| Author | Message | ||
     yerr |
1. Ive started taking flax seed oil (1 table spoon per day) and just recently have found some info against it. What is your take on this information and do you think the good outweighs the bad. This article discusses that flax oil depresses the immune system, and increases free radicals in the body. 2. This is a weird thought of mine... Do you think the Scalp Exercise is more benefitial if you eat good foods and intake proper vitamins? By this I mean the blood that is brought to the scalp is in a sense "good". Sorry for the lack of a better term. I then want to ask if you think the Scalp Exercise is destructive if you eat junk food, hormone polluted beef/milk, lots of saturated fat, and of sugar all day long. 3. This may seem like an attack... but how come the picture you have from your "bad hair days" is with a towel over your head? I would think that in nearly a years time there would have been some photos taken showing you without a barrier for your hair. If you do have a pic I think that would provide some dam good inspiration to your following. Needless to say I am obsessed with the SE and do it all day everyday till my head pulses just for the peace of mind that I will not be the cause of failure. I have been doing it for about a month and a half and will give feedback around the 6 month mark. Hope these questions dont take too much of your time. Thanks for the site and your effort to help, your awesome. peace | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Yerr: 1. I read the long article by Bruce Fife, N.D. that you linked to. N.D., by the way, stands for Doctor of Naturopahty. (Would you go to a naturopath if you were ill?) Bruce Fife is a prolific writer. Here is a list of some of his books - The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil, Coconut Lover's Cookbook, Coconut Cures, Saturated Fat May Save your Life - the article was excerpted from that book. Do you see a theme here? The website that published his article is - Coconut-info.com - a website for the coconut industry. I get the distinct impression that Bruce Fife is a spokesman for that industry too. I don't think you'll find many nutritionists recommending coconut oil. It is extremely high in saturated fat. "The liver uses saturated fats to manufacture cholesterol. Therefore, excessive dietary intake of saturated fats can significantly raise the blood cholesterol level, especially the level of low-density-lipoproteins (LDLs), or "bad cholesterol." That quotation is from Prescription for Nutritional Healing by James F. Balch, M.D. There are many things in Fife's article that make me suspicious about his intellectual honesty. I think he has an agenda. I think he's an apologist for the coconut oil industry. I'm also suspicious about people in general who push one product or one nutrient or one magic ingredient. This is the political season when the ones who make the most noise are the one-issue people. People who focus on one thing get the most attention. Often these people do not have the cognitive depth to see the big picture. I stress many times when I write about the scalp exercise that this is not all there is. A good approach to hair loss (or anything else) is probably a multilayered approach - the scalp exercise, good diet, good health habits. Let me give a few quotations from Fife's article to show you what I mean - things that make me uneasy: "The best thing that can be said about alpha-linolenic acid [found in flaxseed oil] is that it has a neutralizing or balancing effect against the over-consumption of linoleic acid found in vegetable oils." Then he goes on to say, "Flaxseed can counterbalance these effects. In so doing, however, the body must suffer the ravages of internal warfare." Come on now - "...the body must suffer the ravages of internal warfare." And then this, "but if you understand how flaxseed oil works, you would consider it a dangerous drug to be used with extreme caution just as you would other powerful drugs, rather than look at it as a harmless dietary supplement." Back to the political analogy - you destroy your opponent first. My ideas about omega-6 and omega-3: I think a good ratio of these is about 4 to 1. (4 omega-6 to 1 omega-3) The typical American diet has a ratio of about 10 to 1. The omega-6 is found in the oils we usually use like soybean oil, peanut oil, and corn oil. The omega-3 is in walnuts, deepwater fish, fish oil, evening primrose softgels, and flaxseed oil. If you think that Dr. Fife might have some convincing ideas about the side effects of flaxseed oil, you have many other products to choose from. I take only a teaspoon of flaxseed oil each day. I thoroughly believe in moderation. 2. Even if you have a mediocre diet (fewer nutrient molecules in the blood), the scalp exercise is still a plus. But why settle for a mediocre diet? 3. I wish I had photos of myself when my hair looked bad. In those days, though, I always wore a cap even at the beach. "Needless to say I am obsessed with the SE and do it all day everyday till my head pulses just for the peace of mind that I will not be the cause of failure." You're going to burn out. Take it easy with the SE. The ones who start out with over-enthusiasm are usually the ones who quit in a few months. Then they get involved in a new program. It's like "spiritual" people going from one faith to another. | ||
| yerr |
Thanks for the response. I will continue to take flax oil daily at a moderate amount. Fife was harsh towards flax oil in a negative way and this was the first time I have seen these arguments against it. I feel better now clearly seeing where he stands on supplements. I have always been pretty healthy and extremely athletic but ever since the bitch of mpb kicked in I have become very concious of my diet. I still wonder: what if someone with a horrible diet (the worst diet you could think of) did the SE, would it be destructive because it is bringing poor nutritioned blood to the scalp? Dont worry about me burning out. I am obsessive compulisive, anal, and very intense. There is no way I could stop doing this because I wouldnt let myself live it down. I also just like the peace of mind from doing something that possible could be somewhat of a benefit. In my mind I tell myself that it will not do anything just so I wont be disappointed in the long run. It really is a rediculous idea, but mpb is not fully understood and in my view a rediculous condition. Why the hell would somthing attact hairs on the top of the head, what did they ever do that was so wrong. I have some hair on my ass that I dont like; do somthing productive and attack those. | ||
| Anonymous |
Yerr, In telling yourself the scalp exercise won't work, you are guaranteeing failure. Your intention and expectation has to be in line with your actions. Don't worry about what the SE would do to someone with a bad diet. Just concentrate on you. "Cultivate your own garden" as the saying goes--the garden of your hair! I don't care for flax oil myself. I use the meal instead, as I feel it has many helpful factors besides the oil. Fiber, for one. I've heard a lot of good things about coconut oil, although I am not presently taking it myself. There are several Yahoo e-groups devoted to sharing info about this! | ||
| roberto |
Wow! This is a lot of good information about nutrition. Thanks guys. The scalp exercise is probably BS but I'm doing it anyway just in case. | ||
| PKA |
Does anyone have any idea how well the body is able to assimilate the oil in flax seed meal? I like the idea of taking the seeds as a supplement but can't imagine them being easily digested. | ||
| Anonymous |
Tom, Here's a couple sites on the bad uses of flaxseed oil ..... http://www.mercola.com/blog/2004/jul/5/flax_seed_oil_actually_increases_prostate _cancer_while_fish_oil_decreases_ http://www.mercola.com/2001/jul/21/flaxseed.htm If these links don't work you can just go to mercola.com and type in flaxseed oil under the search area and read what he thinks of it. | ||
| PKA |
Well, Dr Mercola answered my question in your first link, Anonymous. I should consume my flaxseed freshly ground in a coffee grinder. This is superior to highly unstable refined flaxseed oil. Thanks for the links. | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
I'll have to reconsider flaxseed oil. Those articles by Dr. Mercola were convincing. Thanks for the links. | ||
| Anonymous |
No problem Tom and PKA. | ||
| Anonymous |
Is there any correlation ever know between hairloss and flaxseed oil caplets or Cetapyhl face cleanser/moisturizer? Ever since I started using both, I've been losing more hair.. By the way.. I'm 33 and a woman. Thanks! | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Anonymous: There is some controversy about the benefits of flaxseed oil and its possible negative side effects. I used to use it; now I don't. I do use flax seeds powder mixed with oatmeal for breakfast though. There is no controversy about the benefits of that. Flax seeds powder is a good source of the omega-3 fatty acid plus many phytochemicals, lignans being one. I use Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. The company has been in business for 23 years. Their products all have good reputations. Paula Begoun in Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me praises the Cetaphil Cleanser. I don't see how there could be any risk of hair loss by using this cleanser. | ||
| Anonymous |
Well since Paula Begoun champions it, maybe i should go on the Cetaphil diet. |
