Join A High-Calibre,
Progressive Organization

Frances McGuckin Eastleigh Management Services 21944 - 6th Avenue Langley, B.C. V2Z 1R6 Tel: 1-604-530-3601 Fax: 1-604-530-6447 E-mail: contact@smallbizpro.com Web site: www.smallbizpro.com By Frances McGuckin

Editors Note: Frances McGuckin was a keynote speaker at the COPE National 2001 convention at Harrison Hot Springs. This is the message she has chosen to send to all Canadian Electrologists.

I had both the pleasure and honour to be a guest speaker at the COPE National convention at Harrison Hot Springs in May, and came away greatly impressed by the professionalism and caring that this organization offers to its members.

Set in the idyllic and picturesque backdrop of the stately surrounding mountains, azure lake, blue sky, and the first-class amenities (and scrumptious gourmet food) of the Harrison Hot Springs Resort, those who didn't attend missed out on a spectacular event.

Although members came from across Canada, I was surprised that more people were not in attendance. How can anyone practising electrolysis keep up with education, product knowledge, technology and networking without attending the annual conference?

The members and Board of Directors are warm, friendly and most knowledgeable people. It was a delight to see such a professionally organized event and so much networking happening. Considering the size of COPE National, few organizations come close to measuring up to its high calibre. Joining and utilizing COPE's benefits are a must for any woman or man who is in the electrolysis business.

While researching COPE to prepare my keynote, I became more intrigued by the organization as I thoroughly explored the Web site, and what COPE has to offer. I spoke to board members, and was impressed with their commitment to your organization.

What impressed me even more was the structure of COPE. Few organizations of this size go that extra mile to offer such integrity to its members in the form of a professional code of ethics, ongoing education, and well-defined goals - aside from the many member benefits.

A professional practitioner must be a member of its spearhead organization. COPE has a board that will bend over backwards to help its members. Being a member gives you, the practitioner, credibility in your field. There are many backyard women practising electrolysis, and these people can do nothing but do harm to the profession. Joining COPE also gives you an immediate across-Canada-networking base with other members. No one can do it alone in business today.

COPE's benefits are tremendous. As a paid-up member, you have access to:

• attending the annual conference, the next three day one will be in Toronto in 2002.
• minutes of membership meetings and financial statements.
• Continuing education seminars at membership meetings.
• a Canada-wide toll-free number and client referral services
• a first-class web site.
• a personal listing for each active member on the web site.

Members also have access to a multitude of tools to help them grow their business. These are benefits provided by COPE but are not included in your membership fee. Make full use of:

If you aren't yet a member of COPE, take a surf through the web site and I am sure you will be impressed. If you are a member, tell other electrologists in your town about the great benefits of becoming a member. As a member, be an active part of the organization. Offer to help. Get to know wonderful people like Hazel Glusman, President, Margaret Delaney, Past President, and the dynamic Wendy Engel, BC Representative.

The business people in this world today who succeed are those who not only stay educated and involved, they give back by helping others. This is the true secret to success. Having the support, help and professionalism that is found within in the COPE organization is an asset to any electrologist. Don't just think about it - do it!

Frances McGuckin is a keynote speaker, consultant and author of her self-published best seller Business for Beginners (50,000 copies sold), and Big Ideas for Growing Your Small Business (McGraw-Hill Ryerson 2001). She travels throughout Canada speaking on business-related and motivational topics, and is a popular national media guest. She can be reached at 1-604-530-3601 or by e-mail at contact@smallbizpro.com

P I L A T E S Method
Re-conditioning the Body & Mind
by - Barbara Grant

Barbara Grant - Director Certified Pilates Instructor 2323 Bloor Street West, Suite 213 Toronto, Ontario M6S 4W1 Tel: 1-416-763-6368 Fax: 1-416-763-6850 E-mail: retrofit@mac.com Barbara Grant is the Director of Retrofit Bodyworks Pilates in Toronto. She holds an Advanced Teaching Certification from the Physical Mind Institute in Santa Fe, New Mexico and has trained in Pilates, dance and movement with Master teachers from around the world. A former professional dancer, Barbara has performed, choreographed, taught and produced dance across Canada, including spending several years as a guest artist of the Danny Grossman Dance Company. Since establishing Retrofit Bodyworks in 1999, she has worked with a wide range of clients including national and international athletes, fitness enthusiasts, expectant mothers and those in treatment for chronic disorders.

Re: Conditioning the Body and Mind

You're driving home after a long day on your feet at work and you notice a familiar tension in your neck.

You ask yourself, "When was the last time my neck and shoulders didn't ache?"

It's taking you a long time to finish your gardening because you have to rest so often.

You ask yourself, "Why does my lower back give me so much trouble?"

"Why is my energy level so low?"

Walking down the street you catch your reflection in a shop window. You ask yourself, "When did my posture become so poor?"

Do any of these questions sound familiar?

Is all the stress and strain you feel in your body inevitable because you're "not as young as you used to be"?

Or is there something you can do to feel better?

In a bright studio in Toronto's Bloor West Village, women and men of all ages and fitness levels are exercising, but it's not like any exercise you've seen before - even the equipment looks different. There are several long low machines with moving platforms called Reformers. There is a larger Cadillac with springs and bars that looks suspiciously like a torture rack. There is a strange looking Wunda Chair, mats on the floors, barrels, bolsters and balls. The atmosphere is calm, quiet and concentrated. Instructors are working individually with participants who are doing what appears to be a cross between yoga, dance and resistance training.

These women and men are not only finding answers to their questions about nagging neck and back pain, they are finding a solution.

The solution is the Pilates Method.

• The Pilates Method (pronounced pu lah teez) is a unique mind/body conditioning technique that develops strength, flexibility and control.

• It teaches you to work your body efficiently and in optimum alignment creating tone and balance without bulk.

• It increases health in the spine and joints, and improves posture, vitality and grace.

• It helps diminish muscular tension and pain, making all your movement activities easier.
  

The "Pilates Method" is made up of a vast repertoire of exercises that are performed on a mat (Mat Work) or on specific spring loaded resistance machines (the Reformer, Cadillac and Wunda Chair).

The training is progressive:

• You learn to access your deep pelvic, abdominal and spinal muscles to build a strong base of support at your core.

• You learn to deepen and enlarge your breathing.

• From this core support, you begin to exercise all parts of the body through their full range of motion and in all planes of movement.

• The muscular effort is balanced creating stability across the joints.

• Unlike exercise programs that isolate individual muscles to strengthen them, Pilates exercises strengthen the body as a coordinated whole.

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Click on any photo below for a larger view.

History:

Its namesake, Joseph Pilates (1880-1967), who had brilliant ideas about physical fitness and injury rehabilitation, developed the Pilates Method. Working on himself to overcome injury and weakness, he used his innovations to develop the technique he originally called Contrology.
While interned in Britain during World War I, he worked with hospitalized soldiers. Using bedsprings, he rigged a hospital bed so those patients could begin their rehabilitation while still bed ridden. This became the prototype for his future equipment.
Joseph and his wife Clara, a registered nurse, emigrated from Germany in 1926 and set up the "Pilates Studio" in Manhattan. Their work was immediately popular within the dance community. Most of this century's great American dancers incorporated Pilates training into their careers. Joseph and Clara trained a handful of teachers who eventually set up Pilates studios across the United States, its popularity grew.
Pilates caught the attention of health care practitioners who recognized the intelligence of its rehabilitative function, and professional athletes who saw its benefits in performance enhancement.
By the 1990's Pilates classes and studios were popping up everywhere as more and more people recognized that their old way of exercising wasn't working. What people wanted was an exercise program that made their body not only look good, but feel good; an exercise program that was not defined by endless repetition and a "no pain no gain" mentality; an exercise program that was interesting and challenging to the mind and the body.
When first introduced to Pilates, the inevitable question people ask is how can something that looks this easy work? Well the first thing is it's not easy! It demands concentration and precision. Pilates works so well because it re-educates muscle patterning. It is movement training, not simply muscular training. Because of our lifestyle, the work we do, the sports and physical activities we participate in, our bodies build inefficient movement patterns.
Certain muscle groups end up being overworked while other muscle groups don't work at all. Our bodies become inefficient and we require more energy to do each task. This often results in overuse injuries in muscles and joints - the spine, shoulders, hips and knees.
Pilates training wakes up those sleeping muscles. You begin to work muscles you didn't even know you had! Overworked muscles are taught to release and stretch. Muscular strain is greatly eliminated, particularly in the neck and shoulders, as your core abdominal and back muscles get stronger. You're breathing and posture improves. Your body begins to feel more limber. You have more energy. As Pilates training wakes up your muscles, it also wakes up your mind. You become more aware of your movement patterns enabling you to release unnecessary tension in all your activities.
Because it is founded in movement re-education, Pilates training can be applied to a broad spectrum of individuals. Many people enjoy Pilates as a means of improving their general fitness level. Athletes and dancers employ the technique to enhance athletic performance. It is an excellent tool for injury rehabilitation and relief of back, neck, and shoulder pain. Pilates has also demonstrated beneficial effects in the treatment for chronic disorders such as Fybromyalgia, Multiple Sclerosis, Repetitive Strain Injuries, and Arthritis.
There are different ways to get started with Pilates training. The best way is to begin with one on one instruction. Everybody is unique and each person will have different areas of focus. Private instruction ensures you get the most from your training. Your instructor will develop a personalized program that incorporates Mat and Machine work with exercises modified for your specific needs.
An alternative to private instruction is group Mat classes. Some studios and health clubs also offer group classes on the machines. When joining a group class, be sure it is appropriate to your level of fitness and capability. Because of its broad range of application, it is important to find a Pilates instructor whose classes are designed for your goals. A Pilates class designed for fitness may not be appropriate for a person dealing with chronic joint pain. Likewise, a class designed for back and shoulder care may not be appropriate for elite athletic enhancement.
However you choose to get started, be sure to find a highly trained, certified instructor. Regardless of your level of fitness, it is necessary to begin at a fundamental level. Mastering the fundamentals of breathing, joint manipulation and muscular recruitment is necessary to progress and realize the full benefits of Pilates training. It takes time to undo years of habits and imprint the new information into your body. The benefits of Pilates are great, but will only be achieved if learned and performed properly and consistently.
Joseph Pilates defined physical fitness as "The attainment and maintenance of a uniformly developed body with a sound mind fully capable of naturally, easily and satisfactorily performing our many and varied daily tasks with spontaneous zest and pleasure." Of his method he pronounced, "In ten sessions you will feel the difference, in 20 you will see the difference, and in 30 you will have a whole new body."
So, next time you're stuck in traffic and you notice the tension in your shoulders creeping up to your ears ask yourself this: "If the Pilates Method has helped people rehabilitate injuries and deal with things like arthritis, if it has aided professional athletes or even just helped a recreational golfer enjoy his game more, if it has allowed people who have always hated exercises to get fit and have fun, could it be the solution to this nagging pain in my neck?"

For more information about Pilates training, please contact
Retrofit Bodyworks at 1-416-763-6368.

Medical Monitor

Are Ornithine Decarboxylase
And PHRP The New Keys
To Hair Growth?...

By Richard F. Wagner, Jr., MD*

* This article has been prepared through funding by the International Guild of Professional Electrologists. It is written for purely educational purposes and no medical, legal or investment advice is intended. If specific advice is needed, qualified professionals should be respectively contacted. At the time this article was written, Dr. Wagner had common stock investments in Gillette Company.

Dr. Wagner is a medical consultant to the International Guild of Professional Electrologists, Inc. He has been invited to become a regular contributor to their publication. Dr. Wagner is very interested in your feedback, electrolysis and opinions. Although he will be unable to make individual responses, if you have a question you would like to see addressed in a future column, please send it to him directly at UTMB Dermatology, Galveston, Texas 77555-0783.

Are Ornithine Decarboxylase and PHRB the New Keys to Hair Growth?
As anticipated in my last column, a report about Vaniqa has appeared in a monthly dermatology Newspaper. In the recent article by Paul Wynn, Vaniqa was described as a 15% cream of eflornithine hydrocholoride (eflornithine), an enzyme inhibitor (1). According to this article, 1500 patients were enrolled to test Vaniqa at multiple sites in the United States and other countries since 1997 prior to product submission to the FDA in 1999 for marketing clearance. This article will review eflornithine for electrologists and describe its mechanism of action with regard to inhibiting hair growth. Newly discovered Parathyroid Hormone-Related Protein or Peptide (PHRP), is another medicine with commercial potential for the treatment of hirsutism, and it will also be analyzed.

Androgens are not the Last Word in Unwanted Hair Growth!
For many years, it was believed that natural androgens were the key to understanding hirsutism. In my previous article about medicines used to inhibit hair growth, attention was focused on those that exhibit antiandrogenic properties and the mechanisms involved. However, although androgens are important to understand hair growth, focusing on androgens alone is an oversimplification. A wide variety of additional natural substances produced in the body regulate hair growth, such as estrogens (extend anagen phase), growth hormone ("androgen helper"), and prolactin (2). The actions of these endogenous (internally produced) modulators of hair growth can theoretically be controlled by increasing or decreasing the amount of androgen produced, by preventing androgen binding at their target hair follicle androgen receptor, or through other receptors.

Chalone Theory
The act of plucking a resting telogen hair will speed its follicle into the growth (anagen) phase by prematurely interrupting telogen, just the opposite response that tweezing and waxing clients with unwanted facial hair desire (3). Shaving a telogen hair permits its follicle to remain in undisturbed telogen and not show any noticeable hair growth until the hair is shed and anagen resumes. Since the same phenomenom (premature anagen activation) could theoretically be encountered when performing electrolysis on a telogen hair due to incomplete follicular destruction, some electrology clinics advise their clients to shave the treatment site several days prior to electrolysis in order to identify all of the growing hair in anagen phase. This treatment recommendation has a sound scientific basis because shaved telogen hairs do not continue to grow, while shaved anagen hairs will continue to grow and appear as a "stubble" after several days.
The astute observation about plucked telogen hairs has been explained by the "chalone hypothesis" and helps to explain the microenvironment of hair growth regulation at the level of the hair follicle. Chalones are inhibitory types of tissue secretions that reversibly inhibit growth. Under chalone theory, telogen hairs are associated with inhibitory chalone production which prevents hair growth, but when telogen hair follicles are disrupted, chalone production ceases and anagen restarts.

Eflornithine Hydrochloride
Eflornithine hydrochloride (eflornithine, DFMO (2- difluoromethylornithine), Ornadil), as with many medical discoveries, was initially used for an entirely different purpose than preventing unwanted hair growth. Originally it was used as an injectable preparation to treat the parasite carried by the tsetse fly which causes African Sleeping Sickness (trypansomiasis).
Continued on page 31
Continued from page 30
During use in this setting it was observed that one of its unwanted side effects was hair loss. Another potential use for eflornithine is currently under investigation. Eflornithine may eventually be used as chemotherapy for the prevention and treatment of some premalignant and malignant neoplastic diseases.
How does eflornithine prevent hair growth? Eflornithine hydrochloride irreversibly inhibits the enzyme ornithine decarboxylase (OD), which is essential for normal polyamine metabolism in the microenvironment of the hair follicle (4). OD is naturally increased in anagen ("growth phase") hair, but catagen hair is characterized by less OD. By continuously depleting OD through the topical application of eflornithine, it is possible to keep hair follicles in a continuous catagen-like state and prevent transition into anagen, thus stopping hair growth. However, once eflornithine is discontinued, OD levels are likely restored and hair growth renews.

Parathyroid Hormone-Related Protein
Parathyroid Hormone-Related Protein or Peptide (PHRP) is a newly discovered hormone that is closely related to Parathyroid Hormone, important in calcium metabolism. Peptides are composed of at least two amino acids, and are the "building blocks" of larger proteins. PHRP is produced in many tissues, including the skin (epidermis) and hair follicles (inner root sheath). PHRP receptors are known to be present in the dermis.

Excess PHRP production in the skin inhibits the anagen stage of hair growth and results in hair loss (alopecia). PHRP antagonists (compounds which block PHRP activity) inhibit PHRP action at the hair follicle and results in increased numbers of anagen phase follicles and hair growth (5). Clinical control of PHRP activity could eventually be useful in the treatment of alopecia or hirsutism.

If PHRP or a PHRP agonist (compound which mimics PHRP activity) could be prepared as a topical medicine which penetrated the stratum corneum, our natural epidermal barrier, it could result in a temporary anagen loss of hair follicles. This could become a very popular nonsurgical solution to the problem of unwanted hair, especially in small but cosmetically critical areas of skin, such as the upper lip. Likewise, if alopecia were due to excess PHRP, a PHRP antagonist might reverse the unwanted hair loss.

References:
1.    Wynn P. Facial hirsutism cream awaits approval by FDA. Dermatology Times 2000;21[1]:26 [January 2000].

2.    Paus R, Cotsarelis G. The biology of hair follicles. N Engl J Med 1999;341:491-497.

3.     Messenger AG . The control of hair growth: an overview. J Investig Dermatol 1993;101:4S-9S.

4.     Soler AP, Gilliard G, Megosh LC, O'Brien TG. Modulation of murine hair follicle function by alternations in ornithine decarboxylase activity. J Invest Dermatol 1996;106:1108-1113.

5.     Strewler GJ. The physiology of parathyroid hormone-related protien. N Engl J Med 2000;342:177-185.

Reprint Permission
International Guild of Professional Electrologists, Inc.
803 N. Main St., Ste. A
High Point, NC 27262, USA

What's New With Hair Restoration

Introduction:

Over the last 8 to 10 years the field of hair restoration surgery has evolved enormously. The three biggest steps as I see it has centred around:

• The use of - 3 haired micro grafts to achieve a more natural result with hair transplants.
  
• The ability to treat different types of female hair loss concerns.
  
• The development of better medications aimed at slowing down male pattern baldness. More people than ever before are benefiting from what is becoming one of the biggest fields in cosmetic medicine today.

Micro and Mini Grafting:

In the mid 50's Dr. Norman Oreintrich, from New York City and Dr. Okuda from Japan, performed the first circular punch graft transplant using a 3.5 and 4.0 circular punch biopsy tool.

• Circular donor plugs were removed from the back of the scalp.
  
• Slightly smaller, circular recipient holes were made to accept these round grafts.
  
• This was the standard technique for about 30 years.
  
• Very nice results could be achieved with that technique.
  
• However the big problem was a very displeasing corn-row or doll's head appearance after 1 or 2 sessions.
  
• There was no way to be discreet about having hair transplants.
  
• These large plugs of hair contain anywhere from 15 to 30 hairs per graft.
  
• Equi distance spaces needed to be left between each graft in any one session for blood supply.
  
• As such a doll's head appearance would ensue until a further three sessions were performed to fill in the gaps.

In the early 1980's micro grafting evolved.

• With this technique circular grafts were cut up into very small grafts containing 1 to 5 hairs used to soften the front hairline, which could look very abrupt when only big circular plugs were used.
  
• Since that time there has been an enormous influx of contributions from physicians experimenting with using various sizes of grafts to achieve the most natural result.
  
• The use of microscopes has added new dimensions to the field of hair restoration surgery.
  
• Microscopes have shown us that hairs grow from the scalp in unique bundles, called follicular units.
  
• These follicular units contain anywhere from 1 to 4 hairs.
  
• With the use of microscopes one can easily visualize these discrete units and take great care when cutting out the donor strip from the permanent fringe, a hair-bearing scalp.
  
• Whether or not microscopes are needed in all cases for successful transplant surgery, it is being hotly debated amongst many surgeons.
  
• However microscopes are definitely here to stay and can certainly add to the final outcome.

*To view larger photos, click on any of the images below*

Female Hair Transplantation:

The most common reason for transplanting females is because of female pattern thinning. The cause is the same as in males. However the pattern is one of maintenance of the front hairline with a generalized thinning behind. Females are better candidates today. With the old, circular plug techniques pre-existing hair was lost to in order to make space for the large circular punch grafts. With the use of mini grafts, which contain 3 to 5 hairs, one can place these grafts in between pre-existing hairs without damaging any structures. One must take care however with females because very often females have higher expectations than males. In our society women are supposed to have a full head of hair at all ages as opposed to men, who can often get away with a thinner look and a bald area in the crown. The second most common reason for transplanting females is to fill in scars and areas of thinning because of face-lift procedures.

New Medications:

2% Minoxidil has been available for over 15 years. 5% Minoxidil is now available over the counter in the United States and with a prescription in Canada. The 5% solution has been shown to be more beneficial than the weaker 2% Minoxidil at maintaining hair in the crown and is the medical treatment of choice in women with early female pattern thinning.
Propecia, 1 mg of Finasteride, taken daily in pill form has been available in Canada for over two years. This medication decreases dihydrotestosterone, which is the hormone that turns on male pattern hair loss. Recent data has shown that 89 percent of men, at the five-year mark, have no more loss in the crown. While this medication is not nearly as good at regrowing hair, or at maintaining hair at the frontal portion of the scalp it is still a very big plus for young men with early thinning. It is important to remember that there are side effects that can affect sexual function. However they are mild and occur in less than 2% of men.
Hair restoration surgeons now have more tools available to them than ever before to produce much more natural results with transplantation. As a result of better medications, physicians can offer a combination of surgery and medical treatments to allow more people than ever before to either retain their hair or re-establish their hair. In the future we will see advances in gene cell therapy and stem cell multiplication that may allow even the worst candidate who has extensive thinning and never dreamed of having hair again to regrow a full head of luxuriant, new hair.