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Ayurveda > Ayurveda Case Notes > Kesh Chikitsa
By Dr. Satish Kulkarni
Treatment for Hair Loss
Ms. Amanda
Keller is twenty-five years old. She
came to me a month ago with a
complaint of hair loss. She said that
she had been experiencing hair loss
for no apparent reason since the past
one year. She tried a variety of
different shampoos and conditioners
and also sought advice from a
beautician over a considerable period
of time. Her family doctor also
advised her blood tests. Overall the
blood report was normal. She tried
some lotions suggested by her doctor
too, but all in vain.
After a short
discussion, we unanimously decided to
opt for an ayurvedic regime
for this problem. I first explained
to Amanda the ayurvedic
anatomy and physiology behind the
hair cycle. Hair is the mala
(metabolic end product) of asthi
(bones) and majja dhatu (bone
marrow and nervous tissue.) The root
of hair is the skin, which is an updhatu
(sub tissue) of the rakta
dhatu (blood and blood products.)
Therefore, in order to have good skin
and hair, we need to improve the
functioning of the rakta, asthi
and majja dhatu.
We then
discussed dietary changes that Amanda
needs to make. I advised that Amanda
should start her day with a good
breakfast containing one boiled egg
in the morning. This will add
nutritional value to her breakfast. I
also advised her to include curd or
buttermilk in her meals since these
are both natural sources of B
complex. I suggested eating fish too
since it is a good source of
essential nutrients which she needs
at this age. I prescribed eating any
available seasonal fruit like banana,
apple, guava, orange, etc., every
day. Fruits provide essential
vitamins and minerals. Green salad is
also an essential element of meals.
It helps in two ways-- it provides
vitamins and minerals and in addition
it keeps the digestive tract clean.
Clean bowels are a vital factor that
contributes to our health. In
addition, I strongly recommended
taking a cup of warm milk at bedtime
since it is a good source of calcium.
Thus, we made these changes to her
diet, which I felt did not previously
provide enough nourishment for the asthi
and majja dhatu.
We then talked
about psychological elements
contributing to hair loss. Amanda is
doing her Ph.D. and she mentioned
that the past semester had been very
hectic and strenuous for her. Stress
and worry lead to unhealthy hair, so
to counter these, I suggested some yogasanas
(yoga exercises) and general body
conditioning exercises. Furthermore,
aggressive or temperamental behavior,
sleepless nights, too much exposure
to the sun, etc., worsen the
situation. Amanda said that she would
try to avoid these.
Along with a
good wholesome diet with adequate
calcium, iron and B complex,
appropriate use of good soaps and
shampoos can help to keep hair clean
and healthy. Hair looses natural oils
and luster if soaps and shampoos are
strong. I recommended a soap
containing shikakai to wash
hair. For the body, I suggested using
a mixture of chandan (sandalwood),
haladi (tamarind) and milk.
This adds to the natural glow of the
skin.
Our skin and
hair are a mirror of the rasa
(life sap) and rakta
(blood) dhatu. Glowing skin
and smooth, lustrous, dandruff free
hair are a result of good quality of rasa
and rakta. No amount of
shampooing, hair conditioning in
beauty parlors, bleaching or facial
massage can make the skin and hair
healthy. Applying different oils to
hair and using makeup can hide ill
health for the time being but they
will not go to the root of the
problem. Conversely, healthy skin and
hair will always look attractive even
without makeup. Amanda listened to my
advice carefully and said that she
would follow the prescriptions. I
have asked her to schedule a
follow-up visit after a month. I
expect to see good results of ayurvedic
treatment so that Amanda will regain
healthy hair.
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