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Posts Tagged ‘loss’

Hair loss is something that happens to us. Be it a side effect of chemotherapy, a thyroid disorder, a hormone imbalance, or our immune system’s decision to attack our hair follicles, hair loss happens outside of our control. What about hair pulling?

I’m talking about trichotillomania (trich for short), an impulse disorder in which affected people develop an uncontrollable habit of pulling out the hair from their scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, pubic area, underarms, beard, chest, legs, arms…. You name it. If it’s a body part with hair, it’s game for hair pulling. So why don’t they just stop pulling? Surely this is one cause of hair loss that doesn’t just happen to us. Clearly we have a choice, right?

Have you ever known a serious nail biter? I’m talking about the biter whose nails have been bitten down so short that their fingers are raw, red and inflamed? And yet there they are, biting away at the slight sliver of nail that remains. They are often embarrassed by the way their embattled nails look but just can’t stop.

It’s finally cooling down here in the sunshine state, to the point that those early morning runs feel good – still sweaty, but not gasping. Thank goodness. I need all the inspiration I can get to stick with it sometimes. It’s all about getting past that energetic ditch, but hair loss is one of those factors that can make getting over that ditch akin to getting out of neck-deep quicksand. Even if we do get out, we’re way too exhausted to think about going for a run.

After years of coaching tennis, competing in marathons, semi-pro golfing, and maintaining a solid swim schedule, my life as a fit and active woman was completely derailed by Alopecia Universalis – an autoimmune disease that caused my hair to fall out. I was suddenly bald and I was devastated, depressed and just wanted to hide. On the rare occasion I emerged from my closet, I hid my condition under a wig. Exercise had always been the one emotional pickup I could count on through thick or thin. I was (and am) an exercise endorphin junky, but once I lost my hair, my exercise rhythm came to a fast halt. This is Florida, where running, swimming, and playing tennis in a hot, scratchy wig is about as inspiring as struggling my way out of neck-deep quicksand before my morning run. Once I lost my hair, my running shoes, my tennis rackets, the golf clubs and my swimsuit all started collecting dust.

Hair loss is a major side effect of the stressful life we all lead these days. First of all, we should appreciate the fact that enhancing your body’s overall health will automatically strengthen and thicken your hair.

Jogging or aerobics is known to be very effective in preventing hair loss and thus thickening hair. Jogging outdoors three to four times a week is ideal for a healthy body and soul. Outdoor jogging is the best due to the fresh air you breathe in. Aerobics focuses on increasing blood circulation which helps a lot in hair growth and re-growth.

Niacin is a naturally occurring vitamin in the human body, which promotes blood circulation towards the edges of the body, including your scalp. This powerful vitamin creates a flush effect in the body thus forcing blood to enter the capillaries present in the skin and scalp, which gives you a warm feeling. This increased blood circulation is the key to re-grow and thicken hair. Niacin also detoxifies your scalp from plaque that has been accumulated in the capillaries. This allows liberal blood circulation to your skin and scalp, which helps thicken hair.