The phenomenon described in Donguibogam as the mind is harmed, blood decreases, and hair falls out can also be clearly explained by modern science. In modern medicine, stress-induced alopecia areata is viewed not merely as hair shedding, but as an autoimmune disease deeply connected to our body's immune system.
Chronic stress increases the secretion of cortisol, a hormone that activates our body's fight-or-flight response. While this cortisol is useful in the short term, maintaining high concentrations over the long term makes it a primary culprit in disrupting the immune system. Although cortisol can suppress inflammatory reactions, it also abnormally alters the function of immune cells, making certain immune responses excessive or reducing specific defense capabilities.
Specifically in alopecia areata, the key factor is an autoimmune response where T cells mistake their own hair follicles for external invaders and attack them. Stress can abnormally activate the activity of these T cells or induce immune cells around hair follicles to excessively secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines. This inflammatory reaction makes the environment around the hair follicle harmful, disrupting the hair growth cycle and triggering sudden alopecia.
Additionally, stress directly affects blood circulation. Excessive activation of sympathetic nerves can constrict peripheral blood vessels, reducing blood flow volume to the scalp. If sufficient blood and nutrients cannot be supplied to the scalp, hair follicle cells fail to obtain the energy needed to grow healthily, ultimately leaving the hair weak and prone to falling out. It is just like plants struggling to grow in barren soil.
Furthermore, stress affects the gut-brain axis, worsening gut health, which can lead to reduced nutrient absorption and a shortage of vitamins and minerals necessary for hair growth. Deterioration in sleep quality also contributes to hormonal imbalance and weakened immunity, serving as a factor that further exacerbates alopecia.
In conclusion, the process described in Donguibogam where the mind is harmed, blood decreases, and hair falls out can be understood in modern medicine as a complex physiological process where stress comprehensively disrupts the autonomic nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system, causing an inflammatory response in hair follicles and impeding blood flow. This is a moment where the wisdom of Korean medicine, asserting that body and mind are one, is also proven by modern science.
