The Daoist Diaries

During the summer of 2007, Pat Hennessey, Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network had the privilege of visiting with and observed both Dr. Bessam and Nilofer Farjo perform two excellent and ultra refined hair transplant surgeries over a period of 2 days. To see the highlights of Pat’s tour of the Farjo Clinic and other leading clinics in Europe, visit “Tour of Leading Clinics in Europe - Spring 2007“.

Mick McHugh, the patient coordinator of the Farjo Clinic recently sent Pat the one year hair restoration results from one of the patients he observed. To see these impressive results, visit Photos from May Visit to the Farjo Clinic in Manchester, England. We invite you to see this patient’s one year results. Mick intends to take the photos of the other patient’s one year results in the near future.

In our opinion, the work the Farjo clinic is now performing is on par with the very best hair restoration clinics in North America.

Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

The Center for Public Integrity has just released a shocking story disclosing that Paul Lees-Haley, Ph.D. and other researchers were paid millions of dollars by the welding industry which has been  embattled in litigation over whether welding fumes contain manganese, a toxic metal that specialists suggest cause Parkinsonism.
 
According to the story, lawsuits against the welding industry have been ongoing since the 1970s.  The welding products industry has consistently argued that there were no reliable scientific data to prove that welding fumes cause the Parkinson-like syndrome known as Parkinsonism.
 
Recently, in December, U.S. District Judge Kathleen O’Malley, who has been handling hundreds of these cases, ordered both sides to fully disclose payments made by any of the parties to researchers.  Court documents obtained by the Center for Public Integrity demonstrate that “The welding companies paid more than $12.5 million to 25 organizations and 33 researchers, virtually all of whom have published papers dismissing the connection between welding fumes and workers’ ailments.  Most of the money, $11 million,  was spent after the litigation achieved critical mass in 2003; attorneys for the welders, meanwhile, spent about half a million.”
 
The documents revealed that Jon Fryzek who works for Maryland’s International Epidemiology Institute - “known for its industry-commissioned studies” was paid $971,000 from welding defendants.
 
The defendants also paid $860,000 to Paul Lees-Haley, while C. Warren Olanow, M.D., a Manhattan neurologist who has  “published at least a dozen articles cited by defense experts” received almost $2.9 million.  The Parkinson Institute in California received nearly $3.4 million  to conduct a four-year study.  
 
The revelations about Dr. Paul Lees-Haley strongly confirm the opinions published by Erin Bigler, Ph.D., an internationally-renowned neuropsychologist who recently published an article entitled “Motion to Exclude” in the Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, where Dr. Bigler criticized defense forensic neuropsychologists.
 
The story published by the Center for Public Integrity can be found on their website and is also being published concurrently in Mother Jones magazine.

If you are considering hair transplant surgery, it is important for you to understand exactly what to expect otherwise you may panic when you find your transplanted hair falling out between two and four weeks after surgery.  Is this normal?  If so, why does it happen?  Is there anything a hair restoration physician can do to prevent this from happening?  When can I expect the hair to grow back?

Visit our hair loss forum to read other and share your own thoughts and experiences on this topic. 

Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

Though most hair replacement patients are aware that transplanted hair grows in gradually, many of you 6 months after surgery may be wondering why it still appears thin and doesn’t quite look or feel like the rest of your hair.  How long does it take for hair to fully mature and thicken?  When will all the transplanted hair grow? Why is one side of my head growing while I see no signs of new hair growth on the other side?  What kind of cosmetic difference should I expect between 6 and 12 months after surgery? 

A hair transplant patient expresses his very concerns about this on this thread.  Read what other members have to say and contribute your own experiences on our hair loss forum.

Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

The Brain Injury Association of New Jersey is offering a free copy of Preparing for Life after High School: The Next Steps, Living With Brain Injury. The booklet is reprinted with permission from the Brain Injury Association of America and describes the opportunities and resources available to students with brain injuries, their families, and others who care about them.

The booklet provides guidance on how to make a successful transition from a high school student to young adult and emphasizes the importance of understanding the student’s rights, of exploring options, of collaborative planning, and of flexibility. For more information, contact the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey at 732-745-0200.