Hypothyroidism (Cortisol, Prolactin And Adrenal Hyperactivity) Causes Balding

[helpmyhair]

It varies. Honestly I don't allow myself to obsess over any aspect of my hair because it's not helpful.



Haven't bothered since it's summer and I'm getting plenty of sun. I think I may experiment with it this winter.



If you don't care for gelatinous cuts of meat you might try making bone broth and/or supplementing with powdered gelatin. The latter is practically tasteless. You can make a super simple gelatin snack (add OJ and sugar) or just take a spoonful with some liquids.
The neutral amino acids competitively cross the blood brain barrier. If you're just eating muscle meats, your brain may just be getting select (and possibly undesirable) amino acids.
Neutral amino acid transport at the human blood-brain barrier. - PubMed - NCBI

5-HT (serotonin) is metabolized from tryptophan, which is abundant in muscle meat.
Aspirin Has Nootropic Properties Via Serotonin Inhibition
Dual role of 5-HT in defense and anxiety. - PubMed - NCBI
Possibly the frequent muscle meat consumption and lack of glycine and other neutral amino acids is contributing to your hair loss anxieties? Meat can be hard to digest; something to consider with regards to your digestion in general.

Liver is a tough one. I've developed a taste for it now, but I struggled awfully hard at the get-go. I fry it up in butter with cilantro and Parmesan now, washed down with a Mexican coke. I can genuinely say I enjoy it, but it took a little time.

I notice a pretty large deficit between calcium and phosphate in your diet. Meat and potatoes for dinner is massive dose of phosphate. Potatoes are also extremely glycemic and prone to feeding your gut bacteria (which, again, may be contributing to your serotonin burden). I've experimented on-and-off with potatoes, and for me I just can't do it; instant lethargy. It might be worth avoiding them for a while and see how that helps. Egg shell and well-cooked greens to get your calcium up.

Check your ice cream to see that it doesn't have gums, soy lecithin, carrageenan. No place for those in the diet and, again, could be contributing to your serotonin burden.

Do you take any supplements like vitamin k or d?

Do you drink water? I read a comment of Danny's where he said he doesn't drink water. If I don't, I get this thirsty feeling that never goes away which I assume is dehydration.

I was like at the 5 meals you posted. Seems like it would be hard to stay full with that. How do I make bone broth? Does it taste good and is it filling?

I do have powder gelatin.. it's the Great Lakes colleges which doesn't congeal I don't think. Do I just mix it with oj and sugar to make the fruit snack you mentioned? Lemme know if you have some instructions on this.

Someone in another thread recommended oregano oil and energin (select b vitamins) for 3 weeks to help fix the gut/sibo. What do you think of this?

How do I make egg shell calcium? Do I need it if I'm getting plenty of milk and cheese?

What do you eat on nights that you're not having liver? Is ground beef okay to eat? I need to eat some kind of meat nightly but liver is so hard for me to eat. I always just take a bite and then throw the rest out as I psychically can't get it down.

I'm gonna try not eating potatos but I just feel it will be hard to stay full on only eggs, liver, fish and fruit. I think I would become under weight this way.

 

[Birdie]

WAOW.

That is not something I was aware of. Fascinating.

So, the vit D would come off with the oil in your skin. Another reason to avoid using soap all over.
I think using just water and not scrubbing everywhere would greatly reduce the vitamin
D loss.
Of course there wouldn't be much D to lose on the bottoms of your feet and other spots that aren't hit by the sun I'd think. ??

 

[DuggaDugga]

Do you take any supplements like vitamin k or d?

Do you drink water? I read a comment of Danny's where he said he doesn't drink water. If I don't, I get this thirsty feeling that never goes away which I assume is dehydration.

I was like at the 5 meals you posted. Seems like it would be hard to stay full with that. How do I make bone broth? Does it taste good and is it filling?

I do have powder gelatin.. it's the Great Lakes colleges which doesn't congeal I don't think. Do I just mix it with oj and sugar to make the fruit snack you mentioned? Lemme know if you have some instructions on this.

Someone in another thread recommended oregano oil and energin (select b vitamins) for 3 weeks to help fix the gut/sibo. What do you think of this?

How do I make egg shell calcium? Do I need it if I'm getting plenty of milk and cheese?

What do you eat on nights that you're not having liver? Is ground beef okay to eat? I need to eat some kind of meat nightly but liver is so hard for me to eat. I always just take a bite and then throw the rest out as I psychically can't get it down.

I'm gonna try not eating potatos but I just feel it will be hard to stay full on only eggs, liver, fish and fruit. I think I would become under weight this way.

I don't take any supplements aside from my egg shell calcium.

I rarely drink water because I'm rarely thirsty. I suppose fruit and bone broth give me a decent amount. I don't ever really just have a glass of water though; a liter a week maybe. I find it makes me cold and urinate too frequently.

I just looked up a simple pho broth on-line. Bake bones and an onion, add to water, add spices, simmer overnight. Voila. Serve with a little beef and rice noodles, and a glass of milk.

I don't have an opinion on oregano oil and energin. My digestive issues resolved themselves when I started eating a couple raw carrots a day and moved to an otherwise easy-to-digest diet. No magic involved; just let my body do its thing.

Save your egg shells, rinse them out, boil them to remove the remaining film, bake the egg shells to dry them and kill any bacteria that might remain. Run them through a coffee grinder and store in a mason jar. I suppose if milk, cheese, and leafy greens are staples you'll get sufficient calcium. The other thing to consider is the amount of phosphate you're getting as it directly stimulates parathyroid. Those meat+potato meals are likely a massive phosphate load.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2486454/
High phosphate level directly stimulates parathyroid hormone secretion and synthesis by human parathyroid tissue in vitro. - PubMed - NCBI

I eat oysters a couple nights a week. I make various dishes; been on a thai green curry kick as of late. I just think of foods I enjoy and find recipes to make them myself, since I don't much trust what restaurants use. I wish I knew what to tell you regarding liver. I don't think there's any food that gives as immediate and strong a benefit as I get from liver, especially during the summer when my retina is constantly stimulated.

It's good you're avoiding a hypocaloric diet. If that means you have to eat potatoes, it's probably better than not getting enough food. I would just advise cooking them well and eating with saturated fat to make sure they properly digest and, again, consume with a good source of calcium.

 

[CoolTweetPete]

So, the vit D would come off with the oil in your skin. Another reason to avoid using soap all over.
I think using just water and not scrubbing everywhere would greatly reduce the vitamin
D loss.
Of course there wouldn't be much D to lose on the bottoms of your feet and other spots that aren't hit by the sun I'd think. ??

These seem like logical assumptions to me given that the vitamin is prone to wiping away. I have certainly switched to only shampooing every few days or so, and only using mild body soap (Dr. Bronners) around the armpits & groin.

Smell does not seem to be an issue if I'm eating well.

 

[meatbag]

These seem like logical assumptions to me given that the vitamin is prone to wiping away. I have certainly switched to only shampooing every few days or so, and only using mild body soap (Dr. Bronners) around the armpits & groin.

Smell does not seem to be an issue if I'm eating well.

I used that soap a couple times, it uses some ingredients with questionable endocrine effects (I can't remember specifics was a couple years back). Which 'scent' do you use?

 

[Birdie]

I used that soap a couple times, it uses some ingredients with questionable endocrine effects (I can't remember specifics was a couple years back). Which 'scent' do you use?

I remember something about that too. For a while I used the unscented. I know with some products, they add some chemical to take away the scent. Some companies I mean. Anyway I switched to peppermint but don't use it much now. For a while I craved peppermint.

 

[meatbag]

.

 

[CoolTweetPete]

I used that soap a couple times, it uses some ingredients with questionable endocrine effects (I can't remember specifics was a couple years back). Which 'scent' do you use?

I use the unscented baby soap. I dilute it quite a bit though.

 

[helpmyhair]

I don't take any supplements aside from my egg shell calcium.

I rarely drink water because I'm rarely thirsty. I suppose fruit and bone broth give me a decent amount. I don't ever really just have a glass of water though; a liter a week maybe. I find it makes me cold and urinate too frequently.

I just looked up a simple pho broth on-line. Bake bones and an onion, add to water, add spices, simmer overnight. Voila. Serve with a little beef and rice noodles, and a glass of milk.

I don't have an opinion on oregano oil and energin. My digestive issues resolved themselves when I started eating a couple raw carrots a day and moved to an otherwise easy-to-digest diet. No magic involved; just let my body do its thing.

Save your egg shells, rinse them out, boil them to remove the remaining film, bake the egg shells to dry them and kill any bacteria that might remain. Run them through a coffee grinder and store in a mason jar. I suppose if milk, cheese, and leafy greens are staples you'll get sufficient calcium. The other thing to consider is the amount of phosphate you're getting as it directly stimulates parathyroid. Those meat+potato meals are likely a massive phosphate load.
Disorders Involving Calcium, Phosphorus, and Magnesium
High phosphate level directly stimulates parathyroid hormone secretion and synthesis by human parathyroid tissue in vitro. - PubMed - NCBI

I eat oysters a couple nights a week. I make various dishes; been on a thai green curry kick as of late. I just think of foods I enjoy and find recipes to make them myself, since I don't much trust what restaurants use. I wish I knew what to tell you regarding liver. I don't think there's any food that gives as immediate and strong a benefit as I get from liver, especially during the summer when my retina is constantly stimulated.

It's good you're avoiding a hypocaloric diet. If that means you have to eat potatoes, it's probably better than not getting enough food. I would just advise cooking them well and eating with saturated fat to make sure they properly digest and, again, consume with a good source of calcium.

How many calories should I be aiming for per day? The meals you posted didn't seem to be much calories from a glance.

I read somewhere the bone broth can be bad for those with SIBO.. and histamine problems. Should I avoid it?

When I go through cronometer, it seems almost impossible to get more calcium than phosperus.. even with staples of eggs, milk, etc.

Sometimes when I drink a lot of milk, I feel a bit lethargic.. this ever happen to you?

I didn't eat any potatoes yesterday or any starches/grains. My scalp already feels better, seems like less shed too. My digestion seems a little better, but still stomach aches here and there.

Is ground beef okay to eat? Danny Roddy seems to have it often.

 

[DuggaDugga]

How many calories should I be aiming for per day? The meals you posted didn't seem to be much calories from a glance.

I read somewhere the bone broth can be bad for those with SIBO.. and histamine problems. Should I avoid it?

When I go through cronometer, it seems almost impossible to get more calcium than phosperus.. even with staples of eggs, milk, etc.

Sometimes when I drink a lot of milk, I feel a bit lethargic.. this ever happen to you?

I didn't eat any potatoes yesterday or any starches/grains. My scalp already feels better, seems like less shed too. My digestion seems a little better, but still stomach aches here and there.

Is ground beef okay to eat? Danny Roddy seems to have it often.

I don't really have a calorie goal. I just eat when I'm hungry; no restrictions. When I lift weights my appetite the next day is colossal. If I don't do anything physical, it's noticeably less. You might be interested in keeping track of how much you eat, but I wouldn't let it make you feel compelled to restrict or force feed yourself.

I haven't encountered any issues with bone broth. In fact it's one of the foods that I get an immediate lift to my mood from. Just needs some calcium and sugar to balance it out. I wouldn't avoid it without first giving it an honest chance.

It is definitely hard to get sufficient calcium relative to phosphate; practically impossible on a diet that is dominated by meat, starches, grains, and legumes. I think it's especially important to make it a focus if your ancestry where dairy was a staple (European-descent in particular). Chris Masterjohn discussed this in one of his podcasts.

I get lethargic when I eat too much fat; excessive milk in one sitting with no other food definitely does it to me. Milk with other foods or in reasonable portions-- no problem.

Right on. Give it a week or two and see if you continue to benefit from starch & grain avoidance. I know I'll never go back, but others swear by them. See what works for you.

Ground beef is fine, especially from a pastured, grass-fed, hormone-free animal. I think the main thing is to keep it in moderation and consume with gelatinous cuts (or supplement gelatin) to balance the amino acid profile of your meal. Consuming with coffee helps limit the iron absorption. Inhibition of food iron absorption by coffee. - PubMed - NCBI

 

[helpmyhair]

I don't really have a calorie goal. I just eat when I'm hungry; no restrictions. When I lift weights my appetite the next day is colossal. If I don't do anything physical, it's noticeably less. You might be interested in keeping track of how much you eat, but I wouldn't let it make you feel compelled to restrict or force feed yourself.

I haven't encountered any issues with bone broth. In fact it's one of the foods that I get an immediate lift to my mood from. Just needs some calcium and sugar to balance it out. I wouldn't avoid it without first giving it an honest chance.

It is definitely hard to get sufficient calcium relative to phosphate; practically impossible on a diet that is dominated by meat, starches, grains, and legumes. I think it's especially important to make it a focus if your ancestry where dairy was a staple (European-descent in particular). Chris Masterjohn discussed this in one of his podcasts.

I get lethargic when I eat too much fat; excessive milk in one sitting with no other food definitely does it to me. Milk with other foods or in reasonable portions-- no problem.

Right on. Give it a week or two and see if you continue to benefit from starch & grain avoidance. I know I'll never go back, but others swear by them. See what works for you.

Ground beef is fine, especially from a pastured, grass-fed, hormone-free animal. I think the main thing is to keep it in moderation and consume with gelatinous cuts (or supplement gelatin) to balance the amino acid profile of your meal. Consuming with coffee helps limit the iron absorption. Inhibition of food iron absorption by coffee. - PubMed - NCBI

My hair feels better, like the scalp itself.. though I just rubbed my hands through my hair and got like 30 hairs to fall out. I know you mentioned shedding shouldn't be a form of measurement but I feel like I'm shedding excessively. Could you rub your hands through your hair over the sink and see how many hairs fall? I just want to get an idea if my excessive shedding is normal or not.

My stomach continues to have upset stomach. Whenever I drink milk or OJ it happens. I really feel like I need to sort out my stomach issues if I want results. Beyond carrots/easy to digest diet, what could you recommend to help sort these issues?

When you get scalp itch, what do you do to tame it?

Even when I consume mainly dairy/peat-friendly diet, my phosphate is still higher than calcium. Is this why I should be supplementing on egg shell calcium daily?

 

[JDreamer]

He has an estrogenic look in his face though. What I've noticed about a lot of men who keep their hair in old age, is that they develop this estrogenic puffy look.

There was an account of two twins, only one of whom took finasteride. This one kept his hair. However, you can also see in this picture that the finasteride twin has more facial puffiness/softness (the pictures on their site are more evident of this, but it requires disabling ad-block), while the non-finasteride twin has a more bony and lean look to his face, evident in the jaw bones and the bone around the mouth area. The control twin also has a more bulbous nose, which is consistent with what I experienced when I was losing hair.

This is really hitting home right now.

I have the puffy face and the bulbous nose to go along with my hair loss (same exact pattern/diffusion as the twin). The nose thing is really awful on some days and I'm getting more paranoid about it as time goes on (as if I didn't have enough worry with my MPB). Looking in the mirror is like seeing a face I don't really recognize anymore. I know it's not how my face should be looking.

 

[Dhair]

This is really hitting home right now.

I have the puffy face and the bulbous nose to go along with my hair loss (same exact pattern/diffusion as the twin). The nose thing is really awful on some days and I'm getting more paranoid about it as time goes on (as if I didn't have enough worry with my MPB). Looking in the mirror is like seeing a face I don't really recognize anymore. I know it's not how my face should be looking.

Nothing that cant be fixed. You sound like a good candidate for thyroid supplementation.

 

[JDreamer]

Nothing that cant be fixed. You sound like a good candidate for thyroid supplementation.

I've long suspected that. My TSH levels have fluctuated between 2.4 and 3.4 over the last decade or so. The symptoms have been all over the place, so that's why I always assumed it was hormone-related.

I need to just bite the bullet already and start trying some of Haidut's thyroid supps.

 

[Dhair]

I've long suspected that. My TSH levels have fluctuated between 2.4 and 3.4 over the last decade or so and the symptoms over the years have been all over the place, so that's why I always assumed it was definitely hormone-related.

I need to just bite the bullet already and start trying some of Haidut's thyroid supps.

Absolutely. What are you waiting for ?

 

[helpmyhair]

Absolutely. What are you waiting for ?

Maybe he's waiting cause some people have increased shedding with thyroid supplements. My TSH is 3.75 and supplementing on thyroid made my hairline thin faster.

 

[JDreamer]

Maybe he's waiting cause some people have increased shedding with thyroid supplements. My TSH is 3.75 and supplementing on thyroid made my hairline thin faster.

Now you're scaring me. LOL

I never went all in on the thyroid because I haven't been sure where to get the right supplements. I also wanted to make sure the thyroid is a primary issue instead of a secondary.

 

[helpmyhair]

Now you're scaring me. LOL

I never went all in on the thyroid because I haven't been sure where to get the right supplements. I also wanted to make sure the thyroid is a primary issue instead of a secondary.

In the main hairloss thread, others have also reported increased shedding on thyroid supps. I was on t3/t4 via cynomel and cynoplus for a couple months. I noticed my face/skin looked nicer and when I took doses I would feel happier. But my hairline continued to thin at an alarming rate, so I dropped the thyroid supps. I may look into getting a red light to shine on the thyroid as others are saying it is working.

 

[aquaman]

Maybe he's waiting cause some people have increased shedding with thyroid supplements. My TSH is 3.75 and supplementing on thyroid made my hairline thin faster.

Shedding is not the same as hair loss, using shedding pattern after a few days to determine "hair loss" is like reading tea leaves.

 

[Brandon]

Has Dr. Peat ever discussed why baldness occurs in a particular pattern?

I wrote Dr. Peat and he was kind to reply to a few questions. Well, actually, he didn't really answer each of my questions directly, but he did offer a lot of great information. I asked him if it was ok to share his answer on the forum, and he said he didn't mind. My words are in black; Ray's is in dark blue and the references he gave are in light blue.

Hello Dr. Peat,

My name is Brandon. I recieved this email address in the forum when requesting a way to contact you. If you don't mind, I'd like to get your perspective on the following questions concerning the pattern of common baldness in adult males:

1. What is the basis for the onset of common pattern baldness in adult males, starting at the temples and vertex and developing into the virtually symmetrical horseshoe shape?

2. Is the development of this precise pattern a sign of a systemic problem?

3. How do you make sense of the association between pattern baldness and elevated prolactin and cortisol if women also experience elevations in these hormones, but don't show this pattern of baldness?

I listened to the KMUD episode on hair loss and inflammation you were on, where you mentioned that prolactin and cortisol are elevated in people with baldness (I'm assuming you were referring to the common pattern baldness), but I didn't hear an explanation about how this elevation is related to the actual pattern of baldness seen in males.

Women are more strongly protected than men by progesterone against the stress hormones. Prostaglandins, which are one of the products of estrogen-related mast cells, are increased by the accumulation of polyunsaturated fats with aging, and correspond roughly to the health problems, such as the “metabolic syndrome,” that are associated in men with baldness. Testosterone has some of the protective effects of progesterone, except that with the gradual accumulation of the PUFA, it tends to be turned into estrogen, activating cortisol, prostaglandins, mast cells, and prolactin.

J Am Anim Hosp Assoc. 2015 Mar-Apr;51(2):136-42.
Canine alopecia secondary to human topical hormone replacement therapy in six
dogs.
Berger DJ(1), Lewis TP, Schick AE, Miller RI, Loeffler DG.
(1)From the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ames, IA
(D.B.); Dermatology for Animals (T.L., A.S., R.M.); and DVM Pathology Associates
(D.L.).

Dermatologica Sinica Volume 34, Issue 1, March 2016, Pages 10–13
Assessment of semen quality in patients with androgenetic alopecia in an infertility clinic
Emre Sinan Güngör, Şule Güngör, , , Ali Galip Zebitay. . . .
Redirecting

Urolithiasis. 2016 Oct;44(5):409-13.
Relation of urinary stone disease with androgenetic alopecia and serum
testosterone levels.
Polat EC(1), Ozcan L(2), Otunctemur A(3), Ozbek E(3).
(1)Department of Urology, Okmeydani Training and Research Hospital, Sisli, 34384,
Istanbul, Turkey. [email protected]. (2)Department of Urology, Derince
Training and Research Hospital, Kocaeli, İzmit, Turkey. (3)Department of Urology,
Okmeydani Training and Research Hospital, Sisli, 34384, Istanbul, Turkey.

Am J Phys Anthropol. 1992 May;88(1):59-67.
Relations between sex hormone level and characters of hair and skin in healthy
young men.
Knussmann R(1), Christiansen K, Kannmacher J.
(1)Institut für Humanbiologie, University of Hamburg, Germany.

Singapore Med J. 2010 Dec;51(12):931-6.
The association of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome in early
androgenetic alopecia.
Acibucu F(1), Kayatas M, Candan F.
(1)Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, Cumhuriyet
University, Sivas 58140, Turkey. [email protected]

J Drugs Dermatol. 2016 Aug 1;15(8):1001-4.
Stress and the Hair Growth Cycle: Cortisol-Induced Hair Growth Disruption.
Thom E.

J Cutan Pathol. 1975;2(2):58-70.
Male pattern alopecia a histopathologic and histochemical study.
Lattanand A, Johnson WC.

J Cutan Pathol. 2014 Apr;41(4):364-9.
A prostaglandin D-synthase-positive mast cell gradient characterizes scalp
patterning.
Larson AR(1), Zhan Q, Johnson E, Fragoso AC, Wan M, Murphy GF.

Thank you so much for your reply. Do you have a sense of why the pattern of baldness is the way it is (horseshoe)?

I think the pattern is just an expression of the interacting gradients that shape all development. In the skin, pheromones and electrical fields are among the factors that affect sweat, oil, hair, fibroblasts, inflammatory, and pigment cells. Each type of cell responds to changing gradients in its own way.