How to Prevent Hair Loss

Hair is a reflection of inner health — feed it well

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Most of us can tolerate all sorts of low-level maladies, aches and pains. We see them as part of the human condition. But watching your crowning glory slide down the drain can be utterly devastating. You’ll do whatever it takes to stop it.

Your scalp holds approximately 100,000 hair follicles. Hair goes through natural cycles of growth, rest, and falling out. A little hair loss when your wash or brush is normal: on average, people lose 50–100 hairs a day. When loss clearly exceeds that amount, for longer than a few weeks, it’s time to start paying attention.

There are different types of hair loss, generally known as alopecia. The main ones are:

1. Androgenic alopecia or hereditary hair loss. This is the most common type and is also known as male or female pattern hair loss. If you’ve got the gene for this — and a lot of people do — there’s not much, diet-wise, you can do about it. A receding hairline, thinning, and a bald patch are signs of this form of alopecia.
2. Alopecia areata. This is an autoimmune disease; the immune system attacks the hair follicles and causes hair to fall out. ‘Areata’ means patchy, and this form of alopecia can occur anywhere on the body. Although there is no cure, hair can sponatneously grow…