Bird Flu Guard

The May 2009 Health Gazette ezine edition has been published on schedule today, May first. Subscribers will find it in their inbox and can also read it online in the subscriber-only archive.

This month's edition provides a response to the hype surrounding the so-called swine flu. We have not seen so much media hype since the so-called bird flu marketing exercise of 2005. The main article, Swine Flu: Avoid the Hype, encourages calm in the face of this episode and provides a more rational perspective than the mainstream media and many health authorities which seem to be dancing to the hype pedlars' tune. Read the article to learn what is an appropriate response.

Once again the authors of a research report have revealed more about their own shortcomings than about the intended focus of the study. One has to wonder how they can be so ignorant. To be fair, part of the problem is the style, tone and structure -- the very literacy -- of such reports, which encourages or expects (at least subconsciously) the kind of statements made in the report that I find so revealing about the authors.

Still, this doesn't excuse them. Unless they live totally within their ivory towers (the University of California Davis School of Medicine and the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry to be specific) or are exceedingly dull and uninformed there is simply no excuse for their ignorance.

The April 2009 Health Gazette Ezine Edition will be published on time, on April 1st. A copy will be available in the archive for subscribers' convenience.

This month's edition features an article on the natural cure of psoriasis. All manner of treatments are available online for this condition, many promising miraculous cures. Some prescription treatments and other over-the-counter drugs (often in ointments or creams or lotions or baths) are also available. The fact is that none of these individually or in combination can actually cure psoriasis and ultimately they will make the condition -- and your general health -- worse.

Nobody considers undergoing surgical hair restoration only to experience more hair loss. However, “shock loss” is a real risk when transplanting hair in between and around existing natural hair. Thankfully in most cases, shock loss is temporary and may only be permanent to hairs on their way out anyway or if your surgeon transects (cuts through) the hair follicles killing them.

Thanks to leading hair transplant surgeons in the field, new ultra refined tools allows a surgeon to place grafts into tiny incisions, minimizing trauma to the scalp and minimizing the risk of shock loss. Permanent shock loss due to transection is also next to impossible using these newly refined techniques.

In this hair loss discussion, real patients share their experiences with shock loss, when you are likely to experience it, and how long it lasts. You are encouraged to share your own personal experience and how shock loss may or may not have impacted you.

Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher/Editor

This insightful information was posted on our hair restoration forum by Dr. Timothy Carman of La Jolla, CA, who is recommended on the Hair Transplant Network.

I have been doing some reading about a topical hair loss treatment called Fluridil that may help block DHT and stop hair loss.  What can you tell me about this drug?

Without going into too great a detail, topical Fluridil preparation acts topically to inhibit the effects of DHT on the hair follicle. Current studies show that, similar to finasteride, there is an increase in the total percentage of hair in the active (anagen) verses resting (catagen) stage (from 76% to 87% at nine months).  I happen to personally know the clinical investigators (Dr. M Sovak, UCSD) and the clinical research facility (UCSD). Their results are clinically significant, and their research work and ethics are highly respected in the scientific research community.

At this time however, Fluridil is not licensed for use in the US. 

The main advantages Fluridil boasts of what is referred to as a “hydrophobic” compound; that is, fat soluble. In addition, it is deactivated when coming in contact with water (a “hydrophilic” environment). This last fact makes so that if it is absorbed into the bloodstream from the scalp, it is deactivated as soon as it hits the blood (an aqueous or “hydrophilic” environment). Hence, since it doesn’t enter the circulation, there reportedly are none of the (normally low incidence anyway, 5%) sexual side effects.

Dr. Timothy Carman

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Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher/Editor