Trichotillomania is a brain or impulse control disease in which a person pulls hair from the scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, or pubic area. Hair can be located anywhere. Some cases of trichotillomania are mild and can be treated with cognitive behavioral therapy, and others are very serious and may require hospitalization. This disease can overwhelm the person. It is an emotional disorder that usually requires several therapies to be managed successfully.

Trichotillomania seems similar to a bad habit or addiction. It has many qualities that seem similar to an obsession. Some of the therapies available to treat OCD may work to improve this disease. The disease cannot be controlled without paying attention to interrupting the physical symptom of hair pulling. Silencing the mind should be a focus of this treatment. Therapies that calm the mind include Yoga, Tai Chi, and Qi Gong. Yoga or Qi Gong should be done at least three to five days a week for this disease. Medical Qi Gong can also be tried and should be done twice a week for at least a month with a professional. There are not many professionals trained in medical Qi Gong. They can be found online and the training location is in California.

New Mexico Acutonic Harmonic Healing or Tibetan Bowls can harmonically balance the brain of a person with trichotillomania in some different way. There are many trained professionals at Acutonics and these can be found with the help of the Acutonics website. You can buy the Tibetan singing bowls at an Eastern store or online. Tibetan bowls are very good for treating various types of addictions. It may be worth trying the Chackra alignment with a sound therapy CD. The interactive metronome is a therapy that might work for a mild case, but it would not be sufficient for a severe case of the disease. The interactive metronome should be tested at least twice a week for a month before evaluating the success of the therapy.

Tricotillamania can be triggered by trauma, rape, physical violence, torture, child abuse, and very severe emotional abuse. The events must be sufficient for the person to be evaluated by a medical professional. hormones and neurotransmitters have diagnostic tests, and a mild antidepressant may be helpful. It is extremely important to be very aggressive in treating this disease. There are several amino acids and nutritional supplements that can help this patient, including 5-HTP, theanine, GABA, and phenylalanine. Botanical extracts or supplements should also be tried, including ganoderma, Edelweiss, lemon balm, and others. It is extremely important that this patient gets at least seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Incorporate several ways to combat insomnia into your plan, including melatonin, reducing alcohol, and regular exercise.

Any alternative therapy that addresses the emotional component of the disease can be considered for this type of patient. Alternative therapies including the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) can help this patient. EFT uses emotional affirmation statements and combines them with tapping the finger multiple times on various acupuncture points while the patient says the affirmation out loud.

© Dr. R Stone, MD-India