Acupuncture For Hair Loss Treatment

Hair loss affects millions of people, but it can be an extremely traumatic experience for women and men of all ages. This feeling is particularly troublesome for younger men with few of their peers experiencing the same issue. Men use hair creams, shave their heads, or just accept hair loss and proceed. Individuals who only hear of those options lose out on the chance to recover the self-confidence of a full head of thick hair. Chinese medicine could be a viable option, especially for those experiencing hair loss due to stress and nutrient deficiencies.

Before you can effectively reverse your hair loss problem, you will want to ascertain what caused your condition in the first location. Although male pattern baldness is, to some degree, genetic, an assortment of other factors may also come into play. When the underlying causes resolve, the issues often go away on their own.

Nutritional deficiencies are a massive contributor to baldness, particularly for people who rarely consume B vitamins. Stress is also closely linked to the amount and quality of your hair. Alopecia and trichotillomania are closely related to depression and anxiety, but even those not diagnosed with particular conditions may experience balding or graying during times of significant stress.

Several different Chinese herbs may be used to tackle the causes of underlying hair loss. Often known as he shou wu, fo-ti is a leading Eastern baldness treatment with a long history of success. Additionally, ligustrum lucidum may be used to improve blood flow, even though it primarily functions as a preventative measure.

Acupuncture is another complementary therapy that can result in a possible reversal in baldness. It’s most effective, but when used together with herbal treatment and massage therapy. Like Chinese herbs, the objective of acupuncture for baldness is to correct imbalances or disharmonies that underlie changes in hair color and amount. These imbalances differ significantly from one person to another, so specific information regarding each customer’s current physical and psychological health may prove necessary.

Acupuncture is very effective for those suffering from alopecia as a result of hormonal imbalance. This treatment is particularly right for women with too many male hormones. A Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine study found that girls who received daily acupuncture for six months showed similar improvements in hormone levels to those who took the medication metformin three times daily.

Hair loss can lead to a massive blow to your self-confidence, but luckily, it does not need to be permanent. Not only are you able to overcome baldness, you can help others do so also. If you are passionate about assisting others in keeping a healthy, more balanced way of life, find out more about becoming a student in one of PCOM’s massage therapy, acupuncture, or holistic nursing programs.

Acupuncture produces higher positive individual outcomes than Drug treatment for patients with alopecia areata. Specialized acupuncture needle protocols provide superior patient outcomes over conventional acupuncture with herbs. The inclusion of Qi Xing acupuncture to filiform ginseng and herbs significantly increases baldness. Filiform acupuncture used in conjunction with Mei Hua acupuncture produces superior patient outcomes than topical minoxidil together with oral multivitamins. Two significant studies done reveal exciting conclusions. One was on generalized hair, and another one was on circular patchy hair loss. [Ref: https://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/1643-acupuncture-combats-baldness-outperforms-drug-therapy]

People with alopecia (baldness). A protocolized evaluation by Lin et al. In the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine determined that administering acupuncture with the Qi Xing (seven-star) needle increases the rate of favorable patient outcomes. But, adding the Qi Xing needle protocol improved the overall effective rate to 90.9%. The results were quantified at the conclusion of the complete treatment program. The researchers say that the use of herbs and acupuncture “can effectively control hair loss and encourage hair growth.”

The inclusion criteria for this study included the Traditional Chinese Medicinal (TCM) differential diagnostic routine differentiation of spleen and gut damp-heat. In TCM, heat and dampness can lead to obstruction of meridians. Because of this, alopecia patients with warmth and dampness from the spleen and gut typically have blocked meridians. This blockage hastens qi and blood flow to the head, resulting in hair follicle malnourishment and poor delivery of crucial nutrients and energy to the hair. Alopecia treatment in TCM focuses on draining the meridians and enhancing qi and blood flow.

Needle acupuncture excites neurohumoral and endocrine system reactions, thereby initiating recovery of sebaceous gland functioning, which is essential for hair health. Also, the researchers cite the study demonstrating that skin temperature is related to local blood flow. According to that information, skin temperature was working as a marker to measure blood flow adjustments to the scalp surface. The Qi Xing acupuncture procedure caused a 2.62 ℃ increase in scalp temperature.

A total of 65 patients with alopecia because of damp-heat in the spleen and stomach were analyzed. They were divided randomly into two groups: treatment group, control group (33 patients in the treatment group, 32 patients in the control group). The control group received standard acupuncture treatment and Traditional Chinese herbal medicine. On the other hand, the treatment group received the same procedures but also included Qi Xing needle acupuncture.

Qi Xing needle acupuncture has been applied to localized areas only where there was the hair loss. The Kou Ci or tapping technique was used with constant and even pressure. The power of tapping was adjusted according to individual skin conditions. Tapping lasted until the treated area was clearly flushed with no external bleeding. The Shengfa acupoints on either side of the mind were tapped 18 times. The Shengfa acupoints are located along the right path between Fengfu (GV16) and Fengchi (GB20). Treatment was conducted twice weekly by an acupuncturist and self-administered by patients once weekly. One complete treatment course was comprised of 12 weeks of patient care. For standard filiform acupuncture, the Key acupoints were the following:

Additional acupoints were chosen based on individual symptoms. For excess scalp oiliness, the following point was added:

For large-scale baldness, the following point was added: Ashi

Needles were manipulated using for scalp acupoints based upon the acupoint selected. Needles were manipulated until the individual reported that a deqi sensation. A needle retention period of 15 minutes has been observed. The traditional herbal decoction contained the following ingredients:

Wu Zhu Yu (2 gram )

The components were brewed in 400 ml of water. The Consequent herbal decoction was consumed in warm temperature in two portions every day, 1 hour after breakfast and dinner, respectively. Treatments were administered daily for 12 weeks. During the treatment period, patients were advised to stick to a bland diet and to prevent hot and other foods that were aerated. Treatment efficacy was assessed based on the TCM Clinical Research Guidelines by the Ministry of Health of the People’s Republic of China. There were four tiers of efficiency:

Retrieval: Shedding of hair stopped. 

Significantly effective: Growing of hair stopped; ≥70% hair regrowth.

Effective: Growing of hair stopped; 30% — 69% hair regrowth.

Ineffective: Growing of hair stays; less than 30% hair regrowth.

The study of Lin et al. suggests that adding Qi Xing Acupuncture to regular acupuncture and herbal medicine treatments produce higher positive individual outcomes for individuals with alopecia in cases of spleen and gut damp-heat. The accession of this Qi Xing or seven-star needle protocol produced a 90.9% effective outcome rate. Acupuncture and herbs without the Qi Xing protocol attained an 84.4% total effective rate.

Research produced by Xu in the Guangdong Second Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine comprises similar findings noting that “acupuncture therapy for alopecia areata has an obvious curative effect.” Alopecia areata is a medical term for hair loss that happens in round patches. From the study, acupuncture antipsychotic medication therapy consisted of topical minoxidil and oral multivitamins. Minoxidil (trade name Rogaine®) is used orally for treating hypertension and topically for promoting hair growth. The acupuncture protocol utilized in the study had a higher effective rate and lower relapse rate than minoxidil and multivitamins. Xu remarks that acupuncture”significantly enhances the immunological indices in patients, which is probably one of the therapeutic mechanisms.”

Scalp acupoints

Alopecia patients who received acupuncture treatment achieved A 90% complete effective rate, whereas patients who received drug treatment (minoxidil and multivitamins) achieved a 60% total effective rate. Moreover, three months following the completion of remedies, the acupuncture group reported only three instances of relapse (10% relapse rate), and the drug treatment group reported 11 cases (36.67% relapse rate).

With this study, 60 subjects with alopecia areata were equally And randomly divided into two groups: treatment group, control group. The treatment group failed localized Mei Hua (plum blossom) needle acupuncture and filiform needle acupuncture. The control group received minoxidil and multivitamins.

Mei Hua needle acupuncture has been applied to the balding areas of the scalp. The individual assumed a seated or supine position. Subsequently, the acupuncturist implemented the tapping technique in a replicated and fast succession, starting from the edge of the affected region and moving towards the middle in a circular clockwise way. The treatment lasted for 2 — 3 minutes before localized flushing, and minor bleeding was observed. Treatment was conducted every other day. For filiform needle acupuncture, acupoints were chosen according to individual symptoms. For blood heat and excess end, the Xie needle manipulation technique was used on the acupoints Quchi (LI11), Xuehai (SP10), and Fengchi (GB20).

The Bu manipulation technique was used for a weak liver and kidney on the next acupuncture points Taixi (KD3), Mingmen (GV4), Shenshu (BL23) & Ganshu (BL18).

For weak qi and blood flow, the Bu manipulation Technique was used on the subsequent acupoints Xuehai (SP10), Zusanli (ST36) & Qihai (CV6)

For reduced blood flow, the Xie manipulation technique was used on the subsequent acupoints:

Geshu (BL17)

Taichong (LV3)

Xuehai (SP10)

Once skin disinfection, 1.5-inch disposable stainless steel Filiform acupuncture needles were each inserted into the preceding acupoints per diagnostic parameter. A 20 minutes needle retention time was detected. Treatment was conducted once every day for 30 consecutive days to complete one whole treatment program. The medications for the management group included the following and were administered for 30 consecutive days:

Topical application of 5 percent minoxidil tincture (1 tsp ) on affected Scalp areas, twice every day.

Orally administered multivitamin formula.

The Entire treatment effective rate was assessed according to the Chinese Medicine Clinical Research Guidelines, and categorized into four tiers: retrieval, significantly successful, effective, and inefficient. A follow-up was done three weeks after therapy completion to document cases of relapse (defined as the reoccurrence of alopecia areata from the original scalp region or baldness in the surrounding scalp).

The acupuncture treatment team responded with a considerably higher Overall treatment effective rate and lower relapse rate compared to a drug therapy group. Acupuncture generated a 90% total effective rate, whereas drug treatment (minoxidil and multivitamins) had a 60% overall effective rate. These research studies provide the measured success of acupuncture for treating alopecia. The results clearly show that acupuncture is an effective process of restoring hair health.