Does acupuncture help with hair loss?

Does acupuncture help with hair loss?

An alternative medical therapy, Acupuncture saw its birth in China thousands of years ago. It has remained popular for centuries now and is used to treat a variety of ailments from back pain to headaches. Traditional Chinese medicine relates acupuncture with qi, an energy and life-giving force that flows through the human being. This is also synonymous to the idea of the yogic life-force concept, which is applied differently in ancient Indian medicine.

According to Chinese traditional sciences, you become sick, when your qi is blocked. These blockages are successfully removed with the help of acupuncture that, consequently, restores a healthy energy flow. With very fine needles the practitioner stimulates specific points on your body, during an acupuncture session. These spots align with the symptoms of the ailment that you are trying to address. While it has got a lot of credit for treatment of a variety of illnesses, research backups are available only for relief of lower back pain and probably neck pain. But studies pertaining to using acupuncture for hair loss have been rather inconclusive.

Male pattern baldness and acupuncture

There are no clinical indications that male pattern baldness can be cured with acupuncture. This is because MPB is the advent of genetic or hereditary factors other than hormonal imbalances. Withal, it is highly unlikely that acupuncture should support such conditions. In another study, though, researchers did find a small amount of evidence that acupuncture could actually have positive results compared to medicine for the treatment of alopecia areata. When the body’s immune system attacks the hair follicles, it leads to alopecia areata. While the effectiveness of acupuncture is still questionable to treat MPB, it does help augment the circulation and blood flow into the scalp. This stimulates the hair follicles and blood vessels around it, and hair loss automatically stops. For regrowth of hair though, the treatment is varied.

Hair loss in women and treatment with acupuncture

One of the most common types of hair loss in women is female pattern baldness, which is also just like the male pattern baldness, with causes lying in genetics and heredity. But the use of acupuncture for the treatment of hair loss in women is not recommended as per research. Even then, if the remedy were to be administered, a woman may or may not see hair regrowth or improvement in hair loss. The fact still remains that the scalp is stimulated and the chances of hair returning are still enhanced.

The process

Definite points on your body are identified by a certified practitioner, after which thin needles are inserted in these areas. These markings are also synchronous to the condition that you are experiencing. With needle insertion, nerve-rich areas of the body are stimulated including tissues, glands and skin. Blood circulation is improved into the ailing area, so as it does with the hair follicles, thus healing the illness.

Acupuncture does come with some minimal side effects such as a headache, bruising, soreness, minor bleeding and muscle twitching. Furthermore, there is also the risk of infection and injury if you do not approach a licensed professional.

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