Help With Next Move

Hey guys--

Just so much information, I've read through tons of stuff but am still unsure where I should head next. My hair has deteriorated at an immense pace over the last 4 weeks.. Any insight would really put my mind at ease. Also apologies on the long post.

Here is my current regimen:

Internal (~6 weeks):
AM: Dr Ohhira Probiotic, wait 30 minutes, Ainterol 500mg PM, wait 30 minutes, Cod Liver Oil 4000mg, FibroBoost EC x1cap, Maca 1500mg, Biotin 5000mcg with Breakfast
PM: Cod Liver Oil 4000mg, FibroBoost EC x1cap, Maca 1500mg with last meal, wait 2 hours, ZMA x3cap, wait 30 min, Dr Ohhira Probiotic

Note: I'm currently doing 1PM cap daily, I phased it in starting every other day for a week. Kind of worried about going to 2 caps daily.

Topical:
AM: IH Rinse - 2tbsp Lithium/2tbsp DMSO, Aubrey's Biotin Shampoo
PM: IH Rinse - 2tbsp Lithium/2tbsp DMSO, Aubrey's Biotin Shampoo

Note: This is the only thing that touches my head, no other product/shampoo.

Since starting on this regime I've noticed that my scalp is no longer red. However, my head itches almost all day long and even an hour or two after showering, there seems to be gunk/wax/dust on my scalp despite my best efforts of scrapping it off in the shower. It seems as though I have little, if no irritation, no acne in the hairline (where I'm loosing rapidly). My hair never seems oily, due in part to the rinse I'm sure. If I run my hands through my hair over a flat surface, I lose around 50 hairs and a *bunch of crap*, not really dandruff flakes, but little bits like sand. Quite often the shed hair has crap on the follicle. I obviously loose more in the morning and night rinses, I swear sitting in meetings sometimes I can feel my follicles "eject" a hair, that's probably mental

I have done lots of tweaking to my diet over the past 2 years, any changes I make never seem to affect my rate of shedding (I noticed my hairloss about 2 years ago as well). I'm some what of a hobbyist natural body builder so it's always relatively "eating healthy." I don't drink nor smoke ever. I'm currently eating a high fat/high protein/no carb diet Monday through Friday and cycling in high carb intake on the weekend (Anabolic Diet). I eat about 6 equally portioned meals per day. This diet is supposed to be good for insulin sensitivity and I'm under the impression that should help hair with as well? I am eating a lot of red meat though...

Could anyone point me on where to go next? Are there any obvious holes in my attack plan? Anything obvious to add? Just sitting and waiting.. I can't take it

Some things that interest me:
- Treating for Demodex? Seabuckthorn
- Lasers? Not sure I can afford it
- Other topicals? Mag oil, essential oils, etc
- More internals?

zeus - Try going without the Lithium rinse and see if that is the cause.

Hey CS-- Thanks for the input, I guess I didn't want to believe I was one of the unlucky ones that have a bad reaction to it--because it does seem to make my hair/scalp super clean and healthy feeling, atleast for a little while.

Is it possible that I'm having a bad reaction to it without any outward signs like irritation? I guess I'll see if my scalp turns red again after quitting.

Sounds like mine years ago.

seabuckthorn would be a good start and TTO might also be useful. You might also want to give ala/alca a chance. I am unsure what did it for me. It was like one day my scalp felt at peace. I had reoccurring itchiness if I didn't shower or forgot to use a topical. At this time I do not have those issues. I can miss several days without a tingling or itchy scalp.

Best of luck, maybe IH can help pinpoint the issue.

A high protein diet is NOT good for keeping insulin down. When you eat more protein that your body can use it is converted to sugar and raises insulin more. If you go to google scholar, and look up studies on diet and the effects on insulin, you will overwhelmingly find that a high-carb, high-fiber diet is the best for keeping insulin levels low.

I had a high meat diet also when my hair totally went thin, I'm pretty sure it was because I was eating too much protein and fast food and never any fiberous veggies. I just saw a study last weekend that showed that the more protein you eat the less your SHBG will be, so I think that caused my free testosterone to be too high and my total testosterone and SHBG to be too low.

Espio wrote:A high protein diet is NOT good for keeping insulin down. When you eat more protein that your body can use it is converted to sugar and raises insulin more. If you go to google scholar, and look up studies on diet and the effects on insulin, you will overwhelmingly find that a high-carb, high-fiber diet is the best for keeping insulin levels low.

I had a high meat diet also when my hair totally went thin, I'm pretty sure it was because I was eating too much protein and fast food and never any fiberous veggies. I just saw a study last weekend that showed that the more protein you eat the less your SHBG will be, so I think that caused my free testosterone to be too high and my total testosterone and SHBG to be too low.

I don't want to get into diet wars again, but this is not true.

Carbohydrates > Glucose > Insulin

Gluconogensis is only used to stabilize blood sugar. Once blood sugar is stabilized, the liver will shut down production of glucose. We've known since 1956 with a publication of papers by Vincent Dole at Rockefellar University, Robert Gordon at the National Institutes of Health, and Sigfrid Laurell of the University of Lund in Sweden.

SHBG 45 (13-71 nmol/L)

I eat zero carbs (a couple in muscle glycogen) and zero fiber.

You must be really fat joe

Misirlou wrote:You must be really fat joe

???

I'm 5'11 160lbs 11%BF

Joe, how old are you? I'm 24 so if you are a lot older it might be easier for you to keep your SHBG up. Believe me I wish I could eat a high-meat diet, as I don't really have the taste for raw cellery and cauliflower. Here is the study I was refering to which makes the inverse association between protein intake and SHBG:

http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/85/1/293

The serum concentration of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) is inversely related to weight and in animal studies is inversely related to protein intake. As SHBG can affect the biological activity of testosterone and estradiol, we wished to determine the role of protein intake on SHBG levels in men. Using data from the Massachusetts Male Aging Study we examined cross-sectional relationships between dietary components and SHBG levels in 1552 men (aged 40–70 yr) for whom these factors were known.

Analyzed by multiple regression, controlling for testosterone and estradiol levels, age (P < 0.001) and fiber intake (P = 0.02) were positively correlated to SHBG concentration, whereas body mass index (P < 0.001) and protein intake (P < 0.03) were negatively correlated to SHBG concentration. The intakes of calories, fat (animal or vegetable), and carbohydrate were not related to SHBG concentration. We conclude that age and body mass index are major determinants of SHBG concentrations in older men, and fiber and protein intake are also significant contributors to SHBG levels, but total caloric intake and the intake of carbohydrate or fat are not significant. Thus, diets low in protein in elderly men may lead to elevated SHBG levels and decreased testosterone bioactivity. The decrease in bioavailable testosterone can then result in declines in sexual function and muscle and red cell mass, and contribute to the loss of bone density.

Nevermind my last post. I found a few studies that contradict that study. This one included found that there was no change in SHBG with the ketogenic diet. I might try it, has being on this diet helped your hair?

http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0026049502000100

The few studies that have examined body composition after a carbohydrate-restricted diet have reported enhanced fat loss and preservation of lean body mass in obese individuals. The role of hormones in mediating this response is unclear. We examined the effects of a 6-week carbohydrate-restricted diet on total and regional body composition and the relationships with fasting hormone concentrations. Twelve healthy normal-weight men switched from their habitual diet (48% carbohydrate) to a carbohydrate-restricted diet (8% carbohydrate) for 6 weeks and 8 men served as controls, consuming their normal diet. Subjects were encouraged to consume adequate dietary energy to maintain body mass during the intervention. Total and regional body composition and fasting blood samples were assessed at weeks 0, 3, and 6 of the experimental period. Fat mass was significantly (P [le ] .05) decreased ([minus ]3.4 kg) and lean body mass significantly increased (+1.1 kg) at week 6. There was a significant decrease in serum insulin ([minus ]34%), and an increase in total thyroxine (T4) (+11%) and the free T4 index (+13%). Approximately 70% of the variability in fat loss on the carbohydrate-restricted diet was accounted for by the decrease in serum insulin concentrations. There were no significant changes in glucagon, total or free testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), cortisol, or triiodothyronine (T3) uptake, nor were there significant changes in body composition or hormones in the control group. Thus, we conclude that a carbohydrate-restricted diet resulted in a significant reduction in fat mass and a concomitant increase in lean body mass in normal-weight men, which may be partially mediated by the reduction in circulating insulin concentrations.

I've been on the "zero carb path" for exactly 3 months (today actually). I will spare you with any attempt to change your way of eating. That would be irresponsible of me. Follow the evidence and decide for yourself. I will tell you that I feel my hair has strongly benefited. I am currently dealing with heavy metals (copper, lead, mercury) and ridding them from my body (humifulvate) so it's hard to tell if any one part of my regime is responsible for this, that, or something else. I learn new things everyday about myself so I adjust accordingly. I also am a testing maniac. I never just "guess" if I need a certain vitamin/mineral/supplement.

I started eating this way because some of IH's top 6 send me into hypoglycemia-ville. After a ton of research I found that this could be a sign of uncontrolled insulin (hyperinsulinemia).

Here are a couple of resources, the first link and it's relation to hair is GIGANTIC:

Weston A Price, Copper-Zinc Imbalance:
Unrecognized Consequence of Plant-Based Diets and a Contributor to Chronic Fatigue
http://tinyurl.com/5pulby

Zero Carb Forum
www.zerocarbage.com

Thin Man's Diabetes from Men's Health
http://tinyurl.com/5bqun5

And if you haven't already, I strongly recommend a read of Good Calories Bad Calories, by Gary Taubes.

Hey JoeJoe -

How does the ZC diet square with the paleolithic diet?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic_diet

scottyc33 wrote:Hey JoeJoe -

How does the ZC diet square with the paleolithic diet?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic_diet

I feel bad for Zeus, because I have destroyed his thread, but Paleo still has things like veggies, fruits and nuts in it. I think this is an awesome diet, and better than 99% of what others eat. If you have hyperinsulinemia, it will not cut it though. The fruit and even veggies in some will cause excessive insulin to be released. Remember carbs aren't bad, insulin is.

Joejoebaggins wrote:

scottyc33 wrote:Hey JoeJoe -

How does the ZC diet square with the paleolithic diet?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic_diet

I feel bad for Zeus, because I have destroyed his thread, but Paleo still has things like veggies, fruits and nuts in it. I think this is an awesome diet, and better than 99% of what others eat. If you have hyperinsulinemia, it will not cut it though. The fruit and even veggies in some will cause excessive insulin to be released. Remember carbs aren't bad, insulin is.

JoeJoe - I read some of that forum - it's very hard for me to think of vegetables as "unhealthy".

What % of people are hyperinsulinemic anyway?

Washing your hair constantly strips the scalp from its natural oil barrier.

Instead, rinse your scalp everyday with organic apple cider vinegar. Drop that lithium crap entirely if
it makes you shed.

And you can take PM together with Ohhiras since the latter is enteric coated it will go into the intestines and release, PM will release in the stomach.

scottyc33 wrote:

JoeJoe - I read some of that forum - it's very hard for me to think of vegetables as "unhealthy".

What % of people are hyperinsulinemic anyway?

I'm not our to convince you one way or another. Follow the evidence.

A rundown of people who ate very little or did not eat veggies entirely.

• Native American of the Great Plain
  Inuit
  Samburu
  Masai
  Chewya of Kenya
  Muhima of Uganda
  Watsui of Ruwanda
  Neurs of the Western Nile regions.

There were many other groups who ate small amounts of vegetables but Dr. Price noted in his travels that:

"All healthy African groups had good sources of animal fat, and that the healthiest groups consumed less, not more, of plant foods"

To quote Charles Washington:

It is true that the refined and easily digestible carbohydrate foods are more to blame for metabolic syndrome than 5% vegetables but there is no evidence that a so-called "balanced diet" is healthy. We do have whole populations that eat a high-fat diet and they are completely healthy. That means that they are consuming what is by definition, a healthy diet.

Another problem with that diet is the high-iron consumption and kidney stones

Espio - Kidney stones are a 100% preventable with adequate Magnesium and B6.

Oh that's good news. Concerning the diet meant for us, you said if we have a trigliceride rating of above 80 we are probably protein type. My trigliceride was 51 and this was before taking the top 6. Does that mean I'm probably a carb type, even though I hate vegetables?

Espio - Not necessarily, but its worth investigating. Dr. Mercola offers the least expensive test on figuring out your nutritional type.

Espio wrote:Another problem with that diet is the high-iron consumption and kidney stones

A lot of people don't realize that animal foods contain all of the essential amino acids and they do so in the ratios that maximize their utility to humans (unlike plant foods which are bound in fiber). They also contain 12 of the thirteen essential vitamins in large quantities. Meat is a particularly concentrated source of vitamins A, E, and the entire complex of B vitamins. Vitamins D and B12 are only found in animals products besides the sun.

As for iron,

My ferritin levels:
Ferritin 131 (25-325 ng/mL)

From Good Calories Bad Calories about the one year meat and water diet:

One of our experts described the Bellevue experiment which was obviously a reproduction of the Inuit diet in New York. Stefansson and Karsten Anderson demonstrated that one did not have to live exactly as the Inuit in order to be healthy and free from disease. They ate two pounds of sirloin per day with a half-pound of fat. They suffered no deficiencies just as our expert noted. Much was made about the fact that they did not have adequate calcium in their diet.

Saturated fat and/or protein do not pose any kind of threat to the kidneys. This is an urban myth that nutrionist still spread today.

Saturated Fats & The Kidneys by Mary G. Enig, PhD
http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/kidneys_fats.html

As IH said, different foods for different people! But the all meat experience (as I have dubbed it) is a sound diet.

Well, an overwhelming response Thanks guys, though like someone mentioned I wish it didn't go so much into the diet. I think the diet I'm on now (anabolic diet) is right for me in a lot of ways, and like I said before I've always ate healthy, changing things up never seemed to make an impact on my hair.

Looking in the mirror tonight my hair looks destroyed; I can see through to the scalp over what appears to be a NW4-5 area and I can tell my crown/vertex is thinning out also. It is very disheartening. As recent as June or July my hairline was solid but receded, now I can see through just about all of it. It's really odd because up until about 2-3 weeks ago, it seemed I was making some progress despite my heavy shedding--maybe because I was keeping my hair shorter.

I appreciate everyone help so far, and all the information here, just wanted to break out a few specific questions if anyone has time to respond, I feel like my window of hope is getting tiny:

I stopped the Lithium/DMSO topical Weds... immediately my scalp seems more oily, though not overly so. I'm using a PTO shampoo from Body Shoppe that I never had any luck with even after months of using it, but its the only thing I have laying around. Within hours of showering it feels like my scalp is covered with grit/wax. Any recommendations on what I can phase in topically? I'll be getting some SBO soon, any suggestions on other shampoos, conditioners or other topicals? Would doing a course of Nioxin Scalp Renew be of any benefit? Is Magnesium Oil worth it, I was confused on which one to buy?

Internally I'll be phasing in ALC/ALA as soon as possible. My funds are somewhat limited, on a budget is there anything else that could be considered crucial on the regime page? or not on the regime page?

Did anything ever come from people trying gentle-wounding? Since I'm now diffuse, sandpapering/needling might be out of the question.

Is there a way to more directly pinpoint what's causing this? Tests of some sort? Hair loss does run in the family a bit, nothing as extreme as what I'm experiencing at my age though, I'd like to think its not all genetics.

Thanks again guys. I don't want to look like I'm trying to skip all the research everyone does for themselves here, I'm just confused with so many different paths to go down.

Sorry I never heard of gentle wounding and I don't know anything about topicals except for Nioxin, which I quit.

As for figuring out what it may be, you could do some blood tests to try to narrow it down. Check out IH's post on this thread, he describes the different things to test and what to look for:

https://immortalhair.forumotion.com/natural-hair-regrowth-forum-f1/blood-test-t390.htm

I don't know if I'm dreaming or not, but did someone slam chicken on another thread? I eat organic chicken breasts a few times a week. Is this bad? I used to live in the city and was nearer to sources of grass fed beef, but I'm in Queens now and the selection, she's a not so good... ; )

Maybe a good butcher would have grass fed beef and I haven't looked hard enough.

Gan

ganny - It was eating raw chicken that was put into question. On that note, if it's prepared well and is organic, free-range it should be okay.

Grass-fed beef is sold at Trader Joe's if you have one, or Whole Foods, etc. But ordering on line is another option if places like these are not local to you.