Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that the body uses to relay information. Many people are on medications to alter neurotransmitter levels or function in an attempt to improve their health. However, people need to know how these medications work and which neurotransmitters are impacted in order to understand if and how they can optimize their health.
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We work with a lot of people that suffer from trichotillomania. Many of them have tried all sorts of behavioral techniques to help them either become more aware of their pulling or to make it more difficult for them to pull. Results seem to vary dramatically with these therapies.
We have found amino acid therapy to be the most effective technique to eliminate the urges to pull associated with trich. However, journaling can help a person become more aware of when they are pulling, which can provide some insight into why they are pulling, which can ultimately help control the habit and urges to pull. Read more…
Most people that pull out their hair – whether it be from their head, eyelashes, eyebrows, arms, legs, armpits or pubic area – don’t talk about it. Many don’t want others to know about their pulling and will go to great lengths to hide it from others.
There are many things that drive people that pull their hair out to keep it from others, including shame, thinking that something is wrong with them or that their behavior isn’t socially acceptable. But it also has an unintended consequence: when people hide their pulling it makes others that pull feel like they are the only ones in the world that do it, and it makes it very hard for those people to find the help they need to stop pulling their hair out. Read more…
Psychotherapy, especially cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be very effective at dealing with the behavioral aspects of trichotillomania and the urges to pull. In fact, many people have found psychotherapy invaluable to help them stop pulling their hair and/or picking their skin by helping them become aware of their impulses and then making a conscious choice about how they can make it harder for themselves to pull. What psychotherapy does not do, at least not for most people, is get rid of the urges to pull. For many people, additional support is needed to do this. Read more…
Increased urges to pull (hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, skin, etc.) are the tell-tale symptoms associated with trichotillomania. While there are many possible imbalances that can cause these urges, clinical research suggests that the most common underlying cause is neurotransmitter imbalance. The key for most people in beating trichotillomania is then finding their specific neurotransmitter imbalance(s) and correcting them. Read more…
Give the gift of health!
