|
by Sherrill Sellman, N.D.
Combating Hair Loss & Lichen
Sclerosis with Thymus Peptides
A lustrous, full head of hair has always been an expression of beauty, youthfulness, sensuality, and vitality for women and men. In fact, most of us spend a great deal of time and money maintaining our coiffure. In cultures throughout the world, healthy hair is an important aspect of self-expression and self-esteem.
The thinning and loss of one’s hair is usually a devastating experience for both sexes. While more noticeable in men, women also suffer the embarrassment of thinning and balding. Why do we lose our hair? The possibilities are endless, but most fall under the four following categories: hormonal/genetic, medical, environmental, and personal care.
The tragedy of hair loss is most profoundly felt by patients undergoing chemotherapy. Within the first ten to fourteen days of starting treatment, patients are warned that one inevitable side effect will be the partial or total loss of their hair. Since cytotoxic drugs target all rapidly dividing cells in the body, it’s not only cancer cells that are affected. The direct toxic insult to the rapidly dividing cells of the hair matrix will cause root sheaths to die and the hair to shed rapidly. The type and strength of chemotherapeutic drugs determine to what degree hair loss will occur. The horror of clumps of hair suddenly appearing on the pillow or on the floor of the shower is a nightmare for cancer patients.
According to oncologist Atif Hussein, M.D. from Duke University Medical Center, “Alopecia (hair loss) is the most physically and psychologically distressing side effect of cancer chemotherapeutic drugs.” The stress and depression caused by the loss of healthy hair invariably contributes to the further suppression of an already compromised immune system.
The only treatments recommended by oncologists to prevent hair loss were scalp ice packs or scalp tour-niquets. Unfortunately, they have been dismal failures. Left with no effective protection against their impending hair loss, patients are encouraged to do their best to grin and bear it. Their only comfort is the promise that their hair will regrow after completing their treatment.
Thymuskin—The Research
In October of 1994, the University of Munich invited Dr. Morton Walker, an American medical journalist, to Germany to investigate studies done there by several physicians from universities, including Darmstadt, Munich, Frankfurt, Heidelberg, and Vienna. Nine well-respected medical doctors assisted in the production of a new product called Thymuskin®. Thymuskin is a formula that includes a patented synthetic thymus peptide chain, which is able to boost thymus gland function. The thymus gland is a major part of the body’s immune system that produces T lymphocytes, or T cells. They influence neighboring white blood cells, which mediate reactions within the immune system. It is a known fact that as we age and the thymus shrinks, the production of T cells diminish and the gland is less able to support a healthy immune response. The Thymuskin hair rejuvenation formula also includes aloe vera, nettle, birch,; vitamins A, B, and F (essential fatty acids.)
The initial German research showed impressive results for preventing chemotherapy-initiated hair loss by stimulating the thymus gland with thymus peptides. The physicians performed several placebo-controlled double-blind studies on the effects of this product for hair loss prevention in cancer patients and were astonished with the results.
In one study, when Thymuskin was applied by patients a week or more before beginning a mild form of chemotherapy and during the course of treatment, 88 percent experienced no hair loss whatsoever. For those who received more of the cytotoxic agent, they still showed impressive results—72 percent retained their hair!
All the studies, without exception, reported similar results. Thymuskin is the only treatment that has been clinically proven to either totally prevent or significantly reduce hair loss (depending on the toxicity of the chemotherapeutic agent) in patients undergoing chemotherapy.
It is now established that if Thymuskin products are applied two weeks prior to treatment and continued during treatment, most patients will retain their hair. For cancer patients, Thymuskin was finally an answer to their prayers. As a result, the German GMP, the equivalent of the FDA, declared Thymuskin a proven preventative treatment for hair loss for chemotherapy patients.
For more than two decades Thymuskin has been a popular over-the-counter product sold in tens of thousands of pharmacies throughout Germany and other countries in Europe, as well as Canada. It is also available in the U.S. from Biotechne Complex, Inc. by visiting www.thymuskin.com or calling toll-free, 1.800.214.8631.
Getting to the Root Cause of Hair Loss
The researchers were so impressed with their results that they decided to try Thymuskin on their own balding heads. To their amazement, they experienced significant hair regrowth even if they had been balding for a long time. They then investigated the possibility that Thymuskin might be an effective antidote to the intractable problem of hair loss in men and women.
Baldness and thinning hair, medically called alopecia, is most often considered a man’s problem. In fact, 40 million men in North America today are experiencing some form of hair loss, and if nothing is done to correct it, within the next 10 years, half of them will most likely become bald.
Hair loss is not exclusively a male’s lot in life; women suffer from hair loss as well. Facts state two out of every three women in Western countries will experience temporary or permanent hair loss at some time. And, over 60 percent of all women worldwide begin to experience some hair loss by the time they reach menopause. Although often hidden from sight by wigs, hair additions, or hats, more than 21 million American women do their best to hide this embarrassing condition.
Whatever gender you may be hair loss always creates some degree of emotional distress, not to mention putting a serious crimp in one’s self-image and confidence.
Hair loss falls into several categories. In alopecia areata, there are well-defined bald patches, often round or oval, on the head, beard, and other hairy body parts. Alopecia totalis results in hair loss from the neck up, while alopecia universalis is total hair loss on all parts of the body.
The most common form of balding is called alopecia androgenetica, also referred to as male and female pattern baldness, because of the loss of hair in response to androgen hormones. Up to 70 percent of men, and 40 percent of women, will experience this androgen mediated alopecia at some point in their lives.
Minimal thinning of hair density and further elevation of the forehead characterize male pattern baldness. Spot balding begins to take place in a patch at the top of the head, and progressively, more severe patterns of baldness appear until most hair follicles have been damaged or die. The typical pattern of female pattern baldness, however, is different from that of male pattern baldness. The hair thins all over the head, but the frontal hairline is maintained. There may be a moderate loss of hair on the crown, but this rarely progresses to total or near baldness as it may in men.
Solving the Mystery of Hair Loss
Roughly 100 hairs are lost from your head every day. The average scalp contains about 100,000 hairs. Hair grows from its follicle at an average rate of about one-half inch per month. Each hair has a growing cycle; it grows for two to six years, then rests, and then falls out. A new hair soon begins growing in its place. At any one time, about 85 percent of the hair is growing and 15 percent is resting.
One form of hair loss occurs when the 5-alpha reductase enzyme interacts with testosterone, producing the potent hormone dihydrotesterone (DHT). According to Dr. Morton Walker, author of How to Stop Baldness and Regrow Hair, in the scalp, each hair follicle is genetically programmed to react differently to DHT. In the cases of male and female pattern baldness, hair loss occurs in the follicles that are DHT-sensitive; this causes the follicles to wither and die from extended exposure to the hormone.
From the extensive research and studies performed on Thymuskin, German physicians have also linked baldness to an autoimmune condition, not only DHT. As the hair follicle cells divide rapidly, much like cancer cells, the immune system perceives them as foreign invaders, thus sending its white blood cells to attack. Once the hair follicles are damaged or die, they release the hair strands, this resulting in hair loss.
Dr. Morton Walker states that, “When examined under a microscope, the dormant follicles are typically surrounded by lymphocytes, macrophages, and other white blood cells produced when the body sets off an immunological response to an offending agent like infectious bacteria—one of the types of antigen.”
The types of hair loss that are often attributed to an autoimmune reaction are alopecia areata and alopecia universalis.
Thymuskin—The Good News for Hair Loss Sufferers
Baldness was basically considered an irreversible condition. While some prescription medications have offered few temporary benefits, there has not been a permanent solution.
However, Thymuskin, the natural formulation that stopped chemotherapy induced hair loss, also offers a proven solution for most kinds of alopecia, as long as there are living hair follicles. Clinical studies verified effectiveness of 86 percent for alopecia (including but not limited to areata, totalis, and universalis), 73 percent for male pattern baldness, and up to 95 percent for female pattern baldness. These percentages are very impressive when considering permanent hair regrowth.
The Thymuskin hair care line consists of a range of products, but the two essential items, shown most effective when used together, is the Thymuskin shampoo and hair treatment. The shampoo, also formulated with thymus peptides, is used to cleanse the scalp and hair follicles thoroughly. The treatment is then applied directly to the scalp, in small quantities, twice daily for a few to several months, depending on the severity of hair loss. Once hair growth is seen, usage of products may be reduced to every other day.
Typically, hair regrowth can be seen as early as 2–3 months, depending on the length of time and cause(s) of hair loss. However, those who have been thinning or balding for over 10 years may take as long as 9–12 months before results are noticeable; normally reaching peak growth rate in an 18-month period.
Studies have revealed that Thymuskin’s benefits go far beyond hair regrowth. Dr. Morton Walker reports that, “The immunological advantages of regularly utilizing thymus peptides—their autoimmune neutralization effects and their immune system boosting benefit—in addition to their stimulation of hair growth—make thymus extract an extremely worthwhile product to use. It furnishes a triple harvest of good health.”
Other autoimmune conditions have been successfully treated with products formulated with thymus peptides. One effective product, Sclero Discret®, has successfully treated lichen sclerosis, a chronic inflammatory skin disorder that can affect women, men, and children, but is most common in women. Usually, small white spots appear on and around the intimate areas, and occasionally the upper body as well. These spots develop into larger patches, which may become thin and crinkled. As a result, bruising occurs and the skin tears easily, causing severe discomfort. In this case, Thymuskin’s Sclero Discret has shown effective in the stabilization, normalization, and regeneration of skin.
The successful range of Thymuskin’s hair and skin care products have helped so many people throughout the world not only recover their dignity, but also regain a healthy immune system using thymus peptides.
|
