From Pills to Ayurvedic Healing: How Losing My Hair Led Me to Reclaim My Health

Written by Martina Sangion

Growing up in Italy, health was always approached through the lens of Western medicine. My mother, a pharmacist, did her best with what she knew, and like many others, she trusted the conventional system. Natural remedies were limited to my nonna’s old wisdom—gentle, comforting, but never the core of our approach to health.

When I first became sexually active, my mother promptly put me on the pill. Prevention was taken seriously in Italy, and I never missed a gynaecological check-up or any necessary medical appointment. That was the extent of my awareness around health for a long time.

The only brush I had with anything remotely "alternative" was when I started therapy at 15. Psychology was seen as progressive then, but it was still far from the holistic path I’d later choose.

In my early twenties, life took a sharp, painful turn. I lost my dog, who was more like a brother to me, ended a long-term relationship, and faced intense personal stress in the workplace. That emotional turmoil triggered a physical manifestation—alopecia areata, an autoimmune condition that began robbing me of my hair.

My Hair to Health Journey

To most people, it might sound superficial—but for me, my hair was a part of my identity. Thick, curly, and copper-toned, my hair had been my signature. In Italy copper hair was not the usual, so it became my “brand.” Losing it meant losing a piece of myself, and the shame that followed was overwhelming. I felt my body had betrayed me—rejecting the very part that symbolized who I thought I was.

The next few years were filled with doctor appointments, treatments, and I also had to start wearing a wig. My hair would slowly grow back, but never fast enough to leave the wig behind. The search for a “cure” became exhausting, and I realized I was only addressing symptoms, not the root.

Eventually, I made a bold choice: I left everything behind and moved to Amsterdam, determined to rebuild myself—body, mind, and soul. Before leaving, my Italian gynaecologist referred me to a center in Italy that focused on the gut-brain connection, viewing the intestine as the “second brain.” I began a new diet based on this philosophy.

Although my hair didn’t improve significantly—possibly because of the immune-suppressing medication I was taking, so I couldn’t see if the effects were mostly because of the diet or just the medication—my body changed in ways I hadn’t anticipated.

I had always been slim and active, but this was the first time I truly connected what I ate with how I felt. As a yoga student already, I found myself drawn deeper into the world of holistic health. It was also the moment that connected to food, I discovered Ayurveda, which soon captured my heart and curiosity.

Next chapter to healing

But life in the corporate world kept pressing forward. In chasing career success, I lost touch with the practices and routines that made me feel alive. I burned out—physically, mentally, emotionally. I stopped following my diet, my body felt foreign, and my sense of self unraveled again.

That was my wake-up call.

I decided to step away from corporate life and start anew—as a yoga teacher with the long-term vision of becoming an Ayurveda practitioner. I began reaching out, connecting with others, diving into books, podcasts, and communities. A whole world of natural healing and ancient wisdom unfolded before me.

Around a year into my life in the Netherlands, I met my now-husband. Our relationship evolved, and with it came new questions—about intimacy, fertility, and creating a family. These questions weren’t just personal; they were part of my broader journey of understanding my body as a woman+. I craved a safe space to ask the hard questions, to be heard, and to hear from others walking a similar path.

That’s when I discovered Umaversity.

That was also a moment when I decided to also leave the pill behind, and I  started working with an incredible Ayurvedic practitioner. I knew that to eventually support other women+ on their journeys, I had to first walk the path myself. It hasn’t always been easy, but I finally feel at home in my body again.

A woman+ empowered

Today, I feel called to share my experience—to listen, to support, and to contribute to a community of empowered women+. Umaversity has become a home for that mission, and I hope to grow with it and help others grow through it.

I’m proud of the woman+ I’ve become. I’ve learned to ask questions, to challenge what I was taught, and to seek the knowledge I needed. In many ways, I’ve become the mother and friend I once needed for myself.

I often reflect on my own mother’s journey. She tells me how she and a few brave friends decided, together, to visit a gynaecologist for the first time—something not so common in her generation. It’s bittersweet. I wish she’d had more knowledge to guide me, but I also recognize she gave me everything she could with what she had. 

And now, if I’m ever given the chance to raise a daughter, I’ll do so with the tools, wisdom, and compassion I’ve fought so hard to gather.

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Martina Sangion

Yoga teacher & Ayurveda enthusiastic

https://hharmony.nl/