Will chemotherapy cause hair loss? Will miscarriage cause hair loss?

Currently, the best way to treat cancer in clinical medicine is chemotherapy, but anyone who has seen patients undergoing chemotherapy knows that chemotherapy can cause hair loss. This type of hair loss usually occurs during the medication period. Once the condition stabilizes, the hair will grow back, and it will be darker and denser than before. This article introduces the reasons why chemotherapy patients lose hair. Let’s take a look.

Cause: Drugs damage hair follicle cells and cause hair loss

Why do patients who undergo chemotherapy lose all their hair? Experts explain that no drug can selectively kill only cancer cells. While killing cancer cells, it will also damage the body's normal cells. Normal hematopoietic cells, digestive tract mucosal cells and hair follicle cells that actively proliferate in the human body are more vulnerable to damage. Among them, damage to the hair follicle cells that dominate hair growth can easily cause hair loss.

Symptoms: Not all chemotherapy patients will lose their hair

Hair loss usually occurs 2-3 weeks after treatment, or even after two treatments, and may occur gradually or in clumps. Hair loss may occur in any part of the body with hair, not just the head. Eyebrows, armpits, hands, legs and even pubic hair may be affected. After hair loss (partial or complete hair loss. But patients don't have to be afraid, because the hair will grow again after it falls off, and it will often grow darker and denser.

In addition, not all chemotherapy patients will lose all their hair. Some patients will not lose their hair. It depends on the different drugs used.

Nursing: Chinese medicine can nourish qi and blood and protect hair

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that "hair is the residue of blood". For hair loss caused by chemotherapy, Chinese medicine can be used in combination to replenish qi and blood, nourish the liver and kidneys, and often protect the hair.

Recommend six medicated diets suitable for post-chemotherapy

1. Fig stew

Wash and cut 100 grams of fresh figs (30 grams of dried figs) and 100 grams of lean pork into pieces. Put them into a pot with appropriate amount of water and seasonings. Cook until the meat is tender. Drink the soup and eat the meat. It is used to treat dry mouth and sore throat after chemotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and has the effects of strengthening the spleen and stomach, reducing swelling and detoxifying.

2. Dendrobium, Rehmannia and Mung Bean Soup

10 grams of Dendrobium, 15 grams of Rehmannia wrapped in gauze, and 100 grams of mung bean. Add appropriate amount of water and cook until the mung beans are cooked. Take out the residue, add appropriate amount of rock sugar and 10 grams of pollen, and take it in several doses. It has the effects of clearing the throat, removing phlegm and dispersing nodules, clearing away heat and detoxifying, cooling blood and promoting body fluid production. It is suitable for people with runny nose, bleeding, headache due to nasopharyngeal cancer, or dry mouth due to radiotherapy. It is not suitable for people with weak spleen and stomach.

3. Olive and monk fruit soup

30 grams of olives, 1 monk fruit; put the two items in a pot, add clean water, boil and drink the water. Clears away heat, detoxifies, relieves throat pain and eliminates phlegm.

4. Astragalus stewed duck

20 grams of Astragalus and 200 grams of duck, stew together until cooked. It has the effects of tonifying the middle and replenishing qi, nourishing yin and nourishing the stomach; it is suitable for people with both qi and yin deficiency.

5. Chinese Yam and Lotus Root Soup

30 grams of yam, 30 grams of lotus seeds (core removed), and 30 grams of coix seeds, add appropriate amount of water, simmer over low heat, add a little white sugar, take once a day for 15 days. It is used to treat nasopharyngeal carcinoma at all stages due to spleen deficiency, and has the effects of strengthening the spleen and replenishing Qi, clearing the heart and calming the mind.

6. American ginseng, white fungus and water chestnut soup

5 grams of American ginseng, 30 grams of white fungus, 100 grams of water chestnuts, and 20 grams of white sugar. First cut the American ginseng into slices or grind it into very fine powder and set aside. Soak the white fungus in cold boiled water, remove the stems and impurities, put it in a bowl and set aside. Wash the water chestnuts, peel them, cut them into 1 cm square strips, and then cut them into slices for later use. Cut the water chestnut skin, mash it, put it into a casserole, add water and boil for 15 minutes, filter with clean gauze, remove the residue, return the juice to the casserole, put in white fungus, add appropriate amount of water, simmer over low heat, when the white fungus is thick and cooked, add water chestnut slices and very finely ground American ginseng, add white sugar, mix well, and simmer until boiling. Take it twice a day, morning and evening, eat Tremella fuciformis, drink the soup, and chew water chestnut slices.

It replenishes Qi and Yin, produces body fluid and relieves dryness. This dietary therapy is suitable for symptoms such as dry throat, cough, loss of appetite, and mental depression caused by damage to both Qi and Yin after chemotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.