A Big Mess (Run A Muck) said:
Saw Palmetto does the same thing as Finasteride
No it doesn't. It works primarily on the "other" type of 5-alpha reductase enzyme that Propecia does not affect to any significant degree. The type Propecia inhibits is different, and Propecia has been shown in clinical studies to work whereas Saw Palmetto, blocking the "other" type, has only shown results in studies on the Prostate, where the "other" type is more predominant, and less predominant in the scalp.
A Big Mess said:
which is lower your chances of developing male pattern baldness
There is absolutely no evidence that Saw Palmetto is able to do this. Its a potentially helpful treatment to add to a proven regimen, but its effectiveness is based entirely on theory. Studies have failed to show results when using it orally.
A Big Mess said:
The only thing is that Saw Palmetto is weaker than Proscar and does not work as well
Incorrect. Saw Palmetto works differently, on a different enzyme (while admittedly doing a little something something that Propecia does not as well). Its not weaker. It does not work as well because it does not successfully affect the type of 5a that exists most prominently in the scalp.
A Big Mess said:
That's because it is a vitamin and no company can claim the rights to Saw Palmetto, so very little research has or will be done
Incorrect again. It's not a vitamin, its an herb/root extract, and the reason there is no clinical data is because studies done on it failed to show any results. There is a single study that claims to have shown results, but it was publicly flogged by 20/20 on national television as being totally bunk a year and a half ago by researchers.
Conversely, there *have* been studies on Saw Palmetto and the prostate, and both the herbal community and the medical community recognize it as a helpful "supplement" to take for those with BPH (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia) to help reduce the size of the prostate. Its use in hair loss has not been established by a single study yet. Even the makers of Revivogen and Crinagen acknowledge that its presence in their formula's is there purely for marketing purposes, because so many people have propogated the myth that it can help with hair loss. They don't even acknowledge it as a useful addition to the scalp therapy solution.
I sat down with Angela Christiano, one of the lead hair researchers in the world last christmas in her office at Columbia University and she pulled out her stats on Saw Palmetto trials. There was little or no noticeable difference between placebo users and saw palmetto users, whereas there was significant difference between placebo and finasteride users.
A Big Mess said:
It does the same exact thing as Finasteride
No, it doesn't.
A Big Mess said:
It is just a weak form of Finasteride that costs less, doesn't require a prescription, but does not work as well.
No, its not. Its completely different and has zero evidence of effectiveness on hair loss. That said, if you opt to use it, as an educated adult who knows the differences between the two, then this is your perogative as Xzellerate is doing.
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