Let's get some comments on this!

Props to Hairloss-Research.org for the below:

Monistat 7, an OTC Antifungal Cream- a Potential Hair Loss Treatment

Monistat 7 is an antifungal cream that is used primarily by women to treat yeast
infections. Its active ingredient is Miconazole nitrate. Miconazole is closely
related to another topical antifungal and anti-dandruff treatment, ketoconazole,
(Nizoral) which has documented hair growth effects. Both are Azole compounds,
and virtually identical in their mechanisms of action. Although Monistat 7 has
yet to be studied for its specific effects on hair growth, the internet has been
blowing up with a multitude of glowing accounts of hair loss reversal . When looking
at the mechanisms of action of Monistat 7, these accounts actually appear to have
a sound scientific basis.
All studies evaluating the effects of Nizoral Shampoo or cream on hair growth have
yielded uniformly positive results. One study concluded that simply using Nizoral
Shampoo 3 times a week had a similar hair stimulation effect to that of Minoxidil
(Rogaine). Another study using Nizoral cream applied daily produced substantial
hair growth effects, as evidenced by the following pictures.

Both Miconazole and Ketoconazole effectively ameliorate malesszia yeast, antagonize
the human glucocorticoid receptor, control candida, and neutralize cytokines associated
with the inflammation seen in Androgenetic hair loss. It is highly likely that
whatever holds true for ketoconazole (Nizoral) in terms of its effect on hair,
also holds true for Miconazole, (Monistat 7). Monistat 7 cream, formerly a prescription
drug, is now available over the counter, at any drugstore. Monistat 7 used by itself,
can be extremely drying to the scalp, and is recommended to be used with a carrier
oil to both counter this drying effect and enhance penetration. Emu Oil, which
by itself is a hair growth stimulant, is an optimal carrier oil to use in conjunction
with Monistat 7, due to its unique ability to penetrate all 7 layers of the dermis.
This is especially good news for those who for whatever reason cannot access either
2 % Nizoral Shampoo or Nizoral Cream, both of which in the US require a prescription.
Nizoral 1 % Shampoo appears to be no longer commercially unavailable.
To use Monistat 7 as a hair growth treatment.
Things you'll need:
* 1 tube of Monistat 7
* At least 2 oz. of a carrier oil such as Emu Oil
* Plastic applicator bottle
1. Mix one tube (45G) of Monistat 7 with 2 oz of Emu Oil. Pour the mix into the
applicator bottle.
2. Use a comb to part your hair into sections for easy application.
3. Shake the mix of Monistat 7 and Emu Oil before applying it to your hair. Tilt
the bottle and hold it to your scalp.
4. Gently squeeze bottle and apply a few drops to targeted areas. Massage it into
your scalp and style your hair as desired.
Anecdotal reports have indicated that Monistat 7 produces fairly rapid results
with initiating hair regrowth. Using Monistat 7 with Emu Oil as a carrier oil will
reportedly enhance these results.

I'd say if you suspect your hairloss is fungal/yeast related its worth a try, no doubt. I'd also say its worth a try if you are showing any other types of yeast issues: any type of dermatitis, patchy coloration, funky smells from places where there is skin-on-skin contact.

If fungus(TOPICAL) was the cause of hair loss(MPB and such) then women would go bald at the same rate if not greater. I'm not sure about this, but women are more prone to fungal infections and candida would be one of them. I suspect low thyroid to be the culprit in allowing these infections to persist versus a "faulty" immune system.

goto 3:35.. pretty shocking. someone jump on this.

I dunno. Monistat is old news. Something like the hoopla over cetirizine. It eventually faded. I also wonder why she showed a really close-up view of his balding scalp...but as his hair supposedly got better the camera got farther and farther away...no longer seeing a real close-up view. Could be fishy. And just because they say they don't work as an advertising agent for a company doesn't actually mean that they are telling the truth either.

looks good, who going to try it?

I am starting to believe that hairloss is a bacterial/yeast/fungal infection.

I'm starting to think that a hypoxia environment converts more testosterone to DHT rather than estradiol, then the raised dht causes more sebum to be produced which intern causes the bacteria to feed an reproduce etc and then the bodies immune system attacks the problem killing the hair as well.

Shapley's MTG oil?

john walters wrote:I am starting to believe that hairloss is a bacterial/yeast/fungal infection.

I'm starting to think that a hypoxia environment converts more testosterone to DHT rather than estradiol, then the raised dht causes more sebum to be produced which intern causes the bacteria to feed an reproduce etc and then the bodies immune system attacks the problem killing the hair as well.

Ill post a patent when i can, that believes mpb is caused by a fungus, very interesting stuff!

bobthebuilder wrote:

john walters wrote:I am starting to believe that hairloss is a bacterial/yeast/fungal infection.

I'm starting to think that a hypoxia environment converts more testosterone to DHT rather than estradiol, then the raised dht causes more sebum to be produced which intern causes the bacteria to feed an reproduce etc and then the bodies immune system attacks the problem killing the hair as well.

Ill post a patent when i can, that believes mpb is caused by a fungus, very interesting stuff!

yes please that would be great!

Seems great!

Fixing fungal issues internally would also be an idea. Hate to be negative but photos are a bit dodgy.

john walters wrote:

bobthebuilder wrote:

john walters wrote:I am starting to believe that hairloss is a bacterial/yeast/fungal infection.

I'm starting to think that a hypoxia environment converts more testosterone to DHT rather than estradiol, then the raised dht causes more sebum to be produced which intern causes the bacteria to feed an reproduce etc and then the bodies immune system attacks the problem killing the hair as well.

Ill post a patent when i can, that believes mpb is caused by a fungus, very interesting stuff!

yes please that would be great!

http://www.google.com/patents/CA2315395C?cl=en

This method claims fungus is the cause to hair loss, they use a peel system then antifungals with thymosin extract. TED from earth clinic also believes hair loss is caused by fungus.

Only now people are starting to release how important pathogens are, people are now curing crohns with fecal transplants.

very interesting, thanks for sharing

john walters wrote:I am starting to believe that hairloss is a bacterial/yeast/fungal infection.

I'm starting to think that a hypoxia environment converts more testosterone to DHT rather than estradiol, then the raised dht causes more sebum to be produced which intern causes the bacteria to feed an reproduce etc and then the bodies immune system attacks the problem killing the hair as well.

What would you call "hypoxia environment" though?

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a methodology that is effective for the treatment of alopecia, and is based on the discovery that the primary cause of all alopecia in humans and other warm-blooded mammals is a decrease in cell-mediated immunity. Since puberty is related to an increase in androgens and estrogens, and since alopecia androgenetica very rarely starts prior to puberty, hormonal factors are involved. It is known that deficiencies in cell-mediated immunity are directly responsible for alopecia areata and alopecia totalis. It is also known that the thymus gland, which regulates cell-mediated immunity, involutes at puberty. It was subsequently hypothesized that there was a high degree of likelihood that an infectious agent was responsible for hair loss. Hair loss rarely occurs without inflammation.
Therefore, investigations were undertaken to determine the cause of the inflammation responsible for the various forms of alopecia. In order to determine the infectious agent, chemical systems that solubilize keratin and chemical systems that induce substantial exfoliation were developed.
It has surprisingly been determined that a fungus is responsible for virtually all cases of hair loss. This fungus resides at the dermaUepidermal junction and is clearly apparent with Wood's lamp (UV) radiation. Cultures of the scalp reveal that this fungus is a trichophyton species with a variation that is sex determined.
The type of fungus that lives on the male scalp is genetically different from the type of fungus that lives on the female scalp. While not wanting to be bound by this theory, it is believed that this fungus is the primary factor for hair loss. Equally surprising is the discovery that this fungus is spread by an ecto-parasite. This parasitical organism has been isolated, analyzed under the microscope and found to be of the species demodicidea. To date, this parasitical organism has been found in all test subjects who are experiencing hair loss.
The present invention provides compositions and methods to resolve the fungal infection problem and eliminate the ecto-parasite, thereby treating alopecia on the scalp of a warm-blooded animal in need thereof, including humans (collectively referred to herein as a "patient"). As used herein, the phrase "treating alopecia" means stimulating and/or regenerating hair growth by topical application of an effective amount of a hair regeneration composition of this invention. As used herein, the term "effective amount" means an amount of the hair regeneration composition which stimulates and/or regenerates hair growth associated with a hair-loss affiliations (such as male pattem baldness).
Hair regeneration compositions of this invention contain Tal and/or T(34 and may optionally contain a steroid, an indole-based compound, a mitocide, a bioflavanoid, an anti-fungal material, an anti-inflammatory fatty acid and/or a skin absorption enhancer.

And now the drum roll.

It would be worth trying, if you were to try this I would recommend a peel system to be used with it!

http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?id=4251
"Miconazole nitrate is a synthetic antifungal agent which inhibits the growth of the common dermatophytes, Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, and Epidermophyton floccosum, the yeast-like fungus, Candida albicans, and the organism responsible for tinea versicolor (Malassezia furfur)."

"This fungus resides at the dermaUepidermal junction and is clearly apparent with Wood's lamp (UV) radiation. Cultures of the scalp reveal that this fungus is a trichophyton species with a variation that is sex determined."

Very nice find Bob. Why does this trichophyton fungi only live on males?

P.S. How legit is this study? Is it peer reviewed or what?

good find bob. i'm starting to agree with this in my own case. like why does ACV on my scalp kill the inflammation immediately? why does coconut oil help? i have an uncontrollable (literally) dandruff that never goes away (only when i do topicals does it disappear). i have yeast infections on my skin. i definetely have some form of insulin resistance (i eat sugar, i crash HARD, feel horrible, i only eat carbs post workout now to save myself). increased insulin resistance leads to yeast infections.

i'm willing to go all in with this. right now i'm doing topical ACV. i'm going to add in thyme oil as another day rotation.

is this other thing you are referring to here, is this monistat 7? i can buy this at the grocery store? i am willing to give this a try.

this is pretty interesting. the skin lesions i had that were yeast infections, they came back as tinea versicolor. the medicine the doctor gave me to treat this said the same thing as monistat, it said it treated some kind of vaginal infection. i wonder if this is the same fungus as what is causing my hair loss also??? and it is just showing up on my skin on my chest as well. i started taking oregeno oil and grape fruit seed extract (even though i read GSE may not actually help) internally and the fungus has been clearing up on my chest.. but not 100% gone. i have not been able to get it to go away for like a year.

i'm reading online about tinea versicolor and it says nizoral treats it. crap, i wonder if this is what is causing my hair loss here as well since many people say nizoral helps them control the itch. i'm all over this monistat if it checks out.

bob, any word on internals that will fight this also?

any natural alternatives instead of using monistat? i read it can cause burning or headaches.

Monistat 7 is a vaginal cream.

fairly long overview on his whole prodcedure.. i'm not sure if this is the same as what bob posted, but i think it is. pretty interesting to read through.. not sure how to get my hands on the different parts of his regimen. he talks about topical thymus (he says thymus decreasing at puberty is one of the causes to alopecia beginning)

In the method of this invention, the following steps are performed in the order noted: (1) cleansing the scalp with a cleansing agent; (2) treating the cleansed scalp with a keratin solvent system; (3) applying a topical anesthetic (optional); (4) applying an acid peel solution; (5) applying a hyperactive urea gel formula (optional) and (6) applying a hair regeneration composition. This procedure has resulted in hair growth in 100% of subjects tested, including individuals with alopecia androgenetica, alopecia totalis, alopecia universalis and alopecia areata. Furthermore, utilizing the methods and compositions of the present invention, all subjects tested have experienced some hair regrowth with terminal hairs.

https://www.google.com/patents/US6030948

i'm trying to locate this guy. i found this, he may have passed?

Mann; Morris A. (late of Glendale, AZ), Mann; Maria A. (Glendale, AZ)

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=6733791.PN.&OS=&RS=

Check out Pythium oligandrum. It's a mycoparasitic fungus and is supposed to be harmless to mammals. Apparently it can even be used to eat black mould. I have a packet to try on some rashes and maybe around the house, but haven't got around to using it yet.

Since fungi can mutate so quickly, it seems ideal if we could "fight fungi with fungi"...

Well, I have to say, if this 'ecto-parasite' does exist and proliferates under the influence of DHT, then this is ground breaking stuff and would explain why some men are candidates for hairloss, while other men and the majority of women are not.

I don't know if this is related to the trichophyton fungi in Bob's OP, but the following ncbi study says that progesterone inhibits fungal growth by up to 50% The study mentions something about DHT, but I can't really comprehend it:

Dermatophyte-hormone relationships: characterization of progesterone-binding specificity and growth inhibition in the genera Trichophyton and Microsporum.
Clemons KV1, Schär G, Stover EP, Feldman D, Stevens DA.
Author information
Abstract
We reported previously that Trichophyton mentagrophytes contains a cytoplasmic macromolecule which specifically binds progesterone. Progesterone is also an effective inhibitor of growth of the fungus. We report here studies which characterize more fully the specific binding properties and the functional responses of T. mentagrophytes and taxonomically related fungi to a series of mammalian steroid hormones. Scatchard analysis of [3H]progesterone binding in both the + and - mating types of Arthroderma benhamiae and in Microsporum canis revealed a single class of binding sites with approximately the same affinity as that in T. mentagrophytes (Kd, 1 X 10(-7) to 2 X 10(-7) M). Trichophyton rubrum had a protein with a higher binding affinity (Kd, 1.6 X 10(- M). Characterization of the [3H]progesterone-binding sites in T. mentagrophytes showed the binder to be a protein which was destroyed by trypsin and heating to 56 degrees C. Previous examination of the steroid-binding specificity in T. mentagrophytes had demonstrated that deoxycorticosterone (DOC) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) were effective competitors for [3H]progesterone binding. Expansion of this study to include other competitors revealed that R5020 (a synthetic progestin), androstenedione, and dehydroepiandosterone possessed relative binding affinities which were 20, 11, and 9% of that of progesterone, respectively. Other ligands tested were less effective. Competition studies for the binder in M. canis resulted in similar findings: DOC and DHT were effective competitors for [3H]progesterone binding. The growth of A. benhamiae + and -, M. canis, and T. rubrum were all inhibited by progesterone in a dose-responsive manner, with 50% inhibition achieved at concentrations of 9.8 x 10(-6), 1.2 x 10(-5), 1.5 x 10(-5), and 2.7 x 10(-6) M. respectively"

P.S. I found a pdf which delves into something similar to the above, yet more in depth:

http://iai.asm.org/content/52/3/763.full.pdf

ETA: The pdf says that males are 5 times more likely to have this fungus than women, yet women are more susceptible to it after menopause. This may have something to do with a drop in progesterone, which may therefore explain why many post-menopausal women are candidates for "androgentic alopecia" because decreased progesterone may cause this fungus to proliferate.

Another study which is more or less the same as the first one I posted says that DOC and DHT were less effective inhibitors of this fungi, in comparison to progesterone.

Very interesting.