Trichotillomania is a condition where sufferers have compulsive urges to pull on their hair, many times pulling it out, causing bald areas. There is new evidence that a daily dose of amino acids, found in health food stores, may curb the urge to pull ones hair.

Currently there is no FDA-approved treatment for the condition, but based on the new study, amino acids may be the key.

Researchers conducted a study that lasted for 12 weeks, involved 45 women and five men ranging in age from 18-65, who regularly pull their hair.

The trial was a double-blind controlled trial, with half of the group receiving 1200 mg of N-Acetylcysteine daily for six weeks, and then an increased dosage of 2,400 mg daily for the remaining 6 weeks, the other half of the participants were given a placebo treatment for the full 12 weeks.

At the end of the 12-week trial, 56 percent of the group receiving the amino acids reported feeling much better and 16 percent of the placebo group reported less tendencies to pull their hair.

Amino acids have previously proven to have positive results in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and it is sold in a nasal spray formula used to treat mucus buildup and other uses.

Eventually we may see a formula specific to obsessive-compulsive disorders, but more testing is needed.