Hair loss affects men and women of all ages and has a variety of causes. If you are losing your hair, the first thing to do is determine its cause. For men, the obvious starting point is male pattern baldness, but unless family history leads you to this conclusion, it is worthwhile having a health check to see if there are any other causes. Adversely, if you are female and losing your hair, check your family history for female pattern baldness as well as getting a health check.

Unfortunately, modern Western diets do not help when it comes to hair loss. The prevalence of processed foods has given us a diet low in vitamins, causing vitamin-deficiency led hair loss. A diet that is high in fat, salt and animal protein is thought by some nutritionists to promote hair loss by increasing the acidity in the blood. Under-eating, whether it’s due to haphazard eating habits or conditions like anorexia and bulimia, also can cause hair loss due to the upset of hormones and lack of nutrition.

Diet is not the only other cause of hair loss. Stress can cause your hair to fall out. Hormones can cause hair loss, and pregnant, menopausal and post-partum women frequently experience a short period of hair loss. Two more causes are zinc deficiency or vitamin A overload – these are both serious medical problems which also affect the skin and nails (if you suspect you are suffering from these, consult your doctor). Gastrointestinal problems can also cause hair loss.

So, you know the source of your problem: what’s the remedy? Often, a simple change in diet can reduce hair loss, and maintaining a very healthy diet can slow down or stop hair loss. Start by cutting down on fats, salt and sugar – find the appropriate RDI and monitor what you eat so that you stay below it each day. Increase your intake of fresh fruit and vegetables (at least five portions a day – processed fruit and vegetables aren’t as good for you, but still better than none at all if you can’t afford five serves of fresh). An increase in vitamin E intake (both internally and externally), using shampoos with Golden Maidenhair or red sage extracts, and turmeric, horsetail and oat straw can all help.

If you have the male or female pattern baldness gene in your system, you will have to come to terms with the eventual loss of some or most of your hair. This can be devastating to your self-esteem if you let it, so it is important for you to pursue support for your soul as well as for your body. There is no doubt that losing your hair can be a heartbreaking (and ego damaging) event, but the way in which you cope with the situation will provide more of a remedy than a medicine ever can.

For those suffering pattern baldness in particular, shaving your head is a graceful option that often improves your appearance remarkably. One particularly heartening piece of advice on this subject comes from Mike Adams, Natural News Editor at NaturalNews.com: “Without any hair on your head at all, people won’t be able to guess how old or young you might be, so they’ll have to look at other things, such as your skin tone, the amount of body fat on your body, your muscle tone, the way you move yourself, your posture, how much energy you appear to have, and so on. These are the things that you can change, so if you want to appear younger, and you’re really concerned about your cosmetics, that’s one way to do it.”*

*Source: naturalnews.com Please be aware that this link provides more moral support than actual advice on using nutrition to help hair loss.