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If you lose a limb, Medicaid will cover the cost for a prosthetic replacement. However, if you lose your hair, you are out of luck – even if you lose all your hair, including the hair all over your face and body.

Three years ago, Redwood City resident Matt Kelley lost every hair on his body over the coarse of six weeks. Forty-one-year-old Kelley suffers from alopecia areata, a relatively uncommon autoimmune disorder that causes the immune system to attack hair follicles.

The experience brought on a deep depression and in an article on Inside Bay Area, Kelley explains that he was emotionally devastated from his hair loss.

Matt Kelley decided to take action.

He worked to raise awareness about his disease and eventually that awareness spread into the halls of Congress. On Tuesday, May 13, 2008, Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto introduced a bill that would require Medicaid to provide alopecia areata patients with prosthetic hairpieces.

It’s a bipartisan bill, sponsored by Rep. Heather Wilson, R-New Mexico and would mandate that federal and state health care provider Medicaid pay for one prosthetic hair piece per year for patients with severe forms of alopecia areata.

Approximately 4 million Americans suffer  from alopecia areata. The psychological effects of the disease are often devastating and can lead to depression and anxiety.
When Matt Kelley was in the throes of the disease, he felt “unattractive and as though everyone was staring at him.” Those who have experienced severe forms of hair loss explain that many people simply do not understand the psychological pain that it can cause.

Today, Matt Kelley is the founder of several sports memorabilia stores throughout the Bay Area. He chooses not to wear a wig and has found that humor and a positive attitude help him cope with his total body hair loss. Still, he believes that having access to hairpieces will help people with alopecia areata cope with the disease.

“Hair is kind of an integral part of our culture,” Kelley says. “It doesn’t help you walk like a prosthetic leg might, but it helps you get out the door and deal with society.”

Read the entire article

A new DNA test can help determine the likelihood for future hair loss. According to a recent article at the Chicago Sun-Times, the test can help hair loss sufferers get a handle on hair loss before it begins:

The test, called HairDX, looks for a genetic variant found in most bald men. Men who test positive for the variant have a 60 percent chance of going bald by age 40, according to the company that offers it, also called HairDX, which says the test also identifies a less-common variant of the same gene that, if present, means a man has an 85 percent chance of not going bald.

While science is still in the early stages of understanding hair loss genes, HairDX is offering the first test that identifies a gene called the androgen receptor. This gene has been closely associated with hair loss and may be a predetermining factor in assessing the likelihood for hair loss.

Even though the test is not 100 percent conclusive, it can be helpful in terms of prevention. One of the key components in minimizing hair loss is early treatment. Individuals who are concerned about possible hair loss can use the test results to start making decisions and working with a certified physician to determine an effective course of treatment. Because prevention is proven to be more successful that trying to regrow hair, early detection is significant and beneficial for treating hair loss.

HairDx’s genetic test is approved by The American Hair Loss Association. Spencer Kobren, Founder of The American Hair Loss Association says, “HairDX’s genetic test for the onset of early male pattern baldness is an important breakthrough in the fight against hair loss.”

The test, which is available online at www.hairdx.com, costs $149. Individuals who sign up for the test will take a swab from inside the cheek and send to the HairDX lab. Results will be returned in just three to four weeks.

You can read the full Chicago Sun-Times article at the following URL: http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/health/870638,CST-NWS-bald01.article

Consumers are being warned that Total Body Formula and Total Body Mega Formula liquid dietary supplements are being voluntarily recalled by the distributors. The supplements caused severe adverse reactions, including significant hair loss, in twenty-three individuals who used it.

Reactions occurred seven to ten days after the products were consumed and included muscle cramps, diarrhea, joint pain, fatigue, and significant hair loss. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is conducting an ongoing investigation working with the Florida Department of Health.

Consumers are advised not to purchase or use Total Body Formula in Tropical Orange and Peach Nectar flavors and Total Body Mega Formula in Orange/Tangerine flavor. These products are available in 32-ounce plastic bottles and are distributed by Total Body Essential Nutrition of Atlanta. Use of these products should cease immediately and they should be discarded in a trash receptacle outside of the home.

The products have been distributed in the following states: Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

According to FOXNews.com:

The FDA is analyzing the product and said the reactions may have stemmed from excessive amounts of selenium, which is known to cause symptoms such as those described in the adverse events reported to the agency. Selenium, a trace mineral, is needed only in small amounts for good health, the FDA said.

Individuals who have taken these products and who have experienced adverse reactions should contact a medical professional immediately. The FDA asks that consumers and health care professionals report such reactions to the FDA’s MedWatch program by calling 800-FDA-1088.

Read the whole story at FOXNews: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,342612,00.html