Combating Hair Loss With Natural Alternatives
♫ Thursday, April 17th, 2008Most of us spend a great deal of time and money maintaining our hair, as a full head of hair has always been an expression of beauty, youthfulness, sensuality, and vitality in women and men. Throughout the world, healthy hair is an important part of self-expression and self-esteem in many cultures.When one’s hair begins thinning, it is a devastating experience for both sexes. While it is more noticeable in men, women also suffer from thinning and balding. The possibilities for losing hair are endless but the majority of cases can be contributed to hormonal/genetic, medical, environmental, and personal care. Hair loss is a tragedy most profoundly felt by patients who are undergoing chemotherapy as they are warned of the inevitable side effect of partial or total loss of hair within the first ten to fourteen days of treatment.
The type and strength of the drugs used in chemotherapy will determine the degree to which hair loss will occur. Alopecia (hair loss) is the most physically and psychologically distressing side effect of chemotherapy. The stress and depression that are caused by the loss of hair contributes to a further suppression of the immune system. The only treatments that are recommended to prevent hair loss were scalp ice packs or scalp tourniquets, but have been, unfortunately, failures. As people are left with no protection against hair loss, their only comfort is the promise that hair will re-grow after chemotherapy treatment is complete.