Helping Women Avoid Hair Loss By Dr Blossom Kunnel 08/17/2007

As we age, our bodies change. For some women, these changes include hair loss and/or hair thinning. However, as technology and medical science continue to progress, more and more innovative alternatives have been developed. I have had many successful results treating women with this condition.

Hair thinning and hair loss is an ever-growing concern affecting aging women from all ethnic backgrounds. It is estimated that at least 21 million women in the United States suffer from hair thinning or loss. Thinning most often starts around the forehead and the crown of the scalp - a condition that generally develops as women approach the age of 40. While approximately 13 percent of women experience hair thinning before menopause, that percentage reportedly increases to 37 percent after entering menopause.

Though it is believed that hair loss is a caused by genetics, stress and poor diet, the most common cause of hair loss is brought on by declining estrogen levels. This is indeed common as women age. The steroid hormone responsible for hair loss is a derivative of testosterone called dihydroxytestosterone or DHT.

Once a woman enters menopause, her estrogen levels will decline. With this, more testosterone is bio-available. It is converted to DHT in the root bulb and stem cell regions. This will result in a shorter hair-growth cycle, which will unavoidably lead to finer hair and hair shedding.

However, hair shedding and thinning can be stopped and healthy re-growth can occur when the hormones are balanced.

This is the solution for hair loss in women. In my practice, I have seen countless numbers of women dramatically reduce hair loss and profoundly improve hair growth using my two-step approach:

Have your estrogen levels checked by an anti-aging physician who specializes in bio-identical hormone replacement. If your estrogen levels are low, replace them with bio-identical estrogens and progesterone. Progesterone is important — one should NEVER take unopposed estrogen by itself.
Have your DHT levels measured. If your DHT levels are high, start a regimen of saw palmetto. Saw palmetto is an inhibitor of the enzyme 5 alpha reductase, which converts testosterone into DHT.
[Ed. note: Dr. Blossom Kunnel is an expert in integrative medicine specializing in women's health, hormone replacement, diabetes and hypertension, and is an avid researcher in Ayurvedic medicine and western integration.]
This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise’s Total Health Breakthroughs which offers alternative health solutions for mind, body and soul.