I think I've just cured it.

[Brains Expel Hair]

A good diet and lifestyle. This is the very CORE of this regimen I am making. It varies person to person, but roughly revolves around a high fibre, high veg and usually fruit diet. Too much focus on simple carbs, sugar or starch (I believe personally) will increase insulin. I believe that meat also interferes with insulin, so don't overdo it!

You might wanna continue your reading at least a bit more. A high vegetable diet will pretty much ensure that you have your fiber base covered yet a high fruit diet will most often times produce exactly the opposite effect that your are searching for in your insulin control. Aside from things like an almost green banana most fruits produce insulin resistance problems and you won't really have to worry about a lack of antioxidants because if you're eating colorful vegetables you will be getting a huge amount of them (also in too high of concentrations just about every antioxidant is a pro-oxidant). Meat is somewhat good for you, it ensures that you are never in danger of being short on essential AAs and technically grass fed tallow (pure beef fat) is much better for your body than something like corn oil.

If you truly are having a diet mediated insulin problem then you shouldn't really have to worry too much about taking supplements to increase insulin sensitivity as if you really do find the dietary trigger then your liver will slowly naturally balance itself and your other organs will follow (IF it really is just a diet mediated insulin problem).

Overall though you really wanna be careful with overdoing antioxidant products during any healing phase if you were experiencing improper nutrition. While antioxidants may be great for your body they also do a fantastic job at binding up a lot of ingested vital amines not only rendering the antioxidant inactive but also lowering the bioavailability of certain nutrients.

 

[toocoolforhair]

I know plenty of out of shape lazy fat men who have thick, full heads of hair.

 

[Brains Expel Hair]

I know plenty of out of shape lazy fat men who have thick, full heads of hair.

Lucky for them then that they aren't genetically predisposed to acquire the same sort of metabolic problems.

 

[Hoppi]

A good diet and lifestyle. This is the very CORE of this regimen I am making. It varies person to person, but roughly revolves around a high fibre, high veg and usually fruit diet. Too much focus on simple carbs, sugar or starch (I believe personally) will increase insulin. I believe that meat also interferes with insulin, so don't overdo it!

You might wanna continue your reading at least a bit more. A high vegetable diet will pretty much ensure that you have your fiber base covered yet a high fruit diet will most often times produce exactly the opposite effect that your are searching for in your insulin control. Aside from things like an almost green banana most fruits produce insulin resistance problems and you won't really have to worry about a lack of antioxidants because if you're eating colorful vegetables you will be getting a huge amount of them (also in too high of concentrations just about every antioxidant is a pro-oxidant). Meat is somewhat good for you, it ensures that you are never in danger of being short on essential AAs and technically grass fed tallow (pure beef fat) is much better for your body than something like corn oil.

If you truly are having a diet mediated insulin problem then you shouldn't really have to worry too much about taking supplements to increase insulin sensitivity as if you really do find the dietary trigger then your liver will slowly naturally balance itself and your other organs will follow (IF it really is just a diet mediated insulin problem).

Overall though you really wanna be careful with overdoing antioxidant products during any healing phase if you were experiencing improper nutrition. While antioxidants may be great for your body they also do a fantastic job at binding up a lot of ingested vital amines not only rendering the antioxidant inactive but also lowering the bioavailability of certain nutrients.

Wow thanks that was really, really useful

The reason insulin and diet is my personal number 1 suspicion is because my diet was high carb, high sugar, high gluten, and quite high fat. It was a bad diet, and it's no wonder this happened lol

Also I mean, diet or not, for young men, SHBG seems so essential. If your levels are low it seems to be a pretty bad start. Lignans (or similar) should IMO be first and foremost of any regimen, certainly for younger guys (I am unsure how they affect older men with lower T levels, someone will have to fill me in on that!).

I mean to be fair, if not bad diet and SHBG, what can it be in my case? My androgen levels are healthy, so my body has no reason to try to create more DHT. Aside from a genetic abnormality in my T or DHT production (pretty unlikely) or VERY sensitive follicles (unlikely), SHBG looks like the suspect here, as it is for most young guys losing hair.

I will check my thyroid as well as my liver to make sure it's regulating stuff properly, I don't really know what to expect there

Oh, and if antioxidants can have a negative effect in larger quantities, why is Brian Simonis supporting them with such enthusiasm? He does seem to know his stuff most of the time!

I know plenty of out of shape lazy fat men who have thick, full heads of hair.

Lucky for them then that they aren't genetically predisposed to acquire the same sort of metabolic problems.

heh, amen

 

[Jacob]

Again...Lignans? Here you were laughing at me for even bringing them up. Something you said we were doing to you.

Here's some good K-RALA combos for you btw: http://geronova.com/content/geronova-products-overview-premier-lipoceuticals

:laugh: at saying his full name now instead of spamming the website. There are articles on taking too many anti-oxidants. You would need to take a lot, but it is possible. He's been so right about everything that his regimen keeps changing. Due to side-effects and what-not. I swear I was just reading problems with the iodine users, again.

 

[Hoppi]

Again...Lignans? Here you were laughing at me for even bringing them up. Something you said we were doing to you.

Here's some good K-RALA combos for you btw: http://geronova.com/content/geronova-products-overview-premier-lipoceuticals

Oh, sorry if it came across like that

I think it's just because at the time I felt like everyone was trying to outsmart me left, right and centre, and it felt a bit silly to have one criticism be that had I chosen HMR lignans as opposed to SDG lignans, I would get a slightly better effect! lol

You are right though, and I am sorry to have reacted to it like that! I am more confident in my views now though so more sure about standing up for them ^_^

Oh, and yeah I know that things like R-Lipoic and K-RALA are good it's just.. they're often SO pricey!! Alpha-Lipoic (even the stronger stuff) is mega cheap, and as Brains Expel Hair said I probably don't need anything particularly potent anyway - just a good diet!

:laugh: at saying his full name now instead of spamming the website. There are articles on taking too many anti-oxidants. You would need to take a lot, but it is possible. He's been so right about everything that his regimen keeps changing. Due to side-effects and what-not. I swear I was just reading problems with the iodine users, again.

Aw heh well, nobody's perfect - go easy on him



Oh, new question for the thread... are we allergic to gluten? I'll repost the comment from good ol' Mr Simonis! hehe

"A very high percentage of females who suffer from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) are allergic to wheat/gluten. PCOS is the female equivalent of male pattern baldness. Wheat/gluten causes a sustained elevation in blood glucose and insulin levels, which translates into chronic inflammation, upregulation of the gene Dickkoff-1 (which happens to drive DHT induced balding).
And low-and-behold, PCOS can be reversed with the correct diet and supplement protocol"

Now I find that fascinating I mean, they release a whole bunch of insulin anyway right, coz it's carbs? So like... it's POSSIBLE that a significant part of this is being (mildly, I suppose) allergic to it...

I'll have to look into that!

 

[DoctorHouse]

We don't need CCS anymore, we have Hoppi now to fill the void.................................................................... :whistle:

 

[Brains Expel Hair]

You would probably really enjoy reading up about celiac disease and gluten sensitivity. There are so many other medical maladies that it is associated with that it is just disgusting that it isn't talked about more in our country. I'm personally of the opinion that it should be part of the mandatory screening for all newborns considering how prevalent it actually is in our country. Maybe then, shopping for gluten free stuff wouldn't be such a chore...

Overall it appears that the rate of occurrence of gluten-problem related genes is inversely related to how long a gene pool has been exposed to wheat. Considering its strong relation to diabetes/autism/schizophrenia and a whole host of other physical/mental problems that shouldn't be too surprising as in ancient times many of these factors would have simply resulted in death, banishment or some other way of removal out of the gene pool. Therefor, the longer the population had been around wheat cultivation and consumption the more positive selection would have occurred for non-gluten sensitive genes.

I've no clue what you are referring to with iodine supplements but I can add that a simple recommendation for anyone to take those would be somewhat irresponsible. Thyroid problems are often caused by other problems in the body and simply trying to alter your thyroid output would not fix the actual problem in most cases.

Really though the subject of gluten is pretty deep and would probably be best discussed in its own specific thread. I'm going to try and make a request asking the moderators for a gender neutral nutrition based forum to stop us from clogging up not only the general discussion board but also the vitamins/supplements and new studies boards. A lot of the issues we're discussing here about nutrition and diet are not entirely specific to XYs and would most likely gain a lot from XX input.

Edit: Request made, hopefully some solution can be concocted that will streamline a lot of this discussion. I'm done for the time being considering I'm pretty sure I somehow got accidently glutened.

 

[Hoppi]

Hehe thanks for the good response man, and hmm maybe it would be a good idea to get tested for gluten sensitivity (Is that easy to do? How does it work?) Wouldnt it be funny if it was something that trivial all along! lol it would certainly make some degree of sense!

Well sensitivity or not, gluten is another thing that just should be kept under control within a diet intending to lower insulin and fat production

Iodine... again you may be totally right. That is totally new to me and in that case I was only parroting what I was told!

So, if my thyroid was a little out, what should I do just eat a good diet and leave it? Or? I'm a noobie on that one!

 

[Brains Expel Hair]

There are currently a few different tests for gluten sensitivity that either check for blood antibodies, genetic markers, markers in stools or an endoscopy into the small intestine usually followed by a biopsy. The tests all have their own different margin of error associated with them. Any competent gastroenterologist would be able to tell you more specifics about the test or would be able to look for other signs of digestive problems, and more and more primary care physicians are becoming aware of this digestive complication. There are many other additional causes to digestive damage or sensitivity which is why it would be good to get an actual consult from a specialist who could tailor the tests to your problems. In my personal case the damage from gluten was so severe that within a week of quitting gluten a depressingly long list of complications simply disappeared but everyone responds differently.

The thyroid issue is once again something that should be tackled by a specialist, although I have seen numerous reports of doctors who simply stop at the thyroid activity and don't investigate to see if anything else is responsible for the thyroid problems. This is why it would be good to get any dietary tests out of the way before you start worrying about thyroid imbalances as the thyroid may be trying to regulate more important imbalances and so if there is any dietary changes that need to take place it would only make sense to test the thyroid long after your body has adjusted to the new diet.

 

[Hoppi]

Totally, I'm with you

Well, gluten I've killed off just in case, may as well give my body it's very best shot at reversing male pattern baldness by itself, which it SEEMS to be doing a fairly good job of at the moment but I'll be watching it like a hawk! I have the beta-sitosterol and Nizoral at the ready if needed lol

My very front, central hairline has gone back a tiny bit in one place as well as the sides coming back into view (hair regrowth), so I might encourage that with some regular Nizoral and aloe vera on that specific central area to make sure the follicles are always still kicking!

I'll definitely just let my body adjust. The only things I might give it are lignans to cap my sex hormones, and a few insulin sensitivity increasers just to get it a helping hand, like mild alpha-lipoic (up to 600mg a day?) and brewer's yeast. Other than that it SHOULD be ok...

oh, Brian was talking about mercury fillings suppressing the thyroid. Is this true? Of course it will be a later consideration, but what I've seen online does seem to back it up to some extent. What do you think? I have only one proper filling and one smaller one, but it's something that crossed my mind

 

[Brains Expel Hair]

Mercury fillings is still one of those up in the air situations as far as I'm concerned. Supposedly most of the mercury released by those fillings is simply exhaled instead of being absorbed into the body. While chronic exposure would certainly be an issue you're most likely getting more mercury from your diet than your teeth. Also the thyroid doesn't specifically respond to mercury over other parts of your body so it would be having greater effects most likely than just altering your thyroid.

Of course if you were consuming radioactive iodine then you'd definitely have something to worry about with your thyroid. Iodine is only really utilized by that one part of your body and if you're deficient in iodine then you can exhibit signs of hypothyroidism. Alternatively if you have chronic hyperthyroidism not related to other problems they simply have you ingest some radioactive iodine to kill off a little of your thyroid.

I've got 3 mercury fillings and if anything have (had) a hyperactive thyroid.

 

[Hoppi]

Damn I should cancel that radioactive iodine from ebay then! hehe =D

Thanks for the informative response though. I may start a thread about gluten soon, as... I wonder how many people that could be true for (if any, it is largely speculation at the moment).

Do you think gluten caused your hair loss?

 

[Brains Expel Hair]

I am not totally sure if it was the thing most responsible for my hair loss. I do however know that as of quitting it my hypoglycemia has completely disappeared, my circadian rhythm has been restored, my skin has slowly lost it's slight yellowish hue, my nails are starting to grow in a little thicker, my beard is starting to flush out (only 12-14 years late for puberty), my chronic anxiety has disappeared, my voice has gotten deeper, my daily weight fluctuations have stabilized, my aerobic fitness has almost doubled, my memory has (probably) improved and my sex drive is improving (perhaps too much).

With my skin tone/hair color it's somewhat difficult for my to tell new growth just by looking in the mirror. So far my shedding has stopped and while I do think I can notice some new hairs filling in around the edges of my temples I am cautious to actually label it as real new growth instead of it possibly just being regular growth that hadn't been effected yet.

Really with all of the improvements to my health I've seen from this change I don't really care at this point if my hair continues to fall out. I'll totally just be happy with a perfectly functioning body and a shaved head. I'll keep taking the occasional photo on my crap camera and if I actually do find a noticeable improvement in my hair line I'll definitely post them up.

 

[Hoppi]

aw that's great I'm really happy for you!

It must have been great discovering just one single thing that made such a big impact!

I really didn't know that a gluten allergy was so common! I think it's something that deserves a bit of research certainly!

If nothing else, I'm limiting my carbs anyway so it isn't too much of a chore watching my bread, pasta, pizza (etc) consumption just a little bit more than I was already!

 

[Hoppi]

moxsom, yes you might have been right about that insulin resistance and low T thing - its incredibly paradoxical because many believe that high insulin production lowers SHBG which should therefore result in HIGHER testosterone! The only real explanation is that the insulin reaches a certain point and then ends up negatively affecting the testes? That's the only possibility that I can think of, unless some other factor comes into play here, like possibly fat production.

Either way, both too low and too high T are bad, as according to what I've heard they BOTH raise DHT anyway, as the body compensates for low T with DHT. In summary, yes insulin resistance (or maybe fat production, it would be interesting to determine which) and diet plays a significant role in male pattern hair loss as far as I can possibly, possibly tell. What other conclusion can one possibly reach?

 

[bigjohnson]

hey hoppi are u using rogaine and propecia? i didnt notice it on your regimen but i admit i did not read it all my eyes began to glaze over after the first 2 steps lol.... i saw nizoral in there some where. i would not bank on diet curing your hair loss thats silly man but hey its your hair

 

[Hoppi]

hey hoppi are u using rogaine and propecia? i didnt notice it on your regimen but i admit i did not read it all my eyes began to glaze over after the first 2 steps lol.... i saw nizoral in there some where. i would not bank on diet curing your hair loss thats silly man but hey its your hair

haha yes it's a bit mental isn't it? It's based on hormonal balance, DHT-reduction, anti-inflammatories, sebum reduction, antioxidants, antimicrobials, chelators.. even epigenetics! Even a bunch of stuff I don't even understand...

It's pretty intense but yeah man, this hair isn't going anywhere lol

 

[Brains Expel Hair]

i would not bank on diet curing your hair loss thats silly man but hey its your hair

Why not? It's working for me!

 

[Hoppi]

i would not bank on diet curing your hair loss thats silly man but hey its your hair

Why not? It's working for me!

haha hear hear!