Alopecia episodes are common enough in adults and are always a result of some sort of shock to the nutrition of the hair follicles in the scalp. Patients report that clumps of hair come away while combing or brushing, often in circular patches.
This may be a circulation shock where the hair roots are deprived of blood supply for a period of time, or a chemical shock where toxins in the system have affected the health of the hair roots.
Circulatory Shock
A circulatory shock is often be caused by stress, when we increase the amount of tension we carry in our scalp. This can result in the starvation of individual hair follicles and resultant hair loss.
Frequently, these patients suffer from poorer circulation generally, and carry their stresses in the neck and shoulders. Additional stress can further reduce the oxygen supply to certain areas of the scalp and hair loss occurs in those patches.
My standard Circulatory Shock mix of herbs includes:- Maritime Pine Bark, Sage, Nettle, Rue, Prickly Ash, Valerian, Ginseng, Rosemary and Rosehips, as well as the Bach Flower Remedies Rescue Remedy and Crab Apple.
In addition, I normally recommend massage with a little Rosemary Oil to improve scalp circulation and health. You should be aware however, that any hair follicles that are already damaged will not recover, and massage initially will seem to cause more hair loss.
Toxic Shock
Hair loss resulting from Chemotherapy as part of cancer treatment, is a dramatic example of a chemical shock. However, an accumulation of toxins in the blood, which are not being cleared through the normal processes, may settle in patches under the skin of the scalp. This can produce local areas of toxic shock to the hair follicles and result in those patches of hair falling out.
This condition I treat with blood cleansers and specific metabolic tonics and the problem is normally resolved quite quickly.
The list of herbs in my toxic shock mix includes:- Nettle, Horsetail, Violet Leaves, Blue Flag, Bladderack, Echinacaea, Mistletoe, Rosehips and St. Mary's Thistle as well as the Bach Flower Remedies Crab Apple, Larch and Rescue Remedy.
In addition, I normally recommend massage with a little Rosemary Oil to improve scalp circulation and health. You should be aware however, that any hair follicles that are already damaged will not recover, and massage initially will seem to cause more hair loss.