MPB Testing

[charlie]

Ive been meaning to ask, what is the quality of the fruit you eat? Living in Canada myself, I find it implausible to eat fruit even in small amounts, especially the tropical fruits. The quality is that bad.

It's a challenge no doubt. But so totally worth it. For fresh fruit, apples seem to be available most the time, bananas, etc. Also there is dry fruit which is always readily available, and lately I have been hitting up the frozen fruits with good success. I am under the opinion that the more fruit you can add into your life, the better off you will be.

Here is a list of low vitamin A fruits:

Acai berry
Apples
Bananas
Bilberries
Black fig
Blackberry
Blueberry
Cherries
Cranberry
Dates
Elderberry
Grapes
Hawthorn berry
Honeydew melon
Kiwi
Lemons
Limes
Loganberry
Pears
Pineapple
Pomegranates
Raisins/Sultanas
Raspberry
Strawberry

 

[Luk3]

I believe there's a way but I am running out of time to save my hair and I'm not sure if there's any stop gap measure. Really not wanting to do finasteride.

FWIW, I had zero success with Finasteride. In fact, my hairloss got worse, and it gave me bad erections and watery semen. My hairloss has actually slowed significantly since stopping fin about a year ago, and since finding Peat’s work and cutting right down on PUFA’s, my scalp itch has totally disappeared.
I like Travis’ theory that cortisol is responsible for hairloss. It ties in with my experience, especially regarding the excess body hair growth—my shoulders and back have gotten significantly more hairy as my hairloss has progressed.
I think you should also look into the calcification theory. There’s so much info on this forum regarding hairloss. Implement and see what works for you.
I’ve just had my hormones tested for the first time. My prolactin is very high (25). I’m hoping that if I can get that down, I’ll see further improvement. Have you ever had bloodwork done?

Edit: I missed some aspects of your original post regarding calcification and blood tests. There’s many posts about this on the forum. Elephanto, in particular, has posted a lot. Scalp massages, derma pen and red light would be good to look into for short-term treatment.

 

[Runenight201]

Strong broscience ITT. You can't do anything to cure MPB for now.

Learned helplessness behavior

 

[Orius]

Thanks for the replies so far, I really appreciate you taking the time to write to me. I'll try to address everything here.

Has anyone tried dermarollers? I also read something last night that rosemary and peppermint oil, when mixed with a carrier oil and applied to the scalp, works better than minoxidil, a product I haven't tried yet. It was a research study I read. I might try this in combo with a dermaroller? It's been suggested here that poor blood circulation to the vertex could be a factor.

It's not completely bald up there, there's just miniaturization. That's why I'm hoping a topical circulatory stimulant could help.

Previous blood work... yes, back when I was only 1-2 months off of prednisone and taking DHEA/pregnenolone, my prolactin was above normal and so was my T. ACTH was abnormal and cortisol was normal but not idea. I'm going to wait 90 days post-DHEA/preg cessation to do another hormone panel. No point in doing one was long as there are traces of them in my system.

Re: calcification, I have considered that, but it's hard to say. I have largely been calcium deficient the past 2-3 years, resulting in osteopenia (thanks prednisone). If there's calcium deposition in my scalp, I don't know where it'd be coming from. The low calcium may also be a reason for the elevated prolactin, hard to say.

Re: fasting, every time my Crohn's flares, I enter life threatening cachexia. I am 6'4" and last April my body weight was 110lbs, and I almost died. Whether my body absorbs nothing or I abstain from food, it is functionally a fast. Fasting has never helped my condition, I have tried it during off and on periods of flaring. If anything, I am deficient and need nutritive bolstering.

Re: vitamin A, I have found the opposite to be true. I make my own desiccated liver capsules and I take them daily in an amount that equals one serving of cooked liver a week if I take them daily. Magnesium, vitamin A, and whole food C have resusitated me in amazing ways. I do agree though, it's good to take breaks and not take one thing forever.

Re: the forum, I know the baldness topic has been covered extensively. I have read many threads, but always leave feeling confused. The research posted is often contradictory, or just dense. I'm not a lazy reader but I don't have time to sift through hundreds of pages of data. That's why I was hoping some forum "experts" who are well read could summarize some ideas for me.

The main thing I've done is stopped taking pregnenolone and DHEA. They helped me a lot when I transitioned off prednisone, but as of late December 2018 they caused an excess in me. I could feel it. I'm hoping that rectifies the situation some.

I have a feeling elevated estrogen may be the cause. Since returning to the gym in November, I've made great gains, but I have a lot more "fleshy" muscle than usual and my body has a fat layer that I've never had before. I've been enjoying it because normally I'm underweight, but my hormone stack might've been too estrogenic. My sex drive was also insane which I attribute to estrogen.

 

[CDT]

I personally think every modern chronic disease and sign of poor health boils down to gut inflammation.

When my gut is happy, my hair shedding is gone and my hair looks really good. When I throw my body out of homeostasis, my hair takes a hit.

Idk if you pay attention to your stomach and the different signals it sends, but I think it could help.

Night, if I may ask, how much do you know about gut health. This is a topic that I am quite interested in and would like to hear more about it.

 

[Dayman]

have you looked through Danny Roddy's work?
I have some ideas
if you aren't already balance chicken with collagen. also have dark chocolate or l-tyrosine to control production of serotonin.
Try using Christopher's V-Vein Massage Oil or the ingredients in it with your dermaroller
Two products to help the dermatitis shampoo containing Selenium sulfide (eg selsun gold) and brylcream antidandruff hair cream. Get a shampoo with higher potency and shampoo less often.
In terms of the unwanted hair you may have too much aromatization 0f Testosterone into Estrogen. white button Mushrooms are a good aromatase inhibitors
Pregnenolone shouldn't be a problem but I would definately take less DHEA
also remember Ray has mentioned B vitamins reduce the "symptoms" of low PUFA so get a B complex and it will help

 

[Runenight201]

Night, if I may ask, how much do you know about gut health. This is a topic that I am quite interested in and would like to hear more about it.

I’m almost an expert on my own gut, but I can not generalize at large.

My entire approach for the past couple weeks has been observing my conscious and gastrointestinal states in relation to the food I ingest. I’ve come to realize that every single dietary input affects my conscious states, and there is something very pernicious in the SAD. I cannot eat that food anymore without feeling drugged. In fact I’ve come to realize that food itself is a drug, but the ingredients in the SAD are like meth to me.


This approach has gotten me closer to good health than all the supplements and theory in the world, and right now I take zero supplements.

When one really pays attention to how certain foods cause inflammation, sub-par cognition, poor moods, anxiety, depression, etc... the diet can be tweaked towards the foods that give energy and strength, and away from the foods that cause problems, or give no energy.

I think supplements which would allow one to eat whatever food and not have it cause problems are of merit, although I haven’t gone down this road.

Right now I am consuming wheat, tomatoes, mushrooms, meat, skim milk, coffee, oj, and bud light to positive effects.

 

[CDT]

have you looked through Danny Roddy's work?
I have some ideas
if you aren't already balance chicken with collagen. also have dark chocolate or l-tyrosine to control production of serotonin.
Try using Christopher's V-Vein Massage Oil or the ingredients in it with your dermaroller
Two products to help the dermatitis shampoo containing Selenium sulfide (eg selsun gold) and brylcream antidandruff hair cream. Get a shampoo with higher potency and shampoo less often.
In terms of the unwanted hair you may have too much aromatization 0f Testosterone into Estrogen. white button Mushrooms are a good aromatase inhibitors
Pregnenolone shouldn't be a problem but I would definately take less DHEA
also remember Ray has mentioned B vitamins reduce the "symptoms" of low PUFA so get a B complex and it will help

Thanks so much! Were you able to get results off of any of these methods alone?

 

[Orius]

I've had to become an expert on my own gut as well. It's why I think modern medicine is failing miserably at treating gut diseases. The treatments have to be so individualized, with so many variables considered. They can't just make a standard treatment that works on everyone. I guess, to some extent, the variable approach is true for a lot of chronic diseases.

This is somewhat off topic, but how long should a person wait after starting/stopping a hormone (like pregnenolone) before getting hormone testing to see if the picture has changed? I keep getting conflicting info. My endocrinologist said 6 weeks but I think that's over kill. Some sites say a week. Some say 72 hours.

 

[Dayman]

Thanks so much! Were you able to get results off of any of these methods alone?

they all have been helping
for overall gut balance I like lemon

 

[Runenight201]

they all have been helping
for overall gut balance I like lemon

I will have to agree with the cookie cutter YouTube vegans and their choice of lemon water. It’s almost impossible for me to drink normal water anymore, when I know just how much more hydrating and fulfilling lemon water is. I’ll also sometimes add honey to it when I need an extra kick of energy.

I also have been making soup with 4 basic ingredients. This soup is ideal for when energy is needed but digestion is taxed. I’ll make a roux base with equal parts animal fat and flour. I’ll then add in store bought broth, and top it off with herbs, leaves, and spices and let it simmer for 5-10 mins. The resulting soup is very rich and energy dense, soothing my stomach when it’s bloated yet hungry.

 

[Orius]

Back to the topic at hand...

Could taking pregnenolone on its own help with MPD, but having more available progesterone and cortisol? I have read all the major threads on this forum about this subject but the answers are all contradictory.

 

[ShotTrue]

My vertex is balding at an accelerated rate now and it's really freaking me out. I can't hone in on any factor in my life that could be causing it. My diet is pretty solid, except maybe eating too much chicken which I know is a PUFA source. I go to the gym twice a week. I am getting all the metabolic nutrients and co-factors, probably more so than any other time in my life. It seems like the healthier and more robust I get, the faster the baldness accelerates. I'm very tall and lean, but muscular. Mid 30's.

My scalp has really stubborn dermatitis, and has for years. Ketoconazole (Nizoral) has been effective in the past but doesn't seem to work anymore.

My scalp HURTS, especially near the vertex. It's sensitive to the touch. I figure this may be inflammation. I have been trying to read information on scalp fibrosis and calcification, but the information is dense and I'm a little lost.

The hair that I do have is thick and lush. My beard has also gotten a lot thicker in the past few months. One MPD co-pattern that has developed is that my chest is growing a lot more hair and I am even seeing hair on my shoulders. So something's up.

I'm going to get some blood work done to see if that reveals anything.

Things I'm already going to ask for: TSH, free T3, free T4, testosterone (bioavailable and total), estrogen, progesterone, prolactin, DHEA, AM cortisol, iron panel. Anything I should add?

I would get DHT but it's not covered and costs $200. Is it really vital that I get it?

I've read a lot of posts on this site already about how to manage MPB. I know it's a lifestyle. I'm trying in earnest.

My doctor of course recommends finasteride or minoxidil. I am tempted to try minoxidil, but I don't want sudden shedding, and I don't want to rely on a product forever. It also masks the problem.

Any advice would be appreciated. I am trying to come at this from all angles.

From Danny Roddy's twitter:
"Normal development & preservation of life is dependent on a normally functioning stress system. Stress alone can cause an inflammatory response. Thus, hormonal changes which characterize the stress response may induce an inflammatory process.' https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8597390

First you should check your hormones in case they are in bad levels and causing inflammation. It may be Substance P that is the inflammation aspect (as a result of hormone disorder)

 

[ShotTrue]

I personally think every modern chronic disease and sign of poor health boils down to gut inflammation.

When my gut is happy, my hair shedding is gone and my hair looks really good. When I throw my body out of homeostasis, my hair takes a hit.

Idk if you pay attention to your stomach and the different signals it sends, but I think it could help.

That's a big claim

 

[Orius]

From Danny Roddy's twitter:
"Normal development & preservation of life is dependent on a normally functioning stress system. Stress alone can cause an inflammatory response. Thus, hormonal changes which characterize the stress response may induce an inflammatory process.' https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8597390

First you should check your hormones in case they are in bad levels and causing inflammation. It may be Substance P that is the inflammation aspect (as a result of hormone disorder)

I just got my bloodwork done yesterday. Will post the results soon.

 

[Runenight201]

That's a big claim

Inflammation is involved in practically every modern degenerative disease, and it all starts from inappropriate food consumption in the gut.

 

[mujuro]

I personally think the muscular/mechanical aspect is unappreciated.

The frontalis, auricular, temporoparietalis, occipitalis and the suboccipital muscles are all involved. Overall posture plays a role. The posterior fascial line terminates around he back of the skull, where the occipitalis and superficial extensors share attachment sites on the occipital bone. A body that is not standing right, over years and years, will IMO translate to issues at the end of the fascial chain.

Notice how the skin around the mastoid process, the bony surfaces on back of your ear up into the hair line, is incredibly tight? This region always gets super itchy when I’m stressed or when my estrogen/prolactin is high. My vertex too, but less so. When I came off T3 and my thyroid shut down, it felt like these regions were constantly on fire. When I get stuck into the nuchal lines, around to the mastoid process, and even around to the zygomatic bone, my scalp feels significantly better. Better even than the typical detumescence massage, which only yields short term relief.

I deal with functional issues in my line of work, and it’s quite common to see people with clumpy, super-sensitive regions that are painful to touch, typically in the groin, the proximal bicep and calcaneal tendon. Years of neglect leads to attachments and fascial sheaths that are so thick, painful and un-pliable that it takes several sessions to even begin to break it down.

Of course, these regions all have considerably more fatty tissue, blood flow, etc. than the scalp. There are really no other regions on the body that have the skin pulled so taught over a bony surface besides the surface of the skull.

 

[ShotTrue]

Inflammation is involved in practically every modern degenerative disease, and it all starts from inappropriate food consumption in the gut.

You can't make that claim. I've taken AIs and started balding and had inflammation, with no change in diet.

 

[ShotTrue]

I personally think the muscular/mechanical aspect is unappreciated.

The frontalis, auricular, temporoparietalis, occipitalis and the suboccipital muscles are all involved. Overall posture plays a role. The posterior fascial line terminates around he back of the skull, where the occipitalis and superficial extensors share attachment sites on the occipital bone. A body that is not standing right, over years and years, will IMO translate to issues at the end of the fascial chain.

Notice how the skin around the mastoid process, the bony surfaces on back of your ear up into the hair line, is incredibly tight? This region always gets super itchy when I’m stressed or when my estrogen/prolactin is high. My vertex too, but less so. When I came off T3 and my thyroid shut down, it felt like these regions were constantly on fire. When I get stuck into the nuchal lines, around to the mastoid process, and even around to the zygomatic bone, my scalp feels significantly better. Better even than the typical detumescence massage, which only yields short term relief.

I deal with functional issues in my line of work, and it’s quite common to see people with clumpy, super-sensitive regions that are painful to touch, typically in the groin, the proximal bicep and calcaneal tendon. Years of neglect leads to attachments and fascial sheaths that are so thick, painful and un-pliable that it takes several sessions to even begin to break it down.

Of course, these regions all have considerably more fatty tissue, blood flow, etc. than the scalp. There are really no other regions on the body that have the skin pulled so taught over a bony surface besides the surface of the skull.

Calcification: Is it the real cause of Inflammation and Chronic Disease? - @Vladex - Psoriasis - 20100526 - Inspire

 

[Runenight201]

You can't make that claim. I've taken AIs and started balding and had inflammation, with no change in diet.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955286313000545

"In this review, we focus on lifestyle changes, especially dietary habits, that are at the basis of chronic systemic low grade inflammation, insulin resistance and Western diseases"

"With the advent of the agricultural and industrial revolutions, we have introduced numerous false inflammatory triggers in our lifestyle, driving us to a state of chronic systemic low grade inflammation that eventually leads to typically Western diseases via an evolutionary conserved interaction between our immune system and metabolism. The underlying triggers are an abnormal dietary composition and microbial flora, insufficient physical activity and sleep, chronic stress and environmental pollution. The disturbance of our inflammatory/anti-inflammatory balance is illustrated by dietary fatty acids and antioxidants. The current decrease in years without chronic disease is rather due to “nurture” than “nature,” since less than 5% of the typically Western diseases are primary attributable to genetic factors."

I'm not sure what your point is? You took anti-inflammatories, but still had inflammation, which contributes to the balding. Did you mean to say you had no inflammation but were still balding?