INFLAMMATION - the solution?

Mastery have you seen this?

@ anthonyspencer54 Don't worry about it.

And since reading the Admin's and your posts, I have learned something new in regards to the DHT clogging theory, and other things you have both mentioned has caused me to think more and re-evaluate the things i learned.

It goes to show that one piece of misinformation can send you down the compeletely wrong road. However, I have still managed to start growing back some hair via this misinformation, so it hasn't been all bad

But if i may just say, there is so much skewed scientific data, that some of the things you have also learned, as well as the Admin, may have also been misinformed (like I may have). Scientists seem to keep bringing forth so much data which contradicts their previous findings, so it's really difficult to know what information is valid and what isn't. However... still interesting and thought provoking points you have raised.

And I never said DHT clogs arteries, I said capillaries (the scientific articles mentioned arterial clogging). As you know, capillaries are microscopic, with just enough room for blood cells to pass through them. Yet they contain holes which allow molecules to pass through them. This is why i considered it somewhat plausible that the DHT molecule could possibly cause a potential clogging effect within these holes and then the capillaries. But since reflecting upon what Admin and yourself had to say regarding this issue, I now hold this theory in question.

"Also, the idea that heat produces inflammation isn't really correct either. Consider the implications if this were true. Then we'd expect to see rampant hair loss in any equatorial, undeveloped region of the world where people are spending large amounts of time outdoors in extreme heat."

The hot climate issue was not necessarily the basis of my point. Like I explained to the Admin in response to this issue, I stated that it doesn't matter if you live in a hot climate, so long as your sweat glands can release heat to keep you cool. For instance, on a hot summer's day, more sweat glands seem to be in operation in order to release more heat, and our bodies tend to become covered in sweat and we cool down. My point was, if the capillaries of the sweat glands become somewhat clogged or, more aptly, constricted, then they will have issues releasing body heat, which I fathomed may lead to inflammation.

The condition Milaria (prickly heat):

"Miliaria is due to blockage of sweat ducts. You have thousands of sweat glands that lie just under the skin surface. These glands make sweat which travels down the sweat duct to the skin surface. If the sweat gland is blocked, the sweat seeps into the nearby skin. This causes tiny pockets of inflammation which cause the rash."

So, this may also cause inflammation of the follicle (not the condition miliaria per se, rather the constriction / obstruction of sweat glands), considering it's close proximity to the sweat gland. Again, more research is required regarding this inflammation issue, but i thought I'd present that to you to see what your thoughts are on this.

Also, I mentioned that cell division is adversely affected by extremes of heat, so it may be true that if body heat becomes trapped within the constricted capillaries, then the cells will begin to miniaturize, as they can't go through the process of cell division at temps beyond or below 37C / 98F. Of course this may be more misinformation perpetuated by the scientific community, but I'm not a scientist, so I can only go by their findings.

"Lastly, when someone asserts something. The burden doesn't lie on everyone else to prove them wrong. The burden lies on the person making the assertion. Its like a believer telling someone to prove that God doesn't exist. The burden doesn't lie with the non-believer. It lies with the believer."

Yes, i agree. However, I'm just reporting things I noticed within myself that seemed to cause inflammation, so I thought it may have been of use to bring this information to the boards. Again, I welcome any feedback on these issues and I take them fully into account. Perhaps what you and Admin say is correct, and if so, then this eliminates the idea of trapped body heat being the cause of inflammation. Again, this has caused me to look into these issues deeper

@ Mastery

"Xenon - I have a suggestion that may assist you with heat. Cut out all cooked oil from your diet and perhaps take far infra red saunas once a week to gradually open all your pores better"

Yes, thanks. I've infact cut my calories to a bare minimum and have never felt so energized in my life (this includes cutting out all cooked oil too). Perhaps this may be because all of the waste matter and carbon dioxide has been cleared from my capillaries, and are now able to absorb more oxygen, water and nutrients. I'm not sure, I just feel great and I have lost lots of weight also.

ETA: Since cutting my calories, I have also found that I don't need much sleep. I don't know exactly why this is, but this has only happened since I started doing this. I don't know what the long term effects of cutting calories down will be, but so far it has been beneficial. I'll just have to monitor my body for any side effects.

As for the infra red saunas... first I ever heard of them. I will check them out.

Xenon, perfect attitude sir.

Mastery wrote:OK, where to begin.

First off, A.R is 110% right, in my view, that if you slow down sytemic inflammation to a crawl, hair loss will stop - assuming all other things are equal.

The number one cause IMHO, is what you eat and breath and drink and think, with the goal of lowering your systemic inflammation and here is a new thought which I dont think we;ve covered too much of...

THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF FAT.

A>R, CS & co. - my apologies if you have covered this in depth; but I now intuit that the lack of decent unprocessed fats in our diet is a significant contributor to the causes of fat depletion in the scalp.

Still would like to find a super accurate test for systemic inflammation that can be repeated weekly for little money...

M

I find having an anti inflammatory diet, and taking anti inflammatory supplements is all I needed to not loose any more hair with consistent results. Fish oil/ krill oil seemed to do the trick for me, fortunately I got aggressive in this hair loss battle before I really lost much hair, so I'm not saying it gave me regrowth, but stability... Also I haven't even used Antioxidant boost or E. Cava yet, though I did stop with cooked oils except coconut oil just recently in exchange from olive oil. I picked up some cheapish refined super market coconut oil though from Sweetbay, I hope this isnt counter productive??? Next time I will get the more expensive virgin unrefined coconut oil.

I am getting interested in diving deeper into this depletion of fat in the scalp theory, and I feel like Emu oil over long periods of time would fight against that? I used it before, but its just pretty expensive for the amount you get, but may be worthy to keep up with..
Does omega3 oils and/or coconut oil protect against this depletion? Mastery Ive heard you mention mink oil before, everything I research with that on the net shows it being combined with castor oil, so maybe I should add that to my current topical? & What else?

I am also interested in this. But is there any research to show that fats applied via topicals (as part of oils) are actually incorporated into the fatty tissue of the dermis, especially the bottom layers. I mean it would require absorption initially, which could also be called into question. Are fats actually absorbed into the skin, or do they simply form a moisture locking barrier on the surface of skin? If absorbed, does the body actually use these fats to form new fats without first metabolizing them? If this isn't the case, then I don't think we should see any more benefit from topical application than from just eating good fats.

It's how lipofilling creams work. I don't see why it shouldn't apply for oils. As long as you get the component molecules to their site it shouldnt matter whether they get their by systemic or absorption of the skin. You just need to make sure that you are using an oil that is also increasing the absorption potential of your skin. Olive oil or Emu Oil should be ideal for this purpose. When I can resolve an issue with the security code on my debit card not being accepted by any online merchants I will be putting together a topical oil concoction.

I agree with LoT. I've also heard CS say this in a number of his articles, 'what goes on your skin goes into your body'. Applying anything topically can be absorbed by the skin.
After hearing Mastery strongly advocating the mink oil (although never admitting to using it, lol) I went ahead and ordered some. I'm going to mix it with emu oil and some olive oil and put drops of rosemary, peppermint, and tea tree essential oils and see how that works out. It should have all the omegas 1-100 covered.

the oils derived from animal sources may have benefits over from plants as far as reconstituting your own fatty tissue goes. emu oil is said to have a similar composition to human fatty tissue.

I guess my question is, are the fats able to be broken down into their component parts in the skin so as to be incorporated? I mean the fats have to be broken down at some point. What is breaking down the fats for use. I mean when we consume a fat and metabolize it, it reaches the skin via circulation already in the basic units. What mechanism is doing this in the skin?

anthonyspencer54 wrote:I am also interested in this. But is there any research to show that fats applied via topicals (as part of oils) are actually incorporated into the fatty tissue of the dermis, especially the bottom layers. I mean it would require absorption initially, which could also be called into question. Are fats actually absorbed into the skin, or do they simply form a moisture locking barrier on the surface of skin? If absorbed, does the body actually use these fats to form new fats without first metabolizing them? If this isn't the case, then I don't think we should see any more benefit from topical application than from just eating good fats.

This is an interesting question that I've wondered about.

I've read before that emu oil increases skin thickness, and there has been anecdotal evidence that it can help promote regrowth in the frontal regions of the scalp. I've mentioned before my theory that the pattern in MPB is related to scalp thickness, ie. the scalp has been shown to be a couple millimeters thinner in the temporal and vertex regions. This touches close to the yale study about depletion of adipose tissue in the dermis. It would seem reasonable that hair loss first becomes noticeable in the areas of the scalp have thinner dermal layers at the outset.

Here are some relevant quotes:

Michael Hollick, MD, Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, Physiology, and Dermatology at Boston University School of Medicine conducted a study involving emu oil and hair growth. His study found that there was a 20% increase in growth activity of skin that received emu oil, compared to skin that received corn oil. Looking at the hair follicles, Dr. Hollick realized they were much more robust, the skin thickness was remarkably increased, suggesting that emu oil stimulated skin growth and hair growth. Additionally, the study showed that over 80% of hair follicles that had been "asleep" were woken up, and began growing. This is what emu oil may do for you!

Taken from http://www.emu-oil.com/HairLoss.htm

Michael Hollick is a real MD, Ph.D.. I have his book about vitamin D, and he cites some of the most cutting edge evidence about the role of vitamin D deficiencies in various health disorders. Although there's no citation of a formal study abstract, the information seems legitimate.

[Anti-inflammatory activity and healing-promoting effects of topical application of emu oil on wound in scalded rats].
[Article in Chinese]
Qiu XW, Wang JH, Fang XW, Gong ZY, Li ZQ, Yi ZH.
Source
Department of Burns, Nangfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the effects of topical application of emu oil on wound healing in scalded rats.
METHODS:
In 144 male Wistar rats with 10%; total body surface superficial II degree scald treated on a random basis with physiological saline, povidone iodine and emu oil, respectively, the changes of the wound were observed and the wound tissue and blood samples harvested at different times after injury for evaluation of histopathological changes, total tissue water content (measured by wet:dry weight ratios), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha levels in the wound tissue and plasma by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The general condition of the wound healing was also observed.
RESULTS:
After application of emu oil, the swelling and effusion of the burn wound were alleviated and evidences of wound infection or adverse effects were not observed. Pathological examination showed that emu oil could alleviate topical inflammation, which was particularly obvious on days 1 and 3 after injury as compared with the other two groups. On day 3 after injury, water content and TNF-alpha level in the tissues was markedly decreased with the application of emu oil (P<0.05), with a significant correlation between their changes (P<0.001) and shortened wound healing time (P<0.05). Pathological examination showed that emu oil could promote epithelialization and differentiation of various epidermal layers.
CONCLUSION:
Emu oil has topical anti-inflammatory activity in rats with superficial II degree scald, possibly in association with decreased levels of the proinflammatory cytokines in the tissues and can promote wound healing by inhibiting local secondary inflammation.

Based on my limited knowledge, improved wound healing suggests some involvement with activation of stem cells. Back in January of 2011 there was a pretty big thread on the topic of progenitor cell depletion. The same concept is involved with micro-abrasion for promoting regrowth.

Some more stuff:
http://www.totalhc.com/html/emu_oil.html

aMastery have you seen this?

No, I have not - thanks!

And a quick update on sea water - you can over do it! (after 6 months)

anthonyspencer54 wrote:I am also interested in this. But is there any research to show that fats applied via topicals (as part of oils) are actually incorporated into the fatty tissue of the dermis, especially the bottom layers. I mean it would require absorption initially, which could also be called into question. Are fats actually absorbed into the skin, or do they simply form a moisture locking barrier on the surface of skin? If absorbed, does the body actually use these fats to form new fats without first metabolizing them? If this isn't the case, then I don't think we should see any more benefit from topical application than from just eating good fats.

Emu oil helps to absorb, but I intuit Mink oil will get absorbed just fine. Just don't over do it.

mistmermr wrote:I agree with LoT. I've also heard CS say this in a number of his articles, 'what goes on your skin goes into your body'. Applying anything topically can be absorbed by the skin.
After hearing Mastery strongly advocating the mink oil (although never admitting to using it, lol) I went ahead and ordered some. I'm going to mix it with emu oil and some olive oil and put drops of rosemary, peppermint, and tea tree essential oils and see how that works out. It should have all the omegas 1-100 covered.

FYI - I have begun using it now and it is reducing my topical inflammation, although that may have been caused by overdoing the length of time the sea water was on my scalp.

Thank you IR, and Mastery. I still wonder as to the actual mechanisms of how the fat
is incorporated. When we digest fats we break them down into the fatty acids. Is there
some factor in the skin that is able to accomplish this? Do acids in the skin accomplish it?

Mastery,
How long would you say is too long to have seawater on the scalp? I have been putting baking soda and sea salt with water on my scalp and leaving it there for a few hours when I have the chance and I noticed a significant improvement in skin elasticity on my scalp.
What did you experience that gave you the notion that you were over doing it?

mistmermr wrote:Mastery,
How long would you say is too long to have seawater on the scalp? I have been putting baking soda and sea salt with water on my scalp and leaving it there for a few hours when I have the chance and I noticed a significant improvement in skin elasticity on my scalp.
What did you experience that gave you the notion that you were over doing it?

After about 6 months I have noticed tiny spots of skin peeling on my scalp, to be safe it could be good (fibrosis breaking up) but it could also be simply excess drying and abrasiveness of the ocean's salt.

Will Gaunitz kindly warned me about this early on. So, I would say don't leave it on longer than an hour or two and dont go quite as nuts as I did. Balance is often underrated...

Baking soda may be very beneficial as it's so alkaine. WG is really into this at the moment and getting great results.

I'm now looking into SCFA & MCFA & LCFA analysis...

I have completely removed grains from my diet and I feel really great! I don't know if it will help my hair but it has a big effect on the mood and energylevel! Grains seems to be very bad...

Glad to hear it is working for you...

M

According to what I've read, Cortisol apparently inhibits the release of inflammatory substances such as histamine. For those unaware, the hormone is released when we drastically reduce carbohydrates from our diet, i.e., it is released in response to low blood sugar levels and promotes gluconeogenesis. I also read that cortisol stabilizes lysosomal membranes which prevent damage to healthy tissues.

However, elevated cortisol levels can lead to increased blood pressure, muscle wasting and immune suppression, but I imagine that this only happens when you are starving yourself.

While I'm on the subject of starvation, it may be worth informing board members of how I lost hair around the vertex area when I starved myself in early 2010. I initially started off doing a food fast, but I continued doing this for around 3 weeks. As a result I experienced serious inflammation in my scalp and, not long after, I experienced major shedding in the vertex region, and I also noticed diffuse thinning throughout the galea. This, I believe, was caused by a huge increase in ketoacids, which made my blood become very acidic (acidosis). Consequently, it took the vertex region about a year to thicken up again.

However, cutting your calories to a safe and recommended level, assists in clearing waste matter from capillaries, so this aids in increased oxygen, water and nutrient delivery to cells. I'm in the process of doing this now (since the last 5 weeks) and I feel really energized and experiencing no inflammation or hair loss.

On a side note: I mentioned in previous posts about how over masturbation / sex causes elevated DHT levels to be pumped to the cells of the scalp / galea, and since I have drastically reduced masturbating over the last 6 months, I am experiencing regrowth around the temples. I looked in the mirror at my hairline this morning and even more new hairs are growing back. I don't know if it's worth posting pictures just yet, as the regrowth I'm experiencing is not that significant. However, I will keep monitoring my progress to see if anymore hairs start to grow back soon.

i use emu oil, castor and mink oil about a few days now. I apply topically and let it there all night. But a friend of mine told me that clogs the pores of my head....
What do you think about it?