Update on my Situation

So I decided I'd update again just to share my experience. Unfortunately it's not good and I honestly believe a lot of my time and money has been wasted on trying to find a natural cure for my hair loss.

I went to brush my hair there and had over 100 hairs in the sink. I'm 22 and this is extremely distressing to the point where it's given me an anxiety disorder. Everything is going well for me a part from my hair loss. At 22 it just seems unfair and has made me feel overly insecure and depressed. The constant anxiety over my hair loss has taken over my life and I've missed out on a lot of things because of this. I've tried everything recommended both in the natural route and on the mainstream route. Here's a list of what I've tried since 18.

Mainstream:
Finasteride - side effects were too much, including watery ejaculate, weak erections and mood swings. It did stop my hair loss for a very short period though.
Minoxidil - Bloated my face, caused my face to turn red. Possibly helped.
Ketoconazole - I still use this today, though it seems to have no effect on my hair.
Spironolactone - I used to rub this on my scalp, dangerous drug. I remember having palpitations using this.

Alternative Treatments:
Iodine - The most recommended supplement on this forum seemed to be working for me the day I used it first. I remember feeling my inflammation subside almost immediately. My hair loss seemed to slow down over the next 3-4 days. Unfortunately I came down with some more side effects which rival finasteride in their intensity. The second day my throat began to hurt, I was told by the alternative forums that this was Bromide being "pulled out" by alternative forums and told I was damaging my thyroid by mainstream forums. I continued on because my inflammation seemed to have subsided but I was plagued with palpitations and irregular heartbeats which made me believe the mainstream forums were right. Now I find it hard to take even half a drop of Iodine or I start having palpitations and lightheadedness. I've never been given an explanation for these side effects just told it was a part of the process. Yet the mainstream forums would tell me that I'm damaging my thyroid with the extra Iodine. I find it hard to believe that Iodine cures both Hyper,Hypo,Hashis and graves disease but this is what I was told by the alternative forums so I just went along with it. Maybe I have Hashimotos or graves disease and Iodine doesn't work for these methods?. I don't know I'm not a doctor.

By the way I took the companion nutrients and did the salt flushes.

ACV/Baking Soda/Olive Oil/CO Oil/Tea Tree Oil...
All of these seemed to calm inflammation but to no where near where it could help with hair loss. My scalp would still be inflammed a few hours later..

Ortho Nutrition Line
I used all the supplements for a prolonged period, nothing changed at all except for my bank balance. Cucurmin gave me extreme diarrhea and fatigue and the other supplements made no difference. My inflammation seemed to stay constant throughout.

Heavy Metal Detox
Took MCP and Humifuvlate for a prolonged period, no change in inflammation or over all well being.

I've tried a lot of other things too but I can't even remember them. For me and other young premature sufferers we have a very intense burning sensation where the scalp is inflamed. It's a great indicator on whether something is working or not. The only time I have been free from this sensation is for a short period after a shower, during the use of finasteride, a short period (3 days) on Iodine and when I'm consuming alcohol (completely no inflammation).

It seems that whatever is happening there is nothing I can do about it. I've tried multiple diets excluding all the "bad" food groups and inflammation stays consistent throughout. My guess is the I am just programmed to loss my hair because it's very sensitive to DHT. Unless I can stop the conversion of Testosterone to DHT in my scalp and therefore stop the inflammation and sebum which is a result of that process then I'm losing my hair. It's taking an extreme mental toll on me and I don't know what to do.

It's important to note that when someone gets a reaction like this - The opposite of what someone would normally expect, they typically have either low stomach acid (causes an allergy to almost everything) or a basic food allergy. Therefore, nothing you do will work unless the most fundamental problem is first corrected.

CausticSymmetry wrote:It's important to note that when someone gets a reaction like this - The opposite of what someone would normally expect, they typically have either low stomach acid (causes an allergy to almost everything) or a basic food allergy. Therefore, nothing you do will work unless the most fundamental problem is first corrected.

A reaction like what?. As in the reaction to Iodine?. I'd find it unlikely that low stomach acid could cause this?.

If you're talking about the other treatments, I also fail to see how low stomach acid could cause this?.

Here's more info to help you decide if this is a factor for you:

http://www.prohealth.com/library/showarticle.cfm?libid=13388

http://www.immortalhair.org/apps/blog/show/1762722-stomach-acid-is-essential-for-your-health

okay..

I'm sorry to hear this man, what type of loss? Diffuse or classic MPB?

have you tried oil treatments, or herbal extract treatments, or other topicals (zix, etc)?

what is the longest you were on any one treatment.

schpiloch123 wrote:I'm sorry to hear this man, what type of loss? Diffuse or classic MPB?

Only the nape of my neck seems to be staying. It's MPB, the crown and temples are going the quickest then the sides.

LawOfThelema wrote:have you tried oil treatments, or herbal extract treatments, or other topicals (zix, etc)?

what is the longest you were on any one treatment.

I've tried Olive, Tea Tree and various others. It's pretty clear to me when a treatment is working. In premature sufferers you have a lot of inflammation (Itching/burning/pain) which accompanies the rapid loss. It's a clear indicator of whether a treatment is working or not. Most treatments I have used topically last no longer than 3-4 weeks. If I see a reduction in inflammation I tend to use them longer. Most of the topical treatments only help the inflammation subside for a short period. It's hormones causing the problem, topical treatments aren't a cure they're just a fix to aid regrowth and calm inflammation.

For example, I constantly plagued with inflammation. Finasteride stopped my hair loss, first thing I noticed was a reduction in inflammation. Then the hair became healthier and the texture changed. First thing I noticed with Iodine was a reduction in inflammation, but as I stated above it caused a host of other symptoms. So I had to stop using it. Even a drop will cause palpitations.

I should also mention that my hair becomes extremely greasy after just a day. I understand that in MPB the sebum glands are exaggerated through the process. But if I don't wash my hair daily them it becomes a mess within hours.

Same situation here. But I'm more of a diffuse thinner. My scalp and hair are insanely oily if I don't wash my hair daily. I could not just wake up in the morning and go about the day without washing or I'd literally look just gross by the end of the day. I can recall when my hair was thinning the fastest, I would literally get deposits of sebum on my scalp. They were palpable. I could feel them in the morning when I woke up. It always accompanies itching and irritation, almost like my scalp hurt. This has completely subsided in the past year or so and my hairloss seems to not be going as quickly, kind of plateaued, although it hasn't halted. Topical iodine was a big one for me in stopping that pink, inflamed scalp. But I'm sort of getting to a point where I'm comfortable with losing my hair, even though I'm only 24. For a long time I had an anxiety problem about it. There were days I wouldn't leave the house, especially if it was really windy or sunny outside because it just made the problem more obvious. I hate to think of the opportunities I missed during those years, especially given that I was in college. Lessons learned. But for some reason I have just gotten much more comfortable with it, maybe it was just a matter of time, like the grieving process (sounds cheesy but I'm being serious, its an identity crisis) to become acclimated with it. My stress levels about it have gone down immensely, almost gone. There are still some situations I avoid, fuck the water brah . But I'm pretty reserved with the fact I'm just going to shave it, and it doesn't really scare me that much anymore. That's why I've been so focused on just getting healthy, keeping my body up and my skin healthy. Maximize the other assets. That's really the only reasons I'm still on the forum, because its a health mecca. To be honest, we sufferers moonlight hairloss and our belief system about it and how he world views us are very skewed. I used to believe having hair loss just made me inferior, period. I know it doesn't and thats not how the world works either. I was justifying why I was so scared of it. People only respond negatively to physical flaws if you project severe insecurity about it. Insecurity is a nonverbal that makes people uncomfortable in your presence. When you are comfortable with yourself, people are comfortable too. You've seen it before, people with blatant physical flaws who don't get the negative responses you'd expect. It's about your attitude and the energy you project. Stop giving a fuck and hiding, and everyone will embrace it too. Believe it or not, my hair situation hasn't improved one bit (other than slowing down), and despite that I've gotten way more attention from females lately than I ever did when I was constantly worried about it. Nothing else has changed, other than my attitude, and some fat loss/muscle gain, so more reason to get healthy and just stop giving a fuck.

anthonyspencer54 wrote:But I'm pretty reserved with the fact I'm just going to shave it, and it doesn't really scare me that much anymore. That's why I've been so focused on just getting healthy, keeping my body up and my skin healthy. Maximize the other assets. That's really the only reasons I'm still on the forum, because its a health mecca. To be honest, we sufferers moonlight hairloss and our belief system about it and how he world views us are very skewed. I used to believe having hair loss just made me inferior, period. I know it doesn't and thats not how the world works either. I was justifying why I was so scared of it. People only respond negatively to physical flaws if you project severe insecurity about it. Insecurity is a nonverbal that makes people uncomfortable in your presence. When you are comfortable with yourself, people are comfortable too. You've seen it before, people with blatant physical flaws who don't get the negative responses you'd expect. It's about your attitude and the energy you project. Stop giving a fuck and hiding, and everyone will embrace it too. Believe it or not, my hair situation hasn't improved one bit (other than slowing down), and despite that I've gotten way more attention from females lately than I ever did when I was constantly worried about it. Nothing else has changed, other than my attitude, and some fat loss/muscle gain, so more reason to get healthy and just stop giving a fuck.

Although im not in the same boat as you, this was Beautifully said....
Its not about hair, its about your own mind...

Hahaha. It's over. It's all over.

Perfect example of the complex guys get about their hair. The thing is, its funny to me now. But a year ago I would have agreed with it completely.

anthonyspencer54 wrote:Hahaha. It's over. It's all over.

Perfect example of the complex guys get about their hair. The thing is, its funny to me now. But a year ago I would have agreed with it completely.

Agreed, its funny as hell though because of that.

Did you go to a doctor for blood test to see what other abnormalities may be causing less benefits for you?

A few questions:

What diets have you tried?

Do you get plenty of sunshine and/or have you had your Vit D levels tested?

Are you doing/taking anything to manage your high stress levels?

Also, it's interesting that you constantly have inflammation and high sebum levels. Do you have problems with acne as well? I hope you are not easting/drinking pasteurized dairy.

The_Mentalist wrote:Did you go to a doctor for blood test to see what other abnormalities may be causing less benefits for you?

Yes I've taken several blood tests. They've come back normal. A recent blood test showed abnormal potassium levels though. I'm getting results today of a thyroid and testosterone test. I don't expect much from them. They've shown to be normal twice before.

scottyc33 wrote:A few questions:

What diets have you tried?

Do you get plenty of sunshine and/or have you had your Vit D levels tested?

Are you doing/taking anything to manage your high stress levels?

Also, it's interesting that you constantly have inflammation and high sebum levels. Do you have problems with acne as well? I hope you are not easting/drinking pasteurized dairy.

I've tried a variety of diets - eliminating gluten/grain/dairy/red meat/sugar. Also, paleo types, white meat, vegetables..

I probably don't get enough vitamin D from the sun. I live in Ireland, even at this time of the year there is not enough sun. I have supplemented with it in the past for a long period. I used to take 10.000 I.U a day.

No, my stress directly comes from my insecurities of losing my hair so young and the inflammation of my scalp. I've tried so many treatments to treat this and none have worked efficiently therefore my stress levels have continued to rise. I fall asleep stressed, I wake up stressed. It's tough. My head in the morning feels greasy and has a itchy,burning sensation. Theres no way you can feel relaxed with that.

I've never had a problem with acne, actually spots have never been a problem anywhere. I've always had youthful skin. It's only my scalp that gets only, actually the rest of my skin can be quite dry. I still eat dairy, very little though. More cheese than anything.. maybe once or twice a week.

Well the dairy and the stress definitely are not helping bro. Increase your omega 3 intake and keep going strong on the diet by avoiding gluten and cooked oils ( except coconut) and follow an anti inflammatory protocol. If it fights inflammation, get on it! If your on any type of synthetic drug, get off of it. Make sure you dont have anything poisoning your body every day that you may be getting exposed to, even if unknowingly. Engage in detoxification programs, and also figure out why you cant take iodine as obviously thats not normal since many people can take it with no ill effects. You also may be one of the types that would benefit strongly from dht inhibition ( naturally of course.) and clean up your thoughts, controlling the mind is more effective than controlling the body anyways.. Sounds like your genetics or whatever imbalances your dealing with is being stubborn though...

I see many are advocating against wheat bread, but this livestrong website says otherwise,
and same for dairy, and brown rice

I dont understand why people here are posting dubious information

Anyway, your case appears rare. Could it be that you are taking too much supplements all at once?

Also, I believe you said, you could not take the side effect of Minox. or something, but my friend, you will have to make some sacrifices

I'm surprised that the supplements haven't helped with the inflammation - although as CS mentioned low stomach acid could be part of the problem. Also, heavy metals and/or poor gut flora might also prevent the supps from working optimally. You really need to get to the root cause of the chronic inflammation though.

On the stress front I would definitely try exercising more - could try yoga, meditation, etc. Not only does it help relieve stress but psychologically you will feel better about yourself as you get in better shape.

You could also try grounding. I've noticed vastly improved sleep and ability to fall asleep since I started sleeping grounded. Supposedly it normalizes cortisol secretion.

The_Mentalist wrote:I see many are advocating against wheat bread, but this livestrong website says otherwise,
and same for dairy, and brown rice

I dont understand why people here are posting dubious information

Anyway, your case appears rare. Could it be that you are taking too much supplements all at once?

Also, I believe you said, you could not take the side effect of Minox. or something, but my friend, you will have to make some sacrifices

Livestrong has some good info but it's hardly the nutritional gospel.
Read the Perfect Health Diet or paleo sites like Mark's Daily Apple for some good discussions on avoiding all grains, pasteurized dairy and brown rice.

J987 wrote:Well the dairy and the stress definitely are not helping bro. Increase your omega 3 intake and keep going strong on the diet by avoiding gluten and cooked oils ( except coconut) and follow an anti inflammatory protocol. If it fights inflammation, get on it! If your on any type of synthetic drug, get off of it. Make sure you dont have anything poisoning your body every day that you may be getting exposed to, even if unknowingly. Engage in detoxification programs, and also figure out why you cant take iodine as obviously thats not normal since many people can take it with no ill effects. You also may be one of the types that would benefit strongly from dht inhibition ( naturally of course.) and clean up your thoughts, controlling the mind is more effective than controlling the body anyways.. Sounds like your genetics or whatever imbalances your dealing with is being stubborn though...

Well stress is a direct result of the inflammation. Ever tried to ignore an itch on the bottom of your foot or so?, you can't it stresses you, now imagine having that on your head in isolated spots everyday at different degrees of intensity. It's impossible to avoid and is also a constant reminder of the fact that I'm losing hair. It's horrible. I've been taking Omega-3 in krill oil form for a years. Sometimes I feel it has an effect, but it hasn't made any noticeable difference. I have no idea why I can't take Iodine since it is supposed to cure all types of Thyroid problems. I had blood results today saying my thyroid and testosterone results are in balance. I know that they aren't accurate tests but I can't do anything else about it. DHT inhibition would stop my inflammation, that's true. The problem is no matter what form DHT inhibition comes in, whether it be natural or synthetic it's still DHT inhibition. I'm going to have side effects. I understand what you are saying about controlling the mind, but inflammation is like someone poking you constantly saying "you're losing your hair" and it's impossible to ignore.

The_Mentalist wrote:I see many are advocating against wheat bread, but this livestrong website says otherwise,
and same for dairy, and brown rice

I dont understand why people here are posting dubious information

Anyway, your case appears rare. Could it be that you are taking too much supplements all at once?

Also, I believe you said, you could not take the side effect of Minox. or something, but my friend, you will have to make some sacrifices

I hardly eat any grain anyway. I hardly take any supplements at the moment. Minoxidil is dangerous anyways and if I was to go that route, I might as well use the finasteride as well. But the side effects really are to strong.

scottyc33 wrote:I'm surprised that the supplements haven't helped with the inflammation - although as CS mentioned low stomach acid could be part of the problem. Also, heavy metals and/or poor gut flora might also prevent the supps from working optimally. You really need to get to the root cause of the chronic inflammation though.

On the stress front I would definitely try exercising more - could try yoga, meditation, etc. Not only does it help relieve stress but psychologically you will feel better about yourself as you get in better shape.

You could also try grounding. I've noticed vastly improved sleep and ability to fall asleep since I started sleeping grounded. Supposedly it normalizes cortisol secretion.

I have IBS, but it is clearly derived from stress which is caused by the inflammation. I only had this recently more or less after taking Iodine.

Yes, exercise is great. Weird thing is my hair loss seems to have worsened since I came back from college. Whether this is a result of hitting the gym or just a coincidence is unknown. Exercising is also hard with anxiety. I feel drained a lot and I can see myself doing less in the gym.

[/quote]

Livestrong has some good info but it's hardly the nutritional gospel.
Read the Perfect Health Diet or paleo sites like Mark's Daily Apple for some good discussions on avoiding all grains, pasteurized dairy and brown rice.

[/quote]

Been there, done that. Diet just doesn't seem to make a difference unfortunately. It seems to be all hormones with me.

Have you seen an endo at all? I am currently seeking a second opinion. There really are some narrow minded doctors out there and if your intuition tells you something is wrong but your doctor is basing everything on a single lab test, I'd do some doc swapping. My last doctor refused to look at estrogen in a male because its a female hormone and doesn't cause problems for men. I looked at him liked he was joking, but he wasn't. I found a new doctor. I'm all for natural approaches to healing, but sometimes you need to at least try to pin things down clinically, especially when symptoms are non-specific and systemic because many different types of imbalances can result in similar symptoms. Going at things buckshot with a bunch of different supplements might not be the solution.

Decro - Did you ever have a scalp/punch biopsy done yet? A derm can do this and the results will give you at least an indication of what is going on in your scalp. If you've been seeing a derm I don't understand why they wouldn't suggest doing this or just have done it by now if your scalp is as visibly inflamed and there is hair loss all over your head. It's a simple procedure and could shed light on why you have inflammation and hair loss like you describe.

Id stay on the omega 3's they are probably at least doing something for you, try to switch omega 3 brands, or find one of higher potency, maybe one will work better than another.Also have you tried to apply the iodine topically then to the scalp and maybe absorbing it that way since it bothers you to take it orally? Maybe you have a serious overload of heavy metals or candida yeast or something thats throwing your system off in regards to inflammation. Maybe you are frequently being exposed to something you are allergic to without even knowing it? A thought im having now is do men who have already gone fully bald and shaved it all off still experience scalp inflammation and itch once theres no hair left to fall out?

I was in the same boat as you a couple years ago. Anthony is spot on. No regimen will work if you have stress. that is the number one. I had IBS and cured it. IBS and stress in itself is a revolving door. The stress can worsen symptoms which can cause stress which can cause more symptoms etc. Like Anthony said you need to come to terms with hairloss which will help your stress and be able to rid your IBS.