Dandruff and Homeopathy

Dandruff is one of the most common of all ailments affecting the scalp. Most people suffer it sometime or other in their lives, often without even knowing it. In many cases, the condition clears up by itself. However, treatment is required for others.

Dandruff is nothing but excessive scaling of dead skin cells on the scalp. It is not serious and has no effect on your overall health. The main effect of the condition is cosmetic: the dead cells, you may feel, are a form of social embarrassment. This might lower your self-esteem!

However, in a few cases, untreated dandruff can cause premature hair loss, which is more serious.

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Symptoms

Actually, dandruff by itself is not a disease or medical condition – it is the symptom. The human body is in a constant state of renewal. That includes shedding of old skin cells and formation of new ones.

When the shedding is excessive, especially on the scalp, the visible flakes that fall on the shoulders and cover clothes is called dandruff. At times, the skin on the scalp becomes oily and/or itchy and may show signs of redness. Dandruff can take two forms – it can be chronic (long-lasting) or intermittent.

The causes

In general, the causes of dandruff fall into two categories – internal and external. The internal causes include, but are not limited to: poor overall health, hormonal imbalance, allergies, emotional stress, improper nutrition including excessive consumption of sugars, fats and starches and hereditary and genetic factors.

The external causes include: infections, climatic conditions that cause dryness of the skin, poor personal hygiene, excessive use of hair products like sprays, gels, coloring agents, curling irons etc., and excessive consumption of oily junk foods.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of dandruff is very basic and simple. The flakes are examined to ensure that they are not caused by medical conditions like psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis and fungal infections. Once these are ruled out, dandruff treatment can begin.

Treatment

Conventional medicine treats the symptom of dandruff – the flakes – rather than the cause. The most common ways in which this is done is by the use of anti-dandruff shampoos, anti-fungal shampoos and harsh chemicals to clear the dead cells from the scalp. The flakes may temporarily be removed thus, but they usually reappear.

Homeopathy, on the other hand, treats the problem in its totality: this means treating the underlying cause, which could be one or more of the ones listed above. By treating the actual cause, homeopathy offers in the long term a lasting cure.

In the short term, homeopathic medications work to slow down the excessively rapid multiplication and shedding of the skin cells; they remove the obvious visual signs of the condition. Some of the popular homeopathic medications include Thuja, Natrum muriaticum, Kali sulphuricum, Graphites, Phosphorus, Carboneum sulphuratum, Sulphur, Ammonium muriaticum, Lycopodium and Mezereum.

If dandruff adds to your stress these days, consulting with, at the earliest, an experienced homeopathic doctor will ensure the right diagnosis and the right treatment for lasting relief from the embarrassing problem.