Health and Medicine

Hair loss is a difficult matter to face for both men and women. It is the thinning of hair on the scalp. The medical term for hair loss is alopecia. Alopecia can be either temporary or permanent. Heredity and hormonal imbalance can cause gradual hair loss that is referred to as ‘androgenetic alopecia’.

Define Hair Loss

Hair is made up of a keratin, a protein that is produced in the hair follicles. When new cells are produced the old cells are pushed out through the surface of the skin. This cycle of new hair growth and losing old hair is termed as ‘natural hair loss’. When hormonal changes and heredity are the cause for hair loss then it is termed as ‘androgenetic alopecia’. Patches of baldness that normally grow back are termed as ‘alopecia areata’. Rapid shedding of hair after childbirth, fever, or sudden weight loss is termed as ‘telogen effluvium’ and thinning of hair from tight braids or ponytails is normally referred to as ‘traction alopecia’. Hair loss is generally age-related and occurs gradually in both males and females, but is more pronounced in males.

The average adult head has about 100,000 hairs at any given time and loses up to 100 of them a day. So a few stray hair here and there cannot necessarily be termed as a problem.

Each hair usually grows in repeated cycles — that is growth, rest, falling out and re-growth. Usually this cycle repeats itself yearly and as a result 90% of the scalp hair is growing at any given time; this phase lasts between two and six years. 10% of scalp hair is in the resting phase, lasting between two and three months. At the tail end of the resting phase, the hair goes through the shedding phase. When a hair is shed, it is replaced by a new hair.

Symptoms of Hair Loss

Male-pattern baldness is hereditary and therefore runs in families. It usually sets in around the late twenties or thirties. Following a set pattern, the first stage is usually a receding hairline, followed by thinning of the hair on the crown and temples. It can even progress to complete baldness, although it is rare. The symptoms of hair loss in men include:

Thinning hair on the scalp A receding hairline A horseshoe-shaped hair loss pattern leaving the crown exposed

With age, women generally notice thinning of hair, but they tend to lose hair mostly from the top of the head. This becomes more noticeable after menopause. It is also called androgenetic alopecia, or female-pattern hair loss. Baldness in females also runs in families. In women it includes:

Thinning of hair in general Thinning of hair at the crown

In addition other symptoms may be:

Sudden loss of patches of hair in which the immune system attacks the hair follicles and can affect all body hair – alopecia areata Complete loss of all hair on the body – alopecia universalis Patches of broken hair or bald patches because of the hair being pulled out – trichotillomania. Excessive shedding of hair after various illnesses or drug treatments, rapid weight loss, anemia, stress or pregnancy – telogen effluvium Inherited hair loss – androgenetic alopecia Hair loss because of fungal infection – tinea capitis

Hair being an important part of our appearance, its loss can result in loss of self-esteem and a feeling of unattractiveness, especially in women and teens.

Causes of Hair Loss

Although hair loss causes vary from person to person, there are various causes that result in scalp hair loss. However, most hair loss is not associated with systemic or internal disease or poor diet. Apart from genetics, hormonal changes as well as aging in men, women mostly lose hair due to poor circulation, hormonal changes after menopause, childbirth and poor diet.

Other causes of hair loss include stress, diabetes, certain drugs, chemicals and hair dyes and vitamin deficiencies.

In addition, disease like thyroid can also result in hair loss. Many medications also list ‘hair loss’ as one of their side effects. Moreover, cancer treatments like chemotherapy and immune suppression medications can result is loss of hair. Similarly, fungal infections may also result in hair loss.

Normally, each scalp hair has a life of around three years when in the growing (anagen) phase. Then the hair enters the resting (telogen) phase. Normally, about 10% of scalp hairs are in the telogen phase. In this three-month period, the hair root shrivels up into a small white ‘club’ a then falls out. Therefore, it is considered to be normal to lose about 100 hairs every day and more on days when the hair is shampooed. Shampooing loosens the hair root of the hairs that are ready to fall out. These hairs are then replaced.

Our circumstances or certain life altering evens may also ‘shock our system’ into altering our hair growth rhythm. This may put 30-40% of our hairs in the telogen phase. This normally happens after:

Childbirth High fever Sudden weight loss (crash dieting) Surgery Emotional trauma

Hair loss may or may not follow these events, depending on individual threshold. Strangely enough, the more dramatic the hair loss, the better is the prognosis. This is so because once the body gets back into shape almost all the hair will come back.

Other probable causes of hair loss are follicular deterioration, zinc or iron deficiency and use of steroids.

eight loss program will require important changes in your life if it is to be a success. One of the most important aspects of losing weight is attitude and changing bad habits and replacing them with new, but good ones, something that requires a certain consistency. There are quite a few things that can impact your weight loss, a few of these are named here:

Obesity or weight problems that may endure in the family

Previous mental trauma

Desire to lose weight

Excess weight can cause a number of health problems, including those of self image and worth. Although the health risks are reduced when somebody starts to lose that excess weight, it is the self-confidence and self-esteem returning that is the most noticeable. It is for this reason that so many people are searching for a rapid weight loss method that will trim down those fats and get a super slim head-turning body. Regular exercise and a healthy nourishing diet are also going to be part of this plan of action. Exercise should be regular and ordered with at least fifteen minutes per day doing anything that is good for cardiovascular health, like swimming, running, brisk walking and even dancing.

It ought be remembered that despite the number of rapid weight loss diet plans around, they won\’t all work with everybody that is on them, there will be different weight loss speeds and levels of success with anyone that uses them. If you discover that your exercise regime and dieting aren\’t supplying the weight loss quickly enough you may need to adjust your regime accordingly. Each person has a unique metabolism and when a particular plan isn\’t proving a success, it does not mean that success cannot be found with another dietary plan.

Exercise plans must be fit each person so if walking is all that can be done, then walk. Although, try to improve the pace you walk at as your diet progresses, not forgetting that you will look better when your fat is changed into muscle. Drinking fluids regularly throughout the day is essential. Drink plenty of water on your rapid weight loss program, at least 8 large glasses daily and remember it also flushes out poisons from the body. Getting rid of fried foods from the dietary plan should almost go without saying as the fat content in these foods is incredibly high and in some cases, this will include certain fish too.

Wherever possible have your food grilled as virtually all of the fat is destroyed, if not all of it so it\’s much healthier. We all want energy to execute daily tasks, and more if we do physical activities, so do not stop eating carbohydrates otherwise you will discover yourself exhausted all the time. Generally speaking a plan like this can enable somebody to lose around a pound each day as it is based on a diet of between one thousand to fifteen hundred calories on a daily basis.

ss has become an obsession in a nation where 63% of the people are overweight and a startling 31% are obese. Clearly our modern lifestyle is not healthy. Many people are desperate to make a change and will try any \’magic-bullet\’ weight loss cure that is offered – still the obesity rates climb. What are the reasons behind this trend? The stress of our lifestyles, toxicity in the environment, unhealthy processed food, improper nutrition habits, and lives spent in our cars, small offices and houses with little or no time in fresh air. Our lifestyles seem designed to make us fat.

People desperate for weight loss will try any diet, take any pill, and even resort to surgery to try and get their weight under control, but if they don\’t deal with the underlying issues that lead to obesity in the first place they are bound to regain the weight leading to an ever increasing waistline. There is no \’magic-bullet\’ to take away obesity. In order to counter the effects of our unhealthy lifestyles it is necessary to deal with the underlying issues that are causing the obesity in the first place. We can learn from the lifestyles of ancient cultures where the diet is predominantly fruits, grains and vegetables and where fasting or nutritional cleansing is an accepted practice.

We are surrounded by more chemicals with higher levels of toxicity than ever before. These chemicals can build up in our body and compound the problems of improper nutrition leading to obesity. Nutritional cleansing is a great way to help our bodies deal with toxicity. By eating healthy meals, predominantly of vegetables and lean protein, and by taking regular cleanse days to flush the toxins from the system our bodies will re-set the natural balance and weight loss will automatically follow. Unlike fasting, nutritional cleansing is not simply a process of not eating. When you undertake nutritional cleansing you drink a specially prepared vitamin and mineral packed supplement that will help increase your energy, cleanse the toxins from your body and even help your skin and hair regain the gloss of health.

Simply by reprogramming your life to eat healthier food, drink plenty of water and cleanse the toxins from your body you will see results. Not only will you lose weight, but you will have more energy, feel healthier and best of all, have reduced cravings for those unhealthy foods. The best thing about nutritional cleansing is that you can achieve weight loss without going on a diet!

Many of our readers asked for simple nutrition tips for women. Women today are busier than ever before. Their stress is exacerbated by today’s fast paced, pre-packaged, convenience based society and the toxins that come from antibiotics and household cleaners. Iron-deficiency anemia is very common in young women. Women need nutrition and they need to be CLEAN from toxins. Here’s a nutrition tip for all women — berries are your friends.

While women’s role in the food chain is essential to produce that all-important resource, food, it paradoxically does not guarantee women even minimum levels of nutrition. Women are often responsible for producing and preparing food for the household, so their knowledge  or lack thereof  about nutritions effect on the entire family. Women with adequate stores of iron and other micronutrients are less likely to suffer fatal infections and are more likely to survive bleeding during and after childbirth. Women in developing countries are also regularly deficient in vitamin A, iodine, and energy. Women of child-bearing age are recommended to take folic acid supplements and consume a folic-rich diet. Women are also at higher risk for developing osteoporosis and need more calcium and vitamin D to prevent it. Studies showed that women with vitamin D insufficiency absorb less than 10 percent of available calcium.

However, even among the poor, different groups of women are affected differently by macro development policies, such as the commercialization of agriculture or family planning. The conflict between women’s (economic) earning role and (biological and social) mothering role results to some degree in a squeeze on child care, with consequences for child health and nutrition. While women will be mothers too, motherhood is just one part of the inexorable life cycle. We need programs to increase women’s awareness, self-confidence, and motivation to act. Men must be educated about the cost to society of neglecting women and the need for affirmative action for women, which arises both from the fact of their greater work burden and their unique reproductive roles. The issue of women’s nutrition status and roles is crucial to the proposal for nutrition as a basic right for all in the 1990s, in which human development goals are paramount over economic goals. Programming for women’s health must extend beyond their role as mothers to encompass their non-reproductive and work-related energy and health needs.

The nutrition tips for women broadcast on the news often imply that nutrition may magically cure all kinds of diseases. The role of nutrition is to feed our bodies. 1 nutrition tip for women is to regularly include iron-rich foods such as meat, shellfish, beans and enriched cereals in your diet. The effects of high levels of protein-energy malnutrition and anemia among women. The nutritional handicap accumulated in the life of a woman is passed on to the next generation through low birth weight, which considerably reduces survival and jeopardizes growth. The ultimate constraint of time affects the extent to which women can acquire nutritional goods and services and allocate them to improving their own well-being or that of their families. The best way to give your body the balanced nutrition it needs is by eating a variety of nutrient-packed foods every day. In some respects, men and women have different nutritional needs, largely due to differences in male and female hormones.

“If you look at the current federal dietary guidelines for kids, there is no difference in nutritional needs for males and females until age 9,” says Elaine Turner, PhD, RD, associate professor in the department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Pregnancy drives the role of women and nutrition. If you need fewer calories, the calories you take in need to pack a lot of nutritional punch. One way that traditionally-minded woman can continue to keep their strength and health within the cycles of the creation,is through the use of berry plants. Remember, too that although berry plants have much nutritional value, they are only meant to supplement and enhance a well-balanced diet.

Anemia is the most common form of malnutrition, afflicting an estimated 47 percent of women worldwide, and anemia in pregnancy is one of the leading causes of maternal death. For maximum effect, improving women’s nutrition should begin long before pregnancy. Improving nutrition by maintaining a healthy diet before and during pregnancy and also during lactation can help to ensure adequate gestational weight gain, prevent weight loss during lactation, help strengthen the immune system, and delay HIV disease progression. Good nutrition is important for all pregnant and lactating women irrespective of their HIV status. Ignorance about the symptoms of malnutrition, such as the lethargy and depression caused by iron deficiency, may be dismissed as “normal” or unimportant, further exacerbating the problem. Addressing women’s malnutrition has a range of positive effects because healthy women can fulfill their multiple roles  generating income, ensuring their families’ nutrition, and having healthy children  more effectively and thereby help advance countries’ socioeconomic development. Well-nourished mothers are more likely to have infants with healthy birth weights, and such children are less likely to ever suffer from malnutrition. For reasons including women’s reproductive biology, low social status, poverty, and lack of education, they suffer from nutritional imbalances. After the first year of life adolescent girls are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition.

This is NOT medical advice! You should ALWAYS consult your physician before taking or changing your prescribed treatments and medications.

When you get sick, you go to the doctor. The doctor will, of course, prescribe medicine, you will go and buy the medicines and then you take them, and hopefully, you get well. This is how the health profession operates nowadays a cycle of diagnosis and prescription.

Probably, if anyone were to suggest herbs to be used as medication, you would think that person was a quack and didn’t know what they were talking about. But currently, studies are being conducted to see if there is actually any merit to what is called natural medicine.

Natural medicine is the use of natural methods, herbal medicines, and traditional practices to heal ailments. Every culture has a form of natural medicine. In ancient cultures, village medicine men served as the doctors of the community, passing on medical knowledge to the apprentices that followed them.

Many categories of healing methods fall under natural medicine. Among these are traditional medicine, complementary medicine, and alternative medicine. Usually, natural medicine refers to medical practices that were in place before the advent of modern medicine. This would include herbal medicine, or phytotherapy, which is prevalent in Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic(or Indian), and Greek medicine.

With the advent of modern medicine, many professionals discarded the use of herbs in favor of man-made medicine. The fact that these treatments are based on the healing properties of some herbs was forgotten. For example, opium, digitalis, quinine, and aspirin all have their roots in traditional medicine.

Natural medicine is considered a lost art. This doesn’t necessarily mean that it has lost efficacy over time. In some cases, natural therapy is actually better than modern medicine. This leads some doctors to seriously consider, and study, the possible uses of natural medicine.

Before I continue, it is important to stress that not all the natural remedies are legitimate. You would be well advised to only try those remedies which have been thoroughly studied and are relatively risk free.

There are many well-documented and studied herbal remedies available. However, only those that deal with minor ailments such as cough, colds, skin rashes, and its ilk are likely to be recommended by health professionals. These remedies are sometimes superior to synthetic medicine because herbal medicines are less likely to cause negative side effects.

There are numerous organizations studying the effects and advocacy of natural medicine among which is herbal medicine. Some governments and health agencies openly advocate the use of natural methods since they are inexpensive and relatively risk-free.

As the studies are performed and the reports compiled, more herbs and treatments are added to the list of accepted medicines. However, many herbs and treatments have been proven to be bogus medicine. This represents a challenge for both the user and the agencies because they have to ascertain that the treatments they either use or advocate are legitimate and safe.

There exists today many alternative medical treatments that fall under natural medicine. However, not all of them have been proven to be effective. You could mention homeopathy, aromatherapy, acupuncture, and other alternative medical treatments. It would pay to consult an expert in reference to the legitimacy of these treatments.

Natural medicine should also be thought of as an accompanying medicine. Right now, the current collective medical thought suggests that natural medicine be used only to supplement accepted modern medical practices. In the case of minor ailments, your expert will probably advise you to take natural therapies instead.

The practice of modern medicine revolves around diagnosing an illness and prescribing treatments for them. Natural medicine is helpful because it suggests that treatment should not necessarily be given only when you’re sick. Natural medicine itself strives to make each patient practice good health habits including good diet, healthy living, and the regular natural treatments.

It is this same line of thought that leads our parents to tell us to eat our vegetables. Yes, a healthy lifestyle and will do no harm to our well-being. And this is the foundation of natural medicine whether it is a massage, herbal medicine, aromatherapy or some other form of natural medical treatment.

It’s strange but true that science, in its quest for excellence, is studying the knowledge of ages past. This, surprisingly, leads us back to the remedies nature offers. The possibilities of finding remedies to everyday illnesses in natural medicine are encouraging.

So staying in tune with studying these remedies is worthwhile until we can verify that these therapies are truly helpful to our health and our society.