Let's clear up some confusion and try to notch down some panic about this kind of a look in mirror.

About Hair ========== Healthy hair simply looks good. The healthier your scalp and hair follicles, better your hair will look. If you're starting to experience some hair loss and a general decline in overall health of your hair and scalp, it has probably been deteriorating for a while, and you're only now seeing effects.

Hair grows in a cycle of three phases. Each individual hair is in a growth phase (anagen phase) for 2-6 years, before it enters a transition phase (catagen phase) for 1-2 weeks, and then a resting phase (telogen phase) for 5-6 weeks. After that, hair dies and falls out. Then follicle returns to growth phase, and a new hair begins to grow.

In normal, healthy adults, approximate percentages of hairs in these three different phases are:

· 84% in growth (anagen) phase · 0-1% in transition (catagen) phase · 14-15% in resting (telogen) phase

Returning your hair follicles to anagen growth cycle is objective of any plan to regrow healthier hair.

DHT Effects On Hair Follicle ================================ The medical term for hair loss is alopecia. This is defined as a state where 20% or more of a person's hairs are in telogen (resting) phase.

In cases of alopecia, hair growth cycle has been altered so that anagen (growth) phase is shortened. This results in an increased percentage of hairs in catagen and telogen phases.

The enzyme conversion of testosterone creates a compound called Di-Hydro Testosterone (DHT). The effect of DHT on hair follicles and oil glands of scalp can be detrimental to anagen phase that you want to lengthen.

In areas of hair thinning or loss, follicles have more sites to which DHT can attach, and more DHT at those sites. This buildup of DHT near follicles can shorten their growth phase and increase numbers of hairs in transition and resting phases. A continuation in this buildup of DHT will actually shrink hair follicles, which causes their hairs to become thinner, weaker, and look less healthy.

Reality Check: No product known today will grow a hair without a viable hair follicle. Only a healthy hair follicle can grow a hair.

A healthy hair follicle can resist negative effects of DHT buildup and continue in a normal growth cycle longer than an unhealthy one can. Hair care products that seek to lessen DHT work by binding to same sites on hair follicle to which DHT attaches. This blocks abnormal response of follicle to DHT, so it blocks harm that is causing weakening and loss of hair.

The nutritional supplements recommended by a naturopathic physician work by helping body to normalize its hormone levels, while increasing circulation of nutrients and elimination of waste products from hair follicle. This increases strength of follicle and protects it from further damage.

The amounts of conversion enzymes that create DHT from testosterone, as well as amounts of testosterone or cortisol, are thought to be genetically determined. This is why some people tend to have less of a problem with DHT than others.

The good news is that a person's genetic expression (i.e., how their body is now) can be changed by what that person does in upcoming weeks, months, and years, as well as how they do it. With advances in scientific understandings of these physical events, you can arm yourself with right information and learn to make changes necessary to stop a hair loss problem. We'll next explain how.

Hair Loss ========= A variety of health conditions and environmental factors can cause hair loss. Likewise, many different approaches can be taken to stop hair loss and even grow hair back.

Certainly, having great hair is important to us, but body has many other important things to do on a continuous basis. Some are higher priorities than maintaining lustrous hair — things like breathing, eliminating waste, absorbing food, protecting itself from infections, fleeing from danger, and so forth. If body has a limited budget of energy, nutrients, and strength, it starts to redirect its resources to tasks it deems most important. This is fortunate for us.

Symptoms

Most people realize that something is amiss when they either wake up with (or are woken up by) pain and/or numbness in one or both hands. Take note if "pins and needles" extend to your little finger, as your doctor will need that information to make a correct diagnosis.

Common tasks such as driving a car, sweeping, holding a book, sewing or pushing a stroller become uncomfortable or even impossible as affected person is unable to grasp or to feel object in her hands.

Causes

Carpal tunnel syndrome is linked most often to obesity and to any repetitive motion (such as typing). Physically, it is caused when wrist tunnel pinches a nerve and, left untreated, CTS can cause permanent damage. The condition does worsen over time and some activities exacerbate condition, so if you suspect that you have a repetitive motion injury, don't let it go either undiagnosed or untreated.

Treatment