation and brings nutrients and oxygen to the tiny blood vessels where hair follicles are located. Other essential oils include Cedarwood, Clary Sage, Cinnamon, Lime and Ginger.

Apply a teaspoon full into the palm of your hand. Rub hands together, then massage into your scalp using circular movements. This is to be done just before bedtime, as this is when the majority of your hair growth occurs. Then shampoo and condition your hair in the morning

As with any disease or health problem, the next step is what you can do to get well.

Nutrition and diet

The first step with your daily eating is to begin eliminating processed, deep fried foods and fast foods. Replacing these with food like freshly made salads, freshly cooked vegetables, such as sweet potato, pumpkin, kale, spinach and carrots, fruit such as apples, bananas and berries, nuts, such as almonds and walnuts, lean meat, chicken, and fish.

When reading about this condition, you will see that a diet that will alkalize your system is considered optimal when regaining your health. The reason for this being that when the body is highly acidic it is prone to ill-health and disease, therefore by incorporating a diet that will decrease the acidity and improve the alkalinity of your body will help both prevent and overcome disease.

Keep it simple with most vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds have an alkalizing effect on the body, whilst red meat, baked and processed foods cause an increase in acid in your body—as does habits, such as smoking, drinking alcohol and soft drink.

Click here for your free download—How to Alkalize Your Body For Optimal Health

A weekly alkalizing sample menu

First thing in the morning, have one lemon squeezed in warm water, then:

Breakfast:

Mixed Berry Smoothie:

• ½ – 1 cup of berries
• 1/2 cup Kale
• 1 banana
• rind of one lemon (full of bioflavonoids antioxidant properties)
• ½ – 1 cup of Paris Creek or Greek yoghurt
• ½ cup of Almond milk
• A Refreshing inclusion can be fresh mint

Other fruit can include: rock melon, pineapple, apple or banana, you can include a tablespoon of LSA for extra fibre

Poached Eggs or Scrambled Eggs: 

• 1/2 – 1 cup of Spinach
• 1 tomato
• 1/2 cup mushrooms
• one sliced onion on either spelt or gluten free bread

Lunch:

Roast Veggies or Salad & Protein

Stir fry some of your favourite vegetables—such as chopped Spanish onion, pumpkin (cook your pumpkin longer than any of your greens), broccoli, and zucchini (these only need to be heated through). Drizzle a good quality olive oil. Make some whole meal couscous. Combine these with a small tin of chickpeas and a handful of pine nuts.

In addition to the veggies, this meal gives you a serving of complex carbs. These are your healthy carbs: whole grains, vegetables and nuts. A serving of protein and a serve of ‘good’ fats. Avoid refined carbohydrates as well. These are dangerous carbs that you are not meant to eat.

Changes to your lunch may include a fresh dark leafy green salad with some chicken cooked the night before, or some salmon or other fish. Other beans that are delicious are butter beans.

Preparing my lunch the night before, I have found to be the easiest, instead of cooking some extra food at tea time. Sometimes I cook up enough couscous for the week and just add different things to eat. As alternatives, I also have wild rice, quinoa and brown rice.

Dinner:

One serving of protein (portion size of protein: size of the palm of your hand). Non vegetarian choices includes: a portion of lean red meat: duck, kangaroo, pork, scallops, squid, turkey, veal, muscles, oysters, fish, or lean chicken breast. Vegetarian suggestions are 1 cup of Quinoa or Buckwheat, Goats curd, 2 tablespoons Chia, and 1/2 cup of firm tofu.

Serving these with at least four vegetables, such as sweet potato, cauliflower, pumpkin, broccoli, kale, spinach, carrots, peas, cabbage, etc.

Snacks during the day can include non-sweetened yogurt with fruit, 1 handful of roasted almonds. You can include pumpkin and/or sesame seeds. If you haven’t had a smoothie for breakfast then you may like to have an apple, banana or some other fruit during the day. Fruit is great to have between meals as this is better for your digestion.

Before going to bed, have a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, Swedish bitters, or a teaspoon of Bi Carb in a glass of tepid water prior to bed.

Eliminate any negative habits, such as smoking, excessive drinking of alcohol, drugs and minimize any prescribe medication to check the side effects.  Apart from the harm that they do to your body, they also deplete your body of vital nutrients.

Counselling, life coaching and support

It is a strength, not a weakness to seek support through these changes. Seeking professional support to guide and keep you on track with these significant changes is what will help you sustain these changes for the rest of your life.

Exercise

Even if you have a physically active job, it is still a good idea to get some other form of exercise or activity to help with your emotional well-being. This may be swimming, walking, yoga, kick boxing, or karate. The list is endless. It is important to engage in at least one or two different activities that you feel happy with and get a sense of satisfaction that helps you feel better about YOU!

Additional resources

eBook – Why Can’t I Give Up Smoking: Uncovering the hidden secrets as to why you might believe that giving up smoking is so difficult to almost impossible. Knowing these secrets will help you become a non-smoker with ease, giving you the much-needed support that isn’t going to harm you or leave you feeling helpless.

eBook – Eating to Live: Food being the very core foundation of optimal health and vitality.

In this eBook, you will learn:

• How to make “Food Your Best Friend”, “Not Your Worst Enemy”
• The foods to eat to prevent or overcome ill health and disease and how they will work for you
• What you eat, how you eat and who you eat with. It makes all the difference to the enjoyment of your food
• Easy, delicious recipes for the whole family

Want Additional Support—a Consultation, Counselling or Coaching?

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