Your Food Can Make You Sick - Reactive Arthritis Caused by Contaminated Food

Reactive arthritis, also called post-infections arthritis, is a painful inflammation that can affect joints, the eyes or the urinary tract, with symptoms including pain and tenderness, swelling, and heat in the affected areas. Symptoms may last a few weeks or for as long as a year, and for a few unfortunate people, it may become a chronic condition.

Joint symptoms include pain in one or both heels, or in the hips, knees, or ankles. Urinary tract symptoms include painful (burning or stinging) urination, incontinence, urgency, and redness and inflammation of the genitals. Men may experience pain in their penis. Symptoms of the eyes and skin can include skin redness, pain, and inflammation; eye redness and pain, and small pimples inside the mouth and on the penis.

Reactive arthritis is caused by the body's response to infections which originate elsewhere in the body. One important cause of this painful disorder is infections in the digestive tract caused by contaminated food. Infectious agents include the bacteria Shigella, Salmonella, and Campylobacter, all of which are introduced into the body in contaminated food.

In the US, Salmonella is the commonest of these food contaminants. Every year about 40,000 Salmonella infections are reported to the CDC, Centers for Disease Control. The CDC estimates that the actual number of Salmonella infections may be over one million annually, as only the most serious cases get reported.

The term Salmonella refers to a group of bacteria which live in the digestive tracts of many animals and some humans. The infection is transmitted to humans when tiny particles of feces from infected animals come into contact with foods. Onset occurs one to three days after eating contaminated food. The victim will be acutely ill with symptoms of severe abdominal cramping, diarrhea, and fever. Bed rest and consumption of fluids to replace those lost through diarrhea are usually sufficient.

Most people who suffer a bout of Salmonella will recover within a week. They may continue to experience bowel irritability for several months, with symptoms of gas, abdominal pain, bloating, cramping, diarrhea and/or constipation. A minority of people then develop the continuing complication of reactive arthritis.

Milk, meat, and poultry, and are the most frequent carriers of Salmonella, but vegetables also present a risk if animal manure is used for fertilizer, and vegetables are not properly washed during harvesting, and again in preparation. Unpasteurized milk is another source of contamination. Eggs are another high risk food, because bacteria can enter the chickens' digestive tract and lodge in the egg before the shell is formed. The best protection is never to eat uncooked eggs. They should always be cooked until the yolk is firm.

Safe food handling practices, including basic hygiene, pasteurization of milk, and thorough cooking of meat and poultry greatly reduce the risk of Salmonella infection and reactive arthritis. The basic rule of safe food handling, in homes and restaurants alike, is that everyone must wash their hands before they touch food. Raw poultry and meat should be stored and processed in a separate area from other foods to avoid contamination

If you believe that you have suffered a Salmonella infection, and that you have reactive arthritis, you should consult your health care provider for evaluation of your condition and for treatment to lessen pain and other symptoms.

If your Salmonella infection and reactive arthritis are the result of careless or negligent food handling practices, you may have a claim against the food handler or supplier. If you believe you have a claim, you should consult an experienced food safety attorney as soon as possible. Most states have laws called statutes of limitation, which prescribe how long you have to file a claim or a lawsuit. If you delay past the time limit, your right to seek restitution for your injury may be denied.

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Valuable Information About Knee Pain Treatments

We all get knee arthritis sooner or later, and when that inevitable day comes, it helps to know a knee pain treatment that works. As far as options go, there are plenty to choose from. You can find - in the market today - different salves, ointments, pain relievers, vitamins and an assortment of prescription drugs that can relieve the pain from your knees.

Unfortunately, treating knee pain is a long term endeavor and in most cases, something that will remain with a person for the rest of his or her life. Ultimately, what this means is that drugs and chemicals will not be enough to treat your knees. So in a sense, no single medical product will be enough. You will also need to make some changes in your daily habits if you intend to do something about your knee problems.

For starters, you will need to face up to the truth that your knee muscles may be getting old and stressed out, and that increased stress will result in more arthritis or pain. Moreover, you might also want to consider taking up special diets and exercises designed to help make your muscles stronger. For example, protein-rich diets are good at healing muscle tissues whereas a daily dose of calcium can help improve the bones of your body. So try to consult your doctor about how your diet and lifestyle may influence your knees.

Of course, that is not to say that you can't use drugs or medication. However, it's best to use them as a last resort only. Painkillers for example can be very addictive and using it extensively may lead to other problems. Moreover, drug treatments can easily lead to more drug treatments, so if you are considering that as an option, you better be ready for the long term consequences.

However in situations where the pain of your knees is so unbearable, you will need to start using a knee brace and then undergo physical therapy. However, their use should wake you up to the possibility that your knees may have deeper problems than you first thought. In the end, long term problems require long term solutions.

To wrap up, knee pains are almost always a fact of life, and you're not supposed to be angry or resentful about them, because they happen to everybody. This is inevitable and something which you will need to prepare for.

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Watching Television And Coping With Arthritis Pain

By Danny Hamil Danny Hamil
Level: Platinum

I am a research and freelance writer from Griffin, Georgia. I have experienced varying degrees of joint pain over the years and am very passionate ...

Hello, I am Danny Hamil and I want to share with you a few ideas on how to better cope with arthritis pain. In order to know how to cope with your pain and to know if it actually is arthritis pain, a trip to your doctor is recommended. Be sure to share with your physician everything you can including the 'what, where,when, and how' of your pain and if you are presently taking medications of any kind for the pain and any other medical conditions that you are having. It is very possible the problems may be related even though in your mind they are in no way connected. The more information your doctor has, the better evaluation he, or she, will be able to properly diagnose and give treatment recommendations to you. If we don't use our joints, they will 'freeze' up. Keep them moving.

Do not sit idle for extended periods of time. Even if you are sitting watching television, you can be doing a big number of exercises and full range motions that will have you moving around much easier. Raise your arms and stretch toward the ceiling and lowering the hands as if you were lifting a barbell over your head. You can do a wide range of motions with your upper body and arms, swinging from left to right and, in and out, and swinging your arms across each in front of you. In other words, move your arms and neck in all directions. Don't forget to twist the upper body from left to right and vice versa. It is not necessary that you use any weights even though having a couple of light weight dumbbells next to your favorite chair would encourage you to pick them up and use them in your stretch and full motion exercises. The dumbbells can be purchased separately at your favorite department store. You can exercise the hands and fingers as well as lifting, bending your legs and feet. As simple as this sounds, you will be amazed at how much better you feel and how flexible you will become in only a short time. All of this being done while you are sitting watching your favorite television program.

Heh, it's me again, Danny Hamil and I'd like to help you achieve lasting relief from joint pain. I am very passionate in helping others to be 100% Joint Pain Free without spending hours and hours in the doctor's offices or a lot of money on prescription drugs. By doing these simple exercises above, you will begin to feel, act, and look younger today. Click here to order your FREE REPORT at FREE REPORT and take control of your joint pain today. Do you really want to hurt with joint pain any longer when you can experience long lasting relief by visiting my website today?

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Danny_Hamil

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Article Submitted On: September 24, 2010

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Uric Acid Crystal - Where Does It Form In a Gout Victim's Body?

There are many different names used to describe the crystallized uric acid compound in your body - Uric Acid Crystal, Urate Crystal, Uric Crystal, Monosodium Urate (MSU), etc. All these are actually referring to the same chemical compound that triggers the painful inflammation (usually on big toe) known as gout.

Every day, there are billions of body cells die in your body, and the DNAs are broken down to xanthine and hypoxanthine (which contain the purine ring) and sent to the liver to be further broken down to uric acid and then sent to the kidneys for disposal.

Uric Acid is a chemical compound that has very low solubility, this means it has very low saturation point which is 0.416 milli mol/L. Just in case you have forgotten your high school chemistry, Saturation Point is level of concentration beyond which a substance cannot be absorbed by the liquid solution. The solubility of this Gouty Acid is about 50 times lesser than salt in the same solution. When the concentration of the uric acid at certain parts of your body goes beyond the 0.416 milli mol/L point, urate crystal will start to form.

In most other mammals there is another enzyme known as Uricase which can further degrade the uric acid to a more soluble substance known as allantoin. Allantoin is extracted from the urine of mammals and use as raw materials for many cosmetics products. The existence of the uricase enzyme in carnivorous mammals such as dog, cats, and tiger is the reason why you never heard these animals have gout problem not matter how much high protein meat they eat. It is just impossible for uric acid crystal to form in these animals.

Where Does These Crystals Form In Human Body?

There are 3 places where the uric acid crystal tends to form in your body - joints (especially big toe), the kidneys, and underneath the skin (tophus). Please note that it is impossible for the crystal to form in the bloodstream because if it does, it will block the fine blood capillaries which will cause stroke or heart attack. This is why your kidneys cannot cope with the work load of excreting the waste products, your body will try its best to throw the Gouty Acid out from the bloodstream into the interstitial fluid and synovial fluid (joints).

Urate crystal tend to first form in the joints, then follow by the kidneys and if the hyperuricemia condition remains unchanged for years, this will forces the Gouty Acid to move towards the surface of the skin and form some white color cuticles which will grow bigger to become tophi. Some tophi will burst out from the skin and the milky fluid which contains the crystals will flow out from the leakage. Your body is desperate to throw away those unwanted urate crystals.

Normal surgical operation can only remove the bigger and visible kidney stones (which is and combination of urate crystal and calcium oxalate) and the grown up hard tophii. But there is millions of fine tiny urate crystals scatter all over your body. There is no surgical operation available to remove these micro crystals and none of those gout drugs can do that too.

"How It Comes, How It Goes"

Since these notorious urate crystals appears from the fluid that contain them, then the only effective way you can get rid of them is by "melting" them. Turn your body fluids to alkaline, and that will increase the solubility and the ability to dissolve those urate crystals. Simple science always works better than complicated drugs.

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Understand Arthritis To Prevent It

Arthritis must be understood thoroughly so that the problem can be managed well. The problem with arthritis is that it is not a single disease. There are about 100 types and hence, you should consult your doctor to have an accurate diagnosis. Only if the right diagnosis is made, the right treatment can be taken.

Experts are also of the opinion that arthritis does not have a known cure. You have several options for treating it but the treatments will help you to reduce your pain, to control the symptoms and to reduce damage or deformity of the joints.

It is not that arthritis will affect only elderly people. But, if you are affected by arthritis or if you have doubts that you have been affected by it because you experience pain in your joints, you must immediately consult a rheumatologist. The doctor will check thoroughly to make sure that the problem is arthritis. Only by knowing the type of arthritis, the doctor will be able to suggest a treatment plan.

But, you should not delay consulting a rheumatologist because if the problem is diagnosed early and if the treatment is also begun early, you can prevent deformity of joints.

Since there is no known cure for this problem, you are advised to try all the treatment options available and choose the one that gives you the best results. It is not necessary that all these treatment options will suit every one. A treatment that works for some one else need not suit you. You should choose the treatment that suits your budget and that gives you the best results.

Experts say that if you lead a healthy lifestyle and have good habits, you can prevent arthritis. You should do regular exercises and have a nutritious diet regimen so that you maintain the right weight. You should also learn to manage your stress levels. Yoga, meditation and deep breathing exercises will help you to manage your stress levels. You should also keep away from bad habits like smoking, excessive drinking, etc.

Having a good night's sleep is also necessary for preventing this problem. If you do not control arthritis by adopting these steps, the pain caused by it will lead to emotional problems. This will again increase your stress levels which is bad for arthritis.

Another problem with arthritis is that you will have to spend heavily on the treatment on a continuous basis which will strain your financial status. But, because of the disease, your working will get affected which will again impact your earnings.

Therefore, it is important that you change your lifestyle to one of healthy living so that you can prevent this problem. But, if the problem has occurred, you should choose the right treatment that gives you the best results.

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Your Own Arthritis Diet - Find Relief and Alleviate the Pain From Arthritis With This Natural Method

Following your own arthritis diet when you are suffering from problems with your joints is critical to manage the pain and the symptoms. With healthy lifestyle and the right choice of foods, you can surely alleviate the pain and find relief using diet as the natural method to fight arthritis. This arthritis diet can also serve as a weight loss diet too. Find out more in this article.

First, you need to avoid all sorts of food that can cause allergies and worsen the inflammation, swelling, and pain. These foods include salty foods, red peppers, chocolates, and processed foods rich in sugar, preservatives, and chemical additives.

If there are many foods that will worsen your arthritis, there are also foods that will help your situation. You diet should be made up of fruits, vegetables, fish, and nuts, which are proven to be helpful for preventing the occurrence of arthritic symptoms.

For vegetables, you can try carrots, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, spinach, broccoli, and other greens. These are rich in vitamins A and C and beta-carotene. You also need to include vitamin C-rich fruits like mangoes, apples, and dark berries. These fruits have anti-inflammatory properties too. For natural sources of omega 3, you can try wild fish or nuts like almonds and walnuts. You can also try omega-3 supplements like fish oil and Krill oil.

If you are overweight, this can cause additional problems to your arthritis. The excess weight can add burden to your weak joints and this can cause inflammation and swelling. But following this arthritis diet based on fruits, vegetables, fish, and nuts, you can easily lose weight too. So this solves the problem. It is like hitting two birds with one stone. Without a doubt, the arthritis diet is really proven effective for your pain as well as your overall health as well.

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Pantostin Review (Ell-Cranell alpha)

Pantostin is a topical hair loss application popular mainly in Germany. Its sole active ingredient is alfatradiol. Ell-Cranell alpha is almost identical to Pantostin. Both Pantostin and Ell-Cranell alpha are said to protect hair follicles from the harmful attacks of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), without any negative hormonal impact. Hence, they can be used by both men and women. These products usually have very good tolerance but they are considered to be relatively weak DHT inhibitors. Therefore, they seem to be more suitable as a treatment for women, who have fewer options when it comes to treating hereditary baldness. It is assumed that alfatradiol-based products can slow the balding process but they should not be expected to regrow lost hair. Consumer reviews are few and only available in German. The consumer feedback from hair loss forums confirms the experience of the author of this review - that Pantostin is a weak weapon in the fight against male pattern baldness.

Tags: Pantostin, Ell-Cranell, alfatradiol, hair loss

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Hair Transplantation Market Statistics

Despite the notable advances of recent decades in the area of hair loss drug research and development, the current medicinal treatments of hereditary baldness do not give satisfactory results. The only existing option for patients wishing to achieve a fast and dramatic improvement in their hair condition is hair transplantation. The recent introduction of modern hair transplantation techniques such as follicular unit transplantation (FUT) and follicular unit extraction (FUE) has improved cosmetic results and patient satisfaction. The surgical hair restoration industry has been booming over the past few years, as new hair transplant clinics mushroomed in all corners of the world. A quick look at the market statistics confirms this trend.

The latest worldwide hair restoration statistics available are only from 2006. The total number of hair restoration surgeries performed in 2006 was 226,000; that is a 34% increase over 2004 and 16% average annual growth. Though this number may seem impressive, it is only a small fraction of the actual potential. Out of the aforementioned 226,000 hair surgeries conducted worldwide, 93% were performed on the scalp. Asia registered the fastest growth, a remarkable 178% (2006/2004). The total number of patients at hair restoration clinics worldwide (surgical and non-surgical patients) was estimated at 645,000, a 79% increase over 2004, which happens to be 34% annual growth. Male patients represent more than 86% of total hair-restoration patients. Follicular unit transplantation accounts for 91% of all procedures, with less than 8% accounted for by the follicular unit extraction technique. Old techniques, such as scalp reduction and flap surgery, still account for almost 2% of procedures. Should a similar growth rate be sustained (estimated 15% p.a.) in 2007 and 2008 (2007 statistics are not available yet) we could, for the first time in history, see the total worldwide revenues from hair transplant surgeries exceed euro 2bn (US$ 3bn).

The US market accounts for 45% of all hair transplant surgeries, with Asia being second with 25% market share and Europe third with only 13%. In the US, almost every second patient of a hair restoration clinic took surgery versus every third in Europe and every fourth in Asia. Almost every single hair restoration clinic in the world prescribes finasteride to their male patients. Minoxidil is the second most frequently recommended medicine, prescribed by 61% of doctors. Other than that some hair restoration clinics also recommend special shampoos, such as Nizoral, vitamins and low-level laser therapy. The average number of surgical therapies needed to achieve the desired results is 1.8x.

Although some of these numbers may sound impressive, especially the growth rates, the hair restoration industry is still accessing only a tiny fraction of the world population that suffers from hair loss. Asia and Europe are trailing far behind North America but are expected to become the engines of further growth. New surgical technologies, such as hair multiplication and the generation of new hair follicles from wounds, though still years away, should help the hair restoration industry expand further, improve its services and make them more affordable to the population.

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Hair Loss Concealers

Growing back lost hair might be mission impossible for many of us who started treating their baldness after many years of losing hair. If you are not convinced about the benefits of hair transplantation yet and only need quick fixes for certain occasions, hair loss concealers might be a reasonable option. There are many different kinds of camouflage but fibres are by far the most natural-looking solution. The statically-charged microfibres that are sprinkled over the thinning areas cling tightly to the existing hair on the scalp. They bond so securely that they should stay in place all day and night, in even the strongest wind or hardest rain. Use only a wide toothed comb or your own fingers to style your hair. The fibres should remain in the hair until the next shampoo wash. Some of the most common names among microfibre hair loss concealers are Toppik, Nanofibres, Organin, Fullmore, Super Million Hair, HairSoReal, Mega THIK and Dr. Robert Jones Instant Hair Thickening Fibers. The common problem with all of them is that they only come in relatively few shades and thus may not match everybody's hair colour.

Consumer reviews are relatively positive, though some people complain that the fibres brush off onto the pillow case at night. The biggest drawback seems to be the small choice of available shades. If the shade is too different from your hair colour, it makes the fibres detectable from a distance. Some consumers recommend using two different brands of hair loss concealers at the same time in order to overcome problems with unsuitable shades and adhesion of fibres. Some negative comments are related to difficulties with applying the fibres accurately to the areas where they are needed most. Using these products correctly takes practice and a steady hand. Therefore, it is advisable to use those products that come with a spray applicator.

Tags: hair loss, hair loss concealers, Toppik, Nanofibres, Organin, Mega THIK

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Will Dutasteride Ever Get Approved for Hair Loss?

Dutasteride, better known under its trade name, Avodart, is considered by many dermatologists and hair loss sufferers to be the most effective treatment for male pattern baldness available today. In its activity it is similar to finasteride (Propecia) but more powerful since it is a dual 5-alpha reductase inhibitor. Unlike finasteride, it inhibits both types of 5-alpha reductase and thus is a more potent drug for inhibiting the conversion of testosterone to the follicle-harming dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Patients' experience and the clinical studies conducted to date confirm the assumption that it is more potent in promoting hair growth, too. One thing that is still missing, though, is the official stamp of approval from a major health supervisory authority such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), so as to be officially admitted as a hair loss treatment. Dutasteride (Avodart) has been approved and used for years to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate) in many countries and thus it is readily available in pharmacies around the world. Furthermore, many doctors already prescribe Avodart for genetically determined hair thinning and numerous on-line pharmacies sell it as a hair loss drug.

But what has happened to Glaxo's Phase III clinical study conducted in Korea that has been going on since December 2006? The study is said to have finished in January 2009, but its results have not been published yet. Referring to the previous studies, it seems that Glaxo will be able to prove that dutasteride is a superior 5-alpha reductase inhibitor to finasteride and thus, in all likelihood, also a more potent hair loss treatment. But the conclusions that most of us are waiting for are those related to its safety. The question of whether the additional benefit over finasteride is worth the increased risk has not yet been answered.

As regards to the effectiveness of dutasteride, it seems fair to say that being a dual 5-alpha reductase inhibitor makes it a lot more effective, as half of its dose (2.5 mg versus finasteride's 5mg) has been proven to reduce serum DHT by about 90% compared with 70% for finasteride. Although human studies have not shown that dutasteride-induced side effects are any more severe than those from finasteride, dutasteride remains in the human body for much longer. The serum half-life of finasteride is only eight hours versus four weeks for dutasteride. Hence, it is estimated that finasteride disappears from our body within 24 hours whereas dutasteride stays for several months.

No matter whether dutasteride will ever get approved by the FDA for treating hair loss, for many men it has already become the weapon of last resort in their fight against receding hair.

Tags: dutasteride, Avodart, hair loss, finasteride, male pattern baldness

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Adenogen Consumer Reviews

by Stephen, age 32, who has been using Adenogen for 4 months:

Two years ago I used this product for about 4 months and I am surprised to see they are still selling it. Don't waste you money on it. It is expensive and absolutely useless rubbish.

by john from Okinawa Japan, age 28, who has been using Adenogen for 2 months:

I live in okinawa japan. i was introduced to Shiseido's Adenogen about 2 months ago. i was hesitant to use this expensive product, but at that point, i ran out all my option of rogain, minoxidil, etc... I have been using this item for 2 months now. my hair looks fuller than ever. When i used to use minoxidil or rogain, i had this greasy feeling on my hair, and didn't feel comfortable at all. But adenogen actually contains mint, it feels refreshing, and my hair feels stronger when i touch it. i started to see some short hairs growing out around hairline. it's still thin and short, but we'll see how it goes. once i saw some result, i have recommended this item to my fellow bald co-workers. the result was same as me. 2 of them started to use it last month, and they also experienced different sensation from rogain and minoxidil. i will continue to post comments on adenogen as my treatment progresses. so far, i absolutely love adenogen!!!

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Grey Hair – Three Most Frequently Asked Questions

1) What is the best treatment for reversing grey hair?

Premature grey hair can be a result of various medical conditions such as vitiligo, anaemia, chronic vitamin B deficiency, thyroid imbalance, alopecia areata, excessive stress, etc., but most often it is genetically determined. If you are not sure about the cause of you grey hair you need to consult your doctor. In the case that your grey hair is caused by one of the aforementioned medical conditions, addressing the causes can lead to the prevention of further greying. If your grey hair is genetically determined or caused by normal aging, there is relatively little you can do to prevent it. Current medicinal science does not know any medicine, herb, vitamin or therapy that can effectively bring back your original hair colour or halt the greying process. B vitamins, especially PABA and folic acid, are often mentioned as effective anti-grey hair vitamins but they have only been observed to help people with vitamin B deficiency and only those whose deficiency was caused by bad diet, and that is only a small percentage of premature grey hair sufferers. A number of commercial products claim to reverse grey hair but the evidence of their effectiveness is typically anecdotal. Hence, referring to the above, the only available treatment for natural greying is to cover your grey hair. You can either use a regular hair dye or a progressive hair colorant.

2) What options do I have to cover my white hair?

You can use regular hair dyes or progressive hair colorants to cover your white hair. If you wish to change the colour of your hair discretely and unnoticeably, a progressive hair colorant is the more suitable option of the two. The two most recommended products on this site are Re-Nature and GreyBan. Please note that this website is not associated with any product manufacturer or marketer and this recommendation was made purely on the basis of evaluating consumers experiences and the available factual data. However, it is important to note that progressive hair colorants are less effective in covering white hair than permanent hair dyes and, therefore, they have to be applied more frequently, which makes them a more expensive option. Secondly, progressive hair colorants will not cover all of your white hair, so use them only if you want to keep some of your hair grey. They work great if you use them selectively to target only certain areas. And lastly, progressive hair colorants work gradually for several days after being applied until you wash them off and some of them continue working even after the hair has been shampooed. As for hair dyes, they can be temporary, semi-permanent, demi-permanent and permanent, depending on the durability of their coverage. The best choice amongst them for covering grey hair are permanent hair dyes. However, hair dyes do not allow you to target only certain areas, they cover all your hair, white and pigmented, and do their work immediately as you apply them.

3) Where in the US (North America) can I buy Re-Nature?

Re-Nature is currently not available in stores and pharmacies in either USA or Canada. It can only be ordered from overseas. It is readily available in online pharmacies in Australia and Germany, where it can be ordered for delivery to North America. No evidence has been found that Henkel (owner of the Schwarzkopf brand) has applied for regulatory approval in the US or Canada yet. There is no reason to believe that registering this product could be a difficult regulatory issue, as Re-Nature has been approved in Australia, New Zealand and in many countries of the European Union, and some of them have very strict rules on allowing the use of harmful chemicals in consumer products and are known for banning lead acetate from cosmetics. Hence, the date when this product could become available for distribution in North America cannot be reasonably estimated.

Tags: grey hair, white hair, gray hair, hair colorant, Re-Nature

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Nisim Consumer Reviews

By Ed from Pasadena, age 52, who has been using Nisim shampoo for two years:

I bought a big bottle two years ago. I can't tell any difference after using for two years. I am still using it now as a regular shampoo because I want to finish it in my stock.

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Folligen Review

Folligen is, in the words of its inventor and manufacturer, a non-drug product designed to improve scalp and hair follicle health and hair vitality. It is especially useful in helping to reduce scalp irritation caused by other hair growth products. Folligen uses skin remodelling copper peptides as its principal active ingredient to restore healthy hair. It comes in three forms: cream (which should work well on hairlines), lotion (suitable for denser areas) and spray. In the past Folligen was mainly used as a skin-repair cream. Folligen products are meant for both men and women.

Folligen was derived from Tricomin. Copper peptides are proven to be strong anti-inflammatories and help repair scalp damage. In addition, they are believed to be potent DHT inhibitors and thought to lengthen the growth cycle of hair. Folligen lotion and cream also contain saw palmetto, which is often described as a natural safe alternative to finasteride. Despite the fact that saw palmetto has never been clinically proven to be effective in treating baldness, it is a popular key ingredient in many natural hair loss remedies.

The manufacturer claims that Folligen works best in combination with minoxidil. This claim sounds reasonable as minoxidil often causes redness and dandruff that puts off many of its users and this weakness could be rectified by employing Folligen. Customers give credit to Folligen for its ability to heal the tiny scars but only a few people have reported new hair growth. Folligen seems to work well in restoring healthy hair in hair loss conditions that are not genetically determined. As regards to treating male pattern baldness, it appears to be suitable mainly as a complementary therapy to minoxidil for patients with sensitive and irritable skin.

Tags: Folligen, Folligen review, copper peptides, hair loss, Tricomin

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Xandrox Consumer Reviews

By Matt, age 41, who has been using minoxidil 12.5% and 5% azelaic for about a year:

Xandrox with 12.5% minoxidil and 5% azelaic acid has worked wonders in my crown area. I never believed I could grow back lost hair and took up the treatment only on my wife's advice, so this came as unexpected. I apply Xandrox at night, usually twice within two to three hours, and let it dry thoroughly before going to bed. I use it only on my crown so I do not know how it works on other areas. My wife says I grew back some 200 - 300 hairs and many fine hairs got thicker and darker. I still have a thin spot but when I touch it with my fingers, it feels as if there is enough hair in it.

By Paul, age 38, who has been using minoxidil 15% for two and a half years:

I have tried many types of minoxidil-based topicals and my observation is that the higher the minoxidil content, the more effective the treatment is. However, at some point, it makes little sense increasing the concentration further. 15% looks reasonable to me as the 20% mixture is too unstable and leaves crystals of minoxidil in your hair rather than in your hair follicles, where they are needed. When buying higher concentrations, I usually get them with 5% of azelaic acid, which is an added benefit. I have been using 15% minoxidil for two and a half years now and was pleased to see some regrowth at the beginning but after about 9 months my situation stabilised and since then I have only kept what I have left.

by Garry from NY, age 30, who has been using minoxidil 15% with azelaic acid 5% (Xandrox) for two years:

I am using a mixture of 15% minoxidil and 5% azelaic acid with good success. I have tried numerous other minoxidil products in the past but this seems to work best for me. The only drawback is that it leaves a residue of crystallised minoxidil on my scalp after drying but, despite that, it is less irritating to my skin than branded Rogaine and dries faster. And last but not least, 15% strong minoxidil has noticeably thickened my hair.

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(Poly) Re-Nature Consumer Reviews

Poly Re-Nature is a hair colorant that is said to bring back the natural hair colour gradually. The product was first introduced in Germany and Austria in 1998 and it is now available in many European countries as well as some oversees markets. It comes in the form of a cream and is suitable for use by men and women but it should not be used to colour facial hair. Poly Re-Nature changes the colour of the white hair gradually, which makes the change less noticeable than with traditional hair dyes. It works in a similar fashion to metallic-based, hair colouring lotions (such as Grecian formula) by replacing the missing pigment in white hair with a chemically-formed synthetic pigment. The difference is mainly in the type of chemical reaction and the resulting chemical formula of the pigment but the principle remains the same. The application also happens to be different. Poly Re-Nature is applied to the hair for about five minutes and then rinsed and the hair washed with shampoo. The main advantage over the metallic-based products using lead acetate is that it does the work without the use of poisonous heavy metal compounds and you can wash your hair as often as you like. The main disadvantage is the more aggressive nature of the substance. The re-pigmentation process is slow and lasts several days after the cream has been washed out. The chemical reaction involves 5, 6-dihydroxyindoline which reacts with oxygen in the air to produce polymers that act like melanin and bring back your natural hair colour. The author of this review tried this product back in 1999. It did work as promised but it gave him a bad allergic reaction after the first application and he never dared try it again. Poly Re-Nature works best for shades between dark blond and black. It was not designed for use on red hair and it was not tested on and is not recommended for African and Asian hair.

Consumer reviews are plentiful but they only seem to be available in German and most of them are positive. Some consumers complained about the bad smell and the aggressive nature of the cream, and flaking after its continued use. Several people said Poly Re-Nature coloured their hair red after repeated application. It sounds weird, as this product is typically not very useful for colouring hair that was originally red. Poly Re-Nature is believed to be a good alternative for grey hair sufferers afraid of the metallic compounds contained in other types of hair colorants. However, they must be ready to put up with the inconvenience of using this fast-reacting mixture and be lucky not to suffer from an allergic reaction to one of its ingredients. Re-Nature is currently not available in stores and pharmacies in either USA or Canada.

Tags: Poly Re-Nature, grey hair, hair colorant, Grecian Formula

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Use of Stinging Nettle in Hair Loss Remedies

Stinging nettle (urtica dioica) is a common perennial plant, native to the temperate and subtropical zone of the northern hemisphere. As its name suggests, it is best known for its ability to deliver a considerable sting, which occurs when small hairs on its leaves and stem brush against skin, causing a burning sensation and a rash which can last up to 24 hours. The plant has, for centuries, been used in many cultures as a traditional folk medicine to treat various conditions such as rheumatism, arthritis, anaemia, kidney problems, inflammation of the urinary tract, etc. In addition to becoming a popular healing plant, stinging nettle has, in some cultures, been used as a vegetable and, due to its high nutritional value, is often compared with spinach.

For our purposes, the most significant application of stinging nettle today is the use of its root extract to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which is believed to have the same root cause as hereditary hair loss. Nettle root extract has been observed in some studies to relieve symptoms of BPH and, hence, it is believed that it is able to inhibit the conversion of testosterone to follicle-harming dihydrotestosterone (DHT). However, no clinical studies have been conducted to date into nettles' ability to combat hair loss and its mechanism of action in regards to treating BPH remains unknown. Despite the lack of scientific evidence, nettle root extract has become a popular ingredient in a number of herbal and natural, hair loss treatments alongside other assumed DHT blockers such as saw palmetto and pygeum africanum. In one recent study, the ability of nettle to relieve the symptoms of BPH was compared with pygeum africanum and it seems that it needs to be used in significantly higher dosages in order to achieve the same benefit. Caution is advised to patients using nettle root extract since the whole plant is known to be allergenic to a lot of people. Other than that the risk of adverse events during nettle root treatment is low, as is its toxicity.

In summary, stinging nettle is not a proven DHT inhibitor because its mode of action is not known. It cannot be considered as a proven hair loss treatment either since it has never been used in any clinical hair loss study. In addition to the lack of scientific evidence supporting its use as a hair loss remedy, there is also no empirical evidence available, as no relevant consumer reports exist of it being beneficial in promoting hair growth. However, this lack of clinical and empirical evidence does not automatically imply that it is ineffective in treating hair loss. Due to its low health risk profile, it can be used safely by those patients who are, for whatever reason, seeking an alternative to the medicinal DHT inhibitors such as finasteride, or as an experimental supplement to your existing hair regrowth regimen.

Tags: hair loss, baldness, stinging nettle, urtica dioica, natural hair loss remedy

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Reminex Consumer Reviews

By Ed from Pasadena, age 52, who has been using Reminex for one year:

Ingredients of Reminex are almost the same as Melancor-MH. After I used Melancor-MH for a year and Reminex for a year, I finally gave up!! It proved both are useless. Don't waste your money.

By Robin, age 53, who has been using Reminex for four months:

My first impression after using Reminex for two months was good as my hair turned darker but later I noticed that all my white hair was still white and increasing the contrast was not the result I wanted to achieve. Hands off!

By Dan from Ohio, age 38, who has been using Reminex for three years:

I've used this product for years~~and it works! I have very, very few grey hairs!

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Nizoral Consumer Reviews

by Claire, age 55, who has been using Nizoral for nearly two years:

I first bought Nizoral shampoo against thinning hair to use alongside Rogaine for women. Already, two months later, I noticed my hair becoming fuller and shinier. Now I use Nizoral not only because it is as effective as Rogaine but also because it is very easy to apply, by shampooing my hair.

by Myhairloss, age 29, who has been using Nizoral for two months:

I had read that Nizoral shampoo helps eliminate DHT in the scalp and decided to give it a go, although I am not suffering from dandruff. I am using minoxidil and generic Propecia daily against my hair loss and now, since about eight weeks ago, I shampoo my hair once a week with Nizoral. My first observation, after less than two months, is that my hair appears healthier and I have less grey. My hair has also gone a shade darker and feels softer. Until now I have not noticed any change in the quality of my hair while on Propecia and minoxidil. I have to wait for another two months or so to fully evaluate the results and see whether it was only a seasonal change in hair colour or not.

by Doris Jones, age 54, who has been using Nizoral for one month:

I read about Nizoral long ago and had to buy it with a doctor's prescription but no insurance so it was pricey. Now I can get it online so I'm trying it again. I have the post menopause hairloss thinning. I read one guy's personal blog where he was not selling anything and he had tried all the things like Minoxidil and Finasteride but went back to Nizoral and said it had helped him. I plan to stick with it this time and be more vigilant in using it.

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Fabao 101 Review

Fabao 101 formula is a Chinese herbal hair loss product. It is said to be a safe and effective treatment proven to stop hair loss and regrow hair all over the scalp, including the hairline. Fabao 101 made big waves in Asia back in the mid 1980s. The manufacturer of this product mentions on its website that Japanese travel agencies were then organizing trips to China so that people could purchase this product. The formulas 101D, 101F and 101G are all designed to treat different stages of hereditary baldness. Fabao 101 consists of two dozen herbal extracts, including the most favourite Chinese hair loss herb - He Shou Wu (Fo-Ti). The manufacturer claims that the product was subjected to rigorous clinical testing in China but no relevant documentation has been released for independent evaluation and no study has been published in any respected peer-reviewed medical journal outside of China.

Fabao 101 happens to be commercially very successful in North America. This success comes despite the lack of scientific data backing the bold claims made by the manufacturer and it is aided by the mystery surrounding traditional Chinese medicine in non-Asian cultures. There do not seem to be too many bald people amongst the Chinese population but it is not though to be due to either Fabao 101 formula or any Chinese herb. Consumer reviews of Fabao 101 products are plentiful but many of the five star posts appear to be spam. Using this product will probably not hurt anybody but keep in mind that it is a "buyer-beware" market. Apparently, a number of Chinese and Japanese scientists are wasting their time researching hair multiplication and other novel hair loss treatments, not knowing that there has been this 'miracle' cure for baldness lying on their doorsteps for nearly 30 years.

Tags: Fabao, Fabao 101, Fabao 101 review, hair loss, hereditary baldness

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Follicare Consumer Reviews

By Greg from the FL, age 46, who has been using Follicare for two years:

I believe Follicare has prevented me from going bald. However, the hair on top and in front is still quite thin. I am looking for anyone who has switched from Follicare to another product and has found better results.

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Transplanting Grey Hair

It is a common misconception to believe that grey hair cannot be transplanted. But contrary to this widespread belief, grey or white hair can be transplanted as successfully as normal, pigmented hair. Grey hair is normal healthy hair and has been observed to be even more resistant to external factors than hair of original colour. It is also courser and grows faster than normal, pigmented hair. However, if there is any difficulty with transplanting grey hair, it is not because of its durability but due to the fact that the colourless, white hair, though thicker than regular hair, is less noticeable. And, since the supply of the donor hair is limited and the cost of transplanting white hair is the same as for pigmented hair, it is less economical to transplant white hair, as it does not create the same illusion of fullness as normal, pigmented hair. However, this does not apply to people who dye their hair. For those who would like to avoid transplanting white hair it is important to know that the follicular unit extraction method is a more suitable technique compared to traditional strip harvesting because it can easily identify and avoid the extraction of grey hair follicles. Age alone is not a determining factor in hair transplant surgery either. Critical factors with regards to a patient's suitability for hair surgery, such as balding pattern, overall physical condition, flexibility of the scalp, sufficient density in the donor area, etc. are the same in people of all ages.

Tags: grey hair, white hair, gray hair, transplanting grey hair

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Inhairit Review

Inhairit is an all-natural treatment which claims to stop hair loss in both men and women. It comes in the form of a topical application used once daily. Its main active ingredient is saw palmetto, which is assumed to inhibit conversion of testosterone into the follicle-harming dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the main culprit responsible for baldness. All of the remaining active substances come from ayurvedic medicine: eclipta alba (used in traditional medicine to rejuvenate and dye hair), ginger (zingiber officinale, an anti-inflammatory drug and a vasodilator), neem (azadirachta indica, an anti-inflammatory drug used to treat skin diseases), Indian gooseberry (emblica officinalis, rich in vitamins and amino acids and a strong anti-inflammatory drug and antioxidant), bacopa monnieri (a strong antioxidant and memory enhancer) and terminalia chebula (used as a detoxifying agent). Though the names of these exotic herbs may sound impressive to those of us who are not familiar with eastern medicine, none of them has ever been clinically tested for treating baldness.

Inhairit has been on the market since 2000, enjoying relatively good visibility on the internet, often ranking amongst the top ten on Google for "hair loss". Despite that, consumer reviews of Inhairit do not exist. It is not known how many bottles of Inhairit have been sold so far but there do not seem to be too many consumers wishing to share their experiences. This product is different from the majority of herbal cures in that it uses a number of exotic Asian herbs. However, its efficacy probably does not differ from that of the average herbal hair loss remedy and the placebo effect might be its strongest active component.

Tags: Inhairit, Inhairit review, hair loss, herbal hair loss remedy

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Procerin Consumer Reviews

By Ed from Pasadena, age 52, who has been using Procerin for one year:

After I used for about 8 bottles one year ago, I did not see any difference. Don't waste your money.

By longhair, age 44, who has been using Procerin for three months:

"Procerin contains a mix of herbal extracts and vitamins that are supposed to provide your hair with essential nutrients and neutralise the negative impact of dihydrotestosterone, which makes this treatment effective in reversing hair loss in men caused by androgenetic alopecia".

Although I cannot confirm this claim as I have not been able to regrow a single hair so far, I think the pills cannot do you any harm unless you are allergic to their herbal components. This stuff dries out your mouth, though, and interrupts your sleep at night. Make sure you have a bottle of water by your bed. The liquid is sticky and smelly and can only be used at night and then washed off in the morning. It looks too aggressive to be applied daily. It merely made my hair recede faster. I would like to give Procerin two and a half stars, which is not possible here, so I am giving it three, as I do not want to sound too negative. This product may help you keep your hair a bit longer but do not think of growing back the hair you have lost. Avoid using the topical lotion.

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Can Saw Palmetto Help Treat Hair Loss?

Saw palmetto is an extract from the fruits of serenoa repens, a small palm tree endemic to the southern part of the US. It has been used for centuries by Native Americans to treat urinary conditions in men and in the past few decades it has become a very popular alternative remedy for treating enlarged prostates (benign prostatic hyperplasia). Its assumed ability to inhibit production of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is believed to be the main cause of prostate problems, as well as hereditary hair loss, has recently led to its applications in hair-growth products.

Saw palmetto is often presented as a safe, natural alternative to the medicinal DHT-inhibitor, finasteride. As a principal ingredient, it can be found in numerous popular hair loss remedies, such as Provillus, Procerin, Advecia, Avacor, Revivogen, Scalp Med and many others. Marketers of such products claim that saw palmetto is a safe, natural DHT blocker, whereas finasteride, though assumed to work by the same mode of action, is often associated with severe side effects. However, scientists cannot agree on whether saw palmetto is beneficial in treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, for which it has been used for decades, let alone in treating baldness. The fact is that nobody seems to know.

Saw palmetto is not a regulated pharmaceutical and it has never been clinically tested for treating hair loss. However, this lack of sound scientific evidence is no obstacle when it comes to promoting it as a natural hair loss cure. Since the market for herbal OTC products is little regulated in most countries, in comparison with pharmaceuticals, it allows plenty of room for the marketers' imagination. The promoters of herbal products are in a much better position when it comes to making unrealistic promises compared to pharmaceuticals. In their efforts to maximise revenues, they sometimes forget to mention certain facts. A quick internet search turned up the list of the following side effects that were reported by saw palmetto users: allergic reactions, stomach pain and diarrhoea, severe bleeding during saw palmetto use, difficulty with erections, testicular discomfort, breast tenderness and enlargement, changes in sexual desire and a warning that saw palmetto extract is not recommended for women who are pregnant or breast-feeding because of its possible hormonal activity. Does that differ considerably from what finasteride is frequently blamed for?

Tags: saw palmetto, serenoa repens, finasteride, hair loss, benign prostatic hyperplasia

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Choosing the Best Treatment for Hair Loss

The main existing approaches to combating hair loss include a) antiandrogen treatment, which addresses the leading cause of hereditary baldness – dihydrotestosterone's (DHT) negative effects on hair follicles and b) promoting new hair growth with hair growth stimulants. Hereditary hair loss in both men and women is caused by DHT attacking our hair follicles, leading to their miniaturisation and eventual death. Propecia (generic name finasteride) is the only FDA-approved antiandrogen for treating hair loss in men and one of the only two FDA-approved hair loss treatments available today. The other FDA-approved treatment is Rogaine (generic name minoxidil) and it is a hair growth stimulant that can be used by both sexes. These two drugs are generally considered the best options for treating male hair loss at the moment and should be tried first.

Some doctors recommend fortifying the effects of these two drugs with a ketoconazole-containing shampoo such as Nizoral. Both finasteride and minoxidil are, besides their original formulations, also available in generic, and, therefore, less expensive formulations. Dutasteride is a drug similar to finasteride in its effects and also frequently prescribed to male customers. Though considered to be yet more effective than finasteride, its FDA approval for hair loss is still pending. Female alternatives to finasteride are two antiandrogens - spironolactone (trade name Aldactone) and cyproterone acetate (Diane 35, Diane 50, Ginette 35). Both of them are commonly prescribed to female hair loss patients and have demonstrated some efficacy, although none of them has been approved as a hair loss treatment by the FDA.

However, the aforementioned medicinal treatments, and particularly finasteride, are often blamed for causing negative side effects. Finasteride works by inhibiting the conversion of the male hormone testosterone into follicle-harming DHT, thus reducing its plasma levels. This can have feminising effects on some male patients. Therefore, scientists are looking for alternative antiandrogen therapies that would, instead of preventing the conversion into DHT, bind to the receptor sites in hair follicles and thus compete with DHT. This approach is expected to prevent the negative side effects resulting from the artificially low DHT levels in the male body caused by finasteride treatment.

Many herbs and naturally-derived substances are claimed to address hair loss by binding to and blocking activity in the androgen receptor sites of hair follicles. Although no relevant clinical proof exists some of those substances have demonstrated, in smaller, usually sponsored, studies, the ability to promote hair growth and can be found in numerous generic, hair loss products. A list of such substances includes extracts from saw palmetto, stinging nettle, pygeum africanum and green tea, beta-sitosterol, azelaic acid, caffeine, essential fatty acids, alfatradiol, etc.

Other promising substances that have been shown to promote hair growth but which do not seem to interfere with DHT include aminexil, a molecule similar to minoxidil, procyanidins, adenosine, copper peptides and superoxide dismutase. The HairMax laser comb, though not FDA-approved, as often misleadingly claimed by its marketers, may be considered helpful in improving the overall health of the scalp and is often used as a supportive treatment to some of the above-mentioned therapies.

When deciding on the best treatment for your current condition, you should first try the two FDA-approved remedies and start experimenting with alternative treatments only to enhance this basic regimen or if negative side effects occur, forcing you to abandon medicinal treatments. Although it is often necessary to experiment with several different treatments, avoid using them all at the same time. We are all different and, therefore, it is impossible to say what works best for everybody. Some treatments work better than others and this list mentions only the most promising hair loss remedies available today, so look out for them when deciding what to buy.

Tags: propecia, finasteride, dutasteride, minoxidil, antiandrogen

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Round Two - My Second PRP Hair Loss Treatment With Dr. Joseph Greco

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Hello Everyone!

Recently I ventured back to Florida to have another PRP (platelet rich plasma) hair loss treatment with Dr. Joseph Greco. I went back at the 4 month mark, which is before the time usually recommended to patients. I did so because I was quite pleased with the results I saw, and I wanted to make sure I kept my hair in that happy state it seems to be in. After 10 years of hair loss, when you find something that helps, you pretty much jump all over it… or at least I do.

So round two begins….ding ding.

I arrived at the hotel the day before my appointment, ready, excited and pumped with anticipation to have this treatment done again. I had a lot less apprehension because I pretty much knew what to except. As some of you will recall, a big point of anxiety for me during the last trip, was exactly how much pain was involved in this process. Well thankfully that anxiety didn’t exist because I had already experienced the process and knew it was not that big a deal.

I slept like a baby, no nerves whatsoever, part of that may be attributed to the wine I drank that evening. Gotta love wine! I awoke the following morning and stepped outside on the balcony with my cup of coffee and was just in awe of how beautiful it was. It was an incredibly gorgeous day so I just soaked it all in.

An hour before I was to depart, I dialed the front desk to ask for a cab to pick me up. Before I knew it I was being whisked away by some crazy driver who seriously needs to re-evaluate her profession. I’ve never in my life had a cab ride quite like that before. I found myself bracing at every turn and frantically clutching on to the seat for dear life. And to make matters worse, she didn’t take credit cards! Every cab pretty much takes credit cards nowadays, but her machine was getting serviced (uh huh). So now I had to rummage through my purse (something resembling a black hole) to pull out dollars and quarters. Shockingly I had the cash. Yay for spare change!

I walk into the office and am warmly greeted by the receptionist. I re-sign some forms and take my place in the waiting room chair. Not much waiting time before Dr. Greco appears and welcomes me back. I say my hellos to Val, his awesome assistant, and shortly after I’m in the chair getting my blood drawn. Like I mentioned in my first post, Val is a pro at drawing blood and there was no real discomfort there at all.

The doctor and Val then disappear into the other room to prepare the injection of platelet rich plasma. That process involves spinning it in a centrifuge and also using his protein matrix to get the most yumminess (isn’t that the technical term?) out of my blood. I venture to say that process takes about 15 minutes, I’m not really sure, I was watching Law and Order on the television, while reclined in my dentist like chair.

I was really quite relaxed and had surprisingly had no apprehension about what was about to take place. I didn’t get very far in my Law and Order episode before Dr. Greco and his assistant returned with the platelet rich plasma.

The process was the same as the last time. Dr. Greco started with examining my hair, pushing it in all different directions, at which point he says,  “You had a lot of miniaturized hair before, and it doesn’t seem that you have as much miniaturized hair.” To which I replied, “Oh, you say that to all the girls.” ha!  His words truly were really echoing what I already felt about my current state of hair loss improvement, so that was great. The process started off with injections to numb my head, then Dr. Greco used a microneedle roller on the scalp, and then comes time for the yumminess - the PRP injections. Pop pop pop (what the injections sound like in my head) and the hardest part is over. Lastly, the doctor and Val massage the PRP in, and clean up my scalp a tad. When they finished and shut the overhead light off, I said “Is that all?” I was really surprised it had gone by so fast and it just seemed so much easier than the last time.

During my last treatment I had some discomfort post treatment when the numbing medication wore off, so this time I decided to take Tylenol before, immediately after and another 4 hours later after that. I think that was the super special recipe for myself, because I didn’t really experience any post treatment pain or discomfort, and I didn’t even have head swelling.  Of course me being ME, I start to think, “well something has to be off, will it work the same?” It couldn’t possibly be the wonder magic of Tylenol, could it? I emailed the doctor with my concern regarding lack of pain (I know that’s funny) and he wrote back letting me know that it will indeed work as well as the last time. From time to time, my mind still reflects on that, as though I HAVE to have pain to see results. I know, I know that’s just plain nutty, welcome to my world

So I return back to the hotel, kicked off my shoes and ordered up a little self prescribed aftercare… a bottle of Robert Mondavi chardonnay. That evening I actually felt good enough to go out to eat for dinner (with my hat on of course), so my fiance and I ventured out for some good eating. The next morning I showered and lightly shampooed my scalp, rinsing it clean and then it was off to the airport.

That was pretty much my visit in a nutshell.  I have received so many questions and emails about this new treatment and I think many women (and likely men) remain skeptical about whether or not PRP actually works. I can completely understand that, I am probably more skeptical than anyone when it comes to hair loss treatments. The internet is filled with so much bogus garbage for products and services, that when something real comes along it is hard to believe it will actually work.  I honestly do not know if everyone will respond to this treatment in the same manner as I have, I can only attest to what it has done for me - which is to really help lessen my shedding, spur a little regrowth and make the overall quality of my hair a lot better. My hair now has visibly more fullness and the color seems more vibrant as well, enough so that even my hair dresser acknowledged it without any prompting. Which is a pretty amazing thing.

Realistic expectations… I really can’t stress this enough. If you are going into having this treatment with the notion that this will cure your hair loss, and that all your hair will return back to it’s normal state, then you will very likely be disappointed. This isn’t a cure, but it’s been my little miracle. I’ve reached a point in my hair loss life, that I don’t need everything back. I simply want enough to get by, and really just to keep what I have left, which is a mere fraction of what I started with.  I’ve already been there and done that, with the wanting and praying for everything to return, that time has thankfully passed for me many years ago.  When this nightmare first began I really felt like I didn’t know how I would live my life if ALL my hair didn’t come back. I was riddled with constant sadness, crying and depression. But, amazingly we adapt, we learn to live with less and we gain a greater acceptance of how we are today.  My hair is still shedding, and I still have visible thinness, but so what, if it can stay like this, I’ll be one heck of a happy camper.

One last thing, I want to address a frequently asked question, which is “Why did you go all the way to Florida to have this done with Dr. Greco?”  I realize many places are popping up like Starbucks offering PRP treatments in their practice, but since Dr. Greco was the pioneer in using this therapy for treating hair loss, and since he is currently the only one using his self-engineered protein matrix, I feel most comfortable there. I got results there and so that is where I’ll go for this treatment. I have heard several reports from some women that there was a doctor in Canada who was performing this treatment, and has since stopped offering it, due to what he says is “lack of results.” Well, I’m not sure what he was doing and if he was doing it correctly. I can only go by my own experience, which was quite a positive one.

I  have to say many thanks to Dr. Joesph Greco and staff, they always make me feel very welcomed, comfortable and put my mind at ease. But don’t think I’m not still wondering if the lack of pain during this last treatment will be indicative of lack of results! ha. What’s the saying? “No pain, no gain.” :)  I have already confessed to everyone I suffer with a bit of OCPD right? Yes, it’s OCPD, not OCD, it wasn’t a typo.

For your viewing pleasure, I made a short video of my second PRP treatment:

Links to my previously posted PRP articles:

PRP Therapy Treatment Revisited - My 3 Month Update
My PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) Therapy Experience
Is PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) Therapy a Viable Treatment For Women’s Hair Loss?

Additional PRP Therapy Resources:

Dr. Joseph Greco’s Blog
Dr. Joesph Greco Answers Your Questions on BaldTruthTalk.Com
PRP Therapy Video Presentations

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What Do Men Think? A Blog From My Husband

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It never fails that when I talk to women with hair loss issues of any kind, the issue of men comes up-what do they think? Will he freak out if I tell him? Do wigs weird him out? Will he bail when he finds out?

Last week I talked to a sweet girl who asked me “What does your husband think?” This prompted me to ask him later that week what he did think. We have been married for 16 years and so I don’t really give tons of thought to what he does think about it-only that he loves me no matter what-with hair or without hair. Being the amazing guy he is, when I asked him about it (and how women in general are always wondering and potentially worrying) he responded “I could write a blog for you….?”. Awesome. Here it is.

Hair loss, in all its impersonal medical and vernacular forms, is a thief. Words like areata, diffused, thinning, and universalis dull the real damage hair loss does to women. Bald can certainly be beautiful, but unless you’re feeling empowered to be the ultimate feminist, you want hair. You may not want Repunzel- let me climb down this mountain using my own locks kind of hair- but most women want hair. There’s a reason Clairol and Nice-n- Easy make millions. Slogans like “only her hairdresser knows for sure”, tells a story of hair’s importance for women. Hair for women is like fuel to a fire-it makes you sizzle. Hair loss can rob women in the prime of their lives of that vitality. The truth is, women’s hair is also important to the men who love them. Though we might be shy about admitting it, we care about what our partner looks like. Seeing someone we love suffer at the hands of hair loss can be paralyzing. Not only does hair loss steal away your hair, but it can infiltrate our relationship-not because we stop loving you-but because you stop loving yourself. Hair loss steals your attention from your own beauty and can leave you devastatingly depressed and feeling less vibrant.

As a husband, hair loss started intruding soon after our first daughter was born. We now have three beautiful daughters and with each birth, Amber’s hair would become thinner. She tried everything, until she found a solution. When she started wearing lace hair systems, everything changed. We gained back all that we had lost at the hands of this disease. Sure, there was an initial mental adjustment. You know us, we get a little weird when you change your color, or go shorter: imagine coming home with a full head of hair for the first time. But once the initial –O.M.G. wears off, the transition is worth it. After a while, I couldn’t stop desiring her in a whole new way. What the thief had taken was back and helped her to connect with her true beauty. When she feels confident and sexy about herself, I’m more than willing to come along for that ride! When she feels this way, I only want to get closer. And no one gets as close to her as I do and I cannot tell-I forget that it’s not her hair-she just looks beautiful! She’s a beautiful woman with great hair! I feel energized by the confidence she projects because hair loss no longer robs her joy and energy.

Visit AmberC on The Network: http://community.womenshairlossproject.com/amberc/

Amber’s Website: http://www.personalhairtherapy.com

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Attitude Is Everything - A Dose of Inspiration

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When I was 23, my outlook on life was colored dramatically by my hair loss “situation.” It all seemed rather bleak, lots of doom and gloom. My coping skills dramatically improved over the years, and I have moved on from praying every single hair would grow back, to just praying for the strength to deal with the hand I’ve been dealt, but that was indeed, a hard road for me to travel.

The other day I was reading through profiles on the network and stumbled across the “About Me” of a 23 year old woman. I was so moved by what a I had read,  I emailed her and asked her permission to re-post it here.

On her profile she had written the following:

“I am honest with myself. Yes, I do have hair loss. I talk about it with people instead of ignoring it. The hair loss is there and it’s not going to go away just because I’m wishing or praying. I will be open about it when I meet someone. To some people talking about someone else’s hair loss is like talking about cancer. It shouldn’t be like that. That is why I am open and honest with people. Yes, I have hair loss. Yes, this is who I am. I might be bald by the end of the year but that’s okay. I’ll cry about it, pick myself up off the floor and keep going. Don’t hope and pray for hair. Hope that one day you can love yourself no matter what you look like.“

As I re-read that I actually find myself tearing up. So much truth, honestly, self love and acceptance. On the days I find myself feeling low, I think I will remember that, “Don’t hope and pray for hair. Hope that one day you can love yourself no matter what you look like.”

I am someone that can certainly attest to the fact that way too much time is lost mourning our hair. I nearly lost a decade of life with my face shoved into a pillow, constantly asking, “Why?” Well I’m here to tell you I don’t have an answer. I’ve done my best to walk a straight line, be a caring person, a good friend, help others, assist homeless animals, and eat my vegetables I didn’t “DO” anything wrong, this isn’t some type of morbid punishment from God. It just is. Period. Although I often reflect on that moment at the age of 5 when I told my mom her meatloaf tastes like cat food. Could that be it? I’m kidding obviously.

But I digress.

Be kind to yourself and don’t beat yourself up over your hair loss. Perhaps your time experiencing hair loss will be short lived (hopefully), or perhaps it will be a bit of a longer journey (like myself), either way it’s best to start digging deep and pulling out the big guns of Love and Acceptance.

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Finding a Wonderful and Caring Hair Replacement Shop/Salon In Los Angeles

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I’ve seen enough fabulous hair pieces and wigs to know that it remains a very realistic, viable option for women who deal with hair loss. But the question always remains, where do you go? I know I’d definitely want to go somewhere that was caring, compassionate, patient, and a place that wasn’t pushy and truly had my best interest at heart. After all we aren’t buying iphones, we are buying something so intimately personal, I think a little TLC and hand holding is in order.

There is no question in my mind that a lot of women close the door to wearing hair because their first attempt turned out to be an awful and traumatizing experience, or the product was subpar, and from that they probably figured there was no point in continuing to try. Unfortunately, wearing hair isn’t really SO common that you can just turn to your girlfriend and say, “Love your hair, where’d you get it?” It’s also a completely different experience when you are buying hair because you NEED it, as opposed to buying it because you just think it would look neat with an outfit. One situation has deep rooted emotions and the other is really more of an optional accessory. For that reason, it is crucial to find a place that actually deals with women losing their hair and understands the devastation and feelings that encompasses it.

I think finding a good hair replacement salon is probably tantamount to finding a needle in a haystack, so I wanted to share the names of two shops that seem to truly be helping women.

I have heard several positive stories about:

Lee Anthony
1001 W. 17th Street, Suite H
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
949-515-0631
leeanthony.com

One WHLP member stated that Lee actually told her that it was too soon for her to need to wear something, which I think definitely shows honesty and integrity.

The place I most recently heard about is:

Wigs Today
6338 W. 3rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 9006
323-954-8809

If you make a visit here, make sure it’s the address I listed above. I did find another place in Los Angeles by the same name, which had horrible reviews, but I’m pretty certain this isn’t the same place. According to the listing I found on Yahoo: http://local.yahoo.com/info-20415634-wigs-today-los-angeles#overview this place was only recently established in 2009.

I am super cautious about ever recommending a product or service provider, but I feel confident that the experiences I have heard about regarding these salons are from real women who have been a part of the site for quite sometime with no ulterior motives.

As a final note, I’d also run (not walk) from any place that asked you to sign a contract, gave you a hard sell or made you feel uncomfortable in any way whatsoever.

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I Think I Can Finally Declare Victory In My War With Hair Loss - Bonnie’s Update

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Bonnie has been a member of The Women’s Hair Loss Project since Nov. 2008. Yesterday she wrote the most incredible blog in the network, declaring victory in her war with hair loss. Myself and so many others are beyond thrilled over her recent news. So with her permission, I am posting it here for everyone to read.

Here is the post:

I’ve been thinking about writing this blog for a long time, hoping that my success with regrowth would continue and that I would have great news to share. It’s weird but I guess I was sort of waiting it out to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating or waiting for the other shoe to drop… the universe saying HAHA! and my hair to start falling out again, but I think I can now say that I feel like I’m in the clear. I think I have finally won this war. Wow.

It’s been such a challenging year and half with all of this and I still cant imagine how uncluttered my brain must have been before all of this happened. It has been such a life-changing thing that it’s VERY hard to get past it. I know all of you understand this.

Slowly, slowly, since I shaved my head on 6/1, things have been improving. My shedding stopped a couple of weeks after the buzz (I stopped Spiro the same day) and it began filling in little by little. I really had some particularly thin spots and used A LOT of Toppik for a while, but I slowly stopped using that, quit the Xanax (I do not know how I would have gotten through 2009 without Xanax!), kept going with my supplements (fish oil, flax oil, vitamins and iron) and tried to exercise real patience and it has actually worked. My thin spots have slowly filled in and they KEEP filling in and I dare say that I think my hair is back to normal. Sigh and a big deep breath! For the first time in a very long time, I can now actually say that my hair looks good. it has taken me a LONG time to be able to say that and mean it.

I am still a product junkie (maybe now more than ever) and I still take detours by every mirror to check my hair out a zillion times a day. I think I will probably always.

I’m ready for a cleansing ritual for getting past this. Today I am going to go back to the wig salon and ask them about donating the beautiful wig that I bought there (and never actually wore) and maybe even the Gremlin wig too if they’ll take it. Yeah, the pictures of that are scary but KatKat did a perfectly AMAZING job of taming that beast. I’m going to see if I can donate the wig(s) to another woman that is suffering with hair loss and can’t afford to get something that will make her feel more comfortable.

I just wanted to update all of you. I have found such amazing support here and I truly cannot imagine how I would have gotten through this battle without WHLP. it has literally been a lifesaver for me.

I wish all of us more hair than we know what to do with (only on our heads). MUAH!

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Friendships – Reach Out To Those You Care About

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I’ve always been a private person, definitely more of an introverted personality. I find happiness and solace just being all by myself, never really feeling the need to have to be out and about and socializing. Well, hair loss added to that in a negative way. What once felt like a personal preference now seemed like a prerequisite to my life… solitude and isolation.

There were two monumental, emotionally catastrophic times caused by my hair loss. One was when this began in 1999, and the other crash came in 2007. I was losing my hair the whole time and having bouts of depression the whole way through, but those points mark times where I just sat constantly feeling helpless and completely without any motivation to live life. It’s definitely no coincidence that I created this site in 2007, it was an extremely sad time for me, and if you read my earlier posts you will likely feel the sadness and pain I was going through. I was withdrawn, I submerged myself into the comfort of my keyboard and I began to pour my heart out onto electronic paper. The more I typed, the more I shared, the more I started to feel better. Sharing is incredibly healing; I say it all the time.

During this time, I started to avoid my friends; I was ashamed of how much worse my hair was starting to look. It was thin before, but after having experienced a nonstop massive shedding from the 2 years prior, it was now a complete hopeless mess, and seemingly progressing each day. I didn’t want anyone to see me this way. I hid. In every sense of the word. I hid. I started avoiding phone calls, text messages and even started to skip the “reply” part of an email I would receive. It was just easier to push that part away (socializing) and focus on communicating and writing to women I met online, women who I knew understood what I was going through, that felt a whole lot safer.

As time passed I started to feel guilty for abandoning the friendships, and I started to feel empty.  I was saddened that I had pushed everyone away just so I wouldn’t have to share my secret and have them see me a way that I didn’t even want to see myself.

I wanted to reconnect, but how? So much time has passed. What do you say? Where do you pick up? “Hi, how are you… I’ve been balding for over a decade and it’s made me miserably depressed, sorry I didn’t call you back,” that just didn’t have the flow or direction I was hoping for.

I wrote emails, apologizing and explaining what has transpired in my life, or more appropriately put… what took over my life. I went out to lunch with someone else, and burst into tears over my jambalaya. I was scared, I felt vulnerable, but I was received with such love and understanding. I wasn’t judged. All that I had built up in my head of how no one would understand, was really just in my head. I also think when you share such a deeply personal part of your life with others; it can deepen and grow your friendship.

Make no mistake, this is still very much a secret of my life, but I told a few people I very much care about, and I don’t regret it. I know in writing with lots of women on this site, that others have also lost touch with their friends, and in some cases family, and I want to tell you… Your friends, your REAL friends, are still there, waiting for you to reach out. If you want to reconnect, make the choice, and decide how you feel most comfortable – phone, in person, email, telegram and do it.

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Applying a Lace Front Wig

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So I can across these amazing videos on YouTube made by MonroeZombieDoll, who is my new hero… she is absolutely amazing and I’m so thankful she made these videos of herself applying her lace front wig. I came across having a much better understanding of what goes into the process, it definitely helps to demystify things a bit.

How I Apply My Lace Front Wig

Reapplying Lace Front Wig

eHow.com has some articles on the lace front wig application process as well:

How To Apply a Lace Front Wig

One thing I had no clue about is what is written in the final step:

Once you have the wig on your head, it may be tempting to style and comb it. Don’t. Unless stated otherwise, both tape and glue adhesives have to cure for about 24 to 48 hours before any excessive pulling on the hair can occur.If you follow the rules, the bond should stay strong for a good while.

I’m sure once you are a pro at the lace wig application process you eventually develop your own technique and figure out what does and does not work for you.

How To Remove a Lace Front Wig

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PRP Therapy Treatment Revisited - My 3 Month Update

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It’s been 3 months today since I received my PRP hair loss treatment with Dr. Joseph Greco last November 2009. I have been meaning to write my PRP update for quite sometime, but I wanted to wait until I was sure of what I felt my results (if any) actually were.

So rather than keep you in total suspense, I’ll start with a few self-imposed questions.

Do I think PRP Therapy has helped my hair loss? Yes
Do I think PRP Therapy has reduced my shedding? Yes
Do I think PRP Therapy has been the best thing for my hair since this entire mess started? Most Definitely
Has it done anything else? Yes, it has improved the quality and color of my hair
Will I do this again? You betcha, I’ll be on a plane within the next month for another treatment

Now with that out of the way, let me start by saying that ever since I had this done last November I have just felt better about my hair loss in general. Nothing works instantly, I know that,  but my mind was for the first time in a long time, optimistic that something positive could happen. So I essentially started to feel good right from the start, way before being able to actually tell if the PRP treatment did anything at all.  At times I have wondered whether or not my favorable results were a bit of a placebo effect, you know, all of a sudden thinking my hair is going to get better and tah dah it does. Whatever it is, my results are real, tangible and visible.

I noticed fairly quickly after receiving the treatment that my shedding reduced DRAMATICALLY, and since then it has gone up and down, but far less than before having the treatment done. My hair also just started to FEEL better and LOOK better. It seemed like some vibrance and pigmentation returned to my hair as well. After living with hair loss for 10 years, the color of my hair had faded as the miniaturization progressed. All I can say is “Hello color, I missed you! ”

Up until this morning I knew the following things, 1) my shedding decreased 2) the color improved and 3) my hair quality improved. Then this morning I scheduled a haircut with a woman who has been cutting my hair since 2005. I sat in the chair, she clipped on the apron, spritzed my hair with the water bottle and started to part the hair down the middle. Then she just looked closely at my head, then a little closer, as she leaned in she appeared to be slightly confused. With that final lean towards my head she said the most wonderful words, “You Look like You Have More Hair.” What? Let me say it again for all you ladies, in case you missed it, “YOU LOOK LIKE YOU HAVE MORE HAIR.” Hot diggity dog, do my ears deceive me? Nope. She told me my hair looks thicker, and that I have tons of little baby hairs growing in all over the place. Well praise the lord and raise the roof, I have a happy dance to do.

I had to laugh because before she came over (I have my haircut at my house) my fiance said, “I bet you she is going to tell you that your hair looks thicker.” Ha! I’ll gladly take the “I told you so” on this one. He’s been telling me for over a month that he really thinks that the PRP has helped my hair loss. I felt it, I knew it, but I didn’t want to jump the gun in writing my update prematurely.

I feel confident in sharing my results now, and I hope it helps to give other women hope. I will continue to keep everyone updated as I go through more treatments.

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