Times of India
21 May 2008
Pune, India

Healthy hair is not only a sign of beauty, but is the hallmark of good overall health, says my old great–grandmother. With increasing pollution in our environment, a lot of young people, nowadays, are bothered by premature graying of hair and falling hair. Doctors often explain bad lifestyle, unhealthy diet and inadequate exercise as the cause. The phenomenon of graying hair, which is primarily associated with old age or its onset, can be accelerated due to different reasons like lack of proper care (due to neglect and excessive exposure to UV radiation of the sun) or lack of nutrition, or it may r un in the family i.e. hereditary reasons. Constant exposure to chemicals and even smoking, is said to cause graying of hair.

If your hair lacks luster and vitality (falling hair and split ends could be due to weak roots), the best way to tackle your problem would be to include nutritious vegetables and fruits that are rich in Vitamin E and Vitamin K in your diet. Vitamins are essential nutrients that are even said to stall the process of graying of hair, though there is no way that it can be totally stopped.

Apart from the diet prerequisite, a regular head massage can be a beneficial approach to revitalize your hair roots. Ordinarily, after a five–six day week, most men and especially women (working women or housewives), yearn the thought of a slick head massage in the weekend. The lucky few who have the time during the week, would like to take to it more often.

“Applying hair oil overnight is not right. The hair oil should be applied one hour before hair wash,” states Homeopath Dr. Supriya More. A head massage (especially when given by an experienced masseur) can be one of the most rejuvenating experiences. It takes your mind away from tensions, helps unwind and takes your body into a state of deep relaxation.

Most of us use commercial hair oils for a weekend head massage. “Applying a mother tincture of the homeopathic Arnica oil, with the normal hair oil you use, can show very good effects in case of hair fall,” informs Dr. More. Two or three drops of Arnica mixed in the hair oil can help control graying of hair as well. Before the tincture is mixed, the oil must be heated slightly to assure physical as well as the mental benefits of the head massage, she asserts.

The duration of the massage (when given by a professional) could last from half–an–hour to three–quarters–of–an–hour. The basic strokes in a head massage are definitely therapeutic. The masseur puts his/her fingers inside the hair and moves them in circular motion. The strokes are changed after about fifteen minutes, when by using two fingertips, feather touch pressure is applied on the partings (five to six in number made at equal distances). At the nape of the neck – a stress spot – the strokes become harder and are applied in a pulling form using the thumb and the fingers. “The back of the ear, which is often ignored, is another vital spot. When applied here – the strokes not only normalize blood circulation and relax the body, but also make hair growth better and stronger,” asserts Dr. More.

A valuable facet in the head massage is a hot towel application, informs Dr. Supriya More. It clean the pores, pulls the natural oils out and thus helps in removing the dandruff, she enlightens. The hot towel application is not cumbersome: Dip your towel in warm water before tying it on your head, ignoring the skin part. Keep it on till you feel the towel has become cold. The oil must be left on the head, during and after the hot towel application.

A professional head massage can be taken weekly or fortnightly depending on how the scalp feels after the massage therapy. If your scalp is dry–type, then the head massage can be taken more often.

The effects of a head massage are more refreshing when it is accompanied with an adequate eight–hour sleep: “This will ensure that your mind and body get adequate rest and that you get up fresh in the morning,” she advises. Finally, including vitamins in your diet as stated earlier is beneficial, but if your daily diet is non–vegeteranian, certain regulation may be essential: Decrease the use of red meat, eat fish – fish has iodine, this is good for health, eat chicken, boiled or steamed, it is good for your heart (especially chicken soup) and therefore, for general well being.

A patient taking treatment for falling hair can be prescribed a combination of massage and constitutional remedy (internal medicines), she states. Nowadays, homeopathic hair oils and shampoos are available with your local chemist under commercial brand names.

Homeopathy is a vast science. A massage is not the central point of the homeopathic treatment, as it is in say, physiotherapy, reminds Dr. More. On the other hand, homeopathy like ayurveda has long been considered as a complementary science to modern medicine. “The concepts in the complementary therapies may remain the same theoretically, but the means to tackle the problem or disease will differ,” she states. While the ancient Indian medicine, ayurveda, is based on the study of the five elements in the environment and the resulting tridoshas in the body, the underlying belief in homeopathy (its origin is traced to Germany) is: ‘Let like cure like’ (similia similibus curanter) which presumes that since no two persons are alike, a drug that cures symptoms of a disease in an unhealthy person, can show the latent symptoms of the disease in a healthy person!

Dr. Supriya More is perhaps the only homeopath who is also a practicing masseur. Says Dr. More, many working women and housewives come to me with complaints of occupational backache. Continuously sitting in front of a computer (in the contemporary office environment) or standing in the same position as in the case of say, dentists, can be the cause of harrowing pain symptoms in lumbar (lower back) or cervical (neck) areas. In such cases, a body massage prescribed along with internal medicine can provide a very effective treatment, she adds. Before the massage part of the treatment is begun, the patient is asked to get a X–ray, so the weak area can be ascertained.

Being a doctor, I know about how the muscles are located in the human body, she asserts. Dr. More uses her fingers, palm and machine (massager). A full body massage is given in a lying down position and the strokes progress from the cervical to the lumbar area and then to the extremities (hands and legs). The sessions may be prescribed weekly, fortnightly or even monthly, depending upon the recovery of the patient. To get the best benefits of the treatment, it is necessary that the sessions must be followed regularly,” she affirms.

During the therapy, it is essential that the patient’s body must remain relaxed, she stresses. “A homeopathic body massage has a double action effect – the manipulative movements combined with the medication of the homeopathic ointment (pain killer) – have been observed to provide relief from complaints of cervical spondylitis and rheumatism,” she asserts. For self help, in case of localized pain like backache or a muscle sprain, the homeopathic ointment can be rubbed in the pain areas.