Progress update, regiment detail, and request for critique

I feel like I have found a regiment that has given me good results -- at least insofar as feeling good -- so I wanted to share that with people. I think I have also stopped my hair loss (reason for me being here), but it is so hard for me to tell. Some times I look like I have more hair, some times less, some times the same. However, I do know the following things for sure:
• I feel better overall.
• Overall hair quality is better than it has been in many, many years.
• Having been off of Propecia and on the basic regiment for one year and two months, I have definitely lost some hair, but nothing incredibly dramatic. There was a time when I did see a decrease, but then I got an increase. I attribute this to losing the Propecia-fed hairs and later developing hairs from the supplement regiment.
• Finger nails are growing at twice the rate they used to.
• Sleeping better.
• Less stress.
• Expensive as hell.
• Probably worth it.

My current regiment:

INTERNALS (all taken per manufacturers suggestion)
• Swanson's 7 HMR lignans (AM) - Still on the fence as to what effect this is having.
• Doctor's Best Ecklonia Cava (AM/PM) - One of the best supplements I have ever taken. I personally prefer the DB over the Nutricology.
• Doctor's Best Artemisinin (AM) - Good initial results, but they seem to have diminished.
• Primordial Performance's Toco8 - (AM) - Another great, great supplement. I've upped my cardio by at least 2x and feel awesome. I've also noticed a dramatic increase in the quality of my hair.
• Lugol's 5% Iodine w/Apple Cider Vinegar (AM 2x per week) - Made my heart race at first, but has slowed down now. I believe the iodine has helped my circulation, but it does seem to stimulate my adrenals significantly if I am stressed.
• Healthy Origin's Vitamin D3 - (Noon) - No noticeable difference.
• L-Lysine - (PM) - Just started back on this, but had good results in the past.
• Natural Calm Magnesium Citrate (AM) - Has improved my digestion greatly.

TOPICALS
• Moroccan Method Shampoos - Fantastic range of diverse raw, vegan, organic products. I alternate them.
• Aubrey Green Tea Shampoo - Best ever.
• Aubrey GPB Conditioner - Good stuff.
• Aubrey Green Tea Rinse - Good stuff.
• Ultra Aesthetics MSM Conditioner - My favorite conditioner of all time.
• Virile Mane - No results for about two months, but then I started noticing new sprouts. Product mix varies, and seemingly, so do the results.

ABANDONED
• V Pure Omega 3 DHEA/EPA - Too hard for my body to digest. This stuff just sits in my gut (fish oil used to do the same thing.)
• Swanson's Sensoril - No noticeable results.
• Doctor's Best Resveratrol - Difficult to digest.
• New Chapter Tumeric Force - Hard to take at the right time, and not super-easy to digest. May look into a weaker version with better uptake.
• NOW Cayenne - No noticeable results.
• NOXidant - No noticeable benefits, but it did give me heartburn!
• Doctor's Best Stabilized R-Lipoic Acid - Made my heart race. I was taking in combo with ALC and Biotin.
• Best Vite ALC - See above.
• Country Life Biotin - See above. Also, this stuff just felt wrong in my body. I can't quite describe it, but I didn't even like swallowing it. Weird stuff.

OTHER
• I'm vegetarian.
• Don't drink alcohol, smoke, or do drugs.
• Don't intake a lot of sugar or corn syrup, though I do eat a decent amount of grains and drink a lot of fruit juice.
• Drink a cup of decaf green tea daily.
• Extremely active.

So, now that I have a good regiment, I am looking for some feedback as to what's next, and perhaps, what I did wrong or why I may want to revisit some of the supplements I have abandoned. I'm thinking about going back on just the ALC for a bit. If the results are good, I can then add the ALA and Biotin. Perhaps going with a less active ALA and an all-natural Biotin would help. What do you think? Is just ALC OK?

I'm also looking into lasers (thank you to OMG and Nidhogge for all of their info), but I really want to address as much of the underlying pathology before I take that route. Sure, I definitely want more hair, but I would rather attack the cause before the symptom. In that way, I should probably do a full blood and hormone profile. Too bad it's so expensive...

I agree. Lasers are NOT necessary to maintain and regrow one's hair.

Are lasers effective? Apparently so. From the photos that I have seen, there appears to be a cosmetic difference in the overall quality of hair. But as Jacob at Regrowth noted, many of these users are also taking internals or applying topicals, and some are even getting hair transplants.

tiny question, where do you buy your toco 8 ?

and do you think it's better than the one of the natural ?
thanx

europe wrote:tiny question, where do you buy your toco 8 ?

and do you think it's better than the one of the natural ?
thanx

I get my Toco8 here: http://www.primordialperformance.com/store/Tocotrienols_vitamine_Toco8.html I believ 6 of the Tocos are all natural and 2 are synthetic.

I have no opinion on whether or not mine is better than The Natural's, because I have never tried his. However, the one I take is from palm fruit as well, so it could be very similar, if not, the same. The thing I like about mine is that it is all natural, not heat compressed into a tablet (ruins Vitamin E), and also contains CO-Enzyme Q12

The Natural - Where do you buy yours? I'm willing to test it out when I am finished with my current batch of Toco8.

http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=137

Up to 3X Greater Absorption

europe wrote:Up to 3X Greater Absorption

Well again, hard for to say without testing, but Toco8 contains all eight forms, while the Jarrow brand contains five. However, Jarrow is a great brand and this is in a liquid form, which can be more bioavailable. I have no idea about their 2-3x more uptake claim. More than what? Sorry I couldn't be of more help. All I know is that I really like the Toco8, but I am always willing to trade for something even better...

I agree with u .
X3 from what.... X 5 ??

you should try vitamin code.....lot's of things in there too....

europe wrote:I agree with u .
X3 from what.... X 5 ??

you should try vitamin code.....lot's of things in there too....

I tried Vitamin Code and Ortho-Core. I didn't like Ortho at all, and Vitamin Code was "OK". I have a problem digesting some fruits, so I don't think it was ideal for me. The best multi I have ever used is MetaGenics Intensive Care w/o Iron: http://www.metagenics.com/products/detail.asp?pid=180

It has less ingredients than some multis, including Vitamin Code, but the uptake is amazing. Thirty minutes after I take this stuff, my digestive system is on fire and I'm hungry. Probably not ideal for people who overeat, but I love how my body powers through (and hungers for) this stuff.

I would tend to believe that the Toco-8 is probably the better of the two. It is fresh, and probably absorbs very well. It seems expensive though.

The above notwithstanding, Jarrow's TOCO SORB is a very good product. And I am satisfied with it's contribution to my regimen.

One thing is sure : I MUST TRY TOCO 8 or JARROW'S ...

I'll opt for Jarrow's....having already vit code...

Then 6 months later, i'll tru curcumin+resveretrol...good feeling about this....

anyway, i do fell that my hair improves in quality, amazing nails, more healthy scalp with : Fibroboost X2, magnesium orotate 500mg, vit code , Omega 3 6, olive oil, grains , walnut, almonds, healthy diets, green tea ( real, capsule in tea cup etc....), K-rALA one a day from timeto time, and Zix ( zinc citrate 20mg + P5P) from timeto time....And maca ....
PLUS lots of fruits, vegetebales, al organics...fish, protein etc...NO REFINED GRAINS, NO INDUSTRIAL PRODUCT. NOT A SLIGHT ONE

I try to take the minimum..And....at least, positive mental image ( like norman cousins !) , scalp exercice ( like a crazy man), massages, auto suggestion.

Next step, OMG lasers....the helmet is on the roas....ready to wire !

I quit 7 HMR ( on maca) ....

europe wrote:I try to take the minimum..And....at least, positive mental image ( like norman cousins !) , scalp exercice ( like a crazy man), massages, auto suggestion.

Next step, OMG lasers....the helmet is on the roas....ready to wire !

I quit 7 HMR ( on maca) ....

What scalp exercises are you doing? Do you have a link?

Why did you get off 7 HMR? Do you like maca better?

I tried a bottle of jarrow toco-8, but could not gage any benefit--I suppose vitamin e is a tough one to gage.

That said, I am very tempted to try toco-8 based on newreg's post, particularly since we are on the same page with EC, although i haven't tried DB's.

Off topic, just randomly, I ordered this to check out:
http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=5929&at=0

Oh yeah. I was a huge fan of 7-HMR. However, these days, I prefer maca.

I previously stated that, "The above notwithstanding, Jarrow's TOCO SORB is a very good product. And I am satisfied with its contribution to my regimen."

"Its contribution" would primarily be the strengthening of hair (and nails); Both were quite brittle before adding the tocotrienols to my regimen. I tried TOCO SORB by itself for a couple of months, but did not experience any regrowth.

Gibson wrote:Oh yeah. I was a huge fan of 7-HMR. However, these days, I prefer maca.

Any particular reason why? I don't seem to notice 7 HMR's contribution -- though these things are hard to determine when you start up with three or for different supplements at once. Do 7 HMR and maca serve the same function?

The Natural - What brand of curcumin and resveratrol are you using?

Both Maca and 7-HMR are for hormone balancing. 7-HMR seems to have a stronger anti-estrogen effect--and in theory could lower DHT. Maca is milder and is known to support the adrenals and increase sperm count. Both are pretty clean choices, but individual effects will vary.

I am pretty sure The Natural is using Jarrow branded products for both.

Gibson - Thanks for the info. I'm not sure how I feel about maca for me. I don't seem to exhibit any typical hormonal symptoms. My libido has always been fine (even when I was on Fin. for 7 years). Other "male" characteristics like semen amount and ejaculation force have been equally healthy. The only thing I have noticed over the last 3-5 years is that my pee stream is not as strong as it used to be. I don't go to the bathroom too often or anything like that, but I have noticed reduced "power". This also seems to have gone unchanged with my current regiment (1+ yrs.)

I suppose that's why I have been questioning 7 HMR in my regiment. I feel like I have seen direct positive effects from EC, Toco8, etc., and have even seen negative effects from ACA/ALA (heart palpitations). But 7 HMR has seemed pretty benign. Hard to say for sure though when you're taking in a lot of different things at the same time. I'm thinking of stopping 7 HMR and tripling my EC intake and seeing what happens. Perhaps that will give me some indication.

NewReg--
In my experience Maca will exhibit a much lesser effect than 7-HMR. It sounds like we are in the same boat. You can use it to nourish your adrenals, which can be taxed from stress and other factors and not be concerned about it messing with your hormones, as it doesn't inhibit estrogen, or spike testosterone: Maca isn't a hormone. There is always the slim chance of sensitivity to it, but if you are like me, the effect will be subtle and entirely non-detrimental.

7-HMR, on the other hand, does clearly inhibit estrogen, which can be a really good thing--of all I tried it would be my top choice. I think Maca won't help with urine flow, but 7-Hmr will. However, inhibiting estrogen is a mixed bag. I mos def get slightly aggressive, raised libido and concerned about my hair; otherwise, I would be happy to use it.

PS--I justed checked it over the past two days with two doses to reconfirm this.

Gibson-
7-HMR raised your libido but on the same time made you shed?
I thought manipulating and getting excess estrogen into check,had positive effects on hair.I too suffer from low libido.
Wanna try it but don t dare yet due to people actually reporting bad side effects(hairwise).

Hmmm. I'm a little confused now...

Gibson wrote:NewReg--
In my experience Maca will exhibit a much lesser effect than 7-HMR. It sounds like we are in the same boat. You can use it to nourish your adrenals, which can be taxed from stress and other factors and not be concerned about it messing with your hormones, as it doesn't inhibit estrogen, or spike testosterone: Maca isn't a hormone. There is always the slim chance of sensitivity to it, but if you are like me, the effect will be subtle and entirely non-detrimental.

7-HMR, on the other hand, does clearly inhibit estrogen, which can be a really good thing--of all I tried it would be my top choice. I think Maca won't help with urine flow, but 7-Hmr will. However, inhibiting estrogen is a mixed bag. I mos def get slightly aggressive, raised libido and concerned about my hair; otherwise, I would be happy to use it.

When you say that inhibiting estrogen can be a mixed bag, what do you mean? I seem to be the same hormonally on or off 7 HMR. I wonder if this means it isn't strong enough for me. What would be the possible effect of upping the dosage? I don't want to experience gyno or anything like the guys using PM.

edony wrote:Wanna try it but don t dare yet due to people actually reporting bad side effects(hairwise).

Bad sides for what, 7 HMR or maca? I thought the were both supposed to help hair not hurt it. Is this a function of where someone is at hormonally? As in it can help hair (or hurt) depending is you are more estrogen or testosterone heavy?

Has anyone tried Bio-DIM? CS recommended it along with PM as a possible 7 HMR replacement.

I don't have low libido, nor am I lacking in strength. I am greedy and want it all. 7-HMR seems like an indulgence for me; however, I have noted that most of the chicks i admire, don't admire a dog, so it is in my best interests to not be so hungry if i want the fresh p***y--see what I mean, how that resonates fowl. Dude it might be good for you.

Do a one week trial; count hairs if you have to. It kicks in around the eleventh hour and has a cumulative effect. Good luck.

the above post is for edony

NewReg--

i am not the scientist--that's where IH comes in. That said, i have an above average perception of the effects of these supplements in relation to myself. So my account is entirely subjective--based on personal experience.

Regarding your question: Maca, IMO, is safe. 7-HMR is a risk.