Dietary Supplement May Help Curb Fear-Based OCD
There are multiple drugs available to treat both phobic responses to objects you may encounter in your surroundings as well as obsessive/compulsive tendencies. For many there may be issues of affordability as well as side effects that may appear to offset the benefits of the medication.
One response that millions encounter is pulling hair from the roots. This may appear to be a nervous response, but the end result is often a decrease in self-esteem and extreme embarrassment. Many who live with this tendency do not seek help.
How Hair Pulling Begins
Most obsessive/compulsive tendencies start small and then escalate. It could be that the individual pulling out their hair does so randomly, but the above picture indicates a rather large patch that may be more defined than you realize. The individual may believe that they need to pull additional strands in order to even out the bald spot. They realize it is only making things worse, but they are not equipped to stop themselves.
Treating Compulsive Hair-Pulling
Because this is considered an obsessive/compulsive disorder doctors may be quick to consider medications such as Effexor XR, Lexapro or Xanax.
Additionally therapy treatments may be suggested as a way of managing the tendencies that result in hair pulling.
New research, however, suggests that there may be a chemical imbalance that could be to blame – and it’s easily treated.
The Supplement you Never Knew Existed
The University of Minnesota has discovered that N-Acetylcysteine worked in about 50% of the cases involved in their study. This supplement can be purchased over the counter and may cost less than $30 a month. The study was conducted using 50 adults volunteers who suffer from this disorder. A followup study with children in being conducted by Yale.
A TwinCities.com report suggests that N-Acetylcysteine would likely prove beneficial to virtually any type of obsessive/compulsive tendencies.
A Private Pain
The name given to pulling hair is trichotillomania and it has been prevalent for centuries. In most cases individuals will not seek help and resist the urge to pull their hair in public settings. Interestingly it may be public settings that cause individuals to consider the practice as a coping mechanism. This condition seems to be tied to social anxiety.
A Cure All?
Experts caution that while N-Acetylcysteine may be helpful to many it should not be viewed as a replacement for existing therapy. This supplement does not target serotonin levels, but rather glutamate. This would be a significant difference when comparing the supplement to existing drugs that target anxiety.
The Ultimate Impact
If these studies prove to be accurate this would mean at least 3 million Americans could benefit from adding N-Acetylcysteine to their supplement regimen. Researchers are still trying to assess whether the need for this amino acid is short-term or if taking the supplement would need to be a long-term strategy.
The end result would likely be tied to consistency and in seeking the support needed to overcome this disorder.
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