Potassium Channel Hypothesis

Some of us here understand some of the mechanisms of action behind Minox-a-Kill (Minoxidil).

It wouldn't be caught dead taking it.

It's a potassium channel opener and assuming there's enough cysteine or sulfur sources on board, it can improve hair growth. It's also worth noting that Minoxidil (while not well known to be a 5-AR inhibitor), yes also has acts as an androgen blocker to an extent.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1545141/

Furthermore, many people seem to have forms of carbohydrate poisoning (some call this insulin resistance or carbohydrate intolerance).

This condition causes thiamine (Vitamin B1) wasting. Thiamine wasting causes intracellular potassium wasting.

Animal research in rats showed that chronic thiamine deficiency (Vitamin B1) increases sodium tissue content in heart, liver and skeletal muscle by 18-35%, while also decreasing potassium content by 18-25%. Interestingly, although tissue levels were altered, plasma levels of these electrolytes remained unaffected and stayed within the normal-high range (sodium at 141.6 and potassium at 4.8 ). This means that blood measurements did not reflect tissue content.”

Over the years I tried a few "easy" strategies to up my potassium intake (there was a back-fire), so now experimenting with a dietary approach.

Being on a nearly zero carbohydrate diet (except for pizza day), I've incorporated heavy amounts of fish which usually contain about 800 to 1160 mg of potassium per 100 grams.

Also added full fat, grass-fed milk, which is potassium rich (some carbs yes, but from a metabolism standpoint this type of sugar is handled much better than grain-carbs.

Noticed some improvements overall in some areas...Hair loss was resolved quite some time ago, but will look out for any changes.

Is it less beneficial to take b1 as a supplement than to implement it in your diet ?

Looking at a list of sources it doesn't seem too difficult to get potassium from food. Quite a number of options.

Presumably there is no good way to get hair benefits of potassium channel opening without the negative effects that come with minox?

shukov wrote:Looking at a list of sources it doesn't seem too difficult to get potassium from food.  Quite a number of options.

Presumably there is no good way to get hair benefits of potassium channel opening without the negative effects that come with minox?

Minoxidil is just poison, also it won't work without enough sulfur on board. Plus, it's not kind to the face.

Yes, I've never used minox for these reasons and wasn't intending to.  What I meant to ask was if there is any natural substance to get the (possible) hair benefits without the drawbacks.

I'd guess a sulfur shortage is why MSM seems to help for some people. But should also be possible to get from food.

shukov wrote:Yes, I've never used minox for these reasons and wasn't intending to.  What I meant to ask was if there is any natural substance to get the (possible) hair benefits without the drawbacks.

Never tried this, only because it's topical.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25617238/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28849028/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33584955/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7840088/

CausticSymmetry wrote:

shukov wrote:Looking at a list of sources it doesn't seem too difficult to get potassium from food.  Quite a number of options.

Presumably there is no good way to get hair benefits of potassium channel opening without the negative effects that come with minox?

Minoxidil is just poison, also it won't work without enough sulfur on board. Plus, it's not kind to the face.

Could you elaborate on it not being kind to the face? Are you referring to theories about collagen depletion? I've read speculation about it but never anything concrete.

Weser wrote:

CausticSymmetry wrote:

shukov wrote:Looking at a list of sources it doesn't seem too difficult to get potassium from food.  Quite a number of options.

Presumably there is no good way to get hair benefits of potassium channel opening without the negative effects that come with minox?

Minoxidil is just poison, also it won't work without enough sulfur on board. Plus, it's not kind to the face.

Could you elaborate on it not being kind to the face? Are you referring to theories about collagen depletion? I've read speculation about it but never anything concrete.

There is evidence of collagen modification, however it's not clear at all if this is the aspect that is a problem.  I'll elaborate on that in a moment.

The strongest evidence that it creates an issue is that Minoxidil increases the DNA damage in the blood and the liver tissues--at in least in mice. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acthis.2022.151894

As for the evidence on collagen, again it's not clear if that is a problem, it would be more concerning with respect to the DNA and liver damage in animal testing, it only took 7 days.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30481795/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32951485/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1546087/