Medical treatment

Q: Platelet rich plasma is a procedure whereby the doctor draws the patients own blood and puts it in a vial in a machine that spins it at a fast rate. This causes the blood to separate the red blood cells from the plasma (which contains growth factors and nutrients). The plasma part of the spun blood is then withdrawn and injected into the skin to assist with healing. It can be used in many applications such as to remove skin pigmentation, wrinkles, to promote wound healing and also to induce hair growth in patients with alopecia (falling hair/no hair).

The plasma can be used with microneedling as well. Microneedling is a procedure whereby multiple needles are superficially pierced into the skin after using a local anaesthetic, to initiation the body's own healing processes and this allows for more controlled healing thereby assisting with scars, stretchmarks, pigmentation as well as to assist with hair growth.

My question is:

1. Is the use of the platelet rich plasma permissable in hairgrowth in patients with alopecia or thinning hair? There are other modalities for hair growth such as minoxidil and finasteride but these are shown to only stop hair from falling and does not assist with new hair growth. Also some reports state that the results with these are more temporary and less effective than using platelet rich plasma.

2. Would platelet rich plasma be permissable in other applications such as for scars, stretchmarks, dark skin pigmentation, wrinkles? 

Q: Is it permissible to use or prescribe sleeping pills? After using them, sometimes one is not in his conplete sense and sometimes says what will not usually say in public? Would Namaz be valid in this state? Can it be used if one is unable to sleep? Or can it be used sometimes when one wants to releive himself of worries?

Q: I am undergoing my therapy for anxiety, fears and phobias, guilt and other issues here in Pakistan with a trained muslim psychotherapist. He recently prescribed Me doing EFT tapping to control my anxiety and issues. I did it for few days and felt better and more in control over anxiety and low mood that was disturbing me.

He has asked me to just form a short problem statement and a simple affirmation in which there is nothing unethical, unislamic or anything which could be shirk. And while repeating these statements you tap on 9 meridian points.

I wanted to ask you if it is okay for me to continue this self help technique to feel better and have focus on positive things.

Q: Is one allowed to get natural acids that are in one's body injected into the scars and pimples on one's face to get rid of them?

Q: Could you please assist and advise if the following is permissible? In Homeopathy, there exists a therapy called Auto Sanguines therapy. This involves taking some of a person's blood and creating a medicine with it, which is taken orally. Is this permissible?

The definition of Auto Sanguine is: In Auto-sanguis dilution therapy, small doses of the patient’s blood are prepared as a homeopathic remedy. The effectiveness of this therapy is rooted in the homeopathic principle that small doses of a substance reverse symptoms caused by large doses of the same substance. People who suffer form an autoimmune disease have elevated levels of pro-inflammatory agents, antibodies, and circulating immune complexes in their bloodstream, all of which are involved in the abnormal immune response. A homeopathic mixture containing minute traces of these substances can reduce or even completely eliminate the autoimmune response. Autosanguis therapy simply means using blood from a patient as a medicine to treat a condition that that patient is suffering from.

Q: A Muslim sister in a certain Islamic community got pregnant. The Islamic leaders decided to discipline her since she was not married. When the elders of the Community met her, she told them that she has stayed in the religion for years and no one is marrying her and she is getting to the age where she can't get pregnant if married. So she went and did artificial insemination since she wants a child. She provided the medical documents that showed that she has done the artificial insemination. The sister is pregnant without committing fornication nor adultery. Is she sinful?

Q: Is it permissible to use medicine which is derived from humans? Like injecting something to stimulate certain cells/proteins and then getting from them? Perhaps it is not transplant which is prohibited.

(My mother had a fracture on her leg bone and it has not healed over 7 months so doctors are planning another surgery to fix it and will put bone formation stimulating drug at the site of fracture most likely derived from humans).

Q: I am going for Umrah on 1 April 2018 with my husband and son. My gynecologist has prescribed utrogesan capsules to delay my period. It contains gelatine. Am I allowed to use it or should I get alternate medication?

Q: I am looking to seek a ruling on whether scalp micro pigmentation (SMP) is permissible in Islam. SMP stands for scalp micro pigmentation.

It is a method of depositing pigment into the dermal layer of the skin on the scalp, which replicates hair follicles. When viewed from a few inches or further away, the pigment dots appear as hair follicles. Here are some facts provided by a number of SMP clinics I inquired with:

SMP will have no effect on the ability for the skin to absorb water (i.e. for wudhu) or release water as sweat. The pigment consists of Iron Oxide, which according to the clinics is readily present in the body naturally The main difference between a tattoo and SMP is that SMP is semi-permanent and uses a completely natural pigment. It uses specialist pigments created for the scalp only, not tattoo ink.

Q: There is a treatment called scalp micro pigmentation. It is like drawing a tattoo on the scalp to give an illusion like the head is full of hair. I have bald patches and this treatment seems very safe. Is it allowed in Islam?