Pattern hair loss by the age of 50 affects about half of males and a quarter of females. It is the most common cause of hair loss. The causes of pattern baldness are believed to be a combination genes and hormones. We know that there are a couple of drugs on the market that have shown some effectiveness at re-growing hair for pattern baldness, but is it possible to re-grow hair without drugs or surgery?

Around the age of thirty, I started to notice a bald spot growing on the back of my head. Both of my grandfathers were bald, and I heard it was genetic and skips a generation. I began to accept it as my fate that I would be bald, too. As a culture, we place a lot of importance on hair and hairstyle—and bald spots aren’t cool. Also, early balding definitely makes you look older. So, when I heard about a new prescription drug that was effective at re-growing hair, I was very interested. I was especially convinced by the story I heard about its development. The drug was not being tested for hair re-growth, but to treat enlarged prostate in men. They just happened to notice that men who were being studied in clinical trials also showed hair re-growth. I figured, if they weren’t looking for it and noticed it anyway, it must be pretty effective. The treatment was somewhat expensive and wasn’t covered by insurance, but I took the plunge.

Sure enough, after a couple of months, I started to notice hair re-growing in my balding region. I was very happy! I believed it would work, and it did. Then I lost my job. I was looking for ways to cut expenses, and I couldn’t justify an expensive cosmetic treatment. So, reluctantly, I stopped taking the medication. I expected to start losing my hair again, reversing the progress that was made. After a few months, I noticed something odd—not only was I not losing hair, it was continuing to grow. In fact, it was growing in at a faster rate than when I was on the medication. And it continues to this day. While the hair in my former bald spot is still a little thinner than overall, it is barely noticeable.

Is it possible that just my strong belief that the drug would work, somehow, got my body to start re-growing hair? If the baldness was caused by a hormonal imbalance, could that be corrected just by believing that it could be. Does the subconscious brain “know” how to re-grow hair and just needs to be guided into producing results? If a drug can trigger hair re-growth, why can’t the body somehow do it on its own?

I don’t claim to know all the answers, but I have become a firm believer that our thoughts and beliefs can significantly affect our health and well-being. The brain controls the body, and we can seemingly influence our subconscious mind through conscious thought. Everyone is familiar with the placebo effect. It is why clinical studies are so controlled. A percentage of patients who are in the control group receiving the placebo actually do get better just by believing that they are receiving an effective treatment. The mind and body work in mysterious ways. My advice—if you want to start re-growing hair, begin by believing that you can.