Karen’s Free Health and Fitness Tips

Note-This content only presents overviews of hair loss
prevention research for educational purposes and does not
replace medical advice from a professional physician.

The best start to preventing hair loss is understanding the
basics of hair: what it is, how it grows, what system
malfunctions can cause it to stop growing.

Most common hair loss comes under what has been commonly
known as Male Pattern Baldness (MPB). Although referred to
as MPB, females suffer a similar syndrome, so it is more
properly called androgenetic alopecia. Although hair loss
is not life or health threatening, it can cause serious
problems with a person’s psyche and self-confidence. There
has been no absolute cure found for hair loss, and many
factors of hair loss are hereditary, however there are
several preventative measures one can take to maintain
healthy hair and scalp.

Although both men and women can suffer significant hair
loss, over 50% of men will suffer with Male Pattern
Baldness (MPB), also known as androgenetic alopecia, at
some point in their lives. The reason behind hair loss is a
genetically inherited sensitivity to Dihydrotestosterone
(DHT) and 5-alpha-reductase. The enzyme 5-alpha-reductase
converts testosterone, a male hormone, to DHT, the
substance identified as the end-cause for hair loss.

Being a woman with hair loss can be devastating. Women feel more embarrassed than men usually do. Hair Loss is a very major and growing concern in today’s world, and usually appears more during the childbearing years and also by aging. Stress is another major cause . There are about 100 hairs that fall out of a persons head everyday, in order for another one to take its place. This happens when the hair doesn’t grow back the way it should and its usually caused by a loss of certain vitamins, iron, and hormones in the body. Hormone imbalances are also responsible for female hair loss. There is a very wide array of other illnesses that can cause women to lose their hair but the ones mention here are the most common.

Vitamins and minerals are at the very top of the list. Fatty acids in your scalp result in a dry scalp . Shampooing your hair regularly with shampoos that are used especially to prevent dry scalp can reduce these fatty acids. Some brands of shampoos have special vitamins in the ingredients for healthy hair. Women with long hair, past the bottom of the shoulder, are at more risk than women with shorter hair.There are some natural vitamins for promoting hair growth on the market. Biotin is a vitamin in the B family and is essential in the proper growth of hair. Taking two tablets a day about 5000-8000 mg would ensure enough effective results that you should begin to see in just a few weeks. Other vitamins that women should take for healthy hair is saw palmetto which is made from natural ingredients that help rebuild the levels of testosterone, which is the primary hormone in females responsible for healthy hair growth.

Accutane is an often-prescribed medication for severe acne. While there are varying side effects, the concern over hair loss is a highly visible and emotional side effect, once it starts to occur. Many times, it is an added socially disturbing ordeal to a subject, while trying to clear their complexion and rid themselves of painful bumps, they start to lose their hair, sometimes starting up to 3-4 months after starting Accutane.

Accutane does not damage the hair follicles, it changes chemical receptors, none of which are related to hair loss. It makes them more responsive, causing a “shock” to the body. A lack of sebum, (oil by follicle production) also occurs. Accutane “dries” oil-producing glands in the body, to dry up the excess oil producing the acne; it also can affect other oil producing glands as well, which includes hair. As the hair follicle is dried up, it loses its ability to continue to “grasp” the hair and it falls out. A new hair starts to be produced, but is a much finer, wispy hair not as strong as the previously lost hair.

Hair loss can be anything but pleasant. The fact that we live in a society where hair loss is viewed as age, you will want to always have a head full of hair in order for you to look young for as long as possible. Also, you know that balding people are always the butt of jokes and you wouldn’t want this to happen to you, right? So, if you have thinning hair, you will want to try out some of the available vitamins for hair loss that are already out in the market today.

First of all, before you run to the nearest pharmacy to buy hair loss prevention products, you will want to know about the different causes of hair loss as well as know why these vitamin supplements will be able to help you and how it will work to prevent hair loss or at least slow its process down.

Diabetes is a disease that strikes more and more people every day. Most people do not realize that thinning of the hair or hair loss is one of the early symptoms of diabetes. With early detection and treatment, hair loss as well as other complications can be avoided. There are many factors leading to the development of diabetes, including stress. Diabetes affects the body on every level and can cause excessive anxiety which is a well known contributor to hair loss.

Diabetes occurs when the body is unable to produce enough insulin to help the body metabolize carbohydrate. One issue face by individuals with diabetes is the increased potential for problems with their skin. This is due to poor blood circulation and elevated blood sugar levels. They are more susceptible bruising and injuries that are difficult to heal. The recovery rate for diabetics tends to be slow including hair re-growth. This in turn leads to a noticeable hair loss. In addition, diabetics are susceptible bacterial and fungal infections of the scalp which can promote hair loss as well.

Hair loss in women differs from hair loss in men in the following ways:

Signs of hair loss in men:

Receding hairline Moderate to extensive hair loss, particularly on the crown of the head

Signs of hair loss in women:

General thinning of hair all over the head Moderate hair loss on the crown of the head or at the hairline

In summary, hair loss in women can start around 30 years of age and usually involves overall thinning rather than a bald patch. It often becomes more noticeable around 40 years of age.

Here are six causes of hair loss in women which can help you identify the possible cause and decide whether to just wait for the hair to regrow, or if it is a more serious reason, get professional advice and take appropriate action:

#1. Hair loss in women is often connected to pregnancy. Three to six months after delivering a child, many women notice a degree of hair loss as the hair goes into a resting phase because of the physiological impact of the pregnancy on the body.

In recent times, hair loss has become a common condition, especially among men although, the exact cause of hair loss is still a mystery. Some research studies have linked hair loss with the lack of iron, the condition of the skin on the scalp, an excess of the hormone DHT and probably an under active thyroid gland.

The hair, although it is thought of as dead, is a good indicator of general health and it is the first indicator that shows signs of ill health or lack of essential vitamins and minerals within the body. Oily hair can be a sign of vitamin B deficiency, brittle or dry hair can be an indicator of essential fats deficiency, dull hair color and poor growth can be signs of zinc deficiency and hair loss can be an indicator of lack of vitamin C, vitamin B1, iron and lysine. Grey hair comes with age and has no link to body health or nutrition and in most cases nutrition cannot be used to reverse it.

Although certain types of medicine are known to slow down the process of hair loss and even help with some form of hair re-growth, experts say that natural hair loss treatment can yield some of the best benefits for anyone concerned about the health of their hair.

Are all hair loss shampoos effective? If you have an itchy scalp, what is the first thing that your instinct tells you to do? In hope of relieving the rather irritating itch, you would grab a bottle of shampoo in a hurry and apply the contents to your scalp. But what would your instinct tell you to do in the case of drastic hair loss? Your natural instinct would be to act in the same way. To locate an available bottle of hair loss shampoo with the hope of regenerating the growth of your hair. As humans, we have been conditioned into viewing shampoos as a cure for all that plagues our hair. As a result, we search for shampoos to rectify the complications that we experience with our hair. This is simply human nature.

It is considered normal to lose 50 to 100 strands of hair per day, a noticeable amount. However, it is considered abnormal to lose 1,000 strands of hair per day, thus this being a result of massive hair loss. It is certainly advised to purchase a special shampoo for cases such as this, rather than an ordinary daily shampoo.

As you grow older, you may begin to notice side effects. Chances are, you will soon notice the ever dreaded effect of hair loss, if you haven’t already. Of course, ways to fight or hide it have come about through different solutions, such as drugs and wigs.

Unfortunately with drugs come unwanted side effects and wigs/hair replacement therapies can become quite expensive. But, rest assured there is another way: herbal remedies. Between gingko biloba, green tea, and he shou wu, you’re sure to find something that’s right for you, as these natural alternatives result in the best hair loss treatment.

Hair grows from the hair follicle. Hence, when the hair follicle is healthy and stimulated, it prevents hair loss, while promoting hair growth. Gingko biloba is believed to increase blood circulation to the brain and skin. This increased circulation the sends out nutrients to the hair follicle. Herbalists suggest 3 doses of 120 to 160 mg of the dry extract herb.

There are numerous reasons why a person would start to lose their hair even at a young age. One reason is that there are hormonal changes occurring in their body, another is because they are eating the wrong kinds of foods. For some the reason can be that they are under extreme amounts of either mental or physical stress. Whilst the other reason could be that they have some medical condition. One such condition that seems to have a connection with hair loss is thyroid glands not working properly.

Below we look at the way in which a person’s malfunctioning thyroid gland can affect how a person’s hair grows. Also in this article, we look at what one can do in order to tackle hair loss problems associated with this kind of medical condition.

If a person has hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism then the chances of them suffering from premature hair loss is greatly increased. This is because both of these medical conditions work in such a way that they slow down and in some cases halt the process that allows hair regrowth.