For those that missed part 1 of this series, please read up here.
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Ho Shou Wu, although not studied by western medicine, has a long history in Chinese medicine as a pro-hair herb. I have no idea if the shake would perform any better than a placebo. There are so many ingredients in his formulation that one might suggest that something in there will positively impact hair loss. To me, it is like a shotgun approach to the problem. It may actually work, but it is expensive and it is an unproven treatment. If I hear that there is a demand for his shake from our patients, I can order it for them. I’m interested in anything that makes outcomes better, regardless of the source.

We have seen people taking every imaginable supplement known to man, including antioxidants, HGH (human growth hormone), steroids, as well as those who use lasers and even PRP (protein rich plasma)… yet everyone doing these things are still losing their hair.

When doctors have compared identical twins, occasionally we see twins with different degrees of hair loss. Causes for this could include: smoking, exposure to sunlight, stress, and dietary/lifestyle differences. It is not that doctors have ignored these other epigenetic factors, but it reflects the medical profession’s ignorance of how these factors impact the genes we are dealt with. It appears clear to me that there are dietary and lifestyle factors that are influencing the epigenetics of male genetic balding and if we knew more, we could do more than prescribe finasteride and Rogaine to change them. It may also be the reason that laser light appears to have some influence, even from a placebo perspective.

Diet clearly is a very important factor. There was a mouse study that showed a fat yellow mouse placed on a particular diet became thin and gray, and in turn had thin, gray babies. Those offspring had thin gray babies on the same diet, but when the fat yellow mice who had turned thin and gray were again fed the original diet, they became fat and yellow again. This study illustrates the heritability of epigenetic influences and also the impact of diet in influencing the genetics of these mice. This opens up a whole new Pandora’s box for doctors. All of the treatments we have written off as “snake oils” or placebo effects often come from our patients or this blog that report that their hair grew better on such oral supplements. Could they have actually worked? Although I believe that DHT is a huge player in male genetic hair loss, it may not be the only important factor.

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Part 3 (the finale) will be published tomorrow.

This post was in part taken from an email sent by the brilliant Dr. Sharon Keene in Tucson, Arizona.

Snippet from the article:

She describes motherhood as ‘amazing’, but Selma Blair has candidly revealed she is experiencing an unwanted side affect. The Cruel Intentions actress, 39, who gave birth to son Arthur Saint four months ago, has revealed she is suffering post-partum hair loss.

‘This is so not glamorous, but it’s true: I need to take longer showers so that I can collect the hair that falls out and throw it away so I don’t clog the drain,’ she tells People magazine.

‘Why do actresses never talk about that?’ She continued: ‘It just started falling out at the three-month mark. And I’m not a girl who likes extensions, so Selma’s going to be bald!’

Read the rest — Selma Blair reveals she’s suffering hair loss after birth of son

I’ve written about hair loss after pregnancy before, and it can be a normal occurrence caused by hormonal changes. Obviously, celebrities are not immune to this. There is little that can be done to prevent it, but more info can be found at the American Pregnancy Association.

This is a lengthy post that will probably lead to more questions, but while most topics have been covered on this site over the years, one topic hasn’t had much attention until now.

There is a field called epigenetics that addresses those heritable factors, other than our DNA, that impact how we express our genes. We have long suspected that diet plays an important role, but the science that backs this up has been lacking. We know, for example, that there are some known dietary anti-androgens out there like turmeric (spice used in many Indian and Asian dishes), as well as the omega 3 fatty acids, which may be why a diet higher in fish/fish oil may impede hair loss and why the Westernization of diets in Asia may have accelerated it.

Dr Masumi Inaba of Japan wrote two books in the early 1990s (Androgenetic Alopecia and Human Body Odor), which were translated into English and published by Springer around 1996. He always claimed that there had been a significant increase in hair loss in Japan post-WWII and he attributed this to increased fat in the Japanese diet due to Western influences. This was back in the late 1980s. Again, the shadow of diet and hair loss is interwoven. As an aside, Inaba was also the first person to describe his FUE technique in detail.

At the last ISHRS meeting, a “power shake” that increased hair growth in those impacted with genetic hair loss was discussed. Dr. Jerry Shapiro presented his “power shake” at the meeting (PDF here), which is essentially a whey protein concentrate formulation loaded with a variety of elements that have been reported to help all people grow their hair faster after a hair transplant.

What about the individuals who are nutritionally deficient? Are we all nutritionally deficient in some way? The basic questions raised by many doctors is that those individuals who are known to have poor nutrition (e.g. alcoholics) have not shown to demonstrate significant hair loss apart from the general population. One might suggest that these particular individuals metabolize testosterone differently than non-nutritionally deprived people by producing estrogen instead of DHT, thereby protecting their hair from the ravages of genetic balding. There is intriguing data on cysteine/glutathione and hair, which would be boosted by the undenatured whey in his power shake. Kudzu root has known anti-inflammatory properties.

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Read part 2 here.

This post was in part taken from an email sent by the brilliant Dr. Sharon Keene in Tucson, Arizona.

What are the symptoms of bacterial and fungus infections.Can they permanently destroy your hair and leave you with thinning hair?

Some symptoms of bacterial or fungal infection of your scalp may produce (but not all) some of the following symptoms: pain, irritation, itchiness, foul smell, discharge, fever, and hair loss. These are very general and vague symptoms and the main point you should take away is to see your primary care doctor if you are concerned about an infection!

The Internet is a horrible way to self diagnose or self treat medical issues (even hair loss). If you leave infections untreated, you can possibly lose your hair permanently.