DOES ACUPUNCTURE STOP HAIR LOSS?
Posted by Manny Y on 6th Apr 2015
Acupuncture came from China more than 2000 years ago and has been widely practiced in other Asian countries as well. Acupuncture simply involves inserting very thin metallic needles on the skin. It’s been traditionally used to treat a wide array of ailments.
Did you know that acupuncture was also used to manage scalp problems? This included treating brittle hair and hair loss. The concept behind it was that hair loss occurs because of poor blood circulation on the scalp. It has long been believed that acupuncture removes toxicities in the blood and also stimulates circulation in the scalp. Hair loss is supposed to be controlled by repairing the damaged hair cells and strengthening the follicles by stimulating specific points in the scalp.
Although acupuncture was shown to increase scalp circulation, there haven’t been any studies done to prove that is really provide hair growth. It is believed that acupuncture is suppose to increase the “qi” or “chi” of the scalp thus preventing baldness. There are really no harmful side effects associated with this traditional treatment and although it is yet to be proven to regrow hair, it can be used in conjunction with other hair growth treatment procedures.
Studies have shown that the major cause of hair loss is due to Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) . DHT blocks the absorption of nourishment to the hair follicles. This then forces the follicles to go to the resting stage of the hair growth cycle. Because of DHT in the scalp, the hair follicles also shrink, thus you find your hair getting finer and weaker, then eventually you will notice excessive hair fall.
To stop the effects of DHT, better use a local DHT blocker that acts on the scalp only rather than oral medications that block DHT altogether. The downside of these oral DHT blockers is that also cause decreased sex drive – bad news for men.
A local DHT inhibitor is Nisim Biofactors – Shampoo, Conditioner and Extract system that works to block DHT at the scalp to stop excessive hair loss and regrow hair. These are herbal based and nutrient rich hair loss solutions that you can use safely for years without any side effects.
Acupuncture for hair loss? Why not? But since hair loss is mainly caused by DHT, it is best to block DHT on the scalp and then stimulate circulation with acupuncture.