Li Guangji, a registered Chinese medicine practitioner, shared a case a few days ago, referring to a 55-year-old man in Hong Kong who was suspected of losing his hair due to work stress and suffering from “alopecia areata” (ghost shaving his head), which lasted for regarding a year and sought medical treatment from a Chinese medicine practitioner. About 10 months following taking Chinese medicine orally and receiving acupuncture, the patient’s hair volume recovered 70%. Dr. Li pointed out that ghost shaving is mostly related to stress and immune disorders. He explained the symptoms of ghost shaving, and shared several ways to help hair growth.
Dr. Li pointed out that the 55-year-old man suffered from “ghost shaving” at the beginning, and the hair loss affected area was regarding the size of a $5 coin, and then gradually became larger. He also had nasal allergies. After the hair loss problem persisted for regarding a year, I began to seek medical advice from a Chinese medicine practitioner. The doctor pointed out that the patient had a “multifocal alopecia areata” problem. Due to the imbalance of the immune system, it will take time to repair, but as long as the patient is treated with patience, it will get better. After 3 months of treatment, the patient’s hair began to grow and the lesions (disease tissue) shrunk. He continued that the disease will worsen according to the trend of the disease. If the affected area of alopecia areata gets bigger and bigger, the psychological pressure will also aggravate the disease.
Dr. Li said that following the patient took Chinese medicine orally and received plum blossom acupuncture, the problem of immune disorders was improved and the condition was shortened. Because plum blossom needles can knock out wounds, improve microcirculation, and increase the speed of hair growth. After 10 months of treatment, the patient has recovered 70% of his hair, and the remaining 30% has not been treated because it is not too annoying and does not affect his life.
Definition and causes of “ghost shaving”
Dr. Li pointed out that “alopecia areata” is commonly known as “ghost shaving”, and there are different degrees of alopecia areata clinically:
·Mild symptoms: a patch of hair loss several centimeters in diameter, without inflammation and subjective symptoms (no subjective abnormal feeling).
·Severe: hair loss on the entire scalp is called “alopecia totalis”; hair loss on the whole body is called “baldness universal”.
The disease “Alopecia areata” is related to immune disorders and high stress. Genetic allergies are more prone to disease, such as eczema, asthma, urticaria. Patients with vitiligo are also more susceptible to the disease, with an incidence of 4%, compared with only 1% of the general population.
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Symptoms and recovery time
How long will it take to heal? Dr. Li said that when “alopecia areata” first appeared, it was difficult to predict when it would recover. Generally, patients with alopecia universalis and alopecia totalis take a long time, usually 2 to 3 years, or even longer. If it is the first time, it usually tends to heal on its own. If the third disease occurs, the disease is more repeated and difficult to cure.
He continued to point out that “alopecia totalis” and “alopecia universalis” have a large area and poor prognosis (the effect is not good following treatment). “Horseshoe-type alopecia areata”, which breaks through the hairline, from the forehead to the occiput, has a poor prognosis. If it is “single-focal” (a circle), the prognosis is good. Treatment of alopecia areata usually takes three months. As long as the original alopecia areata does not become larger, clinical recovery can be achieved in regarding 10 to 12 months, and the disease also has a tendency to self-recovery.
Other improvement methods
1. Adjust living and eating habits
Dr. Li pointed out that “alopecia areata” is related to emotional stress, so you should pay attention to rest and go to bed at 11 pm. Also, avoid irritating foods such as tobacco, alcohol, and peppers. If alopecia areata has tingling and itching, it is necessary to quit shrimp, crab, cow, egg and other hair products, similar to the quitting situation of eczema patients.
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2. Apply ginger
“Alopecia areata” patients do not need to make soup to drink, and can apply ginger to the affected area, but avoid allergies and blisters, and this method is not suitable for patients with other types of hair loss. Dr. Li explained that ginger contains gingerols, shogaol and other ingredients, which can help the microcirculation of blood in the head, promote scalp metabolism, activate hair follicle tissue, and stimulate new hair growth. After applying it for a month, if there is no effect, he recommends using other methods to stimulate scalp hair growth, such as hair tonic containing minoxidil, or psoralen tincture, weak laser cap.
3. Press acupoints
Dr. Li pointed out that patients can massage Yintang, Baihui, Taiyang, Hegu and Zusanli by themselves to improve blood circulation, relax scalp tension and relieve stress.
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