Female hair loss is becoming more complex and difficult to overcome due a general decline in our overall health.
The condition of our hair is intimately connected to our physical and emotional well-being.
When we are not well our hair will suffer.
It may become dry and brittle, dull and lifeless, or tangled and unmanageable.
It may lose color and shine...
and worst of all, it may start falling out in clumps or by the handful.
Female hair disorders are on the rise because we are experiencing sub-optimal health, and may not even be aware of it.
Many people believe that they are well, when they are not.
This is because they forgot (or never knew) true wellness.
A healthy woman wakes up refreshed and rejuvenated after a deep, relaxing sleep.
She has ample energy to carry her through the day.
She is vibrant, happy, enthusiastic, and has a zest for life.
Her mind is clear and sharp.
She maintains normal weight, is free of pain and illness, and does not rely on medications.
Based on this description, not many of us qualify.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS In today's society it takes quite a bit of effort to achieve and maintain optimal health.
We are exposed to an ever-increasing amount of toxins in our food supply and our environment.
These toxic substances disrupt the normal functioning of our endocrine system, immune system, digestive system and nervous system-creating many of the illness that can eventually lead to hair loss.
These include thyroid conditions, autoimmune disorders, hormonal imbalances, digestive problems, nutritional deficiencies, etc.
DIET Much of our ill health begins with our diet.
Modern day diets of processed and packaged foods are highly inflammatory, creating chronic low level systemic inflammation.
This is a dangerous condition that creates ill health in many areas.
Inflammation is involved in most, if not all hair loss conditions.
Inflammation puts a huge strain on the immune system and digestive system.
Although we are consuming more than enough calories, many of us are undernourished, as the foods we eat are nutritionally sparse.
With impaired digestion, our bodies can lose the ability to absorb and utilize what little nourishment we do take in, resulting in multiple deficiencies that lead to multiple health disorders.
Perhaps this is why it is becoming more common for women to be faced with more than one type of hair loss, such as androgenetic alopecia and telogen effluvium concurrently.
MEDICATIONS Rather than restoring optimal health through excellent nutrition and healthy lifestyle, medications are often blindly accepted as the best and only remedy.
Persons sometimes mistakenly believe that if they are on a medication that "controls" a certain health issue they no longer have that health issue.
The issue is still there it is just masked by the medication.
It is becoming more common for persons to be on multiple medications for multiple physical and emotional issues.
In the past, prescriptions were more often used short-term while the main emphasis involved healing the underlying disorder.
Now they are being used long-term and even lifelong.
Medications can cause or trigger shedding and thinning in many people.
Certain medications cause imbalances and nutritional deficiencies that can lead to hair loss.
Although medication-induced hair loss is very common, many persons are not made aware of this fact when the prescription is handed out.
Perhaps it is partially due to the availability and accessibility of medication, as a society we seem to be developing a more casual attitude towards illness.
Slowly we started accepting and even expecting many of the illnesses, disorders and imbalances that are now so prevalent.
When an imbalance occurs in one area, other areas are affected.
Any type of imbalance can cause hair loss.
Now, more than ever we have multiple layers of dysfunctional health.
In order to restore healthy hair growth and truly overcome a hair loss disorder, we must heal each layer of dysfunctional health all the way down to the deepest.
For example it is well known that iron-deficiency can cause hair loss.
When a deficiency is discovered it is assumed that supplementing with iron will cure the problem.
But the iron-deficiency may be a symptom of another disorder such as gluten intolerance.
If gluten intolerance was determined, it would be likely that other nutritional deficiencies also exist.
These would need to be identified and addressed as well.
A strict gluten free diet would have to be adhered to, and nutritional deficiencies would need to be corrected.
Because gluten intolerance is highly associated with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, it would then also be important to test for this condition as it may be the ultimate underlying disorder.
Getting to the issue that is underneath it all can be a process that requires determination.
Hair loss should never be treated as an isolated condition.
When trying to pinpoint the cause, every symptom and condition must be taken into account.
There are often many contributing factors.
Trying to treat the hair alone may produce mediocre results.
When hair loss occurs many women are more concerned about restoring their locks than they are about correcting the underlying disorders.
That is because hair is, and always will be a high priority for women.
Unfortunately our body's built-in healing system does not agree that hair is a priority.
Our bodies will not and cannot fully resolve a hair loss disorder when other more serious conditions exist.
The best defense for restoring and maintaining healthy hair growth is to identify and treat the underlying conditions; and to achieve and maintain optimal health and well being through excellent nutrition, healthy life style, and by taking measures to reduce exposure to toxins.
This will help remove many of the obstacles preventing healthy hair growth.