Natural Remedies for Reversing Gray Hair:
Nutrition and Herbs for Anti-aging and Optimum Health
by Thomas W. Xander
Copyright 2011 by Thomas W. Xander
Winter Tempest Books
Smashwords Edition
All rights reserved.
Smashwords Edition, License Statement
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy from Smashwords.com. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Table of Contents
1.
Introduction: Gray Hair is a Health Issue
2.
The Basic Anti-gray Hair Diet
3.
Detoxifying Regimen for Gray Hair Reversal
4.
Vitamins
5.
Minerals
6.
Digestive Enzymes
7.
Essential Fatty Acids
8.
Blood and Kidney Tonics
9.
Other Herbs and Foods
10.
Asian Remedies
11.
Topical Oil Treatments
12.
Natural Hair Color Enhancers (Dyes)
13.
Using Radiesthesia to Determine the Right Remedy for You
1. Introduction: Gray Hair is a Health Issue
According to conventional thought, gray hair is an inevitable part of aging, the amount of gray hair you have and when you get it is most likely related to genetics and there is no cure.
Furthermore, because allopathic medicine generally regards gray hair (achromotrichia) as a matter of vanity, except in cases where it is considered premature or associated with another recognized disease, no remedy is seriously pursued. When confronted with gray hair, the most commonly recommended solution is to use toxic hair dyes in an attempt to cover up the problem.
But, to the alternative healer, the condition of the hair reflects the overall health of the body. Gray hair is a sign that the body is not receiving proper nutrition and is under some kind of stress, which, if left unaddressed, may lead to an overall decline in health.
There are numerous possible causes for the appearance of gray hair at any time of life, however, except in cases involving more serious disease, most cases of gray hair occur because of nutritional deficiencies. Nutritional deficiency appears to be the lone cause, at times, and a catalyst for the secondary causes at other times. But, even when other factors like stress, hormones, digestive disorders and toxins are clearly factors, improper nutrition lies at the foundation of the problem.
Common Causes of Gray Hair
Alternative health recognizes stress as an emotional and physical condition that commonly precipitates the loss of melanin in hair. Also, impurities in the blood and a weakness in the kidneys may be linked with gray hair. Stress can rapidly deplete vitamins and minerals in the body, especially the B-complex vitamins. In a cyclical fashion, this depletion of nutrients can lead to further fatigue, anxiety, increased stress and hormonal imbalances.
The following is a break-down of the common causes of gray hair:
Adrenal Fatigue is caused by extreme or prolonged stress. Such chronic stress, as well as acute stress involved in life-changing events such as moving from one place to another and changes of altitude, are all known to have a tangible impact on hair health. Symptoms of adrenal fatigue may include complete and utter exhaustion along with graying, lack-luster and thinning hair. Pantothenic acid (B-5) is often lacking in these cases and certain foods, in particular, onions help restore balance.
Thyroid imbalance is frequently cited as an underlying cause of gray hair. The thyroid is a key gland responsible for hormone regulation. When it is out of balance, this is called hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism These imbalances may be brought on by stress, pregnancy, menopause and exposure to a toxic environment and may not only be implicated in gray hair, but adversely affect the body, mind and emotions. In alternative health practices, these imbalances are remedied with nutrition and extracts from dulse kelp.
Toxic burden from heavy metals can block nutrition, interfere with cell electro-conductivity and wreak havoc on all of the tissues and organs of the body. Toxins can come from contaminated food, water, air and pharmaceutical drugs. Among these toxins are heavy and soft metals, which block the proper functioning of all of the cells in the body, including those of the blood, skin, follicles and hair.
Poor circulation causes and improper flow of blood and oxygen, which deprives the cells of nutrients required for maintenance and repair. Circulation of the scalp may be increased through the use of topical remedies and ingesting increased amounts of oxygenating nutrients.
Vitiligo is a medically recognized disease that, by some estimates, affects about 3% of the population. It is characterized by patches of white skin and is most noticeable on those with darker skin tones. The melanin from skin and hair at those sites is depleted and turns them white. Vitiligo is a particular disease of which gray hair is only one symptom, however, it is included here because the remedies for vitiligo are similar to those employed for the common condition of gray hair.
Nutritional deficiencies are the underlying cause of most cases of gray hair, although which nutrients the body is deficient in vary. In cases where anemia is the underlying cause, increases of iron and Vitamin B12 may correct the problem. In cases where digestive enzymes are lacking, raw foods may supply the remedy. In other cases, nutritional deficiencies contribute to imbalances in the system, digestive disorders or a large toxic burden. Changing the diet, eliminating certain foods and including certain other foods may remedy the situation.
Aging is considered to be a cause of gray hair, which is accepted by the mainstream mindset as a fait accompli. Interestingly, besides bringing nutrition into balance, many gray hair remedies, also, have rejuvenating and anti-aging properties. So, pursuing a personal solution to the problem of gray hair often leads people to an overall improvement in appearance and the return of their youthful vigor.
Other causes frequently cited, correctly or incorrectly, in the condition of gray hair are heredity, smoking, chronic sinusitus, washing the hair with hot water, drying with an electric dryer, the use of chemical hair dyes and harsh, detergent shampoos containing sodium lauryl (or laureth) sulfate, a substance which is damaging to hair follicles.
How to Use the Information in this Book
Neither the cause nor the remedy is the same for every person with gray hair. So, to find the solution to your personal gray hair problem, you will have to do a little self-assessment. Examine your own dietary habits and determine which ones you want to include and which ones you want to eliminate.
Your body has an intelligence all its own, so listen to your intuition and to your body's cravings. Very often when the body is deficient in a particular nutrient it will crave the very foods that will help to remedy the problem. As you go through the information in this book, pay attention to those nutrients you feel you might be lacking in. Take notice if a particular remedy resonates with you and make a note of this.
As you go through the remedies, you will observe that many of them which have strong claims of hair reversal frequently have very similar nutritional properties. Typically, these are Vitamins A, B-complex, C, E and the four minerals copper, zinc, magnesium and manganese. Iodine-containing herbs and living enzymes, also, play a role in many of them.
A remarkably accurate way to let your body tell you what it needs is through the use of medical radiesthesia. More information about radiesthesia is given in the book, "Magical Healing: How to Use Your Mind to Heal Yourself and Others," by Angela Kaelin, an extract from which, along with an exercise adapted to the gray hair remedies presented herein, can be found in the last chapter of this book. This can be approached both as a fun experiment and a way to determine which nutrients or remedies to include in your personal gray hair reversal regimen.
Please, keep in mind that all of gray hair remedies take weeks and sometimes 2 or 3 months to produce noticeable results. So, commitment and patience is required along with persistence. If a remedy does not produce a good result after about 3 months, its probably the wrong remedy for you and you should try another one. You may, also, wish to employ multiple remedies at a time. Typically, a combination of diet, supplements and a topical remedy are employed together.
Abbreviation Key
T. = Tablespoon
tsp. = teaspoon
g =
gram
mg = milligrams
Conversion of Measurements
3 tsp. = 1 T.
1 tsp. = approximately 4.2 g
1 cup liquid =
approximately 220 to 240 g
1 cup non-liquid = approximately 120
to140 g
1 g = 1000 mg
1 mg = 0.001 grams
2. The Basic Anti-gray Hair Diet
Alternative healers define good health as the optimal functioning of the body and all of its organs and cells. Disease is seen as the result of an imbalance in the body. When there is a sign that something in the body is malfunctioning (such as the cessation of melanin production in hair cells), the alternative healer looks for the cause of the imbalance and tries to find a remedy to bring the body's system back into harmony.
A major cause of illness in the west is the modern diet, which is woefully deficient of nutrients and laden with toxins that weaken the body's cells and open the door to a variety of diseases.
Proper nutrition helps the body to expel toxins from the tissues and fortifies your body so that it can fight disease and aging. A healthy diet should be the foundation to which you add your anti-gray hair regimen.
Many of the following suggestions are common knowledge, but it is necessary to comment on them because no matter which gray hair remedies you decide to try, it is important to have a good basic diet at the foundation of your efforts.
What to Include
Because of the allopathic belief in Germ Theory, which is the notion that disease is caused by the spread of germs, food is sterilized by heat pasteurization, radiation or a chemical processes, which alters the food, depletes the nutritional value, destroys the healthy bacteria and enzymes required for proper digestion and renders it unhealthy and unsafe. For example, raw dairy products heal the body while pasteurized dairy products are associated with the formation of tumors, allergies, lactose intolerance and other diseases.
Therefore, whenever possible choose raw dairy, honey, fruits and vegetables instead of pasteurized and processed versions of these foods. Raw, unpasteurized foods contain living enzymes that processed foods do not. These components of living food provides cells with the nutrition they need to repair and fortify themselves.
While it is important to eat plenty of fresh, raw fruits and vegetables, the best way to obtain the most pure, rich nutrients from them is through the use of a high-quality juicer. Freshly made juices contain living enzymes necessary for digestion and to help strengthen and detoxify the cells and organs of the body.
As much as possible, eat at home and create meals from scratch. Make soups from scratch using your own homemade broth and include tissue from the bones, the marrow, joints and cartilage. Avoid processed food, frozen dinners and fast food, which is often laden with high levels of sodium chloride, excitotoxins (flavor enhancers like MSG) preservatives and other unwholesome ingredients. By contrast, eating soups from homemade broth helps provide the body with the nutrients for all of the tissues of the body including the hair follicles.
What to Avoid
Avoid artificial ingredients in fast food, processed foods and beverages, such as the following:
Artificial sweeteners such as apsartame and sucralose are linked to a variety of neurological disorders and diseases, as well as hair loss.
Aspartame is considered by some experts to be the most dangerous of all food additives, however, it is permitted in foods in the U.S. It is sold under many different names, including NutraSweet and Equal, and is found in most brands of chewing gum and a surprising number of foods, even those that contain sugar. Even if you are carefully reading labels, you may not realize that that aspartame is in the product.
Aspartame metabolizes as methanol (toxic wood alcohol) in the body and converts into formaldehyde (used in embalming), which lodges in the brain tissues. Among other things, it destroys healthy intestinal flora required for proper digestion.
Sucralose is a sugar molecule with one of the ions altered to chlorine. It is sold under the trade name Splenda and is found in a surprising number of commercially prepared products and even some public water supplies. In tests on lab rats, it caused a large reduction in the size of the thymus gland and enlargement of the liver and kidneys. The improper function of these organs may lead to gray hair.
Despite the fact that artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose may be dangerous and addictive, allopathic medical doctors commonly recommend them to their patients who suffer from diabetes as a sugar substitute. Although, there are healthier substitutes, particularly coconut sugar, which is highly nutritious and has a warm, natural taste similar to unprocessed raw sugar. According to the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) of The Philippines, coconut sugar is considered safe for diabetics because of its very low glycemic index of 35.(1)
Consuming artificial sweeteners is counterproductive to any gray hair reversal regimen because of harmful side effects and lack of nutritional value. By contrast, natural sweeteners like raw honey, raw sugar and coconut sugar all provide important nutritional support to the body.
High fructose corn syrup is another sweetener found in all kinds of beverages, particularly sodas and processed foods. It is linked to heart disease, obesity, cancer, dementia, liver failure and it contains contaminants like mercury, which is associated with hair graying and hair loss.