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By Tarena Lofton
Sadé Lewis of Queens, New York, has suffered migraines since she was a child, and as she began school, they obtained worse. A current change in her insurance coverage left the 27-year-old on the lookout for a brand new neurologist. That’s when she discovered West 14 Avenue MedicalArts in New York.
MedicalArts advisable that she get an electroencephalogram (EEG) and an MRI to verify her mind was functioning correctly.
An EEG is a check to measure {the electrical} exercise of the mind. It might discover modifications in mind exercise that may assist in diagnosing circumstances together with epilepsy, sleep problems, and mind tumors. Through the process, electrodes consisting of small steel discs with hooked up wires are pasted onto the scalp utilizing adhesive, or hooked up to an electrode cap that you simply put on in your head.
A bit of over every week earlier than her EEG, Lewis was given directions that she didn’t keep in mind getting earlier than a earlier EEG appointment.
To Lewis’ shock, sufferers have been informed to take away all hair extensions, braids, cornrows, wigs, and so on. Additionally, she was to scrub her hair with a light shampoo the night time earlier than the appointment and never use any conditioners, hair lotions, sprays, oils, or styling gels.
“The very first thing I actually did was textual content it to my finest pal, and I used to be, like, that is form of anti-Black,” Lewis stated. “I simply really feel prefer it creates a bunch of confusion, and it alienates sufferers who clearly want these procedures achieved.”
The restrictions may discourage individuals with thick, curly, and textured hair from going ahead with their care. Folks with extra everlasting types like locs — a coiffure during which hair strands are coiled, braided, twisted, or palm-rolled to create a rope-like look — could be barred from getting the check achieved.
Kinky or curly hair textures are usually extra delicate and vulnerable to wreck. In consequence, individuals with curlier hair textures typically put on protecting hairstyles, reminiscent of weaves, braids, and twists, which assist preserve hair size and well being by retaining the ends of the hair tucked away and minimizing manipulation.
After receiving the directions, Lewis scoured the web and social media channels to see if she may discover extra data on finest practices. However she seen that for individuals with thick and textured hair, there have been few tips about finest hairstyles for an EEG.
Lewis has thick, curly hair and believed that explicitly following the directions on the preparation worksheet would make it tougher, not simpler, for the technician to succeed in her scalp. Lewis determined that her mini-twists — a protecting model during which the hair is parted into small sections and twisted — can be one of the best ways for her to indicate as much as the appointment with clear and product-free hair that also allowed for simple entry to her scalp.
Researchers are working to higher seize mind waves of individuals with naturally thick and curly hair.
Lewis felt snug together with her plan and didn’t give it some thought once more till she obtained a reminder electronic mail the day earlier than her EEG and MRI appointment that restated the restrictive directions and added a warning: Failure to conform would consequence within the appointment being rescheduled and a $50 same-day cancellation price.
To keep away from the penalty, Lewis emailed the ability together with her considerations and hooked up images.
“I obtained form of apprehensive, and I despatched them footage of my hair pondering that it could go effectively, and they might be, like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s high quality. We see what you see,’” stated Lewis.
Quickly after, she obtained a name from the ability and was informed she wouldn’t be capable of get the process achieved together with her hair within the twists. After the decision, Lewis posted a TikTok video detailing the dialog. She expressed her frustration and felt that the individual on the cellphone was “close-minded.”
“As a Black lady, that’s so exclusionary for coarse and thick hair. To actually haven’t any product in your hair and present up with it free, you’re not even reaching my scalp with that,” Lewis stated in her video.
The feedback part on Lewis’ TikTok video is filled with individuals sharing in her frustration and confusion or recounting related experiences with EEG scheduling.
West 14 Avenue MedicalArts declined to remark for this text.
The New York medical middle will not be the one facility with related EEG prep directions. The Neurology Middle, which has a number of places within the Washington, D.C., space, offers EEG pretest directions for sufferers studying, “Please take away any hair extensions or additions. Don’t use hair remedy merchandise reminiscent of hair spray, conditioners, or hair dressing, nor do you have to repair your hair in tight braids or corn rows.”
Marc Hanna, the neurophysiology supervisor on the middle’s White Oak location in Silver Spring, Maryland, has greater than 30 years of expertise performing EEGs. He oversees 10-12 EEG technicians on the facility.
Hanna stated the hair guidelines are supposed to assist a technician get an correct studying from the check. “The electrodes want to take a seat flat on the scalp, and so they must be in exact spots on the scalp which can be equally aside from one another,” Hanna stated.
For individuals with thick and curly hair, this is usually a problem.
A 2020 article from Science Information detailed a research that measured how a lot coarse, curly hair may intrude with measuring mind indicators. A great EEG sign is taken into account to have lower than 50 kilo-Ohms of impedance, however the researchers discovered unbraided, curly hair with commonplace electrodes yielded 615 kilo-Ohms.
Researchers are working to higher seize mind waves of individuals with naturally thick and curly hair. Pleasure Jackson, a biomedical engineering main on the College of Miami, developed a clip-like machine that may assist electrodes higher adhere to the scalp.
On the decision, the lady was saying if you happen to are available and my hair will not be free, we’re going to cost you.
Sadé Lewis
Experimentation with totally different braiding patterns and versatile electrode clips formed like dragonfly wings, designed to push below the braids, has had promising outcomes. A research, printed by bioRxiv, discovered this methodology resulted in a studying effectively inside the vary for a dependable EEG measurement.
However extra analysis must be achieved earlier than merchandise like these are broadly utilized by medical services.
Hanna stated the ability the place he works doesn’t robotically ask sufferers to take away their protecting types as a result of generally the technician can full the check with out them doing so.
“Every a kind of instances are a person case,” Hanna stated. “So, at our facility, we don’t ask the affected person to take all their braids out. We simply ask them to return in. Generally, if one of many technicians can be found when the affected person is scheduling, they’ll simply take a look at the hair and say, ‘OK, we will do it’ or ‘We don’t suppose we will do it.’ And we even may say, ‘We don’t suppose we will do it however are available and we’ll attempt.’”
In follow, Hanna stated, it’s not frequent for hair to be a problem. However for sufferers whose coiffure may make the check inaccurate, he stated, it turns into a dialog between the physician and the affected person.
When Lewis arrived the next day for her MRI and EEG appointment, she was informed her EEG had been canceled.
“It was simply form of baffling slightly bit as a result of, actually, as quickly as I stroll in, I noticed about 4 totally different Black ladies who all had both twists, locs, braids, or one thing,” she stated. “And on the decision, the lady was saying if you happen to are available and my hair will not be free, we’re going to cost you. And he or she did advocate to cancel my appointment. However I by no means authorised that.”
After Lewis defined what occurred throughout the cellphone name, she stated, the receptionist was very apologetic and stated the data Lewis was given was not true. Lewis stated she spoke with one of many EEG technicians on the facility to verify that her mini-twists would work for the check — and felt a sigh of aid when she noticed the technician was additionally a Black lady.
“The technician, I believe total, they simply made me really feel protected,” Lewis stated. “As a result of I felt like they might establish with me simply from a cultural standpoint, a racial standpoint. So, it did make me really feel slightly bit extra legitimate in my emotions.”
Lewis later returned to the ability to get the process achieved whereas nonetheless sporting mini-twists. This time, the method was seamless.
Her recommendation for different sufferers? “If you really feel one thing, undoubtedly communicate out, ask questions.”
KFF Well being Information is a nationwide newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about well being points and is without doubt one of the core working applications at KFF—an impartial supply of well being coverage analysis, polling, and journalism. Be taught extra about KFF.
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