The art of living with alopecia - treatment decisions

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Here’s a succinct message from Dr Victor Herbert (talking about choosing alternative therapies but just as applicable to AA treatments)

"Every therapy has side effects and the potential for harm. Before trying any new remedy, get the answers to three questions
1. Is this treatment more effective than doing nothing?
2. Is it as safe as doing nothing?
If there are questions about safety,
3. Does the potential benefit exceed the potential harm?"
http://www.victorherbert.com/cv835pr.pdf

Another contribution to the alopeciology "art of understanding alopecia"

This video from Columbia University has Angela Christiano explaining the research that led up to the ruxolitinb anouncement. A good non technical account ..... with diagrams

Drs Christiano and Clynes at work

                                              http://vimeo.com/103265367

A nice summary of relevance of the new drug for AA

Dr Jeff Donovan, dermatologist, advises the Canadian Alopecia Areata Foundation. Read his summary of the information about ruxolitinib

http://canaaf.org/dr-donovan-ruxolitinib-potentially-new-treatment-alopecia-areata/

Ruxolitinib story in the USA - Criticisms of media coverage

Gary Schwitzer blogs on evaluating the quality of evidence and health journalism. He is a critic of reporting of the trial of ruxolitinib and raises some good questions about the NYT article we linked to yesterday
Here’s some of what he said and the questions he asks
“........ the Times was too vague about the numbers.  It explained that the drug ruxolitinib had been tested on seven women and five men.  But then it vaguely reported:
    “The results for Brian and several other participants have been significant.”   (Our questions: How many is several?  What does significant mean? Only the one patient’s – Brian’s – experience is detailed.)
It helpfully explained that “so far a few participants did not regrow hair.”  (Our question:  How many of the 12?)
It helpfully reported a quote from one of the researchers:  “It appears to work — not in everyone, but in the majority,” she said. “We need a lot more data on the long-term risks in healthy individuals.”
Read more
http://www.healthnewsreview.org/2014/08/hair-loss-treatment-data-in-3-people-gets-widespread-and-often-weak-news-coverage/