In a real Erin Brockovich style of events, residents of a coastal town in Australia’s state of Tasmania have been suffering hair loss, headaches, weight loss, and nerve damage because they’ve been poisoned by contaminated mine water, an accusation disputed by the mine.
The poly-metallic mine in the small town of Rosebery produces zinc, lead, copper, silver and gold, and locals say heavy metals have been seeping onto their properties. Toxic levels of heavy metal exposure can cause major health problems such as neuromuscular disorders, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, osteoporosis, schizophrenia and strokes, and hair loss is a common sign of poisoning.
Lithium and selenium toxicity is known to cause hair loss but lead, cadmium, mercury, iron, aluminum, copper, and other heavy metals can also affect hair growth. The toxins have a negative interfere with hormones, strip the body of nutrients, and can even damage the actual hair follicle, resulting in excessive hair shedding and impaired hair growth.
Heavy metals accumulate in the joints, bone, liver and other organs and glands but they don’t usually appear in blood tests unless there is extreme poisoning. However, the hair and nails can be indicative of heavy metal exposure, and slow, long term exposure to the metals can lead to thinning hair, particularly if there is a genetic predisposition to hair loss.
When heavy metal poisoning is suspected, it is important to begin treatment as soon as possible. The treatment for most heavy metal poisoning is chelation therapy, which is given either orally, intramuscularly, or intravenously, but it cannot reverse any neurological damage already sustained, it can only prevent further effects of the poisoning.
Many of the town’s 1500 residents are now looking for compensation from the mine which turned over a $73 million profit in 2008, despite the global financial crisis.
Peter Long from law firm Slater and Gordon believes there is “no doubt” locals are being poisoned.
“There is absolutely no doubt that these people are suffering heavy metal poisoning; the strong inference is that it comes from the mine, but that is going to require some more investigation,” Long said.
The owners of the mine will test the town for evidence of heavy metals in the environment, but general manager John Lamb says at this stage, there is no proof the mine is responsible for the poisonings.
“That will involve testing in excess of 100 sites, they’ll be taking soil samples, they take dust from roof cavities, and also any water that might be standing in yards. And that’s then subjected to a laboratory analysis for a suite of 10 metal toxicants,” Lamb said.
“I’m always concerned to hear that people in the town believe that they’re ill and believe that they might be ill from living in that town [but] the fact of the matter is that I don’t believe that’s obvious at this point.”
Read how clients felt about visiting The Belgravia Centre for their tricho-check. Here are some of last week’s comments emailed by clients following their free consultation. Each comment is from a different client…
“Both of the advisors I met with were very professional and helpful”
“I found both Vaida and Pam very helpful. They did not just try to sell me the most expensive products, which one of your “competitors” had tried to do! They were very honest and fair and Pam particularly had very good customer relation skills. There was no pressure to puchase any products which was pleasing. I haven’t yet bought anything but would expect to do so soon.”
“Edyta was very nice. She explained everything and made me feel much better about my worries. She was very imformative and caring. Pam was also lovely. She answered all my questions and made me feel very happy that I chose to come to the centre. Everybody at the centre were very welcoming. I’m glad I chose Belgravia, and will keep coming back for my treatment. Thank you for being so nice and helpful. I was so worried before but now I’m looking forward to the results I’ll hopefully see in the future.”
“I can confirm that my initial consultation with Vaida was friendly and informative as was the follow up with Gayzen who efficiently explained one or two of my concerns. It was a welcome change not to be pressurised there and then to sign up for treatment and Gayzen understood that as a pensioner I needed to discuss the financial aspect with my husband. I subsequently telephoned her the next day of my decision and have since made an appointment to start my treatment today.”
“The examination with Loida was very informative and she explained concisely as to what condition I have and how it can be treated. She told me exactly how the treatment works and made me feel comfortable while carrying out her examination and answering any questions I had. Cherie was nice and friendly and outlined the course of treatment and the relative costs leaving me with very few questions to ask. It was good to talk to her as she was very helpful and and reassuring. Overall service was really good.”
“I was pleased with the service and I am hopeful with the proposed treatments. Loida Cadiogan was very professional and knowledgable about her subject, and I enjoyed talking with her. Cherie Ridding was also very professional and took me through the ordering process so that I was happy with what I have paid for. Cherie added in a check up consultation into the package and I look forward to coming back in 6 months to see if there is any progress.”
If “prevention is better than a cure”, when is a cure deemed appropriate? Hair transplants were previously thought to be the only “cure” for baldness, but preventative hair loss treatments are now preferred by most specialists and surgery is considered a last resort. Health campaigns conducted under that same mantra aim to prevent life-threatening conditions, but surgeons are beginning to deny the severely obese their last chance to overcome their weight problem.
Patients currently have a legal right, under the NHS Constitution, to be assessed for weight loss surgery if their Body Mass Index (BMI) is 40 or over, but some surgeons will only consider operating on patients with a BMI of 50 or more, sparking concern that people will eat more and put more weight on in order to get the stomach-reducing ops.
Surgeon Professor Mike Larvin said it’s a cost-cutting scheme by the NHS.
“In many regions the criteria are being raised to save money,” he said.
“Patients are being denied life-saving and cost-effective treatments and effectively encouraged to eat more in order to gain a more risky operation down the line.”
Chair of the National Obesity Forum Dr David Haslam agrees.
“Even the most cynical taxpayer should support (weight loss) surgery, alongside clinicians, opposing the unethical and immoral barriers to surgery imposed by NHS purse-string holders.”
It’s estimated that around 240,000 people want the weight loss operation and some professionals say that the £10,000 operation, which results in patients losing 70% of their excess weight within 18 months of surgery, is cheap compared to the long-term bill for treating medical complications of obesity.
But like the many hair loss specialists that advise addressing the underlying cause and recommend alternate treatment before resorting to hair transplants, the Department of Health said surgery should only be used as a last resort once diet and lifestyle changes had failed, and many agree.
Sue comments on Sky News that it’s not the NHS’s responsibility to provide the obese with a quick fix.
“As an obese person myself,” posts on their website, “I have to agree [that] losing weight is damned hard work, but it can be done. What does surgery do? It is a quick fix, and costly to an NHS that is cash strapped already. It teaches people nothing.”
For more information about hair loss treatment and prevention, contact The Belgravia Centre on 020 7730 6666 or send a message.
Please scroll through our seven information videos below, each covering a different topic related to hair loss.
Worried about hair loss? View Belgravia’s recently launched information videos. They cover a number of different topics and treatments for men and women, and they should provide you with everything you need to know to get started on successfully clearing up your hair loss.
The Belgravia Centre - The UK’s Leading Hair Loss Clinic
Welcome to The Belgravia Centre - view our large and vibrant clinic and find out what makes us the most renowned single hair loss clinic in the whole of Europe.
Hair Loss Treatments and Products - A Guide
Watch our hair loss treatments video to learn about the only treatments that are proven to prevent and reverse hair loss and how to obtain optimum regrowth results from them. The video will also give you an insight into how to tell if a product might not be so effective.
Baldness and How To Prevent It
Find out about all of the options available for every stage of hair loss from mild thinning to total baldness. The video covers preventative treatments, surgical hair restoration and non-surgical hair replacement.
Hair Loss in Women and Preventing Female Hair Loss
Hair loss amongst women is a common condition. Find out about what might be causing female hair loss and what can be done about it.
Minoxidil - Information on Minoxidil Hair Loss Treatment
Details of minoxidil - One of only two treatments proven to prevent hair loss in men, and the only such treatment for the prevention of female hair loss or thinning hair.
Propecia - Information on Propecia Hair Loss Treatment
Details of Propecia - one of only two hair loss treatments proven to prevent and reverse hair loss in men.
Alopecia Areata - Information on the Condition and Treatments
Alopecia is a condition that presents itself as sudden patches of baldness and can in a small amount of cases result in total baldness of the scalp or the whole body. Find out about alopecia areata and what can be done about the condition.
There’s been a resurgence of interest in raw, natural and organic produce over the past few years and multi-vitamins have become many people’s easy route to health maintenance. People tend to assume that if something’s natural it’s not just good for you, it’s also safe. However, overdosing on various vitamins and minerals can be harmful. Too much vitamin A, for example, can cause hair loss.
Although it is rare (most cases of hair loss are hereditary), there are instances where people’s hair growth is inhibited by too much vitamin A. You may have heard that a nutrient deficiency can lead to hair thinning, but you probably weren’t aware that very high doses of vitamin A in supplements and certain retinoid (vitamin-A-derived) drugs can cause hair loss. Accutaine, or Roaccutaine, is a medication used for the treatment of acne that lists hair loss as a side effect.
Vitamin A is an essential nutrient for healthy cell and tissue development, including the hair, but too much can have detrimental effects. Because it is a fat-soluble vitamin, its stores can build up in the body and lead to an overdose. Excessive intake of vitamin A is associated with a number of complaints such as vomiting, dry skin, blurred vision and irritability, but it can have many more serious side effects. Prolonged overdose can lead to osteoporosis, internal organ damage (particularly the liver), and if an overdose occurs during pregnancy it may increase the risk of birth defects.
If hair loss occurs as a result of too much vitamin A, stopping or drastically reducing your intake of the vitamin should be enough to reverse the problem. If there’s a genetic inclination to hair loss, it’s possible that this disturbance in hair growth could trigger an ongoing problem, even once nutrient levels have evened out. Clinically proven hair loss treatmentsthat are licensed and individually prescribed should be able to control, stabilise and reverse some of these effects.
To overdose on Vitamin A, experts say you’d have to consume around double your recommended daily intake. Current government-scientific guidelines advise limiting vitamin A to 10,000 IU daily, unless prescribed, but some say this amount varies depending on gender and whether or not the person is pregnant or lactating. You really should consult your doctor before taking any supplement.
Many believe that the best way to avoid an overdose of vitamin A is by getting your entire intake through actual food, rather than supplements which are often chemically processed and not completely absorbed into the system. Red, yellow, orange, and dark green vegetables are good sources of vitamin A, as are eggs, liver and fortified milk and cereals.
For more information contact The Belgravia Centre by calling 020 7730 6666 or you can send a message. Alternatively, if you would like to find out what’s causing your hair loss and see what the experts would recommend, you can fill in an online diagnostic form and a specialist will contact you with the results and personalised advice.
Some people buy a new outfit; some get their hair cut; some make the decision to do something about their receding hairline. When Dolly Parton decided she wanted to improve her appearance she started by bleaching her hair. Now country’s most famous woman says her “artificial” appearance is her own.
“I have always admired natural beauties,” Dolly revealed in an interview. “But I am not one. Never have been.”
Dolly, the fourth of 12 children was born in Sevierville, Tennessee, and started dying her hair as soon as she could afford to.
“I started bleaching my hair as soon as I could get money to buy bleach. Before that it was that dishwater colour. I’d get the tar beat out of me for bleaching it, but I’d do it anyway. I just felt like a blonde.”
Hair is an important natural accessory and often a defining feature that reigns through into ones personality.
“I’m artificial,” Dolly says. “But it comes from a sincere place. And I ain’t telling people to look like me. I don’t say, ‘Oh, you need to have some big hair and big boobs and overdo your make-up and have nine inch nails. A lot of men think I’m just too artificial, but there are some good ol’ boys out there who don’t.”
Culturally, people have a lot of different views about hair and what it means. Some people who deal with hair loss are totally distraught while others, men and women, shave their heads totally bald by choice. Dolly always had the hair, but it was the colour that started her transformation from a small-town schoolgirl to a international blonde bombshell, and ignited family disapproval.
“My grandaddy was a Pentecostal preacher,” she says, “and that’s a very strict Holy Roller religion. They don’t even believe a woman should shave her legs or pluck her eyebrows. Almost like some of those Middle Eastern religions. So they were afraid I was going to go to Hell in a handbasket. And they were more afraid that people in the street were going to look at me wrong.”
But Dolly is very comfortable with the way she is now, thank you very much, and wouldn’t be able to tell you how she’d look otherwise.
“Don’t even know what colour my hair is now. It’s probably grey. Don’t want to see, don’t want to know.”
The importance of hair in the bedroom and the impact of hair loss in the boardroom have been rigorously discussed by men for years, but hair colour is now the topic of the hour. Recent research has found that women with blonde hair are more aggressive and determined to get their own way, but other studies suggest they may have to work harder in the workplace initially than others and that being fair haired could be a disadvantage financially.
Women with blonde hair are given a lower starting salary than those with brunette or red hair colour, according to the results of research conducted by Australian economics lecturer and labour macro-economics expert (and brunette) Dr Geni Dechter, a decision she says could be based on pure “taste-based” discrimination.
Detcher studied the role of hair colour and the effect that physical appearance has on earnings and found there was a difference of 9% difference in the wages of blonde and non-blonde employees with a higher education, and interestingly, though the difference decreases with work experience, the pay of lower educated women with blonde hair grows faster than those with a different hair colour.
The difference in entry wages, Detcher said, is not a result of blonde women choosing different occupations, nor has it anything to do with employers’ expectations of blonde women’s ability or productivity.
“Maybe it’s a more complex preference structure - for some reason some employers don’t like blondes,” Detcher said.
“The study reveals that the wage profile of female employees is affected by their physical appearance.”
The study reports: “While hair colour does not have any effect on educational achievement or cognitive ability, college educated blonde women tend to enter the job market with significantly lower wages than their brunette counterparts, but this wage difference disappears with job market experience and disappears completely after five years in the work force.”
Although hair colour appears to have a significant impact on the starting salaries of young women, the research found it does not affect men. Various surveys and research have suggested that baldness is more likely to affect an employer’s perception of a prospective male employee than colour.
But hair still plays a role in career prospects, as does weight and height. Management Today reported that tall people earn more than shorter people while thinner employees earn more than obese employees, and Dr William Rassman, a hair restoration surgeon and author of Hair Loss & Replacement for Dummies, says baldness can put men at a competitive disadvantage.
“If you’re looking for a job right now, if you match up a person with hair to a non-hairy person, the competitive marketplace tends to favour the people with hair,” Dr. Rassman said.
On the other hand, Corrinne Mills, MD of Personal Career Management, says men and women just need to keep their hair tidy and in a current style.
For more information about hair loss and the available treatments, call the Belgravia Centre on 020 7730 6666 or send a message. Alternatively, fill in an online diagnostic form and gain access to expert advice, recommendations and a personalised hair loss treatment programme from anywhere in the world.
A varied and balanced diet is important for healthy growth and development, but there are certain foods that can cause serious health problems for some people. Eggs, milk, peanuts, seafood, soy and wheat are the main food allergens that can instigate an immune system reaction, but the link between food allergies and hair loss is very weak.
One person in every 100 has a food allergy, according to statistics. In those who are affected, the body thinks it’s being attacked by that food and so sends out an allergic reaction to warn against it. An allergy is different to food intolerance because the latter doesn’t involve the immune system and usually produces different side effects. A rare but severe allergic reaction could lead to anaphylactic shock, but more common symptoms of food allergies include rash, nausea, vomiting, cramping, and diarrhoea. Sometimes people say they experience hair loss, but hair and scalp specialist Leonora Doclis of The Belgravia Centre says the relationship is remote.
“It is very rare that a person continues to lose hair due to reacting to a one or more food type,” Doclis said. “And assuming you would never eat a food again once you know you are allergic, the link between a food allergy and continued hair loss is remote.”
If one experiences hair loss that seems coincidental with a food allergy, there may be a number of reasons for this.
Firstly, hormonal imbalances often lead to hair loss and many food allergy sufferers have related illnesses that can alter hormones, such as thyroid imbalances and adrenal fatigue. Additionally, people with food allergies may not get enough certain vitamins and minerals. If this leads to a deficiency it can affect hair growth. Stress could be another contributing factor, which very often causes temporary hair loss. And finally, some believe there’s a link between food allergies and alopecia areata as they are both auto-immune problems.
“Perhaps if the allergic reaction is really bad, the mode of that reaction could trigger a hair loss condition called alopecia areata, since it is also linked to autoimmune balance,” Doclis said. “Or if the reaction leads to a skin condition that affects the hair follicles.”
Still, the risk of hair loss as a result of food allergies is fairly minimal. Doclis recommends a good multivitamin supplement to avoid nutritional deficiencies, but you should consult your doctor first. If hair thinning continues, there may be an underlying genetic susceptibility to hair loss. Licensed medical treatments for hair loss can help stabilise shedding and stimulate growth, but you need to get a personal diagnosis and find out which course would work for you.
The relationship between food allergies and hair loss may be there but it is minimal and more than likely an indirect link. If your food allergy is under control but your hair isn’t, maybe you should consider consulting a hair loss specialist to find out how to control excessive thinning or shedding.
For more information, contact the Belgravia Centre on 020 7730 6666 or send a message. Alternatively, simply fill in an online diagnostic form to receive free expert advice, recommendations and access to the most advanced mail-order hair loss service.
Farrah Fawcett’s hair is advertised for sale on a celebrity sales website and although not authenticated, it’s got a lot of people up in arms.
Mela Murphy, Farrah’s friend and hairdresser of 20 years, is shocked and unsure how the lonely lock of hair was found and came to be for sale.
“Who would it be?” she questioned. “Wow, I am stunned. I hope this person is not trying to be funny.”
The website lists the hair, with a $1000 price tag, as a “one time Novelty item from the 70’s” and makes a bawdy suggestion that give hair cloning a whole new meaning.
“Someday the technology will be available, and you might be able to create your very own angel,” the ad reads.
Even celebrity blogger Perez Hilton reckons it’s disrespectful.
“Let’s all leave the Charlie’s Angels star and her hair exactly as it should be -Â timeless icon to be cherished, not a sick novelty item exploited on some twisted website,” Hilton wrote on his website.
Straight men have played gay characters and women have lost weight and put it on to score roles in upcoming films, but we often hear of how women struggle to say goodbye to their locks. Julie Walters recently revealed how she hated having to shave her head to play a bald politician in Channel 4’s drama Mo.
Walters took on the role of Mo Mowlam, the Labour MP who was in charge of bringing peace to Northern Ireland and died of a brain tumour in 2005. Walters had to shave her head and then wear wigs to show the different stages of the character’s hair loss.
“I started with a bald cap. I didn’t have my glasses on, but I could see the line cap. So I just said, ”This is dreadful, we can’t do it like this – what if I shave my head?’ I think they were waiting for me to come to the conclusion myself, because it’s a lot to ask someone. I wasn’t completely bald so I looked very, very weird. They wanted to keep hair at the sides for the wigs, so I was bald on the top, had white hair round the side and brown at the back. I looked like a badger!” she said.
“I didn’t mind when I was at work, but as soon as I’d get home I didn’t want the family to see me. I hated it.”
Hair loss in women affects about 40% of the population and although it sometimes minimal and reversible, it can be of a more permanent nature and is a particularly trying experience for any women no matter the degree of damage.
Individualised hair loss treatment combinations that are prescribed and monitored by specialists often provide the best opportunity for hair regrowth in most situations. However, Mowlam’s hair loss was the result of an intensive course of radiotherapy that was hoped to treat her brain tumour.
Hair loss caused by cancer treatments normally grows back by itself after the therapy is over, but as the film reveals, Mowlam knew her treatment wouldn’t ever be finished.
The politician told both the press and Tony Blair that her tumour was both benign and highly treatable, however as the film reveals, Mowlam was told that her tumour was malignant on the day of her diagnosis.
The Guardian recently reported that Clare Short, who was both a friend of Mo’s and who also had a relationship with her husband Jon Norton after her death, said she thinks the film is “incredibly accurate”, and that it will shock people.
However, there is one thing that Short, who met Mowlam in 1987, thinks the drama series doesn’t reveal.
“She was beautiful: incredibly striking. That’s the only thing the film doesn’t show. She was slightly wild then, no question; she was quite sex and drugs and rock’n'roll,” she said. “But she was also a very pragmatic politician, and a great fan of New Labour and of Tony and all that.”
Contact the Belgravia Centre to arrange a free consultation on 020 7730 6666 or send a message to find out more about hair loss and what can be done in each situation. If you can’t make it to the London centre, an online consultationmay prove to be more convenient for you. Simply fill in the form and a medically-trained hair loss specialist will contact you shortly with the results and recommendations.
The poly-metallic mine in the small town of Rosebery produces zinc, lead, copper, silver and gold, and locals say heavy metals have been seeping onto their properties. Toxic levels of heavy metal exposure can cause major health problems such as neuromuscular disorders, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, osteoporosis, schizophrenia and strokes, and hair loss is a common sign of poisoning.
Patients currently have a legal right, under the NHS Constitution, to be assessed for weight loss surgery if their Body Mass Index (BMI) is 40 or over, but some surgeons will only consider operating on patients with a BMI of 50 or more, sparking concern that people will eat more and put more weight on in order to get the stomach-reducing ops.
There’s been a resurgence of interest in raw, natural and organic produce over the past few years and multi-vitamins have become many people’s easy route to health maintenance. People tend to assume that if something’s natural it’s not just good for you, it’s also safe. However, overdosing on various vitamins and minerals can be harmful. Too much vitamin A, for example, can cause 
Some people buy a new outfit; some get their hair cut; some make the decision to do something about their 
Women with blonde hair are given a lower starting salary than those with brunette or red hair colour, according to the results of research conducted by Australian economics lecturer and labour macro-economics expert (and brunette) Dr Geni Dechter, a decision she says could be based on pure “taste-based” discrimination.
A varied and balanced diet is important for healthy growth and development, but there are certain foods that can cause serious health problems for some people. Eggs, milk, peanuts, seafood, soy and wheat are the main food allergens that can instigate an immune system reaction, but the link between food allergies and 
Still, the risk of hair loss as a result of food allergies is fairly minimal. Doclis recommends a good multivitamin supplement to avoid nutritional deficiencies, but you should consult your doctor first. If hair thinning continues, there may be an underlying genetic susceptibility to hair loss. Licensed medical 
Straight men have played gay characters and women have lost weight and put it on to score roles in upcoming films, but we often hear of how women struggle to say goodbye to their locks. Julie Walters recently revealed how she hated having to shave her head to play a bald politician in Channel 4’s drama Mo.
Hair loss caused by cancer treatments normally grows back by itself after the therapy is over, but as the film reveals, Mowlam knew her treatment wouldn’t ever be finished.
Digg
Del.ici.o.us
Reddit
Yahoo Buzz
StumpleUpon
Google
Technorati
Twitter