Woman offers hope to kids with hair loss

By Donna Christopher
NEWS-TIMES CORRESPONDENT

When Marsha Scott pioneered a non-surgical hair replacement system 12 years ago, her goal was to address the problems of women suffering from hair loss.

But because she gets calls at least twice a month from parents of little girls with hair loss, she is offering free hair replacement for children at her Hair Loss Clinic for Women.

Children with hair loss seem to suffer more than adults, Scott said, adding childhood diabetes caused her hair to thin. Her experience led her to open her hair loss clinic 20 years ago.

But hair replacement is expensive, especially for families coping with a child with a chronic illness, Scott said.

A vacuum system for children with thinning hair can cost as much as $5,000, while a custom wig ranges in price from $1,800 to $2,200.

A child with scalp burns recently ordered several wigs and a teenager with trichotillomania, a nervous condition that involves hair-pulling, has made an appointment for a consultation.

Scott learned about Children with Hairloss, a non-profit organization, at a manufacturers' conference in Fort Lauderdale in February. While there she met Regina Villemure, founder and chief executive officer.

"She had a demonstration and offered the new program to hair replacement specialists. She asked me if I would introduce it at this clinic. They provide the prosthesis (wig) and a kit that includes a ring of hair that can be worn under a hat or turban so no child has to go without hair."

In the previous column, I talked about some complementary therapies and different treatment points on weight loss according to different cases. Aside from the degree of obesity, a little bit of superfluous flesh accumulated in some body parts also bothers lots of women. Cellulite refers to the condition where subcutaneous fat is loaded around some specific areas, such as buttocks, belly, thighs, knees and arms, and eventually the skin becomes rough just like orange peel. From the medical viewpoint, it’s not as serious as obesity since it doesn’t lead to complications that can threaten your health. For those who do care about their body shapes and skin, however, it can be stressful. Apart from your ages and body shapes, you can have it unfortunately but easily. It is made when the metabolism inside the dermis is not proper, which makes the waste materials and toxic things stay in the body and worsen blood circulation. Under the condition, the waste matter and moisture get to combine around fat cells and generate cellulite. Once you get it, it’s hard to get rid of, which is why the continuous care is very important. In general, if you’re a woman over 30, overweight, and lack physical activity, you have a high possibility of getting it related to smoking, overdrinking and the excessive intake of caffeine, fat and sugar. Also, other factors, including stress, the imbalance of hormones and some specific foods are known to produce cellulite. Then how should you try to prevent it or get rid of it? In terms of diet, the basic rule is ingesting enough fruits, vegetables and protein everyday, and you better eat a reasonable amount five to six times a day and drink enough water or caffeine-free beverage. You should avoid certain foods that are known to produce cellulite, such as sugar, saturated fats (animal fats), transfer fats (margarine, sweets), caffeine, wheat (pastry, pasta, pizza, biscuits, cakes), refined carbohydrates (white sugar, wheat flour, white rice), alcohol and salty foods.

On the other hands, some foods are recommended since they are known to prevent it, such as beans, oatmeal, nuts (pine nuts, walnuts), fruits (avocados, bananas, pears, berries, watermelons, pineapples, citrus fruits and dried fruits), vegetables (broccoli, asparagus and onions), beef (red meats), chicken, fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, trout, sardine), eggs, low-fat milk and low-fat cheese.

In addition, you should exercise continuously as it can help you remove cellulite. In order not to get bored, you can change the exercise patterns once in a while or use some stimulant like music. More exercise is required if you want to take off the cellulite in your buttocks and thighs. For example, oxygen-consuming exercise (jump lopping, running), muscle-strengthening exercise (squats and calf raises), circulation-helping exercise (leg vibration) and posture exercise (rises) are recommended.

Traditional oriental medical treatments, such as acupuncture, herbs and cupping, can be effective as well since they can promote the circulation of energy and blood and remove ``sup-tam (corresponding to fat and extra humidity),’’ and stagnated blood.

My next and last column about weight loss will be giving the answers against some FAQs related to obesity and treatments.

Infections cause large share of cancers worldwide

A handful of viruses, bacteria and parasites is responsible for nearly one fifth of cancers worldwide, according to new estimates.

In 2002, 17.9 percent of cancer cases worldwide were caused by infections ranging from HIV to the ulcer bug Helicobacter pylori, according to a report in the International Journal of Cancer. If these infections could be prevented, many cases of cancer -- more than one quarter in developing nations -- would be avoided, reports author Dr. Donald Maxwell Parkin of the University of Oxford in the UK. According to Parkin, 1.9 million cases of cancer in 2002 could be attributed to infections. At the top of the list was H. pylori, an ulcer-causing bacterium that can also contribute to stomach cancer. Parkin estimates that it was responsible for 5.5 percent of all cancers worldwide in 2002.Close behind H. pylori are the human papilloma viruses (HPV) and the hepatitis B and C viruses, which cause hepatitis, according to the researcher. HPV causes genital warts and certain strains of the virus are responsible for most cases of cervical cancer. An HPV vaccine recently became available, and experts have recommended that girls as young as 11 years old receive this vaccineHepatitis B and C virus infections cause 85.5 percent of liver cancers worldwide, according to Parkin. The impact is particularly acute in developing nations, where 92 percent of liver cancers can be traced to hepatitis, versus 42 percent in developed countries.Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) accounted for 1 percent of cancers in 2002, Parkin estimates. Most people have been infected with EBV, and thereafter it usually remains dormant in the body. However, in some individuals it is related to Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and nasopharyngeal cancer.HIV infection damages the immune system, leading to a cancers variety of cancers including lymphoma, Kaposi's sarcoma and cervical cancer. According to Parkin, there were more than 102,000 cases of HIV-associated Kaposi's sarcoma and lymphoma in 2002.He estimates that if these and a handful of other viral and parasitic infections could be prevented, there would be 26 percent fewer cancers diagnosed in developing nations each year, and 8 percent fewer in developed countries.Along with the HPV vaccine, there is a vaccine against hepatitis B that's now routinely given to babies in many countries. More research is needed, Parkin concludes, to figure out the best ways to prevent all infection-related cancers.

SOURCE: International Journal of Cancer, June 15, 2006.

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