Masters of Health Magazine April 2022 | Page 65

by Lady Carla Davis, MPH

Specializing in Nutrition

THE HAIR ON YOUR HEAD

Nature has evolved over millions of years to perfect every part of the human body, the environment, and everything on our planet.  So when Nature put hair on your head, it was for a purpose.  Nature created every part of your body for a good reason. 

The hair on your head is one of the first things other people notice when they meet you.  It frames your face and identifies your image.  But that is not all it does.  Throughout history, head hair played an important role.  Read about some of the secrets of a Hair Shaman.

Long, beautiful hair symbolizes strength, health, beauty, and a spiritual connection in many cultures.

According to the Hair Shaman and in various cultures: During the Middle Ages (c. 1100-1453) and earlier, one of the requirements to become a king was to have long hair.  Short hair or no hair was only acceptable for monks.  To eliminate competition, some kings would have the heads of their rivals shaved.  Among Merovingians (c. 500-751), an unsuccessful contender or dethroned king would be tonsured and sent to a monastery where he would remain until his hair grew back.  During the 8th century, in the Byzantine Empire, the practice of tonsure coupled with disfigurement, usually by blinding and then castration, was inflicted on deposed emperors and their sons.

In contrast, religions had a different opinion about head hair.  To this day, some religions consider long hair banal and vain.  Those who practice or preach in these religions follow the tradition of partial or complete shaving of the head.  This practice is known as “Tonsure” (from the Latin Tonsura, which means to clip or shave).  And, depending on the type of religion, it is used as a symbol of religious devotion, humility, or renunciation of worldly fashion and esteem.  But, is this a disguise for religious control, dominance, and programming?

HEAD HAIR COMPOSITION

The hair on your head is a protein fiber primarily made up of alpha keratin. In addition to quality protein, circulation, silica, and sulfur also play vital roles in hair health and growth.

Hair grows from follicles found in the dermis just beneath the skin. Follicles are composed of 20 different cell types with distinct functions. Follicles maintain stem cells that regulate hair growth through a complex interaction between hormones, neuropeptides, and immune cells.