Hair loss, fighting the big O on your head
The
truth is for men and even women this problem is all too real. Did you
know that over 1 BILLION dollars were spent last year in attempts at
purchasing a valid hair loss solution? The sad part is that almost 90
percent of products on the market are plain and simple junk. Yes, most
of those late night infomercials promising a full head of hair in a week
are phony baloney. I've heard of people going to extremes, but how
about putting chia pet solution on your head to grow hair, yikes!
Causes and myths
This
has been the topic of debate for a long time. Scientifically they have
found that hair loss is a problem correlated to a hormone imbalance in
the body. The scientific term is "Androgenic Alopecia" and pretty much
what happen is your hair follicles become sensitive to the "andro
hormone" and stops producing the fibers over time. Now for years you
have heard myths why your hair falls out, and reasons why it will.
Wearing a baseball cap is one I have heard for years from my mother and
other people in my life. Others I have heard are wearing a pony tail,
excessive sweat or stress, nutrient deficiency, and the wildest one is
not sleeping on the right side of the bed. I mean how the heck does not
sleeping on the right side of the bed have anything to do with your hair
loss. I have heard of some crazy myths for getting your hair back as
well. The wildest one would have to be taking a piece of your hair that
has fallen and putting it in vinegar and placing it under the moon
light. Now I am not knocking anyone's beliefs, but what the world does
your hair in vinegar in the moonlight going to do for your head?
Solutions
There
are 2 solutions when confronting this evil problem. One is addressing
the hormonal sensitivity and 2 is treatments that stimulate growth.
Anything else is irrelevant to the cause and will not work. That means
most things on the market are pure and utter nonsense. So when looking
for a new treatment for your hair it should do 2 things
1. Promote new growth
2. Strengthen existing hair and follicles
Lets
face it, if you have a slick head with NO hair follicles growing out of
it, chances are MOST conventional methods will not do anything for you
at all. Your best bet may be a hair transplant or a toupee. But
honestly, who wants to wear one of them ridiculous looking hair pieces, I
know I wouldn't! There are a few products on the market you can get
through a doctor.
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1. Propecia- 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors helps stimulate the folicles and create new hair growth
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2. Inasteride- is the generic name for the brand name drugs Proscar and Propecia.
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3. Finasteride- was originally developed a drug to treat enlarged
prostate glands. But something crazy happened and one of the side
effects was hair growth.
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4. Minoxidil (loniten)- Another medication that was used to treat high blood pressure but was found to stimulate hair growth.
Other treatments that do not have to do with prescription drugs and lotions and potions are as follows.
-
Caffeine- The increase in caffeine has been shown to increase the
hormone and make your follicles more receptive to growth. Although to
much caffeine is certainly not good, a little can help you out
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· Working out- To keep your hormones in balance, it is imperative that
you work out, and work out hard. The increase in blood flow stimulates
the hormones thus further eliminating hair loss and slowing down its
effects.
SIDE EFFECTS of prescription drugs
With
any prescription drug you have to be careful with the harmful side
effects. I won't go into detail about all of the effects, but only give
you a few to open your eyes. Be sure to read up on anything that you get
for your hair loss prevention. You may be adding insult to injury by
trying to add new hair growth.
Side effects
Propecia - Low libido, impotence, erectile dysfunction... Just a few of the side effects.
Inasteride- The same as Propecia, sexual problems like Erectile dysfunction, low libido, impotence, liver problem among other problems.
Finasteride- Similar effects to Propecia and Inasteride
Minoxidil (loniten)-
Side effects range from, rashes, shedding, dry scalp, and the most
common is HAIR LOSS! So why even take it IN THE FIRST PLACE?
These
are just a FEW of the side effects of these hair loss drugs. Now think
of all the others on the market and think of the multitudes of problems
each one brings with it.
So what are my solutions? The all natural Alternative
Well,
you can either go with a doctor prescribed solution and risk the side
effects or you can go an all natural route. There are many herbs and
oils that can help out. All of these have been shown to promote hair
growth and strengthen existing hair. Just to a name a few off, Saw
Palmetto, He Shou Wu, Horse tail extract, Gotu Kola and Sandalwood. Now
they can be a bit expensive if your going to buy them one by one, but
they could very well help you out.