A 21-year-old female, Mrs. U. P. (Patient reference number 8259) reported to the clinic for a complaint of alopecia on the scalp (vertex) for a month. It had rapidly increased to a size of about 2 inches x 2 inches within a span of 1 month. She was also losing about 100 hair daily. She was not on any kind of medication for the alopecia.

She had a poor appetite but her weight was average for her height and build. She was fond of sweets, sour and spicy foods, cold drinks, and ice-creams. She would sweat profusely all over the body but more so on the palms and the soles. She was sensitive to cold climates in general. She had no complaints pertaining to her menstrual cycles. Her sleep was sound but occasionally she would get disturbed sleep.

She was a housewife and stayed with her husband and her in-laws. She denied having any kind of stress and had a jovial nature. She was sensitive to being reprimanded. She would weep when she was scolded and would get offended very easily. Consolation would make her feel much better when she was weeping. She would not get much angry. She was afraid of cats and dogs. She would like to be in the company of people and would not be able to stay alone if required.

She did not have any major medical problems in the past. Her mother was hypertensive and her grandfather had ischemic heart disease. Her grandmother had died of brain cancer. Apart from this, there was no other major medical history of the family.

Based on the above history, she was prescribed Silicea 200 for her alopecia areata. Within about 6 weeks of starting the medication, her alopecia was about 50% better than before. Her medicines were continued and after another 3 months of treatment, her alopecia was almost completely covered with new hair growth. Her treatment was continued for another 6 weeks after which the treatment was concluded. She was asked to report to us in case she developed any problems in the future.

This case illustrates to us that conditions like  alopecia areata also respond very well to homeopathic treatment and that too without the use of any kinds of external use of oils, shampoos, etc. which are nothing but temporary measures.