Eight Week Yoga Intervention Research to Reduce Hair Loss

https://youtu.be/Ss_-9c1OmBA

Hello All.

I’m currently enrolled in the fourth semester of the Master’s in Yoga Therapy program offered by VaYU - Vivekananda Yoga University based in L.A., California. As part of my PhD requisitory course, I’m going to conduct an eight week yoga research trial on myself beginning September 19, 2022. I have chosen the topic of hair loss as part of my Yoga intervention research. While my hair always have been thin, I have been noticing a slowly growing bald spot right in the front of my head, and thinning hair for the last few years. Many of my friends also complain of increasing hair loss. When I had mentioned that I’m pursuing a Master’s Degree in Yoga Therapy, a friend, Anand Setty also asked me if I could devise a 10-15 minute daily practice module to reverse / prevent hair loss, especially among young people, who are noticing hair loss at earlier ages these days. Hair loss due to balding / aging is a very common issue. According to one estimate (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4573453/), “Female pattern hair loss (FPHL) affects approximately 40% of women by age 50, and management can be challenging”. While many scientific studies have been conducted to test the efficacy of allopathic drugs to treat this problem, any such yoga research study specifically addressing this issue is not known. There are many YouTube videos and articles published by organizations such as the Art of Living, WebMD, and Swami Ramdev, who claim that yoga can be helpful in treating the hair loss problem. The book “Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha” by Swami Satyananda Saraswati also recommends “inversions, especially headstand” to treat the issue of balding. I hope this research study formulates a scientific base for determining the efficacy of yogic practices in reversing hair loss.

Due to my years of yoga practice, my baseline profile may be different from others, who don’t have a long time yoga practice experience. I am currently 53 years old, with no other health concerns, not taking any medications / supplements. I have been a lifelong vegetarian, eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, and whole grains. I have been observing 36 hour alternate daily fasting every other day continuously for the last eight years. I teach four - five yoga classes every day four days a week with active modeling in each class. I apply coconut oil to my hair 4 days a week, and shampoo my hair once a week. My routine will continue during the yoga intervention to reduce / prevent hair loss.

Intervention Design: Claims made in this video (https://youtu.be/HdevDQ--kfI), and suggestions made in this article (https://www.artofliving.org/in-en/yoga/health-and-wellness/yoga-for-hair-loss) will be used to design a twenty minute four times a week practice for eight weeks.

Yogasana - Uttanasana / PadaHastasana, Parvatasana / Adho Mukhi Shvanasana, Shashankasana, Ushtrasana, Vajrasana, Shirshasana, Sarvangasana, Matsyasana, in that order, each Asana held for one minute each (total eight postures in ten minutes - allowing time for transitions).

Rubbing of nails of both hands (highly recommended by Swami Ramdev in all his hair loss related videos (https://youtu.be/e6uRSMQyynA) - three minutes.

Kapalbhati Pranayam - one minute

Nadi Shodhana Pranayama - two minutes

Breath-observing meditation - two minutes (two minutes are allotted for transitions from Asana practice to and between other practices).

Outcome Measurements:

Before the intervention begins, pictures will be taken of the hairline marking the receding hairline / balding spot. Circumference of the pony tail will be measured at the top and at six inches from the top. These will be compared with the similar pictures / measurements post intervention to see if there is any measurable reduction in the balding spot, and increase in the thickness of the pony tail.

A weekly questionnaire will be maintained tracking stress levels, as it is often claimed that (without much scientific proof) hair loss is caused by increased stress. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1r2GzNzI6v0lKmtsusiimj0k6RAOnFhw0bIKSP_faecU/edit?usp=sharing)

A weekly virtual eye test log will be maintained to see if there is any change in the vision, as yogic inversion asana are also claimed to have a beneficial effect on one’s vision ( https://www.optoplus.com/en/eye-health/virtual-eye-test/online-eye-test/ ) and https://doctors.eyecarelive.com/patient/#/testmyvision/home .

I’m planning to practice my hair loss prevention yogic routine Monday through Thursday daily at 7:30 a.m. central time Live on my Youtube Channel youtube.com/c/vidyanahar, starting on Monday, September 19, going up to Thursday, November 10, 2022. While for my course assignment purposes, this experiment is going to be on my individual level, you’re invited to practice with me at this time four days a week for eight weeks now, or later at your convenience, if you also want to conduct this experiment on your own hair. This may be the first such scientific Yogic experiment conducted live on Youtube for eight weeks.

If you want to share your experiment results with me, please comment below my youtube video. I’ll share my experiment results on a weekly basis, and then at the end after 8 weeks. Your results may differ from those of mine based on your daily lifestyle, diet, exercise, sleep, work routine, stress levels, etc. The idea is that we all verify the benefits of prescribed yoga practices for preventing / reducing hair loss on our individual levels in a systematic and scientific way.

My circumference of the pony tail at the top was 5.5 cm and at 6 inches below the top was 4.5 cm a day before the start of the intervention. My balding spot in the front was about 4 cm by 2 cm with very thin hair in the spot. Some side scalp was also observed due to thinning hair.

#YogaResearch#HairLoss#VaYU