Alternative Medicine For Hair Loss (Balding)

The idea that a person might be able to use alternative medicine for hair loss is an appealing idea. After all most of us love the idea of a natural solution. But is there any evidence suggesting that alternative medicine for hair loss might actually work and more importantly will it work for me? To better understand whether or not alternative medicine for hair loss could be a viable alternative to reverse balding first we must look at the process.

Every day on your scalp there a silent battle brewing between hair loss and hair replacement with approximately 100 hairs being lost and replaced. Generally, this struggle goes unnoticed due to the large number of scalp hairs, approximately 100,000. That is unless the number of hairs lost accelerates dramatically or the hair replacement cycle is interrupted or a combination of the two.

There are a myriad of causes for the hair replacement cycle to become unbalanced including genetics, hormones, surgery, stress, severe anxiety, disease, chemotherapy drugs, pregnancy, blood pressure medication, hormones, autoimmune disorders, crash diets or malnutrition.

While alternative remedies for balding such as topical jojoba oil, almond oil, wheat germ oil, pumpkin seed oil, and henna extract are excellent scalp conditioners and may even stimulate hair growth they will not be able to slow or reverse the most common cause of balding, androgenetic alopecia.

Some experts suggest that androgenetic alopecia is responsible for north of eight out of ten cases of hair loss. It is a stubborn hormone driven condition with a genetic backdrop. It is estimated that by age 45 at least half of all men and a quarter of all women will have some degree of androgenetic balding.

Are there any natural ingredients that can slow or reverse this condition?

Research studies seem to prove that saw palmetto may be the most effective, closely followed by nettle root extract. Saw palmetto works by inhibiting the enzyme 5 alpha reductase type 2 from converting testosterone in the much stronger dihydrotestosterone or DHT. Over time if excessive amounts of DHT are allowed to bind to hair follicles it causes hair follicles to become fragile, shorter and generally unhealthy in appearance. It also interrupts the hair replacement cycle. More research need to done on nettle root extract but most anecdotal evidence suggests that it works in a similar way.

What next? It is safe to say that alternative medicine for hair loss can be an effective way to address balding. Your next step is to search the internet for a hair regrowth product containing saw palmetto and nettle to block harmful hormones as well as other natural hair growth stimulating ingredients such as pumpkin seed extract and biotin. Everyday that goes by more hair is lost; therefore swift action is vital to a successful outcome.

R.D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic advocate of alternative natural health products and supplements with over 10 years experience. To learn more about natural remedies for better health visit Purchase Remedies.com