inflammation

CS: how much of hair loss is cause by inflammation?

I've been reading around and it seems like a general theme among hair loss treatment websites is that it is important to reduce inflammation. This really struck a cord with me because of other (i thought?) unrelated symptoms that I have, the foremost of which is my sinuses. They are always, always inflamed or "stuffed up". I don't usually breathe through my nose because of it, especially when exercising. I've basically just come to accept it as part of life since about when i was 16 years old (interestingly, the same age my hair began to thin). I also have always had very tight joints, and wonder if maybe this could be related to inflammation?

I just started your top 6 about a week ago (minus krill oil, because I already took fish oil before and am waiting until i've depleted that supply before making the switch) and am hopeful I'll see benefits. Do you expect I might see improvement in either of these areas?

P.S. Great website, appreciate what you do very much.

blech - I agree, inflammation is huge. Since you mentioned you noticed this beginning (hair loss) around the age of 16, it's a good idea to rule out any thyroid problems. Besides basic thyroid tests, which are frequently of little use the Broda Barnes test can really help "shed" some light on this potential problem.

Aside from that everything in this regimen is designed to counter the inflammation. I can explain more about the Broda barnes test if you have any trouble locating it.

IH: I did the basal temperature test three nights last week. My temperatures were below the "normal" range described on the overview of the test that I read. First night was 97.0, second 97.1, third 96.8. Do you believe this to be evidence enough of hypothyroidism? If so, what would you recommend be my next course of action? Hopefully treatment for this will help my low energy levels and memory/concentration problems as well (DEFINITELY a problem for me, but something I believed to be unrelated!). I've read that these are other symptoms of hypothyroidism.

I also conducted the "spit test" for candida, and that also appeared to be positive. Are there any other signs of candida that I could maybe use as confirmation for the spit test? What would you recommend as a way to eradicate this problem? I was considering ohirra's probiotic.

The above problems aside, I'm taking your top 6 recommendations. However, i just read in another thread that the top 6 is geared more towards "mature" balders. This definitely does not describe me, as I just recently turned 20, and my balding is quite agressive. Is there any part of my regimen that you might consider a misallocation of resources given my age? So far I've been taking the top 6 for 1-2 weeks, I've noticed that my hair becomes "greasy" much less quickly.

One thing I've noticed about my situation: Every time I allow my hair to become "greasy", say by skipping showering for a day, my shedding appears to be worsened for a short period of time. To me this is odd, because it seems too immediate an effect! Is this any sort of indicator?

Blech I'm in the exact same position as you. My hair started thinning at 17 and I'm now 19. Inflammation is constant with me, especially in the thinning areas. I believe that if I had this under control that my hair loss would dramatically slow down. Unfortuenatly the only time I noticed a reduction in inflammation was when I was on Finasteride. Therefore, It is clearly linked with DHT. I can't handle any DHT- inhibitors so I'm kind of stuck.

Keep me updated on your progress with the Top 6. I hope to start something similar to that soon, though I really shouldn't expect much from it.

blech - Would recommend taking Lugol's solution. If it is the thyroid and it sounds like it, the "top 6" protects against the inflammation is important at any age. Lugol's solution if you use enough of it can help defeat candida overgrowth.

If you get a greasy scalp pretty easily you might benefit from the Lithium/DMSO Shampoo. It will cut sebum down significantly and when there's lots of sebum there's a much greater chance of Malessezia to over populate and/or other lipid-based yeasts secreting Phospholipase A2 (this is at least partially inhibited by Ecklonia Cava) releasing arachidonic acid and lysophospholipids creating an inflammation cascade. There's no need to shampoo more than once per day with this either, because the lithium absorbs in there and keeps the scalp mostly dry for a while in between washings.

Here's the page on the topical: http://www.immortalhair.org/topicals.htm

Since you've been on the regimen for short while, you might not need the shampoo.

Thanks for the info IH. In regards to my thyroid, would you recommend I see a dr. or is this something I can take care of myself.

As far as taking lugol's, can you provide me with any information in regard to dosing? The "theory in practice" portion of your site recommends 12 to 14 mg daily. Is this still what you'd recommend, and how should I know whether it is necessary to increase dose? The website you provided in the physiology section recommends administering through the skin, but I seem to remember that you take your iodine orally, is this true? Do you recommend the 5% or 2.2% iodine concentration (http://www.bloodrootproducts.com/Lugol%27s-Lugols-Iodine-C22.html)?? Because of iodine's reputation (you said there was a concern about it potentially increasing hashimoto's, or allergy??) I want to be sure I get this all completely right, so any help will be very much appreciated!

Because of restrictions on my budget, I was wondering whether or not you think Ohirra's probiotic is worth its effects in terms of money, or would it be better spent elsewhere seeing as i plan on eating a mostly raw food/vegetable and lean meat diet.

I am also considering taking the vitamin E supplement Toco-8, and a thyroid support vitamin supplement (http://www.iherb.com/Natural-Sources-Raw-Thyroid-60-Capsules/6009?at=0) do you have any thoughts on either of these?

Sorry if I overloaded you with questions on this post. I REALLY appreciate all you do on this board and website, so thanks a lot.

blech - These are good questions, it reminds that I have to find the time to update my site, LOL.

No worries on the Hashimoto's. During the loading phase of Lugol's solution the TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) flux a bit before it settles. Yet Hashimoto's is worsened by an iodine deficiency, and is corrected with adequate iodine.

I would suggest starting off with two drops per day for about a week (12.5 milligrams) of the 5% variety. After if there are no problems, up it to 8 drops per day (50 milligrams). I find it is easy to just drop it in water or any beverage. After a while you would have increased energy and other benefits.

Changes to hair or skin will take a lot longer. Painting the iodine on the skin is not efficient and after reviewing some heavy research on this, much of it is evaporated so just take it internally.

As far as Ohirra's probiotic, it depends on the individual. Personally I found Jarrow EPS to not only be cheaper but I think works better. You might try either for a term time to see how you feel on them.

You mentioned raw vegetable diet and lean meat diet. Just to make sure you're getting enough saturated fat in your diet (I call this the essential "non-essential fatty acid") you might consider using some coconut oil on occasion. I'm not sure if taking toco-8 is worth the expense in terms of noticeable benefits as there are cheaper forms available elsewhere.

The thyroid supplement you mentioned could be taken for a short time just to boost up your overall system, but no need to take it long-term.

IH: I ordered my iodine in the mail a few days ago and expect it to arrive shortly. I've been taking that thyroid supplement for the past week in preparation for the iodine. You mentioned beginning with two drops in order to test for any negative effects. Could you give me insight into what to look for? What could be some possible negatives?

Also, I was wondering if you could help me with an explanation for why (according to this site) the FDA's "safe upper limit" for iodine is 1.1mg of iodine. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=69#foodsources

I'm also curious about fluoride in drinking water/showers. Are there any economical ways of filtering fluoride from my drinking water? I'm fairly confident I may be able to get my parents to purchase a filter, but nothing overly expensive. Also, would it have any effect to take shorter/less frequent and colder showers on the amount of fluoride/chlorine exposure I'm getting.

As always, thanks!

blech - If you get any acne, it is a possible (and probable) indicator of bromidism, which means there are high levels of bromide in your system and iodine will pull this out. If this happens, taking sea salt, celtic salt or Himalayan salt with Vitamin C will quicken the bromide detox process and the acne and possibly other symptoms will go away.

Bromide replaced iodine in bread (both iodine and bromide prevent the splitting from occurring when bread is baked). There was once 1 milligram of iodine in each slice of bread. Not sure exactly why bromide was used instead, since the human body has no benefit from it, but it is toxic to the thyroid.

The RDA for iodine is ridiculously low. I sometimes use the term "Ridiculously deficient amount," but I've recently heard better (Rat's Drugs & Assumptions).

Check out this great link on iodine that will answer a lot of questions:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/1959949/IODINE-Solution-to-Healthproblems

If you're familiar with bit torrents, this a great one:

http://www.mininova.org/tor/2017823

fluoride is extremely difficult to filter, at least with a shower filter (unless somehow a reverse osmosis filter is put in from the mainline) But at least you can filter chlorine, these are pretty easy to find.

If it occurs, how long does this acne generally persist? Would a lack of bromide acne be an indication that my problems are Not thyroid rooted?

Also, do you think it would it be beneficial in terms of speeding up the process of detoxing bromide by doing things similar to trying to pass a drug test for marijuana. I've never done this, but my friends typically run a lot and drink a lot of water.

I also find it helpful in terms of reducing inflammation to drink a lot (a lot!) of water, like a gallon a day. I noticed this back when I had trouble with acne as a younger teenager (14-15). Whenever i'd drink an excess of water, my skin would be less oily and my blemishes would become less inflamed and eventually go away pretty quickly. Sometimes after eating foods I knew would cause me to break out (like a blizzard from dairy queen), i would pre-emptively load up on water. Unfortunately it sucks doing this because I'll be in the bathroom half the day, even if I continue the practice over an extended time.

Actually, my inability to hold water was one of the things that helped convince me that insulin sensitivity was important to keeping my hair, as I'd read that people who are pre-diabetic tend to piss a lot, and this definitely describes me.

blech - Acne is just a possibility and only indicates a problem with bromide. In other words, if you get acne, it just means you're loaded up bromide so might as well clear it out. How long? Not sure, but most likely it depends on the bromide. This is not something to count on, so maybe I should have not mentioned it.

Iodine will cause excess sweating for a few weeks, so it may actually help rid THC from the system.