Beautiful and elegant hair is one of our most important assets.

However hair is the most expendable part of the body. If the body is under stress for any reason, the first part that it will let go is the hair. If the body is short of minerals and nutrients then it would rather direct its valuable supply to major organs than waste them on non essential items such as hair.

In Chinese Medicine it is said that hair is an extension of the blood. If your hair looks like a dying plant, then maybe it is because you have poor quality blood.

Hence the state of the hair reflects the health of the entire body.

Loss of hair can be caused by many factors, including-

v Poor Diet

v Exposure to toxins and heavy metals

v Stress

v Health Problems

v Immune System Dysfunction

v Malnutrition

v Genetic Weakness

Diet is a very significant factor behind hair loss. Are you getting enough vitamins and minerals?

The body requires a large variety of minerals and vitamins to function. If your diet lacks any of the major food groups then in due course the system will start to break down. Loss of hair will be the first outward sign. The most extreme reaction would be a loss of all exterior hair. However be aware that the body has internal hair as well e.g. tiny cilia inside lungs and intestines, and this too

could be lost when the body gives up its hair.

Also an imbalance in the consumption of a food group or excessive consumption of certain types of food can be deleterious to the body.

Excessive yang food such as red meat, salt, hard cheeses, and eggs can cause a particular pattern of hair loss as can excessive consumption of yin food such as soft drinks, fruit juices, alcohol and medications.

Protein deficiency can cause hair loss.

Excess consumption of fluids can also be detrimental. Each hair sits in a follicle, or bulb, which contains oil. When liquid consumption exceeds the kidney’s capacity to process, the liquids cause the follicle bulb to expand causing the hair to fall out.

In our acupuncture clinic we recommend that a close examination of your diet is essential. Although metaphorically speaking, we can till the soil by re-balancing the body and eliminating blockages to stimulate hair growth – plants (your hair) cannot grow in soil that has no nutrients to support its growth. Live blood analysis can be helpful in pointing out what nutrients might be missing from your blood. If you cannot bear to eat vegetables, then spirulina capsules provide a wealth of minerals.

Silica is an elemental mineral known as nature’s building block. It is found in connective tissue, bones, nails and hair. A deficiency of silica will definitely be detrimental to your hair, leaving it weak and with split ends. It should not be taken close to an operation involving the insertion of any artificial components in your body such as pacemakers, plastic in your knee or an artificial hip etc, as silica is also an extremely powerful remover of foreign material from the body (on the plus side it will remove splinters and shards of glass).

Essential fatty acids are a must in the diet as deficiencies cause hair loss and nail problems. Essential fatty acids produce youthful skin and promote hair growth. Nuts and seeds are the highest sources of unsaturated fatty acids. Eat sesame seeds and freshly shelled nuts (to avoid rancidity) and flaxseed oil. Fish and evening primrose oil, which contain Omega-3 and Omega-6 essential fatty acids are also beneficial to the hair.

See Part Two for more causes of hair loss.

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