Sadé Lewis of Queens, New York, has suffered migraines since she was a child, and as she began school, they acquired worse. A current change in her insurance coverage left the 27-year-old searching for a brand new neurologist. That’s when she discovered West 14 Road MedicalArts in New York.
MedicalArts really useful that she get an electroencephalogram (EEG) and an MRI to verify her mind was functioning correctly.
An EEG is a take a look at to measure {the electrical} exercise of the mind. It may discover modifications in mind exercise that may assist in diagnosing circumstances together with epilepsy, sleep issues, and mind tumors. In the course of the process, electrodes consisting of small metallic 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 little bit over per week earlier than her EEG, Lewis was given directions that she didn’t bear in mind getting earlier than a earlier EEG appointment.
To Lewis’ shock, sufferers have been instructed to take away all hair extensions, braids, cornrows, wigs, and so forth. Additionally, she was to scrub her hair with a light shampoo the evening 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 greatest pal, and I used to be, like, that is type of anti-Black,” Lewis mentioned. “I simply really feel prefer it creates a bunch of confusion, and it alienates sufferers who clearly want these procedures performed.”
The restrictions might discourage folks with thick, curly, and textured hair from going ahead with their care. Folks with extra everlasting kinds like locs — a coiffure wherein hair strands are coiled, braided, twisted, or palm-rolled to create a rope-like look — is perhaps barred from getting the take a look at performed.
Kinky or curly hair textures are usually extra delicate and inclined to wreck. Because of this, folks with curlier hair textures typically put on protecting hairstyles, similar to weaves, braids, and twists, which assist keep 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 might discover extra info on greatest practices. However she observed that for folks with thick and textured hair, there have been few tips about greatest hairstyles for an EEG.
Lewis has thick, curly hair and believed that explicitly following the directions on the preparationworksheet would make it tougher, not simpler, for the technician to achieve her scalp. Lewis determined that her mini-twists — a protecting fashion wherein the hair is parted into small sections and twisted — could 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 straightforward entry to her scalp.
Lewis felt snug along with her plan and didn’t give it some thought once more till she acquired a reminder e-mail the day earlier than her EEG and MRI appointment that restated the restrictive directions and added a warning: Failure to conform would end result within the appointment being rescheduled and a $50 same-day cancellation payment.
To keep away from the penalty, Lewis emailed the power along with her issues and hooked up pictures. “I acquired type of apprehensive, and I despatched them photos of my hair considering that it might go nicely, and they’d be, like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s positive. We see what you see,’” mentioned Lewis.
Quickly after, she acquired a name from the power and was instructed she wouldn’t be capable of get the process performed along 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 particular person on the cellphone was “close-minded.”
“As a Black girl, that’s so exclusionary for coarse and thick hair. To actually haven’t any product in your hair and present up with it unfastened, you’re not even reaching my scalp with that,” Lewis mentioned in her video.
The feedback part on Lewis’ TikTok video is stuffed with folks sharing in her frustration and confusion or recounting related experiences with EEG scheduling.
West 14 Road MedicalArts declined to remark for this text.
The New York medical middle isn’t the one facility with related EEG prep directions. The Neurology Heart, which has a number of places within the Washington, D.C., space, gives EEG pretest directions for sufferers studying, “Please take away any hair extensions or additions. Don’t use hair remedy merchandise similar to hair spray, conditioners, or hair dressing, nor must you 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 mentioned the hair guidelines are supposed to assist a technician get an correct studying from the take a look at. “The electrodes want to take a seat flat on the scalp, they usually should be in exact spots on the scalp which can be equally aside from one another,” Hanna mentioned.
For folks with thick and curly hair, this generally is a problem.
A 2020 article from Science Information detailed a examine that measured how a lot coarse, curly hair might intrude with measuring mind alerts. 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 gadget that may assist electrodes higher adhere to the scalp.
Experimentation with completely different braiding patterns and versatile electrode clips formed like dragonflywings, designed to push underneath the braids, has had promising outcomes. A examine, printed by bioRxiv,discovered this technique resulted in a studying nicely throughout the vary for a dependable EEG measurement. However extra analysis needs to be performed earlier than merchandise like these are broadly utilized by medical services.
Hanna mentioned the power the place he works doesn’t routinely ask sufferers to take away their protecting kinds as a result of typically the technician can full the take a look at with out them doing so.
“Every a type of instances are a person case,” Hanna mentioned. “So, at our facility, we don’t ask the affected person to take all their braids out. We simply ask them to return in. Typically, 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 are able to do it’ or ‘We don’t assume we are able to do it.’ And we even would possibly say, ‘We don’t assume we are able to do it however are available in and we’ll strive.’”
In apply, Hanna mentioned, it’s not widespread for hair to be a problem. However for sufferers whose coiffure would possibly make the take a look at inaccurate, he mentioned, 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 instructed her EEG had been canceled. “It was simply type of baffling a little bit bit as a result of, actually, as quickly as I stroll in, I noticed about 4 completely different Black girls who all had both twists, locs, braids, or one thing,” she mentioned. “And on the decision, the girl was saying should you are available in and my hair isn’t unfastened, we’re going to cost you. And he or she did suggest to cancel my appointment. However I by no means accepted that.”
After Lewis defined what occurred through the cellphone name, she mentioned, the receptionist was veryapologetic and mentioned the knowledge Lewis was given was not true. Lewis mentioned she spoke with one of many EEG technicians on the facility to verify that her mini-twists would work for the take a look at — and felt a sigh of aid when she noticed the technician was additionally a Black girl.
After Lewis defined what occurred through the cellphone name, she mentioned, the receptionist was veryapologetic and mentioned the knowledge Lewis was given was not true. Lewis mentioned she spoke with one of many EEG technicians on the facility to verify that her mini-twists would work for the take a look at — and felt a sigh of aid when she noticed the technician was additionally a Black girl.
“The technician, I feel total, they only made me really feel secure,” Lewis mentioned. “As a result of I felt like they might determine with me simply from a cultural standpoint, a racial standpoint. So, it did make me really feel a little bit bit extra legitimate in my emotions.”
Lewis later returned to the power to get the process performed whereas nonetheless sporting mini-twists. This time, the method was seamless. Her recommendation for different sufferers? “If you really feel one thing, positively communicate out, ask questions.”
KFF Well being Information , previously referred to as Kaiser Well being Information (KHN), 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 — the unbiased supply for well being coverage analysis, polling and journalism.
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