What the heck is going on with Justina's nutrition if her hair is falling out and gums are receding, plus confined to a wheelchair. That is abuse right there if it's true and the residential center is allowing it to get worse. Does she still have a feeding tube? People can supposedly live with those so something is not right. Are her bowels now working without regular fllushing? Why don't they have to prove that Justina's legs and muscles work and prove that it's somatic, or call in her old doctor and come to some compromise!
It's possible that Justina has been given medication by BCH Bader 5 staff as part of her "treatment", and that hair loss is a side effect of those drugs. There is a study, Hair loss in psychopharmacology, (
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10798824), which says that such medication-induced alopecia is a possible side effect of many psychopharmaceuticals. Another study, Thinning Hair or Hair Loss as a Bipolar Medication Side Effect (
http://bipolar.about.com/od/sideeffectslibrary/a/hairloss.htm), explains that medications containing Lithium can cause thyroid problems associated with losing hair.
Regarding receding gums, some medications cause dry mouth which leads to problems with gums. In the article, Pscychotropic-induced dry mouth: Don't overlook this potentially serious side effect (
http://www.currentpsychiatry.com/index.php?id=22661&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=176472), the authors mention that dry mouth is a reported side effect of more than 1,800 drugs from more than 80 classes.
There is also the possibility that poor appetite -- another side effect of psychopharmaceuticals--could lead to problem from a lack of proper nutrients. Or poor appetite could simply be a result of suffering days long headaches or nausea that are also side effects of those medications.
Some people may be likely to suffer from a deficiency of Vitamin D. Among them are those who suffer from gastrointestinal diseases and those who receive little or no exposure to direct sunlight. Vitamin D is essential to promote healthy bones, no matter how old a person may be. In his petition to the court, Justina's attorney mentioned that she had not received direct sunlight since entering Bader 5.
This is backed up by other sources, for example on WebMD, Dr. Amy McMichael, a professor of dermatology, lists stressors that can change the physiological balance within a person's body which could lead to hair loss. These include a strict low-calorie diet or significant weight loss, certain medications, and nutritional deficiencies like Vitamin D, lack of sleep. In addition, Paradi Mirmirani, MD, another dermatologist, points out that the cause of hair loss happened "three, six, or even nine months before the hair loss began." (
http://www.webmd.com/beauty/hair-health-11/hair-stress-effect?page=2) This source also mentions that "hair loss can be an early sign of about 30 different diseases."
Given the situation in which BCH has placed Justina, IMO, the only surprise is that these symptoms have not been remarked upon previously.
