Premature Grey Hair – Ayurvedic Treatment, Diet, Exercises, Research Papers, Yoga & Pranayama

Introduction

            Hair and its colour, texture and style is an important part of a person’s looks. Regardless of age or sex, everyone wants beautiful hair that adds to their personality. Hair styling is an expensive section in the highly prestigious cosmetic industry. Though people around the world are blessed with a number of natural hair colours from blonde to brown, almost everyone wants to look attractive with natural hair colour. In younger generation, there is a trend of hair colouring and the choices go wild like blue, green, orange, golden and what not. A young person with a full head of brown, black, red, or blonde hair may notice thinning in certain areas of head, or change in hair colour as he turns older. In most of the cases, the hair turns grey or white. It is common that the colour of the hair changes as the person gets older. Hair follicles, small sacs that line skin cells have pigment cells known as melanin. These cells give the hair its colour. But over time, hair follicles can lose pigment, resulting in white hair.

            When this happens in young people or kids, it is known as premature grey hair. A lot of reasons are considered behind this phenomenon. Some cases are got better by treatment but some are not.

Signs & symptoms

            Hair colour changing from normal to grey or white in young people.

Causes

1.Genetics or family history of premature greying of hair

2. Stress

3. sleep problems

4. Anxiety

5. Autoimmune diseases like vitiligo, alopecia etc.

6. Thyroid disorders

7. Vitamin B-12 deficiency

8. Smoking

Pathophysiology

Reduction in melanogenically active melanocytes in the hair bulb of gray anagen hair follicles with resultant pigment loss is central to the pathogenesis of graying. Defective melanosomal transfers to cortical keratinocytes and melanin incontinence due to melanocyte degeneration are also believed to contribute to this.

Diagnosis

Physical examination

Treatments

Greying of hair follicles can not be reversed or prevented. Only delaying can be done if it is due to some other health conditions or medications. No therapy is beneficial if the condition is genetic. Hair dyes remain the main modality of the treatment for cosmetic concerns after nutritional supplementation

Prognosis

Considering the inability of white hairs to get reversed into normal hair colour, the condition has got a very bad prognosis. But hair colouring methods are successful in the cosmetic aspect.

Complications

Apart from the cosmetic issue and the mental stress caused by it, premature white hair leads to almost no complications, unless caused by any serious underlying health conditions.

Disease & Ayurveda

Premature greying of hair is given the name Palitha/paalithya in ayurveda

Nidana

        Soka    – Grief

            Srama  – exertion

            Krodha            – Anger

All those factors causing the vitiation & aggression of Pitta can lead to Palitha

 Purvaaroopa

        Not mentioned

Samprapti

        Due to the causative factors, the increased body temperature gets mixed up with the doshas, travels and reaches the head and causes Pachana(heating up) of hair  causing greying.

Lakshana

        Greying of hair

In some cases, associated signs like, dryness of hair, brittle hair, rough hair, hairfall etc. will be present.

Divisions

            Not mentioned

Prognosis

            Yapya

Chikithsa

Ayurvedic treatment of premature grey hair is primarily balancing the deranged Pitta. It starts with cleansing the whole body internally, mainly the gastrointestinal tract. Being the similar dhatu of Pitta, rakta also should be considered cleaning up, especially locally on the skin of scalp.

Samana

Lepanam with Rookshana dravyas

Swedanam

Abhyanga on face & head

Sodhana

Nasya with Anutailam

Commonly used medicines

        Aamalaki choornam

            Drakshadi kashayam

            Neelyaadi tailam

            Maayooraghrutam

            Neelibhringadi tailam

            Rasnadi choornam

        Brands available

AVS Kottakal

AVP Coimbatore

SNA oushadhasala

Vaidyaratnam oushadhasala

Home remedies

There are a lot of natural dying agents that work to add temporary hair colour including:

  1. Black Tea
  2. Henna + indigo treatment
  3. Coconut Oil and Lemon
  4. Coconut Oil and Curry Leaves
  5. Henna Catechu
  6. Henna, Shikakai, and Soap Nut

Diet

  • To be avoided

Heavy meals and difficult to digest foods – cause indigestion.

Junk foods- cause disturbance in digestion and reduces the bioavailability of the medicine

Carbonated drinks – makes the stomach more acidic and disturbed digestion

Refrigerated and frozen foods – causes weak and sluggish digestion by weakening Agni (digestive fire)

Milk and milk products – increase kapha, cause obstruction in channels and obesity

Curd – causes vidaaha and thereby many other diseases

  • To be added

Light meals and easily digestible foods

Green gram, soups, sesame oil, gooseberry, fresh fruits & vegetables, honey

Freshly cooked and warm food processed with cumin seeds, ginger, black pepper, ajwain etc

Behaviour:

Protect yourself from hot climate.

Better to avoid exposure to excessive sunlight wind rain or dust.

Maintain a regular food and sleep schedule.

Avoid holding or forcing the urges like urine, faeces, cough, sneeze etc.

Avoid sedentary lifestyle.

Yoga

Regular stretching and mild cardio exercises are advised. Also, specific yogacharya including naadisuddhi pranayama, bhujangaasana, pavanamuktasana is recommended.

Regular exercise helps improve bioavailability of the medicine and food ingested and leads to positive health.

 Yoga can maintain harmony within the body and with the surrounding system.

Yoga for premature grey/white hair

Pavanamuktasana

Nadisudhi pranayama

Bhujangasana

Simple exercises for lungs and heart health

All the exercises and physical exertions must be decided and done under the supervision of a medical expert only.

Research articles

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6290285/

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration, United States. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Please consult your GP before the intake.

Dr. Rajesh Nair, CEO, Ayurvedaforall

Writer:
Dr. Rajesh Nair, the co-founder and chief consultant of Ayurvedaforall.Com, is a graduate of prestigious Vaidyaratnam Ayurveda College (affiliated with the University of Calicut), Kerala, India. Additionally, he holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Yoga Therapy from Annamalai University.

Dr. Nair offers consultation at two busy clinics in and around Haripad, Alleppey, Kerala, the southern state famous worldwide for authentic ayurvedic treatment and physicians. While offering consultation on all aspects of ayurvedic treatments Dr. Nair has a special interest in Panchkarma, Yoga, and Massage.

Through Ayurvedaforall Dr. Nair offers online consultation to patients worldwide and has served hundreds of patients over the last 20 years. In addition to his Ayurvedic practice, he is the chief editor of ayurveda-amai.org, the online portal of Ayurveda Medical Association of India, and the state committee member of Ayurveda Medical Association of India.

Dr. Nair is a regular speaker at Ayurveda-related conferences and has visited Germany to propagate Ayurveda. You can write directly to him-
rajesh@ayurvedaforall.com

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