“This is the longest time I’ve went without pulling in 16 years!”

I have had trichotillomania since I was 8 years old (I’m 24 now) and I really wanted to try and find a way to decrease my urges to pull out my hair. I also have some anxiety and migraine headaches and wanted to see if I could get rid of them as well.

I read Dr. Oler’s free online report on trichotillomania and thought it made sense for me to attempt this. After reading other people’s thoughts and hearing about their results, I knew that it was something I needed to try.

Since I was 8 years old I’ve always had the urge to pull out my hair. The urge varies day to day, but it is always there. Sometimes it is something I can control; most the time I can’t. I started just pulling my eyelashes. As I got older I started pulling my eyebrows as well. When I was about 16 years old is started pulling on the top and sides of my head to the point where I had bald spots, but I could usually cover them up.

In addition to trich, I also have anxiety that varies from day to day but that is always there. I also have migraine headaches about twice a month.

I started seeing results within the first week of using the amino acids as Dr. Oler had recommended. The urge to pull was substantially less, so I was optimistic (I have had periods in the past when the urge was not as strong, but it this time it seemed to coincide with taking the amino acids – I guess time will tell). In addition, I didn’t have any migraines and my anxiety was much lower.

Dr. Oler made some adjustments and within another week I had almost no urge to pull, although there was a slight urge sometimes. However, I could easily resist it and had not pulled at all. My anxiety was pretty good, but I did get a headache when I got my period, although I took some Advil and it was gone. I was doing quite well, but wanted to see if I could feel better.

Dr. Oler made a couple more adjustments to my amino acid therapy. I’ve now been on the amino acid therapy Dr. Oler recommended for 4 months and I have not pulled since I started. I do occasionally have a little urge to pull, but I can easy ignore it. I haven’t had any headaches over the past 2 months and my anxiety is gone!

This is the longest time I have gone without pulling in 16 years! I am so grateful to Dr. Oler for helping me. My hair, eyelashes and eyebrows are all growing back in nicely and the bald spots are gone! I missed a few doses of my supplements when I had the flu, but the urge to pull did not come back (Dr. Oler told me that it might). This was amazing to me and I am so happy to be almost completely free of the urge to pull! Thank you Dr. Oler!!

We have shared many times throughout this blog that we us a combination of nutrients, including 5-HTP, tyrosine, L-dopa, cysteine, vitamin C, calcium, vitamin B6 and folate, individually tailored to each person’s specific needs in order to achieve a successful resolution of symptoms. However, proper use of these simple ingredients is not simple.

As I explained this to Mary, she began to see that what she had done was take a few pills in a haphazard way with no real clinical direction in the hopes of hitting a home run. While this is certainly understandable – she was desperate for results and was grasping at anything that even remotely promised some resolution – it had very little chance of success.

Mary then asked, “Why should I take the products you recommend when I can just go to the health food store and buy all the needed ingredients and take them myself?” I said she could certainly try this approach, but it had an incredibly low chance of success. I explained, “Going into a health food store and purchasing the ingredients would be like going into an art store and buying a bunch of paints then going home and expecting to paint like a master artist even though you have no previous painting experience. While it is possible for this to happen, it is incredibly improbable. These nutrients have tremendous potential when used in the right combination by someone trained in their proper use. However, just like with an artist, experience and practice is required to realize their full value.”

There was a pause and I could almost see the light go on in Mary’s mind – she got it. Her next question was a bit easier, “When can I get started?!” to which I replied, “Right now.”

Many people, in there desperate search for a solution to their (often) insatiable urges to pull try a whole host of different remedies and treatments to eliminate trich. This will many times involve the use of one or more supplements, including various amino acids. However, the utility of these compounds is only realized when administered under the care of a health care professional trained in their proper usage. When used properly, these nutrients can produce astounding results that are nothing short of miraculous in many cases.

Jenna came to us after her mom had been searching the internet for three years trying to find a solution for her daughter. Jenna had started pulling the hair out of her sheep-skin blanket before progressing to pulling out her eyebrows and then from her head. By the time we spoke with Jenna’s mom, the right side of her head was bald and she didn’t have any eyelashes or eyebrows.

In addition, Jenna had been diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), with the onset of symptoms occurring when she was just six years old. Her mother stated that she had a period of several years when she did exhibit any OCD symptoms, but that about three years ago, she started constantly washing her hands (to the point that her hands cracked and bled), “straightening things”, developing extensive bedtime rituals and became very worried about contamination and germs. Jenna had been on Prozac for about a year when we first spoke. Both she and her mom were desperate.

We began by attempting to balance out Jenna’s neurotransmitter levels as we always do. However, it became obvious quite quickly that this was not working, so we ran some testing to help guide her care. Jenna’s body was requiring incredibly high levels of amino acids to show any kind of change and the testing was extremely valuable to help make sure we were on the right track.

It took 12 tests and 10 months until she got the result she was looking for. The dedication and support exhibited by Jenna and her parents was incredible over this time period, especially considering that Jenna did not experience any relief of symptoms for the first 10 months we worked together. However, her diligence, and her parents dedication paid off. Like flipping a switch, everything changed.

I spoke with Jenna recently and she told me it was suddenly “easy to control my trich and OCD” and that she “didn’t need reassurance as much”. She was sleeping well, eating normally and doing well in school. Her mom was ecstatic. She said both she and Jenna were realizing most of the repetitive actions were now only habits versus being due to OCD or anxiety and that Ana was now able to differentiate between them and stop when she wanted to. This was a HUGE improvement according to her mom; “We have a life again, and we have our daughter back!” said mom. Now, Jenna’s work is awareness; becoming aware of when she is doing something mindlessly and asking herself if she wants to continue. Now she has control.

Everybody wants instant gratification – and why wouldn’t we? Getting something for less or little effort is always preferable, especially when we are talking about ending what could be a debilitating condition such as trich or OCD. However, when things don’t happen right away and our resolve is tested, then we find out how badly we want a solution. In this instance, desperation was the key to sticking with the program until we achieved the desired result. This means preparing for the long-haul knowing that a resolution will come when we determine exactly what your body needs to achieve balance. We will help you reach your goals, but it is your resolve and dedication that will matter most if and when the going gets tough or the journey grows long.

“I don’t even think about hair pulling.”

We started Denise on amino acid therapy, but she didn’t feel great right off the bat; in fact, she said, “I felt ‘foggy’ at first, but that cleared up. I always felt a little off after taking the amino acids, so I spread them out more throughout the day.” Her hair pulling had improved at this point, but was not eliminated so we adjusted her dosing.

Denise said she “instantly felt so much better – like somebody flipped a switch. I’m more motivated and have a lot more energy. I haven’t felt this good in decades!” She wanted to try and eliminate the Zoloft at this time, so we consulted with her prescribing physician and they came up with a tapering plan.

As Denise continued to taper off the Zoloft, she experienced waves of nausea and occasional depression. We checked her vitamin D levels and found them to be extremely low; once we added in the appropriate amount of vitamin D, the depression disappeared. She also noted that she would occasionally pull her hair out of habit, but that the urges were gone. Denise said, “I don’t pull if I don’t want to.” We recommended she seek out behavior therapy assistance to help her establish new habits instead of pulling.

Once she completed the taper off the Zoloft, the nausea subsided and she said, “I feel darn good – I have forgotten about pulling my hair! I don’t even think about hair pulling!” She continued to have a lot of energy and felt very focused. She also noticed that her appetite had decreased and that her sleep was improving. Most important to Denise, her hair was now growing back and she had absolutely no desire to pull it out, even when she was under stress.

Denise’s story exhibits many facets associated with amino acid therapy. It often takes some individualized tweaking to help restore proper neurotransmitter status; this could mean adjusting the dosing schedule or the amounts of certain amino acids. It usually means adapting the dosing schedule to accommodate each person’s needs.

In addition, as we continued to work with Denise, we also uncovered some other imbalances that we then needed to correct; this too is common. It is a rare occurrence that a single deficiency or imbalance is responsible for the totality of a person’s symptoms. However, by addressing each imbalance as it surfaces, we can continue to peel away the proverbial onion until we’ve gotten to and addressed the appropriate issues. At that time, just like with Denise, many aspects of one’s health will improve; and they will stop pulling their hair.

Then she met Dr. Chad Oler, and everything changed. Listen to her story, and find out how she learned to stop pulling hair out.

Lacy’s Podcast

When Lacey found Dr. Chad, she discovered a way to stop pulling hair out that’s surprisingly easy, has produced dramatic results, and is ready for you to start IMMEDIATELY.

We started Tina on a very low level of amino acids, as she was a very small girl. However, as the weeks went by we continually ratcheted up her dosing, as the urge to pull was not changing. After about two months, Tina said, “I’m still pulling the hair on my legs and occasionally my eyebrows, but my eyelashes have almost completely grown back in. However, a whole lot of other things have changed. My anxiety is much better and I am not ‘tensing’ as much anymore.”

A couple weeks later, Tina’s parents were ecstatic. Tina’s mom said, “Tina is doing really well! Her eyebrows and eyelashes are mostly grown in and she’s (Tina’s) really proud they are. She will still occasionally pull when she gets really angry, but later she’ll tell us that she just did it because she was mad, not because she felt the urge to pull. In addition, she is not pulling from the dog anymore and all the dog’s bald spots are filling back in. Her anxiety is much better.”

Her dad continued, “A lot of other things have markedly improved. In softball, Tina used to be so scared of the pitch that she would continually jump away from the plate with every pitch. Now, she’s not afraid to stand in there and swing the bat. She even got hit by a pitch last week, and she got right up and got a hit the very next pitch! She also complains a lot less than she used to and is hanging out with her friends a lot more. She also seems to have a better relationship with her friends.”

“I’m 100 times better!”

I just spoke with Tina and her parents and she is continuing to do well as we work with her physician to decrease and eliminate the Zoloft. She’s already cut the dose in half with no negative changes. Tina told me, “I feel 100 times better than I did before. My eyebrows and eyelashes have completely grown back in and I’m not afraid anymore. I have gone swimming a few times with my friends and it feels great.”

Tina came to us when she was still young and hadn’t been pulling for very long. Luckily, her parents took a very active role in her care and didn’t shame or blame Tina for pulling her hair out. Tina’s case was somewhat unique in that she required much higher doses of amino acids than was originally expected. However, with patience, persistence and testing, we were able to determine the correct dosing to get Tina symptom free so she can enjoy being a kid.

First, many people see results in just a month or two, just as Stephanie did. In fact, about 80% of people can completely eliminate the urge to pull in that time frame. For those 20% that don’t, additional testing is used to help them eliminate the urge to pull.

Second, once we find the right dose of amino acids that a person needs, they need to take them about 6-9 months before we can start tapering the dose without the recurrence of symptoms. If a person misses a dose or multiple doses, the urge to pull will often return within a few days and will persist until a person gets back on the recommended supplements for about 3-5 days. This means that the person continues to need the amino acids to eliminate the urge to pull.

Third, eliminating the urge to pull does not mean that a person automatically stops pulling. We’ve talked in other posts about the difference between the urge to pull (the compulsion) and the behavior of pulling. Once the urge is gone, a person can still find themselves pulling when they get triggered by certain events (the most common one is stress). When this happens, they may find their hands playing with or pulling their hair before they even realize what is happening. The difference is that once they become conscious of it, a person on the proper dose of amino acids and stop pulling and not think about it anymore. This is where other therapies, such as stress reduction, exercise and Cognitive Behavioral therapies can be a big help.

Fourth, exercise, lifestyle and dietary recommendations can often decrease the need for amino acids. If a person addresses the day-to-day reasons for neurotransmitter imbalance, they can often substantially reduce the amount of amino acids they need over time to eliminate the urge to pull.

And finally, just like Stephanie, many people can reduce and eliminate the need for the amino acids and still have no urge to pull. Most of the time, these people have taken the amino acids as recommended for at least 6-9 months and have incorporated other strategies to help deal with the behavioral and environmental component of pulling (we help guide them through this process as well). This provides them the life skills that they need to function as they want to without the need for the amino acids. This doesn’t always happen, but it happens a great deal of the time, and it’s so wonderful to see the confidence, the pride and the relief in the people that ‘beat trich’ as Stephanie did.

Image: scottchan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

“I was diagnosed with trich in 1^st grade and I’ve pulled every 1-3 days since then. By the time I found Dr. Oler I was 17 years old and had pulled out all my eyebrows, eyelashes and about 50% of the hair on my head. My dad’s a doctor, so I’ve tried pretty much every possible medical treatment and drug for trich out there. They didn’t help me get rid of the urge and I usually felt awful when I took them.

Within a month of starting the amino acid therapy my urge to pull was completely gone! It was great! And unbelievable! Dr. Oler told me to continue my current dosing for 2 months and follow up. Over those 2 months, I pulled a couple times, but it wasn’t an urge; it felt more like the hairs weren’t growing right and I just pulled those and left everything else alone. My eyelashes, eyebrows and hair on my head all started growing back. During this time, I stopped taking the amino acids a couple times, but noticed the urge to pull increased, so I went back to Dr. Oler’s recommendations.

After 2 more months, all my hair was grown back and I wasn’t having any urges anymore. However, I forgot to take my supplements with me when I went away from Christmas and New Years and the urges came back BIG TIME and I pulled everything out again in about 5 days. As soon as I got home, I started the supplements again and didn’t have any urge to pull after about 5 days.

I continued at this dose for 6 months. I wasn’t pulling, my energy levels were great, I slept well, my cravings were gone and I started playing rugby again. I also noticed that my focus, concentration and memory had improved and I was doing better in my classes. I was very content.

After a couple more months, Dr. Oler recommended that we start to decrease the amino acids, as by this time, my neurotransmitter stores should be back to where they belong. I was apprehensive, but reassured that I could always go back to taking what I was currently taking and get the same results within a few days even if the urge to pull returned. I had a little bit of an increased urge to pull after changing the dose, but it only lasted a few days and it wasn’t too bad, but no urges after that.

We continued to decrease the amino acid dosing over time, adjusting as needed if I had an increased urge to pull or stress triggered me to pull. I also started learning some other ways to manage stress, like deep breathing, taking a quick walk around the block and aerobic exercise which helped.

It’s now been two years since I started working with Dr. Oler and I (1) don’t have any urges to pull, (2) am no longer taking medications for trich, and (3) haven’t taken any of the amino acid supplements for over 3 months. All my hair is grown back and I have absolutely no urge to pull anymore unless there is a lot of stress in my life. Even then, I can get through it without pulling very much. I am very content where I am at. Thank you for helping me beat trich!”

-Stephanie, 08/02/11

Image: Graeme Weatherston / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

“I started pulling when I was 13 years old. At first it was more of a nervous habit, but pretty soon, I couldn’t help myself. I lived with it until I was an adult, then I began trying medications; none of them helped, and many of them made my symptoms worse or made me feel horrible. Over this time, I also started to developed terrible anxiety which got worse and worse with each pregnancy (she has 3 kids).  I also started to gain weight. The worst part is that I am starting to see signs of trich in my kids.

When I first started working with Dr. Chad, I immediately started to feel better, with some decrease in anxiety and a substantial increase in energy. I also started to work with my doctor to decrease the Wellbutrin that I was taking by 50%. The trich wasn’t doing so great, as I still had urges, but I didn’t pull.

Dr. Chad adjusted the amino acid therapy and within 3 weeks my urge to pull was gone, my anxiety was doing really well and my appetite had gone down, so I was starting to lose weight. I was also able to completely get off my Wellbutrin with no increase in symptoms. Now I am going to try and get off the amitriptyline that I am taking for anxiety as well.

I am so grateful to Dr. Chad for helping me get my life back. I can now enjoy my time with my kids because I’m not so stressed out and not thinking constantly about pulling. I’ve started to go out socially again and it feels wonderful. Thank you Dr. Chad for all you do and for helping me get rid of trich!”

Margaret’s story goes to show that no matter how long you may have suffered from trich, you can still get your life back and eliminate the urge to pull. Now we are working with Margaret’s kids to help them eliminate the urge to pull and stop the trich before it starts.

After just a week on the full initial dose of amino acids, she reported “much less restless sleep and decreased insomnia”, as well as a decreased compulsion to pull, although she admitted that she still caught herself pulling out of habit 2-3 times/week. However, she said that unlike any time before, she could chose to stop herself from pulling when she noticed she was doing it and not think about it again.

Based on Betty’s progress, we adjusted her amino acid dosing and when we spoke a couple weeks later she reported that she was doing very well. In fact, she said she no longer had any urge to pull and that she even tried pulling to see what would happen; she proudly reported that it “was not as gratifying anymore”.

She also reported that her sugar cravings were much better. She described it like this: “Before I was like an alcoholic looking for a drink. Now, I can say ‘no’ to myself.” She also said she only had desserts 1-2 times a week now, where she would have 1 or more desserts every day before starting the amino acids. She said,” I no longer ‘have to (have a dessert)’, now I do it because I ‘want to’.”

Here are a couple more quotes from Betty’s last visit:

• “I could not believe the change”
• “I thought it would take so much more than this.”
• “This was quick and easy for me!”
• “This change has been miraculous.”

Betty’s experience is typical of many people that we have helped eliminate the urge to pull through amino acid therapy. While not everyone experiences these results this quickly, many do.

Betty now no longer thinks about her trichotillomania. In addition, she no longer feels like a “slave to food/sweets” and she is sleeping better than anytime she can remember. If you’d like to see if amino acid therapy can get you to your goals, please call us. We’d love to help you eliminate the urge to pull and get you on to the rest of your life.