Hair loss in Jordan between politics, over treatment of water and marriage!
I have been hearing many complaints about hair loss in Jordan recently. Actually, I notice my hair is much more prone to breaking and falling out. It falls out even when I just touch it.
I thought I have a problem, and blamed my diet, then I blamed my shampoo… but then I realized that a lot of people suffer from the same problem, and eventually realized that almost everyone around me suffers the same problem.
A friend mentioned how her hair falls when in Jordan, but when in London, it is relatively healthier. I wonder if this problem is connected to the location? Could this be a Jordanian problem?
Truthfully, I have no idea why we are suffering of hair loss in Jordan. And since I am still not ready to investigate it, I decided to ask several people about their perceptions on the subject.
Some answers truly surprised me… Maybe there is a need to actually look deeper into the subject?
Why are we losing our hair?
Enas, 30 years old, project manager:
“It is the fall of course! In the summer, I did not face this problem…Look at nature around you, trees lose their leaves, animals shed their skin, and we lose some of our hair.”
Ahmad, 24, marketing officer:
“It is the effect of all the weapons that have been used in Iraq and Palestine since 1990. Hair loss is only a symptom of all the changes that have been happening in our bodies for the last two decades. Did you know that cancer rate is very high in Jordan? It is because we have been exposed to different doses of nuclear radiations throughout these years”
Sahar, 47, Librarian
“Ahh you hit a nerve! Things go way beyond hair loss…. there is sicknesses, infertility…
This is the result of food and products we export from the west. They have a plan to reduce our numbers, because they see us as underdeveloped. A friend of mine is a lab technician. She told me that today, the number of men who suffer from infertility is much higher than before. Ten years ago, from every ten men, two or three men suffered of infertility, today the number has increased to eight or nine.”
Samira 63, Retired
“it is gel, mousse, creams…all the disgusting things young people use on their hair!”
Mona, 19, student
“For girls my age, it is malnutrition and unhealthy diets. We are all so conscious of our weights that we don’t eat properly… so I assume an imbalanced diet that lacks certain vitamins or minerals is often the cause of hair loss.”
Rami, 35, Engineer
الولاد، المرا و طلباتها ، الشغل… مع هدا stressكتر خير الله انه لسا في كم شعرة
Grisly 27, writer
“Over treatment of water in Jordan. After water crisis in the nineties, they started over treating water. Calcium (also known as lime) is injected into water systems or be used as part of the water treatment/delivery process. When it attaches to hair, it creates an invisible limestone wall on skull. It looks like Dandruff, but it is not reallydandruff
Saad 14, student
“Climate change for sure!”
Salam, 51, House wife
“Years of chemical treatment, colouring, heat and styling. Think about it like this, we start fussing about hair colour in our thirties maybe?… for me this is about 20 years of harsh chemicals… I am sure it has not been healthy for my hair… but it is still better than the alternative”
As far the doctor told me that it’s due to various combination: 1- There are so much chloride in the water which is not good for the hair. 2- Lack of Vitamins especially Iron and B12. 3- The climate change is effect on hair loss.
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Madas Reply:
November 22nd, 2009 at 21:34
Agreed, I smell the chlorine, I taste the chlorine, I feel the chlorine in a shower!
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I’ve heard this one before. Strangely enough, very few people attribute the high cancer rate to the high rate of smoking (and second-hand smoke).
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Madas Reply:
November 22nd, 2009 at 21:43
Don’t get me started on the smoking issue in Jordan. I was so excited about the non-smoking law… but wait a minute, we are in Jordan. laws don’t get enforced!
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Auto emissions include nitrogen oxides, Nitrous oxide inactivates the cobalamin form of vitamin B12 by oxidation, causing B12 anemia.
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Madas Reply:
November 22nd, 2009 at 21:37
It is interesting, I never heard of B12 anemia in Jordan for most of my life. Last few years, it is the only thing i hear… I no longer know if it is something that we keep repeating or if it is real…. but i hear you.. I feel like going for a B12 injection… maybe my hair problem will be solved.
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I think Grisly, Salam and Ram got it. The mineral content in the water is so high there is a higher rate of kidney stones here. Take a look at the inside of your water kettle and see the calcification.
Hair and skin also dry out during the Autumn, and curly hair that is straightened and colored for years breaks. But you don’t over-color or over-seshwar…
@ Ahmad, according to my cancer doc Dr. Kamel Ajlouni, the cancers rates in Jordan have risen at the same rates as the rest of the world, except for a GREATER increase in smoking related cancers (yes, Dave) and LESSER degree of thyroid cancer.
Thyroid cancer is most commonly caused by exposure to nuclear radiation. It LESS here than the West. I asked him if having a nuclear neighbor increased the rates of thyroid cancer, especially in Wadi Dana and areas downwind of the neighbor, he said it was not.
@ Saher, I think it is safe to assume that male infertility, like female, is more likely caused by, ahem, sexually transmitted diseases.
You found a pretty interesting sample of people @@
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Madas Reply:
November 22nd, 2009 at 21:41
So it is good to know that we have lesser degree of Thyroid answer, we can rest assured that the nuclear radiations have not affected us… AS for smoking… don’t let me start on the subject!
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Check for iron deficiency. Otherwise, it could be a lot of stress, at least in my case. I really lost most of my hair in my mid-20s right towards the end of medical school when stress was super high. My brother who lives in Jordan never had this problem. And Jordanians are stressed out all the time, that’s for sure.
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Madas Reply:
November 23rd, 2009 at 07:08
Add that to the list… damn we have lots of reasons to lose our hair. are you telling me you are bald?!!!
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Up until the time of the 2nd World War and the arrival of Western food in Japan, there were no bald Japanese men. Even today, there are far fewer balding men in Japan than in other places around the world. They attribute this to their traditional low-fat diets. It could also be because Japan used to be fully vegetarian as recently as 100 years ago. Men are starting to bald more frequently in Japan now due to the increasing prevalence of high-fat high-carb Western food in Japan.
Jordan’s very high obesity rates, high-fat-low exercise lifestyle could be a significant contributor to the prevalence of hair-loss.
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Madas Reply:
November 23rd, 2009 at 15:30
Thank you for the contribution… I think high fat diet is the cause of a lot of problems… so i will add hair loss to them
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i vote for water
coz skin is healthier too abroad. And don’t get me started on Jordan willi bi3milu feena
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Madas Reply:
November 24th, 2009 at 21:59
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I’m 70% bald
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