Our LONG HAIRitage

Chapter 1: Hair We Go

If you really want to prevent hair loss, heal the scalp, and even possibly re-grow lost hair, then you must read this book. You will learn many incredible things about the design, significance, symbolism, and purpose of human hair. Once you understand these purposes, and how hair is made, then you will learn how to properly care for the hair. Even more importantly, you will learn what you must do to prevent hair loss naturally, right now and in the future. The greatest myth ever is that baldness is inevitable.
My research on this subject began in the summer of 2003 when my wife, a hair stylist for twenty-five years, said, “There must be manmade causes of hair loss.” At the time she uttered those words, she had no idea how right she was. Along with millions of others, I was led to believe that baldness was nothing more than a genetic issue. But this is just not true. I was already becoming quite aware of natural alternative health methods for many manmade ailments. With this knowledge and my background in science, I began my journey researching hair loss. I was surprised by what I found, because after months of study, I discovered that my wife’s words are absolutely correct. In fact, I would now say that most causes of thinning hair and baldness are preventable and can be addressed when you know how. This book gives you the knowledge to take action and deal with the manmade causes of hair loss.
Trichology is the study of hair. When one considers the statistics, hair loss appears to be much more prevalent since the advent of the twentieth century than in times past. The London Centre of Trichology puts it this way: “The statistics with younger men losing their hair, and at a much quicker rate are high.” They state that three out of ten men thirty years of age already are becoming quite bald. Some poor souls even begin balding as teenagers or young men in their early twenties. Generally, by age fifty, about 50 percent of modern men are mostly bald. In the United States alone, this means that somewhere from forty million to fifty million men between the ages of twenty and sixty-four will have balding problems. One in five, or 20 million to 25 million, females will also have thinning hair problems. In 1998, Dr. Morton Walker found that balding women believe they “look freakish.” He also related “contrary to popular myth,” more than half of all balding men are also affected psychologically.
Trichologists are hair and scalp specialists who approach hair loss in a holistic way. Dr. David Kingsley, a trichologist in New York, was himself affected psychologically by hair loss. Much of his research studied this very fact. He states that several men and women said “they had seen other hair-loss specialists who showed no empathy for their condition.” The truth is about 25 percent of bald men would trade five years of life for a full head of hair! What about the appearance of bald men? Have we become so accustomed to seeing male pattern baldness (MPB) that we think it to be normal?
With an unprecedented amount of global baldness, Rachel Bergsman, author of “The Disaster of Hair Loss: Take It Easy,” clearly recognizes this truth: the “problem is that the more we care about our hair, the less hairs we appear to have on our head.” She is correct. Many of the problems associated with hair loss are generated by the hair-care industry, such as dyes, relaxers, other chemicals, and excessive cutting. In America’s cities, there is quite literally a hair salon or barber on just about every block and around every corner. Does this not seem to be a little too much care? Bear in mind too that commercial advertisers and marketers do not care about you. They need to sell products to earn money. Ask yourself, do I really need all those products to look good?
But should we just blame the hair care industry for our demise? Hair care is big business, but it certainly is not the only problem in modern culture contributing to baldness. The social pressures of super-short hair on men in modern society are particularly disastrous to the scalp.
The history of hair and hair loss is a very amazing, illustrative, and instructive part of this book. Indeed, there is a correlation with baldness in history when super-short hair was worn. The origins of excessive cutting are presented as proof. Currently, the American military, private schools, some public schools, the Christian education system, and certain corporations have all promoted unnaturally short hair. By their example, this leadership has not only led us to baldness, but they have also caused other skin diseases, including the most harmful and mutilating of all, cancer, including deadly melanoma. When it comes to hair, most men follow each other like sheep and thereby have become addicted to scissors and razors, as if hair serves no purpose. Many even in the medical and hair-loss industry treat their own hair as if it is a waste product, by evidence of their close-cropped heads. This is why these so-called professionals show no compassion for your hair - they do not even care about their own. The few courageous souls who ward off this modern abusive society are often called unprofessional, rebels, or sinners. Personally, I think it is better to be a so-called rebel than have a weathered head prone to warts and cancers.