TCM Health Preservation: The Location of Gray Hair Indicates Different Diseases
Gray Hair on the Forehead—Spleen and Stomach Disharmony
The reflex area corresponding to the forehead is the spleen and stomach. Regulating the spleen and stomach is greatly helpful in preventing and treating gray hair on the forehead. People with poor spleen and stomach function often experience bloating, abdominal pain, stomach acid, a bland taste in the mouth with no thirst, cold limbs, and loose stools. Some people also frequently have bad breath, excessive appetite, or swollen limbs, an aversion to cold and a preference for warmth, and clear or difficult urination. These are all symptoms of spleen and stomach deficiency-cold.
Solution: Patients with spleen and stomach deficiency-cold can cook a pot of ginger congee every three to five days. The ingredients are simple: 3 grams of fresh ginger and 60 grams of japonica rice. When cooking the congee, shred the fresh ginger and cook it with the rice until it becomes soft and mushy. You can drink 1 to 2 small bowls of it warm for breakfast or dinner. You can also sprinkle some sesame salt on it according to your personal taste. Fresh ginger is pungent and warm, with effects of dispelling cold and inducing sweating, warming the stomach and relieving pain, and antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. It has good therapeutic effects on deficiency-cold gastritis and ulcerative gastritis.
Gray Hair at the Temples—Liver Fire Flaring Up
The reflex area corresponding to the temples is the liver and gallbladder. People with excessive liver and gallbladder fire are either irritable or prone to sulking, often accompanied by a dry mouth, bitter taste, dry tongue, and sore or dry eyes. This is caused by flaring liver and gallbladder fire, which in turn damages the spleen and stomach.
Solution: In this situation, patients should focus on a light diet and can eat more Eight-Treasure Congee, Lotus Seed Congee, Lotus Seed and Tremella Congee, lotus seed core tea, rose tea, or hawthorn tea. If the bitter taste and dry mouth are severe, they can eat more lotus seed cores and bitter melon. For medication, they can take oral Longdan Xiegan Wan to soothe the liver and promote gallbladder function.
Of course, poor emotions are also a cause of "internal heat." Therefore, people with this type of gray hair should maintain a relaxed mood and, if possible, engage in recreational and sports activities that add fun to life.
Gray Hair on the Back of the Head—Insufficient Kidney Qi
The reflex area corresponding to the back of the head is the bladder meridian. Patients with a weak bladder meridian often experience symptoms such as frequent urination, enuresis or incontinence, and difficult urination. Because the main function of the bladder is to store and excrete urine, these patients have a harder time holding their urine compared to healthy people. The urinary function of the bladder is closely related to the prosperity and decline of kidney qi.
Solution: Kidney-nourishing diets should differ between men and women. Men are advised to consume animal kidneys, dog meat, lamb, venison, sparrows, eel, loach, shrimp, rooster, walnut kernels, and black beans. Women might consider eating scallops, bass, chestnuts, goji berries, and fleeceflower root. Of course, for both men and women, the choice of foods should be based on whether their kidney deficiency is of the yang or yin type.
How Can Diet Prevent Gray Hair?
The ancients said, "Hair is the surplus of blood," meaning the growth and loss, and the moisture and dryness of hair mainly depend on the nourishment from kidney essence and liver blood. Not eating or eating too little staple grains like rice will inevitably damage the spleen and stomach, and indirectly harm the liver and kidneys. In youth, the liver's qi and blood are abundant, so hair grows quickly and is shiny. In old age, essence and blood are often weak, hair turns white and withers, and the direct cause is the insufficient nutrition provided by the spleen and stomach. Staple foods are rich in starch, sugars, proteins, various vitamins, and some trace elements—all essential nutrients for keeping hair black and shiny. If middle-aged and elderly people do not consume enough staple foods and meat, it can often lead to premature graying.
To prevent hair from turning gray, middle-aged and elderly people can often eat black rice, black beans, red beans, black sesame seeds, walnuts, and also eat more dark chicken, beef, lamb, pork liver, sea cucumber, and other meats. In addition, eating carrots, spinach, mushrooms, and black fungus regularly is also beneficial for hair maintenance.
Myth: Does Plucking One Gray Hair Lead to Ten Growing Back?
Does plucking gray hair make it grow back more, with one growing back for every one plucked?
The main reason for gray hair is the reduced function of cells in producing melanin. Therefore, the idea that plucking gray hair makes it grow back more, with one growing back for every one plucked, has no scientific basis. However, plucking gray hair can cause scalp inflammation. Also, a single hair follicle can grow several hairs. If a gray hair is forcibly pulled out, it can affect the growth of other healthy hairs and cause hair loss. Therefore, it is not recommended to pluck gray hair. If you cannot stand the sight of gray hair, you can cut it off close to the scalp.