idontwanttobebalding said:
A little bit of food for thought.
I am very interested in this topic and feel the science backs up alot of what you are saying about the function and functioning of the liver. I think you are overstepping your bounds a bit in claiming a "cure"...you are only seeing hairloss from your own perspective (Norwood 1) not the big picture (those of us who have already lost a significant amount hair and are considered balding...not just thinning)...that being said.... I do feel measures along these lines may be more of a preventative or help delay the onset of the inevitable. One good question right now would be to ask what makes the liver go wrong? What do we do to interfere with its function? Not to tred on Brains Expel Hair's territory...but it
is our diet! So...to make a long story short....eat better and the liver will take care of itself!
If you have delved into this topic a little, then you will understand what I'm saying when I say that Paleo man never did a liver detox or a colon clense.....I know, I know...but he didn't eat the "western diet" and he wasn't exposed to all the toxins that we are today! :sobbing:
Bottom line...autopsies do not confirm the "sludge" claims :shock:
I hate to muddy the waters with some facts...but the dead don't lie!
Science does support the fatty liver...as shown by the excellent work of squeegee!! :bravo: (not ashamed to say I am a fan of your work!)
Sadly...it is very, very, very, difficult (not impossible) to "cure" (make whole...return to original...completely heal...reverse damage..epigenetics...you get the idea)
significant hairloss through supplements and clenses.
I'm all for (and trying myself) to "optimize" liver function. I know you have moved away from it slightly but I believe insulin is a major component in this fight. You may be onto the right organ but handling it in the wrong way! (sorry....couldn't resist the inference :woot: )
Anyway..thanks for your hard work......and please.... for those who are new or just browsing,,,please know that this is hard, tedious, and fascinating work.
Keep up the fight and know that while I disagree with your conclusion I don't disagree with your lines of thinking. :salut:
Heya man good to see you here, thanks for the thoughts on everything! Just a few responses!
First of all, on the topic of biliary sludge, it is quite recognized scientifically, as a more dispersed build-up of cholesterol in the intrahepatic ducts, gallbladder and biliary tree than actual cholesterol stones or calcified stones (the only ones that show up on scans). Here:
http://www.google.com/search?q=biliary+sludge
Other than calcium and cholesterol (fat), the only other "build-up" we really need to watch is that of parasites such as flukes, which can block the bile ducts, bung up and then release toxins into the liver, damaging it from the inside. As I may have said in this thread - bile is ESSENTIAL for removal of toxins and dead hormones. It's excreted with everything else when you have a bowel movement, basically. The kidneys too do filter the blood as they make urine, but their role in clearing hormones is not as great, and they seem a far less likely culprit for male pattern baldness in most people.
As for those who have been losing longer... I think often it's just the gradual, cumulative effects of a struggling liver.
I mean when you think about it logically there are 4 places that can present an individual's "weak link" that leads to Androgenetic Alopecia/male pattern baldness.
1) Too much testosterone is being produced in the testes, ovaries (in women, ofc) or adrenals.
2) Too much testosterone is being converted to DHT by 5-alpha reductase (either in the follicles themselves or systemically).
3) The follicles are too sensitive genetically to the DHT they are ultimately exposed to.
4) Not enough DHT and testosterone are being REMOVED from the body, principally by the liver and the SHBG it releases.
There may also be other less common possibilities such systemic or localized (scalp) inflammation or increased sebum production, but I would say these account for a much smaller % of male pattern baldness cases. Additionally, number (3) is without doubt a hypothetical, as for all we know there could be underlying, discrete causes for what might appear to be follicular reaction to healthy baseline androgen levels. Things such as SHBG levels, inflammation and sebum levels are all possible. To prove that some individuals are simply too sensitive for their baseline androgen levels, you would need to run detailed tests on individuals covering all these potential factors and determine that none were culprits in swaying things in favour of male pattern baldness.
I believe the evidence as I've said points to the liver looking guilty in MOST people, but whether this is principally due to fat (and/or cholesterol stones), calcified stones, parasites, overburdening with other hormones (such as insulin) or substances/toxins (such as alcohol), or underproduction of SHBG (also affected by hormones such as insulin and cortisol) may be more down to the individual.
It seems to me that removing cholesterol, parasites and any calcified stones from the liver, gb and biliary tree should be goal number one, however it is achieved. I reckon this should be enough for most people.
Optionally/ideally then goal number two should be (ordered by probable importance) lowering of insulin (blood sugar lowering hormone), cortisol (primary stress hormone), toxins (eg chemicals and those created by alcohol consumption), and also ideally cleaning up the kidneys with something like regular watermelon consumption and the intestines with high amounts of fibre, water (and/or Oxy-powder or Colonix) and some probiotics.
By that point I'd imagine most individuals are probably regulating their hormones far better again and male pattern baldness will cease, and significantly reverse. Goal 2 as I say may actually be unnecessary for most anyway if number 1 is achieved.
And I guess that's about it! It's true that clearing the biliary system (inc the liver & gb) of fat and parasites will not cure us all. But I currently believe it will cover the largest percentage of us
If you'd like to cover insulin as well, I'd recommend just drinking lots of pure pomegranate juice (or taking lipoic acid if you want, but I would favour the pomegranate) and not overdoing refined sugars too much!
Right, phew! That's enough for now!
Hoppi