Thursday, September 12, 2013

new adventures in old medicine.

i'm starting to realize there are two very divided camps when it comes to medicine. those who support modern medicine, and those who support traditional medicine (ie. traditional chinese medicine). i realize this is a great generalization, but in general, i'm very good at generalizing. i saw a "specialist" a couple of months ago, who was a complete arse and pretty much said that when i realized traditional medicine would fail me, to come see him (i not so politely told him that his "modern" medicine failed me first). anyway, that was my first taste of the divide between the two camps. the second came today as i researched the most recent treatment my tcm practitioner (traditional chinese medicine) suggested. albeit, the treatment has an interesting name... and the tool used for treatment is even more interesting / terrifying. it's called plum blossom hammer or seven star hammer and is a tiny "hammer" (nothing like a plum blossom) with 7 needles in it. i've attached a photo for fun.

i picked up the sugar plum fairy hammer (as i like to call it, much to my tcm practitioner's dismay) - it was $15 in china town. perhaps this is where i should include a disclaimer: i am not a doctor / nurse. i only pretend to be one on the internet. i saw my tcm practitioner today, he cleaned one of my baldspots and proceeded to "tap" it with this hammer for about a minute (which felt like a lot longer). it bled a bit and was a little painful during and after (not surprising, considering it's a tiny hammer with nails in it). the intention of it is not to aggressively tenderize your scalp, but to encourage blood flow and stimulate circulation. i don't know. remember when i said i wasn't a doctor? i'm hopeful that it will make a difference. my tcm practitioner thinks we're on the right track with the herbs i'm taking, and a lot of my spots are growing in (but i've also got a couple of new ones, which is a big bummer). i'm just trying to stay positive and open to every option. going forward, i'll be hitting myself in the head with my sugar plum hammer - one spot every 5 days or so.

as they say, keep calm and hammer on. (nobody says that, nor should they start).


5 comments:

  1. You are a captivating writer. Your first post stated you rarely write, but apparently it is a gift you have overlooked! I'm right there with you; I'll give silica a try, as a hair rinse with horsetail tea. Joan

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    1. joan! you're sweet. thanks for the lovely comment. what i lack in hair follicles, i make up for in blog posts. i hope. thanks for reading. but i'm also sorry you're reading because it means you're in a similar situation. i tip my wig to you.

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  2. Thanks for sharing your adventures as a guinea pig for an alopecia cure - and for the positive and witty outlook on things. A while ago you said you were following a diet linked to food intolerances - did you have any sorts of results with it ? I read a lot of the stuff on the internet about celiac disease being linked to alopecia but i haven't been convinced by any testimony i've read. Anyway, wishing you the best. :-)

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    1. thanks for your comment! when i did the elimination diet, i actually didn't have any issues re-introducing food. thank gawd. sometimes i pretend i'll stop eating gluten anyway because according to everyone on the internet, gluten is the devil... but i really like doughnuts. basically i choose lasagna, doughnuts and booze over the potential of a full head of hair. is that weird?

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  3. Try a tough boar bridle brush to stimulate scalp. Actually feels good.

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