- The SHA Wellness Clinic in Spain vows to help you strengthen your locks
- Treatment includes head massages and a strict macrobiotic diet regime
17:09 EST, 22 March 2014
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10:16 EST, 23 March 2014
Losing locks: Eight million British women suffer from hair loss or thinning hair at some point in their lives
It is pretty safe to say that my hair – namely, my worries about it thinning – is bordering on obsession. It’s a concern my mother, Maggie, shares.
At 66, she is worried that her good head of healthy hair is now thinning due to age. We’re not alone.
Eight million British women suffer at some point in their lives and chemists’ shelves heave with potions and vitamins aimed at remedying the problem.
Causes can range from hormonal and genetic to the dietary and psychological.
I am 41, and, despite being fastidious about eating healthily, exercising and taking a daily multivitamin, my hair often falls out in alarming amounts. I swap the side I part my hair and try to ignore the fact that in certain lights, you can see scalp.
When I heard about a medical spa offering a treatment package aimed at halting hair-loss, my mother and I booked in without hesitation.
No matter that the weekend break would set us back close to £2,500. If I counted up the amount I have spent on hair supplements, then it would be an investment.
It was a no-caffeine, no-alcohol, no-sugar regime (and pity the poor smokers who were not allowed to puff on site).
Serious medical assessments were bolstered by a strict vegan diet to cleanse the system.
But the SHA Wellness Clinic, set in the mountains of Valencia, Spain, has been voted best medical Spa by Conde Nast Traveller.
The luxurious resort has played host to guests including Barbra Streisand and Donna Karan. So if we were to suffer, we would at least do it in style.
WHAT’S THE TREATMENT?
SHA focuses on improving health through natural therapies combined with Eastern and the most advanced Western medicine.
The weekend programme examined every aspect of our medical history and there was a health check, then individual spa treatments.
We were put on a macrobiotic diet – based on 60 per cent grains, plus seasonal local vegetables, seaweeds (yes!) and seasonal local fruit.
We enjoyed delicious, delicate and stunning-looking dishes which made us realise brown rice, soya and tofu can be exciting and we could forgo meat, fish, eggs and cheese without it feeling a punishment.
Hair-raising in a good way: Sarah Hartley and her mother Maggie visited SHA Wellness Clinic in Valencia, Spain to try to reverse age’s effect on their hair
But cutting out three double espressos and two cups of tea a day was hell. When I woke, I looked as if I’d done rounds in the boxing ring – my eyes were puffed up and blackened – all part of the detoxification process, I was told.
Nutrition expert Kenneth Prange asked if I suffered with kidney problems (yes) and poor circulation (yes). I spotted a chart on the wall of a woman’s face indicating related areas. Mum and I are both blessed with bags beneath our eyes – not related to sleep deprivation – and that area was linked to .??.??. the kidneys.
The solution is to stimulate and strengthen the kidneys through diet and to make sure blood flows to the head through massage and exercise.
A daily cup of Japanese Mu tea was prescribed to support the kidneys. It had an acquired bitter taste which we grew to love as it was the nearest thing we would get to a nice cuppa. Mum was reassured that due to genetics her hair is strong, but could be improved.
SPA SOLUTIONS
A
daily programme offered optional nutritional lectures and macrobiotic
cooking demonstrations. We were to swim in the outdoor pool, then follow
the indoor pool circuit which encouraged circulation with hot and cold
plunge pools, baths, a sauna, a steam room and an ice fountain.
We had two daily treatments, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, either side of breakfast and lunch.
Healthy home: The SHA Wellness Clinic follows a no-caffeine, no-alcohol, no-sugar regime and medical assessments were bolstered by a strict vegan diet
The first was a nutritive capillary treatment (25 minutes, €70), including nourishing, repairing and hydrating treatments. Using Ayurvedic massage, essential oils were vigorously applied to stimulate the scalp. We felt wide awake and invigorated.
In the afternoon came the SHA capillary treatment (50 minutes, €120). It started with a relaxing massage using rosemary, mint and sesame oil to increase blood flow to the scalp and included massage techniques based on traditional Chinese medicine, aided with a glass-cup method which stimulates blood circulation.
We finished with a relaxing, warm hair masque. SHA offers an extraordinary range of preventative treatments with 100 therapists on hand. We could also have tried a ‘mineral elements in hair profile’ (€200), a ‘woman’s hormonal profile’ (€340) or the OSTEOgen (€630) genetic screening for osteoporosis prevention.
.?.?.?AND AFTERWARDS
We both followed a macrobiotic diet for three months and felt tremendous. It requires serious dedication long-term. But the essence of the programme remains with us both, which has been a surprise. I now drink only green tea and have turned vegan, and Mum limits meat to once a week. We’re now both big fans of almond milk and spelt bread.
Our hair has responded brilliantly to what turned out to be simple adjustments and it was well worth the effort. We no longer fret if the plughole occasionally looks like a scene from a horror film. We simply step up the scalp self-massage and neck exercises we were taught, keep the diet in check – and talk about our next booster visit to SHA.
shawellnessclinic.com
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The comments below have been moderated in advance.
GabbyG,
Vancouver, Canada,
6 hours ago
It would be nice if instructions for the scalp self-massage and neck exercises mentioned had been included.
kizzy,
Baden, Switzerland,
6 hours ago
Anything us mere mortals can afford?
essexwitch,
Essex,
7 hours ago
worst thing for hair loss is bleaching.
null,
7 hours ago
Women don’t carry the bald gene only men do. And yes as we get older our hair thins it’s called life!
Primalist,
Safely over the Border, United Kingdom,
9 hours ago
A fool and their money are soon parted and gullible vain women are the biggest fools going.
Julia H,
Calgary, Canada,
10 hours ago
Be a lot cheaper just to buy a wig.
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