Is Acupuncture Effective For Hair Loss?

I am suffering from hair loss, but believe in holistic treatments. I am wondering if acupuncture would be effective for treating hair loss?

Acupuncture is considered alternative medicine, though it has been proven to be effective at treating certain ailments and conditions. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough clinical and scientific research that shows acupuncture can stop, prevent or even slow down hair loss.

Acupuncture was popularized thousands of years ago in China, it has been a staple for traditional eastern medicine. In traditional acupuncture, health is dependent on good qi. Qi is an energy source that gives life and flows through the body. During an acupuncture session, practitioners stimulate certain points on the body with fine needles.

There is no clinical evidence to support the notion that acupuncture treats male and female pattern baldness. Genetic hair loss is caused by the hormone called DHT. This hormone binds to the androgen receptor sites in vulnerable hair follicles and gradually shrinks the hair follicles until they no longer grow.

That said, there have been a few studies that show that acupuncture may be beneficial for treating alopecia areata. Alopecia areata is an auto-immune condition that causes the body to attack hair follicles. The treatments for alopecia areata and androgenic alopecia (genetic hair loss) are completely different, because the hair loss is caused by a different mechanism.

Written and published by,

Melvin Lopez- Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network and The Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians