Most men who’ve investigated treatments for their hair loss are familiar with pharmaceuticals called Proscar and Propecia. These drugs are known to limit the levels of dihydrotestosterone, a hormone made from testosterone, which has been implicated as the primary cause of genetically-related hair loss. But what about over-the-counter vitamins, herbs and minerals? Could these too do the same thing, at a potentially lower cost, and perhaps with less side effects? The evidence is in that this is not only possible, but probably a more effective way to go in the long run.
Our tendency to believe synthetic chemicals produced by the scientists in well-funded labs MUST be making drugs more effective than nature. At the same time, these same scientists are spending millions of dollars and lots of time looking for natural compounds to extract, and then patent a unique delivery system so they can call them their own. But when you think about it, there’s nothing their doing that evolution hasn’t been doing already — making new chemicals! It’s just that the pharmaceutical companies then spend millions of dollars in research on humans to prove their chemicals work just a little bit better than a placebo — where this isn’t financially feasible in the case of herbs and nutrients.
The fact of the matter is that there is a good bit of data revealing that a good many natural medicines have the biochemical activity necessary to prevent hair loss. It’s just that these studies have been done in a laboratory, looking at how chemical “A” affects chemical “B”. It’s just too expensive to test whether a particular supplement affects hair growth in humans on the statistical scale demanded by the FDA. And you’ll never see the researchers combine 5 supplements, like any man with a reasonable level of obsessive-compulsive behavior about his hair would be taking. But it’s really pretty easy to put your faith in combining several supplements that address multiple conditions involved in male pattern baldness…and here’s how you might go about it.
We can divide up the supplement program into three categories: lowering of DHT production and activity, reducing inflammation (and thereby improving nutrient flow) at the follicles, and supplying nutrients necessary for the actual growth of hair.
To prevent DHT formation and block its binding at hair follicles, the big supplements are saw palmetto berry extract, nettle root extract, flax seed lignans, and soy isoflavones. There are more, but these are the ones that everyone agrees upon will do what you need. Note that the saw palmetto berry should always be an extract, not just the berry itself (it won’t be strong enough). Same with the nettle root.
Your better off taking one or more off these supplements together, as they attack the source of hair loss from different angles. Some will block DHT production while others will prevent its binding at receptor sites. You can find high quality combinations of several of these supplements together in formulas for reducing prostate gland swelling. The same issues implicating DHT as the cause of swelling of the prostate gland are those involved in male pattern baldness. (And because these supplements very clearly work for reducing prostate swelling, they’re more than likely going to have positive benefits for hair loss prevention.)
Soybean extracts sound a little weird — aren’t these for women who need extra estrogen? It turns out that bacteria naturally found in our digestive system turn certain components of soybean extracts into a chemical that has the strongest DHT inhibiting qualities of any known compound to date.
Finally, much of the death of hair follicles seems to the the result of inflammation. Reducing inflammation throughout your body is not only a good idea for treating hair lost, but important for overall anti-aging benefits. The best choice for supplementation is an easily absorbed form of curcumin, an extract from the spice turmeric. Just look for a brand that’s been formulated specifically to be easily absorbed by the body. One company is patenting a combination of resveratrol (the anti-aging nutrient found in red wine) with curcumin, so adding resveratrol won’t hurt either.
As for nutrients that simply support, and perhaps signal the growth of hair: B-vitamins, specifically biotin and inositol; Sulfur sources such as methyl-sulfonyl-methane (”msm”); The amino acids l-taurine, l-arginine and l-lysine; essential fats from flaxseed oil, hempseed oil and coconut oil. All these play some roll in hair growth, and being deficient in any of them can lead to slower hair growth or potentially faster hair loss.
This is a fairly comprehensive list of the currently recommended natural supplements for treatment of male pattern baldness. By taking several of these, your almost assured of results as good as any one pharmaceutical preparation. The critical thing is to believe in them as strongly as you would if you’d received them from your doctor and pharmacist, and keep taking them daily for several months. You might even think about combining them with some topical natural treatment, such as a blend of essential oils. The oils used in “aromatherapy” are actually potent medicines themselves, many of which are known to have constituents which signal the growth of new tissues and cells — like hair follicles — and could synergize well with your internal supplement program.
The author is the co-owner of anandaapothecary.com - More aromatherapy resources are available on this site.
Technorati Tags: aromatherapy, beauty, essential oils, hair-loss, Health, herbs, natural, self improvement, supplements, Vitamins