Archive for August, 2006

What does hypnotherapy have to do with Alopecia Areata?

I’ve had a keen interest in hypnosis for a while now and its been very interesting to see just how it can be applied in so many circumstances. It can help improve and even cure anything from phobias and weight loss to stopping smoking and becoming more creative.

However in terms of curing an autoimmune disorder such as Alopecia Areata or any form of hair loss this form of therapy, up till now has been highly controversial. This may be about to change though as some interesting new research has come to light. A preliminary study by Dr Ria Willemsen from the Free University in Brussels published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology has concluded that people with Alopecia Areata may actually experience better mental wellbeing and clinical outcome with hypnotherapy.

Dr Ria Willemsens team used a base of 21 individuals with hair loss on 30 percent of their scalp, that had hair loss for over three months and that had previously not experienced any regrowth with traditional steriod treatment. They were also followed for a reasonable length of time, from six months to six years.

After this treatment (including hypnotherapy and other medical treatment), 12 patients experienced hair growth with nine of these achieving total hair growth. Whilst these finding are mixed and how hypnosis might stimulate hair growth is still unknown, Willemsen and colleagues speculate that hypnosis could lead to certain immune system changes.

Willemsen’s team are careful not to place too much emphasis on the results but it still makes interesting reading and I think further research into this area is welcome. I’d personally like to see more research into stress factors and Alopecia Areata so we can establish whether stress is definately a clinical factor in this condition. Perhaps then we can place more faith in hypnotherapy and the mental wellbeing that it can bring as a defacto treatment for Alopecia Areata.

SOURCE: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, August 2006.

Add comment August 28th, 2006

Wigs are not for everyone

Just read another article by Caroline Wilson from the Evening Times Online. She covers the story of Zaineb Al Hassani who says going bald as a child after being diagnosed with alopecia helped her learn how to ignore taunts and attributes her soaring confidence to growing up with the condition. She hasn’t bothered with a wig at all which I consider very brave indeed and it just goes to show that everyone reacts differently so extreme circumstances.

Whilst its never easy dealing with hair loss I think its important to take strength from reading stories like this and to try and emulate those who have overcome the emotional aspects of this condition.

Here’s the full article.

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/hi/news/5056218.html

Add comment August 24th, 2006

Nice article on female hair loss

Hello all. I’d like to kick off this post by sending my apologies for not having updated the blog for a while but my recent workload has been hectic to say the least. My wife is also about to have our second child so we have both been a little preoccupied as I’m sure you’ll all understand.

Anyway, I’ve been meaning to cover the topic of female hair loss for a while and I was just about to put pen to pixel when would you know it a great article appears on the Daily mail website! It covers the usual background information about alopecia which most regular readers will know already but also covers the stories of five inspirational women who suffer from permanent hair loss. In my opinion this is what those of us with Alopecia and other forms of hair loss want to read. Other peoples stories. Solidarity brothers and sisters!

So here’s the link to the article and I hope you enjoy it.

Add comment August 24th, 2006