Khalitya - Hair Falling or Alopecia
Hair fall is one of the challenging problems for medical science. People spend lacs of rupees to treat hair fall problems but most of the time results are unsatisfactory. Hairs are very important for personality and once this problem is started, people move from one doctor to another and try all the best options for hair fall control. Ayurveda has hope for fast recovery because here disease is treated according to dosha prakop and by treating the root cause of disease. Hair fall can be from a localized area of the scalp, or chin or beard area or any other part of the body or it can be from the scalp region.
In Ayurveda hair fall is due to pitta prakop. Hair follicles are blocked by kapha dosha. When hair fall occurs from a localized area it is called indralupta and when hair fall occurs from the whole scalp, it is called khalitya. Male baldness is more common than females. In females hair becomes thin with time and density of hairs is reduced.
Causes
Hair fall can occur due to many reasons. It can be due to any infection, Nutritional deficiency, due to hormonal changes and may be due to side effects of any medicines. After a chronic illness or during chemotherapy also, genetic factors are also responsible for hair fall. Hair fall or baldness can also occur due to excessive use of cosmetic products, perfumes, oils etc.
In Ayurveda cause of hair fall is mithya aahar vihar, pitta vardhak food e.g. more of spicy, salty food, deep-fried items, cold drinks, tea, coffee etc. irregular lifestyle, irregular sleeping habits, stress, tension, excessive anger and overthinking also cause hair fall problems. Krimi can also cause hair fall problems, mainly rakta krimi cause hair fall problems. Excessive use of alcohol, smoking is also an ayurvedic factor.
Dhatu kshaya is also an important cause of hair fall. Excessive loss of shukra dhatu causes dhatu kshaya and further dhatu kshaya leads to early ageing, hair fall, weakness etc. Hairs are mala of asthi dhatu so if dhatu kshaya occurs, it leads to hair fall.
Diagnosis
This disease is diagnosed by its symptoms. There is not any specific test. Infection can be ruled out by scraping or microscopic examination of hair follicles.
Symptoms
Hair fall can be localized e.g. patchy hair loss on beards, scalp area or other parts of the body. It is called indralupta in Ayurveda. In male patients, baldness or hair fall has a specific pattern. Hair is falling gradually from scalp to sides. When hair fall occurs on the whole scalp area it is called khalitya or Alopecia and androgenetica. In females, hair fall or baldness has different patterns. Hair fall occurs gradually, hairs become thin and density of hairs decreases. When hair falls occurs due to any disease complication or past chemotherapy, all hairs fall and with time comes again.
Hair Fall Treatment in Ayurveda
In Allopathy, treatment is done by applying different creams, lotions, supplements, steroids etc. but results are not satisfactory. If any infection e.g. fungal infection is there it can be recovered otherwise patients try different doctors, spend lots of money but results are not so good.
In Ayurveda, the disease is treated according to dosha prakop. Both shodhan and shaman chikitsa are done according to disease conditions. By Panchkarma therapies e.g. vamana, virechan, raktamokshan, dhara lepa treatments body is detoxified and with internal medicines and use of specific medicated oils, cleansers hair fall can be treated. There are specific medicines in Ayurveda which help to pacify the aggravated dosha and also rasayana medicines are there which help to rejuvenate the body and cure the disease.
Patients should start Ayurveda treatment without any delay for fast and better recovery of this chronic disease that is difficult to cure. Lifestyle changes & strict diet plans are also important for early recovery.
Yoga, Pranayama, meditation helps to reduce stress and by this, our immune system becomes strong. If there is a dandruff problem, it should be treated by Ayurvedic medicines. Hair fall problems take time for recovery, so patients should take the medicines with patience and faith for better results. Leech therapy is also helpful in khalitya and indralupta problems and needs repeat sittings for better results. Normally it takes 4-5 months for good results in hair fall problems.
Prevention and Lifestyle Changes
- The hair fall problem is prevented by a good, healthy diet and regular exercise and yoga. The patient should avoid fast food, fried items, cold drinks, spicy food, etc. in their diet.
- Take more of milk, curd, paneer, etc. in diet and take more fruits, salads, etc. for good nutrition.
- Avoid day time sleep and take proper sleep at night time.
- Avoid excessive use of shampoo, hair color, perfume oil, etc.
- Daily do yoga, exercise, pranayama for good immunity and relax the mind.
Home Remedies for Hair Fall Problem
Hair fall problem is prevented by a good, healthy diet and regular exercise and yoga.
- Patients should avoid fast food, fried items, cold drinks, spicy food, etc. in their diet.
- Take more milk, curd, paneer etc. in diet and take more fruits, salads etc. for good nutrition.
- Avoid day time sleep and take proper sleep at night time.
- Avoid excessive use of shampoo, hair colour, perfume oil etc.
- Daily do yoga, exercise, pranayama for good immunity and relax the mind.
- Home Remedies for Hair Fall Problem:- Patients should take milk, ghee, white butter, paneer etc. for proper nutrition of Asthi dhatu as hairs are mala of asthi dhatu.
- Make oil at home for hair fall. For this, take coconut oil & mix gudhal leaves + berry leaves + neem patra + amla + bhringraj in the oil & boil it properly. Use this oil for hair application. This can help with hair fall problems.
- Make powder of amla + black til + bhringraj in equal quantity and take this powder two times a day with water.
- Put neem oil 2-2 drops in each nostril for 1-2 months. This can also prevent hair fall problems.
Summery
Hair fall or Alopecia androgenetica is a very common problem now a days in young age people. It can be localized, patchy hair loss or male type baldness on the scalp area. Hairs are important for a good personality and patients feel stressed and worried when this problem starts. Patients spend money and use different creams, oils, steroids or lotions etc. for this disease but results are not satisfactory.
In Ayurveda, this disease is called khalitya or indralupta and here treatment is based on dosha prakop, koimihar dhatukshya chikitsa. There are lots of medicines & oils preparation in Ayurveda and with this, rasayana medicines are very helpful for a good recovery. In chronic cases, Ayurvedic panchkarma therapies are planned like vamana karma, Virechana karma, leech therapy, Shirodhara, takradhara, lepa treatment for detoxification of the body & help in the balance of doshas. In chronic problems, patients need repeated panchakarma therapies with medicines for good results.
Ayurvedic treatment is based on the root cause, so here the disease is cured when patients follow all the instructions, take proper diet and medicines with panchakarma and yoga.