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As you may have guessed the leading cause of Telogen Effluvium is stress. You should remember that stress can be triggered externally or internally. External situations come from the environment and your surroundings. Internal factors, on the other hand, are linked to emotional responses. For example, depression, grief, resistance to change, pessimism, perfectionism, and unrealistic expectations of oneself are all perfect examples of internal causes of stress. Some of the most common external stress triggers include: financial strain, family and/or children, major life changes, difficulty in a relationship, work, and simply trying to accomplish too much in too little time. If this stress is experienced on an ongoing basis and is not resolved, it will begin to affect the way in which the body reacts.

The issue with stress related TE is that some sufferers are not even aware of the fact that they are under an extraordinary amount of stress. Thanks to the everyday pressures of today’s world, a vast majority of people can simply become accustomed to high stress levels and are unaware of the immense strain that they are putting on their bodies by enduring such stress. Aside from hair loss, here are a few common symptoms of stress, so that you are able to determine if you are, in fact, suffering from stress induced TE:

Physical Symptoms: chest pains or irregular heart beat, diarrhea or constipation (overall digestive issues), nausea, dizziness, decreased libido or inability to have physical intimacy, general aches and pains.

Emotional Symptoms: dramatic mood swings, depression, inability to control one’s temper, feelings of loneliness and isolation, unable to relax, easily irritated, and easily angered (short tempered).

Cognitive Symptoms: memory loss, lack of optimism, anxiety, inability to think clearly, lack of concentration, inability to make proper judgments, and chronic worrying.

Hair loss will often occur as a reaction to the way in which stress impacts the balance within your body. When stress is triggered within your body, the hormonal balance in your body is significantly upset. This may result in an excess production of hormones, which can then potentially go into the scalp area and cause your hair to fall out. Stress will, in essence, upset the normal cycle of your hair follicle growth. Usually, this hair loss will be noticeable after two to four months. You will be able to identify the hair loss by the thinning of your hair, or more hair falling out than is usual.

Telogen Effluvium that is caused by stress triggers can be stopped relatively easily (and quickly) once you learn how to control your stress and ease the pressures that are you are facing on a daily basis. You should take comfort in the fact that hair loss is NOT permanent in these cases, and hair tends to grow back after your stress levels have been reduced. When you eliminate stress, the hormonal balance in your body is restored and production of particular nutrients returns back to normal levels. It is important to get help and support quickly before you experience complete hair loss, and learning some simple relaxation techniques can help you to do this. Here are a just a few of the ways in which you can minimize your stress and its impact upon your body:

Meditation and/or Yoga. Meditation techniques can be used to help you let go of daily problems, and the regular practice of yoga can allow for you to decrease your levels of stress and enhance your overall well being.

Massage therapy. Regular massage therapy has been known to aid in a variety of health issues, especially stress related conditions. Not only can massage therapy provide you with the relaxation that you need to potentially alleviate your TE, but it can also improve your ability to deal with stressful situations.

Vacations. Going on a vacation can do wonders for your overall health. It is also a great way to relax and unwind, even if you just take a long weekend away somewhere to clear your mind.

Diet and Exercise. You can also work on changing dietary habits and exercising regularly. Doing so has the possibility to fight the affects of stress while improving your overall health (both physically and emotionally).

Take Time for Yourself. Though this may seem like a simple enough suggestion, most of us fail to take time out each day for ourselves to relax and do things that we enjoy doing. Why not spend a few minutes each day reading or soaking in the tub. Setting aside some time will enable you to unwind and reduce your stress.

One of the most important aspects of Telogen Effluvium recovery is to not prolong it by obsessing about your hair loss, or becoming severely disturbed, depressed, and stressed by the shedding. I know from experience that this may be easier said than done. However, understand that excess stress raises cortisol levels, which can contribute to longer shedding periods. This leads to stress on top of stress! Just try your best to trust that your body can heal itself quickly, and focus on keeping your stress in check.

The multimillion dollar question is whether a drug can prevent telogen effluvium from happening. The simple answer is: no. No There is no known drug that has yet been invented to completely treat the effects of telogen effluvium. But this generalized thinning of hair is not as scary as you or others may think, especially considering that it’s fully reversible. The key thing to keep in mind is that recognizing your particular stress triggers is the first step to taking back control of your hair growth, and then you must try to understand the best way in which you can deal with that stress and learn how to relax.

Keep in mind that while telogen effluvium can be quite perturbing, the hair follicles are not unchanged indefinitely. Once you correct the original trigger your hair growth cycle will resume back to normal. The best way to accelerating the regrowth process and to slow down the shedding is by utilizing Nature Crazy’s Daily and Nightly TE scalp tonics while following our top 5 tips tips for reversing telogen effluvium.