| Author | Message | ||
     TM |
Just for curiosity, how many people who you know, have had success with the scalp exercises, and what is the type of success they've seen? It is an interesting theory, I'm just curious about the anecdotal evidence in total. Thanks. | ||
| Tom Hagerty (Admin) |
TM: Anecdotal evidence is all I have except for six people who I know personally. Of the six people who I have examined close up after they have done the exercises for at least six months, two have had substantial growth of terminal hair, three have had some growth of terminal hair, and one had no new growth of hair. The upper faces of all these people look better, though, because of the toning up of the facial muscles. There was a seventh person - a woman - who just could not learn to control the occipitalis muscles at the back of the head. The anecdotal evidence is e-mails from people who have done the exercises. I've have many (perhaps fifty) people who are happy with the results. I've had no negative e-mails yet. Of course that does not mean there were no failures. Probably some people just lost interest in the program and quit. These people would not send me an e-mail. As you can see, and as I have noted in My Approach, the evidence in not "scientific." The statistics would not convince anyone as to the efficacy of the program. I'm a true believer in the program, though, because of what the scalp exercises did for me. But I am also sophisticated about statistics and know that the success of one or a few people is almost meaningless. You wanted a straight answer. This is it. | ||
| TM |
Thanks. I appreciate your honesty. Is there any common thread among the successes or the failures? Diet breakdowns, sleep, exercise history and fitness level, extent of hair loss at start, type of hairloss, Caffiene, fluid intake, bodyfat/muscle ratios, or other environmental factors of which you're aware? | ||
| Tom Hagerty (Admin) |
TM: Of the six people I examined close up for progress or lack thereof, only one had a large bald spot. This man did not make any progress. The others had varying degrees of frontal hairline thinning. As I said, two of these made good progress (new growth of terminal hair) and three made moderate progress. All of this group was in general good health as far as I know. Only one smoked - the man with the bald spot. I did not catalogue the important variables you mentioned - fitness level, sleep patterns, body fat/muscle ratios. Of the e-mail group, many wrote good testimonials, some of which sounded plausible. It was all general stuff though. I got no "bad" testimonials. One man wrote that he saw hair growth after two weeks. Of course this was nonsense - only Chinese herbs can grow hair that fast. (What's the name of that shrine in France? Rapid hair growth is possible there too, from what I've heard.) Oh yes, there was one common thread. All of the people who stayed with the program were men. Women were interested in the program and they sent me many e-mails. Evidently they were not interested enough to stay with the program. You asked me some sharp, thoughtful questions. This means that you've probably been thinking about MPB for some time. Do you have any preferred approach to the problem? | ||
| TM |
Actually, I'm just beginning to thin in the temples, at 27. I actually think it might be due to my stopping an intense exercise program for two months due to an injury. Needless to say I'm pleased to hear I am in the group which seems to respond best. At this point when my head is shaved down, it is not noticable, so I may get off scot free if the exercises work for me. I have a naturally high level of control of the muscles, and I am motivated, so maybe, especially now that I'm geting back to training. I just noticed some thinning two weeks back or so as my hair grew out (I normally keep it pretty short), and it got me wondering why hair in one place would thin and die back, while hair right next to it wouldn't, so I have done some research. I guess the Galea is involved somehow, as I lean away from the theory it involves something during embryogenisis. Limiting blood flow is perfectly plausible. Your approach actually makes sense. I'm sure the exercise of the muscles in that area increases oxygen demand, which increase VEGF release, at least locally in the muscles to stimulate angiogenisis. It is not to hard to imagine some VEGF drifting into blood and then into surrounding tissue, and increasing vascularity there as well. Also, I don't know how the blood flows, but if it passes through the Frontalis and the occipitus first, then travels on to the scalp, if those muscles are being exercised, then they will upregulate the number of testosterone receptors on their surface, maybe binding out the test from the blood before it hits the scalp. I am a biochemist dealing with endocrinology of fish, so all my questions are part of a natural urge to limit variables in an experiment. Plus, I generally grasp the concepts behind MPB due to my schooling. You should prep a questionaire with as many lifestyle variables as you can think of, and mail it back to people who send you testimonials. I'm sure you will find common threads somewhere. Maybe create a form for your site for submitting testimonials, which will process the info and send it to your E-mail. Others besides those in the post above to consider : Preference towards hot food (Capsacin in pepper dilates blood vessels) Natural Vascularity Breathing during reps (There are conflicting studies on the effects of hypoxia during training on VEGF synthesis and release) Not sure what effect holding your breath would have. Other exercises for jaw muscles, like chewing gum regularly. I also went back to chewing gum. Two sticks at a time, for reps. I figure that way I'm getting all the muscle groups. I can watch muscles that reach to my temples flex during this. Oily foods and oily skin. McDonalds is known for increasing oily skin. Does this oil enhance the actions of 5 alpha reductase, or does it flush out DHT from the sebacious gland? I do notice the scalp exercises seem to pump all the oil out of the pores in my scalp and forehead. I noticed it first while doing them right after showering, now I do them before, which is another variable to consider. Hair washing Frequency/relation to exercise timing. Types of fruits, especially Pinapple. I began eating two cans of chunk pinapple per day two months ago. Maybe related, maybe not. Job stress. Other dietary supplements taken, MSM, Saw Palmetto, whey protein, creatine, glucosamine/chondroitan etc. Daily water intake. When not exercising, I began skimping on what had been a large water intake. Salt intake. There are a lot of variables, but if you flesh them all out, I'm sure you would see common threads among the successes. Finally, what is up with the small muscle in the follicle? I guess it is a goosebump muscle, designed to raise the hair. I wonder if you found out a way to contract those small muscles (frequent exposure to the type of cold which causes goosebumps? Fear?) whether they would have any effect on drawing blood to the follicle, and stimulating angiogenisis. I would imagine they would. It would be a clever evolutionary mechanism as well. You get cold, the muscle cotracts to fluff out the hair to warm you, and simultaneously draws blood to the follicle, stimulating angiogenisis, which both nourishes it and strengthens it so it can fluff out stronger next time, and thickens the hair for later cold exposure. Maybe you should add scary movies to the regimen? Just kidding. I would wonder about electrical stimulation, though, or for the really die hard and gifted, simulating the tingly sensation of raising your hair up on end. I've got to go. Best to you. TM | ||
| TM |
I forgot an important one. Alcohol intake. Some studies have linked Alcohol intake and VEGF. It seems alcohol intake may enhance VEGF production, but it is not known if it is temporary, if it eventually rebounds and limits it's effect, or other things (effect of being fit, effect of diet in conjuction with it, etc.). In light of the benefit of alcohol on angiogenisis in cardiovascular disease of the heart, it might have some benefit for cardiovascular disease of the hair follicle, so to speak. For the record Alcohol does fight heart disease itself - it is not just the flavenoids in wine. They found people who had a deficient enzyme in the liver for breaking down alcohol, thus these people were exposed to more alcohol per serving as they didn't eliminate it quickly like other people - it hung around in the blood. There was a definite benefit in terms of heart disease. Clever study, too. Quick and cheap. Now I've got to go. Best, TM | ||
| Tom Hagerty (Admin) |
TM: You have a background in biochemistry; I'm a student of molecular biology. One concept that perhaps you're familiar with and that I'd like to understand better is "Potassium channel openers (agonists)." Upjohn, when they try to explain how Rogaine works, gives opening K channels as one of the reasons. Can you give me any help or clarification on this? I talked to a doctor at Upjohn about the subject. I got a vague response. There are many things in your post that I'm thinking about. It'll take a while to digest all of it. You mentioned the arrector pili muscles. These are smooth involuntary muscles connecting the hair follicles to the skin. I wonder if the scalp exercise could passively tone these muscles up too and perhaps increase blood flow to them. Just having some alcohol in your system and seeing The Exorcist III might be the way to go here. You are in a favored category for success with the scalp exercises - you understand why they might work, you have control of the occipitalis muscles, you're young, you do not have any large bald areas, and you're male. If you sprout new hair, tell me about it. | ||
| Username |
Hello, I been doing the exercise since end of October of 2001, about 4 months, I do it 2-3 times a day for about 7-10 mins. I have not seen any new hair yet. My scalp and the hair that I have in the sides and back feels very much alive, not like before (feeling greasy and dead like). The scalp feels more loose, and the forehead youthfull. I lost a lot vellous hairs, Im alsmot bald in the top of my head. When can I see results ? Have you seen a full recuperation in the top of head (with other patients ? Yours Cordially, Rafael Delmar | ||
| Username |
Tom, I smoke, and you have said that only the bald man did not grow hair. Could that be the case for me ? | ||
| Tom Hagerty (Admin) |
Rafael Delmar: The people who I have seen personally had moderate to dense growth of real hair (not vellus hair) in thinning areas after at least eight months. I've had e-mails from people who say they have had hair growth on top but I have not seen any of these people personally. I did not have any bald spots on my own scalp - only a moderate but worrisome thinning of the frontal hairline. It would be nice to give you more optimistic encouragement, but the truth is that it is easier to halt hair loss than to regrow new hair on bald spots. You have the right schedule for the exercise. Are you sure that you are getting the full extension and contraction of the muscles on both the front and back of you head? Smoking constricts the small capillaries that nourish the hair follicles. It would be better for your follicle health and for your general health if you could give up that habit. I hope that you will post a message here in another four months and tell me if you made any gains or if you did not make any gains. | ||
| TM |
Tom, I deal more in terms of endocrinology of fish now, though obviously I've been through the meatgrinder learning as much as possible about everything, before embarking on a specialty, so I can figure part of this out with just a search on the internet, combined with my basic knowledge, though I have no idea why K channels would affect hair growth. I am not sure what your AOE was, so I will assume you don't understand anything, and start from there. If you already know it, no harm done. K channels are basically little machines which are mounted in a membrane, and allow Potassium ions (K+) from one side to another, when stimulated. Basically "K pumps" move all the potassium to one side of the membrane using ATP for energy, and then a channel, when properly stimulated, opens, and allows the ions to flood back to the other side, which they want to do since they want to move from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration. Mostly used in nerves and muscles, to allow a signal to be conducted by the channels which are stimulated to open by channels next to them opening. Thus the body opens a channel at one end, and the ions flooding through stimulates the channels next to it to open, and so on, producing a wave of opening channels which travels down the nerve, transmitting the signal. Ion channels also affect the constriction of capillaries, though I am not sure to what degree potassium channels have this effect. Not sure how it would be involved in regrowth of hair, and I saw a site which said other Potassium channel agonist have been shown not to grow hair, so maybe the water is still a bit murky there, and the guy just didn't want to admit he didn't know? I did see some info on K channels being involved in cell death in heart attacks, and K Channel agonists preventing the cell death somewhat, but I am not sure that applies here, as they just staved off death for a little longer. From http://www.minoxidil.com/faq.htm "Q. What was the first FDA approved medication for MPB? A. Topical minoxidil. A 2% solution with the proprietary name of Rogaine or Regaine was manufactured by Upjohn Pharmaceutical and approved by the U.S. FDA in 1988. Ironically, we still do not know exactly how or why minoxidil promotes hair growth. Although we know that it is a potassium channel opener, other medications that also function as potassium channel openers do not promote hair growth. Minoxidil promotes enhanced follicular size, resulting in larger hair shaft diameters. It also stimulates and prolongs the anagen (growing) phase of the hair growth cycle." I did see a study on medline which indicated Minoxidil may upregulate VEGF production, which would explain the thicker hairs, whcih is a hallmark of VEGF. I will try to attach the abstract at the end of this. Knowing what I know of endocrinology, I can say it is unlikely VEGF levels can be raised without affecting something else, so it might just be a bystander calling whatever is really involved into play, though I have no idea, myself. With growth hormone, if you alter just that one hormone, you change a whole range of other's, including IGF, SRIF, GHRH, LH, Insulin, and some steroids, not to mention the changes in receptor densities on cell surfaces for all the various hormones, which change with the concentrations of the hormones. Tough to say what exactly is at work, if raising one hormone, steroid, growth factor etc produces an effect. I'll stop by if I see new hair, and let you know. In the meantime, other variables I thought of were type of hair (straight/curly), hair color, type of baldness, age at onset, and speed of onset. Here's the abstract. Sorry I can't help more with the K channels, but perhaps the reason I can't is no one knows. Either that, or Rogaine does increase VEGF, and Upjohn is afraid a VEGF mix will come out, and blow them away, since applying VEGF directly would nix the need for Rogaine, and maybe be more effective, with less desensitization. So they are now trying to claim they use some other mechanism, in the hopes they will continue to sell Rogaine to "augment" the VEGF cream the way Propecia is used with Rogaine. This is all business afterall, and I'm sure their marketing guys are looking ahead. I would not be surprised in the near future they fund a study which "proves" how Rogaine grows hair through the K channel method. Who will know for sure? Best, TM 1: Br J Dermatol 1998 Mar;138(3):407-1 Minoxidil upregulates the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in human hair dermal papilla cells. Lachgar S, Charveron M, Gall Y, Bonafe JL. Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire Cutanee, Institut de Recherche Pierre Fabre, Faculte de Medecine Rangueil, Toulouse, France. The hair follicle dermal papilla which controls hair growth, is characterized in the anagen phase by a highly developed vascular network. We have demonstrated in a previous study that the expression of an angiogenic growth factor called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mRNA varied during the hair cycle. VEGF mRNA is strongly expressed in dermal papilla cells (DPC) in the anagen phase, but during the catagen and telogen phases. VEGF mRNA is less strongly expressed. This involvement of VEGF during the hair cycle allowed us to determine whether VEGF mRNA expression by DPC was regulated by minoxidil. In addition, the effect of minoxidil on VEGF protein synthesis in both cell extracts and DPC-conditioned medium, was investigated immunoenzymatically. Both VEGF mRNA and protein were significantly elevated in treated DPC compared with controls. DPC incubated with increasing minoxidil concentrations (0.2, 2, 6, 12 and 24 mumol/L) induced a dose-dependent expression of VEGF mRNA. Quantification of transcripts showed that DPC stimulated with 24 mumol/L minoxidil express six times more VEGF mRNA than controls. Similarly, VEGF protein production increases in cell extracts and conditioned media following minoxidil stimulation. These studies strongly support the likely involvement of minoxidil in the development of dermal papilla vascularization via a stimulation of VEGF expression, and support the hypothesis that minoxidil has a physiological role in maintaining a good vascularization of hair follicles in androgenetic alopecia. PMID: 9580790 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] | ||
| Tom Hagerty (Admin) |
TM: Thanks for all the material. I'm studying it closely. By the way, what does AOE mean? I assume it means "adult-onset egomania." This is a sentence that got my attention: "These studies strongly support the likely involvement of minoxidil in the development of dermal papilla vascularization via stimulation of VEGF expression, and support the hypothesis that minoxidil has a physiological role in maintaining a good vascularization of hair follicles in androgenetic alopecia." Saturday morning I made a new video of the scalp exercises. I hope we can get it onto a CD-R disc. In other words, it has to be less than 700 MB. I'll know probably Tuesday if the master CD is OK. If it is, I'd like to send you a copy. I'd like your evaluation. The sound is good except for a little whirr in the background. My technician friend said that he may be able to clean this up with a Dolby something-or-other. If not, we'll shoot it again, this time with an external mic. | ||
| TM |
Tom : AOE was Area Of Expertise. And in my case, it would be Adolescent Onset Egomania, since my sense of humor and overall mentality was arrested at around age 14. One other idea. You said, " You mentioned the arrector pili muscles. These are smooth involuntary muscles connecting the hair follicles to the skin. I wonder if the scalp exercise could passively tone these muscles up too and perhaps increase blood flow to them. " I was thinking about this. Before I shaved my hair back down, it was about an inch or so long, maybe a little longer. Twice, at the beginning, I got up in the morning, with my hair all pressed around from sleeping on it. I did the exercises, and noticed after fifteen minutes, the hair was standing up, the way it had been the night before. I had assumed heat from the exercises causing blood flow were the cause. Now I wonder if it could have been the arrector pili pulling the hair back to vertical. Follow me here. A muscle connects two points. In the middle is the muscle. On each side the muscle becomes tendon, which then inserts into the bone it will pull on. Inside the tendon is the "Golgi tendon organ". Basically it is a nerve which senses rapid stretching of the tendon and triggers a reflexive muscle contraction. When the doctor whacks your knee with the little hammer, he is stimulating the golgi organ, which then causes you to kick. It's supposed to prevent injury by causing the muscle to flex, and stabilize the joint in a rapid movement, preventing, say, hyperextension. Now this whole idea would depend on whether the arrector pili has a golgi tendon organ. They might not, as there would be no evolutionary need for them, but then again, they might, just because the genes which produce muscles and tendons throw one in everywhere muscle and tendon form, rather than have a separate set of instruction for pili muscle formation. If it doesn't have a golgi, this would not work. But if it does, then perhaps as the galea slides over the skull, and is snapped taught by the Occipitus and Frontalis, some of the arrector pili, which I assume insert into the galea, get pulled, and yanked, causing a reflexive contraction, which then uses blood, and causes some increased capillary formation to feed the newly "exercised" muscle. Don't know where you'd find out if the arrector pili have golgi tendon organs in their tendons, or even if anyone would have bothered to look. But if that were the case, it might mean it would be better to perform the exercises quickly and with explosiveness, to jar the galea as aggressively as possible. Thin theory, but maybe. Plus, guys who can't move their galea because of a tight scalp would never jar the pili, and cause this stimulation. On this : " I'll know probably Tuesday if the master CD is OK. If it is, I'd like to send you a copy. I'd like your evaluation. " I appreciate your respecting my opinion that much, but I have been spending all my excess cash on growth factors, hormones, and steroids, for some work I'm doing at home, and have put off buying the new computer for quite a few years now. I can't do video on this computer, and can't even view some web pages (Keratin.com locks me up, so I have yet to see it). Plus, sometimes when I turn the hand crank in the back to boot it up, the handle breaks, and I've got to get a new one. Well, maybe I made that last one up. But even if I could view video I'm not sure I'd have much to add, as you surely know more about the exercises than I do. Thanks though, I appreciate the offer. After my first Nobel Prize (Har har) I'll get a new computer and we'll talk. It might take a while, though. Best, TM | ||
| Freddie |
Arrector pili if I'm not mistaken are involuntary muscles. They are usually activated involuntarily in response to a certain event - fear, chill..etc. When these muscles contract on your arms, they make your hair stand on end better known as goose bumps. Much like the muscles controlling the heart, I don't think a person can gain control over them and use them at will. Muscles that these scalp exercises are using are not arrector pili. Arrector pili muscles are attached to the hair follicle in the scalp. These muscles on the other hand are attached beneath the skin layer of the scalp. | ||
| Tom Hagerty (Admin) |
TM: Here's what it says about the arrector pili muscles in Gray's Anatomy: "They arise from the superficial area of the corium, and are inserted into the outer surface of the hair follicle, below the entrance of the duct of the sebaceous gland." I have beautiful microphotographs in front of me. I don't think these muscles insert into the galea. By the way, right under "galea" in Taber's Medical Dictionary is "galeanthropy." I hope that neither one of us is afflicted by this malady: "A delusion that one has become transformed into a cat." I'm looking at the Golgi tendon organs in my twenty pound biology book. The example used of this proprioceptor is, of all things, a fish. You wrote, "The hair was standing up. I had assumed heat from the exercises causing blood flow was the cause." I have the same experience after I do the advanced exercise. I do not describe the advanced exercise in my Web site. My motive for this little oversight is to seduce people into buying my booklet and video. When you win the Nobel Prize and get your new computer, send me a note and you'll get the CD with all my secrets for instant luxuriant hair. But I think you can safely forget about that Nobel Prize. The committee usually does not award people from the same country the prize in biology. Since I intend to win the prize, that leaves you out in the cold. (Unless you apply pressure on the French judge) When you rejected my offer of the CD, I assumed you had a hidden agenda. Perhaps you just got out of the penitentiary (convicted of hair fraud) and want to keep your identity under wraps. Hair fraud is not nice. | ||
| Tom Hagerty (Admin) |
Freddie: I don't think you can gain control of these arrector pili muscles either. I keep all kinds of theories juggling around in my mind, though, just to keep the brain cells intact. If I were a true hair guru, I wouldn't need all the interesting feedback I get on this discussion forum. A true guru has all the answers; I don't. If I want "truth" about hair growth, I'll probably have to go to the people who sell Chinese herbs. | ||
| tm |
I wasn't saying you would gain control of the arrector pili, as you would a normal muscle, but rather that if they have a golgi tendon, you could cause a reflex contraction, however small, by jarring the muscle, and triggering the golgi tendon, perhaps during the exercise. Sort of like how you could trigger the quads by smacking the tendon just below the knee, without attempting to contract it physically. I know after less than a month, I can really jar the galea, which I would assume jars the pili somewhat, as does the sudden stretching of the skin. If there is a golgi organ in the pili, it could trigger a small reflexive contraction, using oxygen, stimulating blood flow, and promoting vascularity (However small), as muscles do when exercised. It might also, after two or three hundred small reflexive contractions, pull the hair vertical gradually over ten minutes or so. That effect really surprised me, especially since I was still in the beginning of gaining control over the muscles Then again, if there is no golgi, and there might well not be, that theory would not apply, and I would be totally off. As for the Nobel Tom, just hope the Russians are not in contention for the peace prize, or you will be in trouble, as I will surely rig something that will flip the French judge. (That was pretty funny by the way) Thanks for the offer of the tape. Someday when I am more solvent. Maybe I can get you to pay for my hair fraud lawyer in the mean time? best, TM | ||
| TM |
One other interesting thing. I read today an Olympic athlete was barred from his sport for two years for testing positive for the Anabolic steroid nadrolone, and thus missed the winter games. He claims he never took anything, and that it must have been in his Protein powder meal replacement. I saw a study once on medline, All races of men, with the exception of asians, when ingesting 19-Nor-Androstenediol, excreted Nandrolone in their urine. Now 19 Nor diol is perfectly legal, and available over the counter as a dietary supplement. It would be interesting if some enterprising protein power manufacturer decided to "help" his powder produce more of an effect than other powders by quietly adding this to the mix. The effect on baldness would be to increase Testosterone like hormonal activity, thus upregulating 5 alpha reductase activity, and probably increasing DHT. Just interesting to me the innocuous meal replacement powders I was taking could have increased hair loss. TM | ||
| Tom Hagerty (Admin) |
TM, When I used to live in Santa Monica I worked out at Gold's gym. Most of the guys were on anabolic steroids. It was part of gym culture. I never wanted bulk - I wanted definition especially in the abs (which I still have) so I never used the steroids. Two years ago when I went back to California for a three month visit, I visited Venice and Muscle Beach. All the guys I used to work out with at Gold's were now bald although still in great shape. Stay away from "innocuous" meal replacement powders unless you want to look like Kojak. Your idea about the Golgi tendon organ makes me want to find out if the arrector pili muscles have it. Next week I'm going over to the Loyola Medical Library and see what I can find. When you settle on a schedule for the exercise, I hope you'll post a message here. I'd like to know how many reps, sets, how fast, and how long the workout takes. Of course I'd also like to know if you stabilized your hair loss or grew new hair - or if you didn't. | ||
| Rafael |
Hi Tom, Well, I been doing the excercise since Nov. 2001. No results I seen for now, except, a better looking forehead. I also noticed I lost a lot of vellous hair in top. I´m expecting to grow hair new strong hair for now. Hair in sidelines its growing strong and thick. I will post on new developments. | ||
| Tom Hagerty (Admin) |
Rafael: You've been doing the scalp exercise for five months now. Everyone who does these exercises for a period of time has a better-looking forehead and firmer facial muscles. But you're interested in halting hair loss and in growing hair where you lost it. Please keep doing the exercise and keep me posted on the results. Some people have written to me saying they've had no results other than better facial muscles. Less than 50% told me that they have grown new hair - possibly the result of the scalp exercises. I hope you post your results here even if the results are not what we both want. I don't know what the loss of "...a lot of vellus hair on top" means. I hope it means that it will be replaced by hair thicker in diameter. | ||
| Anonymous |
how many people do you know have at least stopped further hairloss? Growing hair is a bonus, but If I can prevent more hair from falling out then thats good enough. Im not too concerned about the hair regrowth,, im more concerned with aty least halting further hairloss. how many haver halted hairloss due to the exercises? | ||
| Tom Hagerty (Admin) |
Anonymous: Scroll up this page and read the answer I posted to a similar question by TM - February 15, 2002. I don't have much to add to this. If you want firm, scientifically valid statistics that would reassure about the effectiveness of the scalp exercise, I don't have them. Perhaps in the future I'll have more convincing evidence. My Web site has been up for less than a year so my ideas have not been tried by many people. And as I stressed in writing about the scalp exercise, it takes time - perhaps a year before results are seen. If I were reading this response from your perspective, I would see it as a cop-out. Preventing further hair loss is easier than growing new hair. Many people - over a hundred - have written to me claiming they have halted hair loss after following my regimen for a period of time. I want to believe these e-mails but I have not seen photos or any evidence that would stand up in hair-fraud court. If you decide to do the scalp exercises for, say, six months, this decision will have to be based on a common sense appraisal of the ideas in My Approach. In other words, my ideas lack strict scientific validity. I can afford to be honest here because I am not a marketer with a product to sell. | ||
| Willgetthere |
Tom, First time poster here as I happened to stumble accross your site: I'd like to start by saying that, after year of fighting MPB I think the scalp exercise makes sense and i'll explain why: From all the other buletin boards I noticed the same thing, when a new product comes on the market be it fabao, avacore, FNS and even minoxidil claims are made that re-growth is apparent. Now, these guys are obviously not lying although some are probably fooling themselve and maybe abit over optimistic but nevertheless they claim that small vellous hairs are growing. After a while the hype has died down, these same guys are now saying that the growth has stopped. Its been claimed for a long time now that massaging one's scalp has a positive effect on the condition of the scalp and hair, this is the benfit that these guys are getting from massaging their hair but thats where the benefit stops. Scalp EXERCISE is in theory doing the same as scalp massage but from within, the way to explain this is comparing regular exercise to those new gadgets that you strap on to yourself " and it does the work for you", obviously one is going to get some gains from it but it is uncomparable to actual exercise......There, I said it. Thats my theory. P.S I mastered the exercise from day 1 and am doing 10 mins am and 10 min pm . God bless Will Get-there | ||
| Tom Hagerty (Admin) |
Willgetthere: I hope you don't mind what I just did. I placed your message on my Testimonials page. You've said exactly what I've been trying to say: "SCALP EXERCISE is in theory doing the same thing as scalp massage but from within." And from "within" it is much more effective in pumping up the epicranial muscles and promoting angiogenesis or the growth of new capillaries at the base of the hair follicles. "I mastered the exercise from day 1." It can be done. I've seen a friend of mine do it on first attempt. It took me at least two weeks of hard and frustrating concentration to learn to control the occipitalis muscles at the back of the head. I hope you make real progress with your hair problem. Get back to this forum from time to time to tell us how you're doing. | ||
| Anonymous |
I have been doing the scalp exercise for about five months; prior to starting the exercise I was taking Proscar for about a year and a half. I started the scalp exercise because even though I was taking Proscar I started losing hair in the temple area. My hair seems to have stabilized for the time being. I was writing to ask if I should stop taking Proscar or continue to do the scalp exercise and take Proscar. | ||
| Tom Hagerty (Admin) |
Anonymous: I can't advise you on this one. You have to make your own decision here. If both seem to be working, though, I'd stay with your current regimen. I wish I had more to offer here. | ||
| ritchie |
Dear Mr. Hagerty, I am a 22yr old scientist from India. I stumbled across your website a month ago. I must admit to begin with, I thought it was phoney, however after carefully going through your answers at the discussion forum, I instinctively believe you to be an honorable and wise man. (And they say it’s better to be in a wrong deal with the right people, than in a right deal with wrong people). I must congratulate you on your find, which I as a man of science, believe to be well justified. I am experiencing thinning over the top of the head as well, along with a receding hairline. I used to shake the scalp since my childhood, and was able to begin doing the exercises the right way with very good scalp movement from day one. By now, I am getting abnormally good movement and I am happy on that front. I want to know, that is there a decent chance for the exercise to work for my case? I am willing to pay the price and do whatever it takes. Regards Ritchie | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Ritchie: I deleted your message from the other subtopic because it was a duplicate. You said, "I am willing to pay the price and do whatever it takes." The price is discipline and a long-range perspective. But even with the best attitude, success at halting hair loss and growing new hair is not guaranteed. If you do the exercise correctly for a period of time and have a good diet with sufficient vitamins (omega-3 fatty acid), minerals, and amino acids, however, the probabilities are with you. The probabilities are not with you, though, if you are over forty and have large bald patches. I'm glad you found my Web site and feel that my approach to hair loss has some scientific validity. The program is really based on personal experience and personal anecdote - I have no statistical records of success, only a lot of emails. I'm sure you know that anecdotal evidence has a very low standing in the scientific community. But I think the reasons behind the scalp exercise program make sense physiologically. Stay with the program and tell me how you're doing. | ||
| Ritchie |
Dear Tom, Thanks. I am glad to hear from you so promptly. I have begun the exercises with a long term mentality and am doing great (10min X 3 times) with very good scalp movement. I will incorporate omega 3 in my diet in compliance with your advice. I also have taken photos of my scalp, so we have something to show for. I think your approach could do with a few before-after testimonials. Thanks again and God bless. Ritchie | ||
| Ritchie |
Dear Tom, A month later, I have a great looking forehead, with absolutely no sign of whatever wrinkles I had (Not that I was George Bush before). You were spot on. I am yet to see any change in the hair situation though, But I am sure I'll get there. Thanks a lot. Ritchie | ||
| Ritchie |
Dear Tom, I had read somewhere on your site, about a substance contained in Soy and soy products, that you are not particularly fond of. I am unable to find it again. I'd be really relieved if you could give me some info about it in short('coz we need your fingers to be typin' for a while badly). I am particularly inquisitive, because that was the first time I had read of anything like that, even more so because, I was on a high Soy diet, when my loss worsened. Thanks again Ritchie | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Ritchie: I wouldn't worry about eating soy products once in a while, but I would recommend against a high soy diet especially for men. There are phytoestrogens in soy that might disrupt endocrine function a bit. Phyto, by the way, means "plant." I'm sure I don't have to tell you what too many estrogens in your system can do. Soy also has phytic acid in it. Phytic acid reduces assimilation of iron, calcium, and magnesium, and some of the trace minerals like copper and zinc. All these minerals are necessary for healthy hair. But as I said, don't worry about small portions of soy products - just don't overdo it. In fact, this caveat goes for many things that I recommend like cod liver oil, flaxseed oil, and even brewer's yeast. Moderation is usually a good policy. | ||
| Ritchie |
Dear Tom Thanks for your reply - I'll watch out more. Tom, when hair fall out, they sometimes have a bulbous tissue at the end - which you said on another post, was keratin/sebum. Do hair lost in cases of pattern baldness, exhibit any particular characteristic with respect to the presence or absence of these plugs Ritchie | ||
| Ritchie |
Tom, I looked up soy on various sites and found something different, What are your thoughts on the stuff at http://www.stophairlossnow.co.uk/Soy_Extract.htm I had read similar stuff from the European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR) conference at Stockholm 2001. Also, do you beleive 40 gm of soy chunks everyday may be too much? Regards Ritchie | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Ritchie: I read the article you linked to about soy. If I were going to include soy in my diet to possibly help with a hair-loss problem, I'd take capsules instead of actual soy products that you get at the grocery store. One capsule that is sold by www.puritan.com is Soy Life Soy Isoflavones - 750 mg. It contains daidzein, genistein, and other soy isoflavones. It doesn't cost much either. A person with male pattern baldness usually sheds club hairs. These are hairs with a little keratinized bulb at the end. These are hairs in the resting stage (telogen stage) of the hair cycle. Everyone sheds telogen hairs, though, but with male pattern baldness, more hairs are shed than are being replaced in the next growing stage (anagen stage) of the hair cycle. | ||
| arutha |
Two points I wanted to make: Soy is considered an anti-androgen. The Aveeno line of products (put out by J&J, I think) has topical soy and are designed to reduce hirsutism. I'm using two of them (the shaving lotion and the facial moisturizer) to control the hirsutism side effects of minoxidil). What is Omega-3 supposed to do for hairloss? Is it the fatty acids? Incidentally, I recently saw a study on Saw Palmetto that suggested its action on 5ar is a result of the fatty acids rather than the beta-sitosterol (which appears in small amounts in SP). I've recently started taking fish oil myself for cholesterol management. | ||
| Ritchie |
Dear Tom, Based on what you told me, I have noticed that a larger share of my shed hair are without keratinised clubs, however, the thinning is largely in the pattern - crown, receding hairline, back of the head. Could it even be Telogen Effluvium? Also, do you do the excersize in sets, or do you do it without pause for 10 minutes. Initailly, I would do it continously for 10 minutes. Subsequently I changed to sets of 50 with a short rest in between. I am fine with either, so I was wondering as to what you would suggest. Ritchie | ||
| Ritchie |
Arutha, Whats your point, Soy good or bad? Ritchie | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Arutha: Your question, "What is omega-3 supposed to do for hair loss?" gave me the incentive to write an article this morning. Click Nutrition to read it. | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Ritchie: The hairs shed in TE also have that keratinized plug at the end since they are telogen hairs. Not all telogen hairs have that plug though. Hair loss has all kinds of ambiguities and complexities. I never count reps or sets anymore. But I guess I do sets because I don't just keep doing the scalp exercise continuously for ten minutes. Take some breaks. Don't torture yourself. | ||
| arutha |
Ritchie: DHT is the primary cause of hairloss. It (among other things) is responsible for MPB, and we know that it causes the growth of facial hair. Since it's known that soy can help minimize the growth of facial hair (a study supports this), it may have the opposite effect on scalp hair. This is why some people try putting anti-androgens on their face in the hope that it will help their scalps. This is just speculative, though. I don't know what soy does internally. | ||
| Ritchie |
Arutha, Thanks for you inputs. Ill check 'em out further. Thanks for the lead. | ||
| Robert |
Tom I am not a biologist, chemist, or science authority of any sort so please forgive my lamens approach to this question. Does anyone know of any product, chemical, or experiment that has been done to erradicate DHT. Is there anything that when mixed with DHT destroys the DHT??? RW | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Robert: I don't know if you really want to eradicate DHT from your body. This hormonal change could bring on long-term side effects that you might not like. But you can read about these when you read about Propecia (finasteride). Propecia, an FDA-approved drug, partially eliminates DHT from scalp tissue by neutralizing one of the isoenzymes that convert your testosterone to DHT. Avodart (dutasteride) neutalizes both of the isoenzymes that convert testosterone to DHT. Avodart is not sold as a hair-loss drug but that doesn't mean you can't use it as such. There are many products that claim to eliminate DHT, some of these are sold by companies overseas. Of course it's easy to make convincing claims. Do a lot of reading so that you'll make no mistake when you decide on the course of action you're going to take. | ||
| Ritchie |
Dear Tom, As a part of continuing investigations, my dermatologist advised me to get a Thyroid check, which showed hypothyroidism (An underactive thyroid). I was referred to an Endocrinologist, a very qualified one, who told me that a male Hypothyroid patient, generally experiences hair loss, and that my TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) value was enough to cause it. However, I also see that I have typical MPB type vellus hair at the Hairline. I am a little confused as to exactly what I have here. What are your thoughts? Thanks for your time, Ritchie | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Ritchie: Hypothyroidism is associated with telogen effluvium, diffuse thinning, and even pattern baldness. Telogen effluvium is the most common though. What are you taking for your condition? You should read up on the various medications because some are better than others. I hope your doctor has prescribed one of the better drugs. | ||
| Ritchie |
Dear Tom, Sorry for the delay, been unable to get connected. I have been looking up a lot of info on Hypothyroidism, which led me to a few interesting facts: 1. An excess of soy isoflavones can cause and worsen hypothryoidism. 2. An excess of flouride does the same - Green tea, I read has a good deal of flouride in it. 3. Any one even in normal TSH limits can be Hypothyroid - it all depends person to person. 4. Hypothyroidism is commoner than we think it is. 5. Hypothyroid and even it's medication can speed up MPB. You asked me as to what I was taking, and I looked it up. It's synthetic T4 (Thyroxine, Synthroid in the USA). Is it good? I feel OK after 10 Days. I hope it works. Regards, Ritchie. | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Ritchie: This is part of a message I read on the www.keratin.com discussion forum. It's by Kevin McElwee. "Anecdotally, people on this board in the past have said that they got much better hair growth on a natural thyroid supplement - armour - in comparison with synthyroid." Kevin also wrote: "Getting the dosage right for hair growth is very difficult. Hair follicles are very sensitive to thyroid hormones and will shut down when hormone levels aren't quite right. The dosage you need can change over time so regular testing and dosage adjustment can help." | ||
| Ritchie |
Dear Tom, Thanks, I've noted what you told me, and I'll check it out with my Endocrinologist. Actually what I want to tell you is much more significant. I have had slight thinning since last 2 years. But since June this year, it has been a nightmare. I was loosing about 120 - 150 hair with every wash. However today was the fourth time, when I have washed my hair, and not lost more than 15 - 20 hair. I cannot tell you how good it feels to be able to tell you. I have been on the excersize since 70 days. Since I have started my Thyroid meds 5 days back, it cannot be them. I want to wait another fortnight, before I Make a declaration. But I am overjoyed, as this is the first time in months. I beleive the SE is working - big time at that. Thanks a ton. Regards, Ritchie | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Ritchie: The first thing I noticed when I discovered the scalp exercise was the toning up of the facial muscles. Then I noticed hair stabilization. I was skeptical about the stabilization though. I thought I was imagining it and that my scalp would revert to its thinning behavior again. It didn't. In fact, after eight months I noticed regrowth. I attributed this progress to the scalp exercise but with a lot of reservation. It was hard for me to believe that the movement of the scalp back-and-forth was actually stimulating the hair follicles. Watch your condition carefully. See if this stabilization continues. Perhaps the current stabilization is just spontaneous, but I doubt this. I think the scalp exercise, especially if it is combined with good diet, does promote the health of the hair follicles. | ||
| Ritchie |
Dear Tom, It's all still good. I'm happy. It's never been this good. It has continued to remain a very reduced fraction of the hair I was losing. Another thing I noticed is - Previously, I lost a lot of terminal hair. But now whatever hair I am losing are mostly vellus hair. What do we make of it? Ritchie | ||
| naqi |
How are you actually able to tell your losing vellus hair? My understanding of them (vellus hair), is that they are very short and more or less colourless - at least not as dark as terminal hair. I know for me, I notice alot more longer strands of hair falling out , compared to shorter ones. Currently, the length of my hair is down to my eyes. I guess at the end of the day, though, whats important is how much of your terminal hair actually grows back. | ||
| Ritchie |
naqi, I can tell they are vellus hair by exactly the same characteristics as you mentioned. Have you experienced stabilisation yet? | ||
| Ritchie |
Dear Tom, I maintain that majority of hair that I am still losing are vellus hairs. Could It be that terminal hair are returning? Have you heard of dietary coconut oil for thyroid treatment? Thanks , Ritchie | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Ritchie: The only way to determine if terminal hair is returning is to actually see it sprouting out. Of course we all wish for you a thick crop of comb-breaking hair. Go to www.google.com and type in "coconut oil,thyroid" in the search box. You'll find all the information you need. Ever since the feature article appeared in the May 20, 2003 Woman's World, there has been discussion about the effect coconut oil has on hypothyroidism. On Google you'll find articles by doctors with conflicting views. | ||
| Ritchie |
Thanks Tom, I really appreciate your support and help Regards, Ritchie | ||
| Ritchie |
Dear Tom, I'm experiencing positive effects on my hair courtsey your method, and it absolutely makes sense. In fact it should make sense to anyone who's studied AGA carefully, and understands the probability of success of chemical treatments, and at what expense they come about. However when all is said and done, there is one thing that I dont understand. You maintain that the scalp excersize may not work for some people. Since all action involved is physiological (Versus genetic), Why would it not work for everyone. I feel that the SE should work for everyone who does it correctly, for a sufficient period of time, with consistency. Why then do you maintain that the SE may not work for some of us? Regards, Ritchie | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Ritchie: Sometimes the underlying cause of the hair loss may be too strong for anything to work. This underlying cause could be genetics, bad health, old age, and so on. Let's focus on the old age situation. There are only so many cycles that the follicles go through before senescent thinning takes place. Some say that it may be as few as twenty cycles. (Anagen, catagen, telogen is considered one cycle.) Cells eventually start to become less robust as we age. If a guy is eighty and does the scalp exercise all day, he'll still look like a billiard ball. Sorry about that, old guy. But you raised an important question. My answer is superficial. A full answer would take many paragraphs. | ||
| Ritchie |
Hey Tom, Have you ever heard of any medical condition that may worsten AGA, or may cause hair loss in pattern. I, for one know that Hypothyroidism causes a decrease in Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG), Which causes testosterone (That same little rascal) to become more active. Thus leading to greater formation of DHT. By the way just to keep you posted, there appears to be a gradual easing out of the loss, and whatever I am loosing is largely fine, lighter hair (Probably vellus). Dont know whether to be happy or sad 'bout that!! Regards Ritchie | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Ritchie: Many medical conditions will cause hair loss. Hypothyroidism, as you mentioned, and anemia are a cause in both men and women, and so is insulin resistance. I wish you'd read this long! article by Dr. Rodier. You'll get a lot out of it. Diabetes | ||
| Ritchie |
Tom: Thanks a lot. Great stuff in it. | ||
| Robo |
Hi Tom ; I have been doing the SE for the past 18m (I was NW5) and using prop. for the past 30m. My progress has been excellent for the past 8m and I think the combination of SE and prop. works great. I will try to post some pictures. All the vellus hair that were practically invisible and less than 1/8” long 2y ago are now thicker and almost 1.5” long. Specially on the crown area and top. My sides and the back are darker and the graying has stopped considerably (I have just turned 43). Overall the process and progress have been slow and boring. When I compare myself to 3y ago, and if I include my vellus hair as semi-terminal(?), I have almost improved by 2NW degrees. The reason I am posting so late of my progress is because I have always doubted Tom’s theory on genetics. I always thought that balding and similar traits are inevitable if your body’s blueprints are screwed by your parents and if it runs in your family. I hope for more progress and thickening in the future to keep you updated. P.S. It is amazing how you start to think of “regaining your hair back crusade “as something superficial and shallow compare to other things in life once the process is reversed. | ||
| travis |
ey tom, still remember me??? any way, so far so good  thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i'll update after a few months travis | ||
| st |
Tom, I thought the following from Jonathan E. Phillips book 'Hair Loss No More' may add to your list of possible reasons for the effectiveness of SE: "...another theory put foward many years ago by Dr Lars Engstrand a leading Swedish scientist. He suggested that most baldness is caused by a thickening of the galea, a part of the scalp....In the early teenage years of both sexes the galea is quite thin in fact only 0.2 mm. However, from the age of 16-18 and then right through until about 55, the galea on men gradually becomes thicker and loses its elasticity. This increases pressure and tension on the scalp. Quite often you will find that bald or balding men have a very tight scalp, unlike most teenagers whose scalps are normally loose and relaxed. The theory continues that this pressure on the scalp greatly imparis blood circulation to the small capillaries located above this membrane and as a consequence the hair follicles are not fed the necessary nutritional requirements vital for good hair growth. Dr. Engstrand concluded by observing that most baldness in males never develops further than 1/2 inch outside the galea and this he believed was the reason can retain side and back hair right through their life, yet the hair on top recedes quite rapidly." I think its quite possible that the SE may increase blood flow not only through muscle contractions but by keeping the galea from preventing blood flow by thickening. | ||
| Anonymous |
Then how do you explain transplanted hair success on these so called tight and bald scalps | ||
| hypothyroid |
ey tom, does the scalp exercises work for people with hypothyroidism? | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Hypo: Your hypothyroidism has to be under control before the scalp exercise would have any effect. Many people claim that Armour Thyroid is the best medication for this problem. | ||
| Ritchie |
hypothyroid I am hypo too - autoimmune. I suggest you investigate the cause, as only supplementation fails to resolve the shedding in many cases - no one loses all their b'coz of Hypothyroidism. What are your T3, T4, TSH values? Ritchie | ||
| hypothyroid |
hi ritchie, my t3 and tsh values are normal but my t4 is low. so is my t3 however it was still in the normal range. however i have all the symptoms. i'm trying coconut oil right now and it seems to work. i also change my toothpaste to a nonfluoride one. you should avoid fluoride at all costs as i have read. hypo | ||
| hypothyroid |
btw tom, what type of toothpaste do you use? does it contain fluoride? hypo | ||
| naqi |
Hypo and Ritchie, Just wondering whether any of you guys get palpatations? It's supposed to be one of the symptoms of either hyper or hypo - thyroidism | ||
| hypothyroid |
a lot man | ||
| hypothyroid |
a lot man | ||
| naqi |
I'm thinking of getting my thyroid checked aswell. Started having palpitations since last year. Had an ecg done, shows my heart is alright. In addition to that I sweat quite a bit. For example I'll eat something even now (winter here) and i'll start sweating from my head and only my head. I know there are quite a few other symptoms for thyorid problems, but i wonder whether i need to have them all or whether these two suffice. | ||
| naqi |
I don't have them too often though. I'd say over the year its been about 6-7 times , perhaps a bit more. However out of those few times it seriously pounds like crazy. I'll put my hand on my chest and it feels like my whole body moves......whoa | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Hypothyroid: I use a toothpaste with fluoride but I use very little when I brush my teeth. After every meal I floss my teeth carefully. This is much more important than brushing. In the last 55 years I've had only one cavity. | ||
| Ritchie |
Tom, I have an Autoimmune etiology to my Hypothyroidism. So I am on a high antioxidant dose to treat it. My anti thyroid peroxide test value was 1300 while it should be less than 35. That's a very severe tendency for autoimmunity. Antioxidant treatment was started 10 days ago. Since green tea has a lot of polyphenols - a very powerful antioxidant, I would like to take it, however I read that green tea contains large amount of Flouride. My endocrinologist says it's OK to consume Flouride. I am confused. Please guide me. Do you recommend green tea? Especially for Hypothyroid folks? Regards Ritchie. | ||
| Ritchie |
Hypo: How long have you been on supplementations now, and what type are your using - Synthroid or Armour? How long have you been using Coconut oil? Any significant benefit? Actually Most common form of hypothyroidism is Hashimotos's Disorder, in which case only supplementation may not help - as was in my case. Therefore I suggest you investigate the underlying cause of Hypo in you. Ritchie | ||
| Ritchie |
Naqi: More People are ignorant sufferers of hypo/hyper thyroid disorders, than those who discover and treat it. This happens because the disorder is asymptomatic many times. I highly recommend a T3, T4, TSH to rule out any underlying cause. Ritchie | ||
| seppuku |
just a simple question....does a man with a hyper/hypothyroid disorder lose his hair in the same horseshoe pattern? | ||
| Ritchie |
Seppuku: A Hypothyroid body may produce less of SHBG (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin) - which binds the Testosterone and limits it's conversion to DHT. As a result AGA is speeded up in patients with Hypothyroidism, which accentuates the "pattern". | ||
| Ritchie |
Seppuku: Of course Tom can give you a better answer - I learnt all this stuff from him. | ||
| Ritchie |
Tom, I am quite stuck on this one, I believe you might have the answer to this one. Please help. | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Ritchie: Is the question you're stuck on - Is there any correlation between hypothyroidism and reduced SHBG, and if so, what is the chemical mechanism? It's a complex biochemical question that I don't have an answer for. But here is my simple suggestion. Since a high-fat diet reduces the amount of SHBG, I would reduce my fat intake. I would especially reduce my fat intake from animal products and trans fats (what used to be called hydrogenated oils). Of course the prime concern you should have is to get your hypothyroidism under control - easier said than done. | ||
| Ritchie |
Tom: Thanks a lot for you answer. What I was asking was actually referring to my previous question. (I'm sorry to have caused a confusion). I'll repeat my question as I haven't got an answer to this from anyone thus far. I'm sure you could tell me something about this: I have an Autoimmune etiology to my Hypothyroidism. So I am on a high antioxidant dose to treat it. My anti thyroid peroxide test value was 1300 while it should be less than 35. That's a very severe tendency for autoimmunity. Antioxidant treatment was started 10 days ago. Since green tea has a lot of polyphenols - a very powerful antioxidant, I would like to take it, (and I have been encouraged to take it) however I read that green tea contains large amount of Flouride. My endocrinologist says it's OK to consume Flouride. I am confused. Please guide me. Do you recommend green tea? Especially for Hypothyroid folks? Regards Ritchie | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Ritchie: I can't help you with your question. It's too technical. I drink green tea even though I know that tea chelates small amounts of iron and removes it from my body. But I also know that tea has polyphenols which are strong antioxidants. Polyphenols, by the way, are chemicals that occur naturally in many fruits and vegetables. Catechins are also members of the polyphenol class, and all are members of a still larger class called the flavinoids. On this complex nutritional problem you'll have to do your own research. Please don't get seduced by any diet guru, though, who tells you to avoid this and that and eat only his strict (usually expensive) prescribed foods. There are many of these types on the Internet making a good living peddling their nonsense. | ||
| mark |
keep it simple (apply that to as many aspects of life as you'de like) thats all, its that easy | ||
| Ritchie |
Dear Tom, Thanks yet again. I think moderation is the way to go. I really appreciate the fact that you spend your time and energy and money versus maybe getting a new television set or something, and put it into someone elses life. Hats off. By the way have you tried yoga? It's from the part of the world I come from. I'm really into it. Ritchie | ||
| mark |
guys, i beleive i know what causes baldness. I know it can be halted, not sure yet if it can be reversed.(pretty sure, because the human body has amazing regenitive properties if treated correctly) e-mail me if youd like to know. take care, mark tom, defenitly e-mail me hint: its so simple its rediculous | ||
| mark |
if you guys need a little faith in me, here you go. Ive already cured depression and anxiety (that i had) by myself and naturaly. baldness was just a matter of time because like the previous problems, it really bothered me. (not so much anymore) -mark | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Mark: I have a bad feeling about your recent message. If you have ideas about what causes baldness, why don't you just tell us about your ideas the way I do. "Its so simple its rediculous." Mark, are you going to assume the role of guru and sell your secret on my Web site? "if you guys need a little faith in me, here you go." I think the people who come to this site are not looking for "faith" in anyone. They want some solid evidence and cogent reasoning before they even consider placing their trust in someone's "simple" solution. I hope I misinterpreted the motive for your latest post. Maybe you were just being ironic - a little humor. | ||
| naqi |
I thought he was serious... | ||
| Ritchie |
Seriously, like Tom said the last thing we need is a joker on the site. So lay off mark. If you were kidding - sorry 'bout the strong reactions. | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
I've never had such a strong response to anything on this website before. This morning I've had seven emails from people urging me to keep this site honest. They were really angry at Mark for bringing foolishness if not huckterism into these pages. They didn't see any humor in Mark's message. I didn't either. | ||
| Steve |
Well I don't know, I emailed Mark and he sent me the cure, today I look like Chewbacca | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
OK, Steve, do you know how old this Wookiee copilot is? He's 200 years old. He just had a birthday. He ordered my video CD and booklet a few years ago. Once you get to know him, he's really a nice guy. | ||
| Ritchie |
Hey Tom, I looked up some stuff on the net that talked about an exhaustive study done on individuals who were divided into three groups - who followed a diet of 1200 calories a day, who excercised for an hour and who did both - for 6 months. After 6 months - the third group saw a decrease in insulin levels by 47 % and a corresponding increase in SHBG by 47%. The same study was done several times and similar results were seen. All the people chosen, were suffering from either Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) or AGA or both. I feel Excercise coupled with the Scalp Excercise would bring about faster results and have already started on a routine. Ritchie | ||
| mark |
tom, i posted like that because i wanted to see everyones reaction. i got exactly what i expected. people arnt used to a person like me, im stait forward, i hold back nothing, and i am selfless. i could care less about financial gain, ive had money, its a burdon. if you want to know what im selfish about its this, all i care about is my happiness, ive sacrificed it for others too many times, and i'll never do it again. i will leave this post because i feel you guys want me too. best of luck to you all, but you will never succeed without faith. i take NONE of my words back. tom, you, like everyone else on this sight has much to learn about life (just like i did when i first started out, read my early posts) i'm just blessed witht the gift to pick up on things faster than you (luckily for this world, i know what to do with it) have some fun, and relax everyone happiness is well within everyones reach, but it has nothing to do with the hair on your head -mark everything is everything everything is nothing nothing is everything nothing is nothing go sox...yankess suck by the way, there is no way i would have figured any of this hairloss stuff out without this website thank you very much tom, you are a good man | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Ritchie: The results for the third group are significant - "After 6 months - the third group saw a decrease in insulin levels by 47 % and a corresponding increase in SHBG by 47%." Of course the big question is what kind of foods or supplements comprised the 1200 calories each day. I'm absolutely sure that the quality of the food had a significant impact on the final outcome. I wouldn't advise 1200 calories daily, though, for people who are trying to combat hair loss. Especially for a person who is active and exercises, 1200 calories is almost starvation and could trigger telogen effluvium. Ritchie, I vaguely remember you saying something about yoga. Are you from the Indian subcontinent? I just saw a 14-part series about the Raj in India - The Jewel in the Crown. This 15-year-old TV film is one of the best movies I've ever seen. | ||
| Anonymous |
good news on the front. i've been doing the scalp exercises for almost 5months. just last night over some cocktails a friend told me that he thinks i have my hair under control and that it has stopped falling out. he even said he thinks it is coming back. we are brutally honest with each other. no holding back. when i was on shen min for 10 months he said," well it is longer". my scalp was very tight before the exercises, now there really is movement. i continue to loss some hair everday, but not much and these hairs have white bulbs on them. not sure what that means. i've searched and searched without any luck. also i wanted to note that i've been more activite the past year as well as using EMU Shampoo and Conditioner only once a day. before twice. i think the se have been helpful and i hope that my luck will continue. thanks to all, i will keep you informed. d | ||
| Anonymous |
thats interesting how do you know if u have a thyroid problem and what test can be done to find out?..Im interested in this..and if you correct said problem can you overcome hairloss? | ||
| Ritchie |
Tom, Actually the scientists who did the tests, recommend increased consumption of "Low Gycemic foods" - that is food that causes a lesser insulin response in the body. There are detailed lists available on the net. The key is that the Glycemic index of a meal should be Low/Medium. Which means High Glycemic foods can be consumed (Which are tastier of course) if taken in conjunction with Low Glycemic Foods. Low glycemic foods also give a more Satiated feeling. Yessir I am a hindu from India. I have'nt seen the Telefilm. However contrary to what some people may still ignorantly believe, People in India DO NOT ride elephants and do not have Monkey Brains for desert!! (Although it's a lucrative business - Eat the brains, and ship the rest to Mcdonalds). I recently met a very successful yoga guru who taught me a few yoga excercises for Thyroid and weight reduction. I wonder if you've ever been exposed to it. Regards Ritchie | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Ritchie: I totally agree with you about low glycemic foods - these are the foods I eat. You would like The Jewel in the Crown. It is an honest movie, completely respectful of Indian culture and history. The English, even though this is an English production, in general do not seem sympathetic. This is a movie that I'll never forget - the characters are riveting. | ||
| Ritchie |
Tom, Infact There's another important thing I forgot to tell you - Of the three test groups - a) Diet Control (b) Diet control and Excersize (c) Only excersize, Maximum benefit was seen in group (b) obviously. However group (c) was very close too. So even going by your opinion that 1200 cal is indeed too low, One can get almost comparable results by excersize alone. BP for example went down for group (a) by 8 points, while for (b) and (c) it was 28 and 22 point respectively. Similar results were seen for insulin, cholestrol and most importantly SHBG. Interestingly, despite the increase in SHBG, male sexual health increases with higher fitness levels. Good to see something sensible from the Brits after all. I had a friend come over from the US who went - "So you've actually got Colleges here !!" When I told him that we churn out 250,000 Engineers every year, he fainted. I hope you have a better picture of India and it's culture. Regards Ritchie | ||
| Ritchie |
Tom, When you wash your hair do you over rinse with water or do you gently rub? Ritchie | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Ritchie: When I rinse I slide my hands gently back over my hair as the water (not to hot or too cold) comes out of the shower head. It's as simple as that. | ||
| Ritchie |
Tom, I read somewhere that as excersizing muscles are oxygen strapped, angiogenises is promoted in those areas. So would it benefit to tie a string around the forehead so as to gently constrict blood flow for a while. Of course it would render one aspect of the SE - to rush blood to the scalp, ineffective. Also, if in some people, the underlying causes of AGA are just too strong for the SE to causes benefit, would they be better of quickly switching over to the advanced excersizes or maybe do the basic ones longer, More resistance etc. Regards Ritchie | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Ritchie: Working the muscles adequately is enough to cause oxygen deprivation in the tissues. This oxygen deprivation in turn stimulates angiogenesis. Forget about tying a string around your forehead. Tie that string around your finger so that you don't forget to do the scalp exercise every day. I combine the basic and advanced exercises in my scalp workout. I don't have any exact schedule but I do the exercises every day for at least ten minutes. If the underlying causes for MPB are overwhelmingly strong, the scalp exercises, even if you attached a hundred pound weight to each ear, wouldn't get the job done. By overwhelmingly strong I mean, for example, hypothyroidism in men and PCOS in women. | ||
| Ritchie |
To all hypothyroid folks, I have been on coconut oil for quite sometime now and am feeling very well. Coconut comprises of Medium chain fatty acids (MCT) which enter the cell without insulin to open the gates, where they are spontaneously burnt to give energy by the mitochondria, thus improving metabolism. The best thing is that in the process, it is not even taxing the insulin production system, thus preventing insulin resistance (as compared to sugars). I have also experinced wiegth loss. I had been given the go - ahead by my doctor. Everyone else must consult theirs. Also coconut oil contains saturated fats Regards, Ritchie - 10 pounds lighter. | ||
| Ritchie |
Dear Tom, Great news - I had a TSH/T3/T4 test and all values were as pefect as they can be. Hair loss is still continuing , however my doctor believes that from now on, it will take 3-6 months for it to halt, as the follicles will take that long to come out of the resting phase. However no more increased hair loss due to Hypothyroidism will be experienced. Would you agree with him? Also you once wrote that the SE will be overwhelmed due to disorders like Hypothyroidism/PCOS etc. Now, should the SE begin to take effect in me? Regards Ritchie | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Ritchie: I think you can now be optimistic. "all values were as pefect as they can be." Perhaps 2004 will be an excellent year for you. Do what has to be done - SE, good diet, good mental attitude - and see what happens. | ||
| Ritchie |
Dear Tom, Thanx a lot. let's hope for it and a great new year to you. Ritchie | ||
| Ritchie |
Hi Tom, How's it going? I wanted to share with you that I have turned from Hypothyroid to HYPERthyroid. The times are hard and are getting harder. I wanted to ask you something. As of now, the only thing I have been doing for my AGA has been your scalp exercize - 15 Min X 2 times per day since 15 Aug 2003. Later however you told me that the SE would probably not work due to my Hypothyroidism (which, after so much effort, broke my heart!!). I presumed, that this was due to low metabolism and the corresponding impaired bodily functions. Now that I have turned Mildly hyperthyroid, do you thing the SE will now work for me. I mean, the Metabolism is now overactive, so I think, at least it should not hinder the effect of the SE (as was the case with hypothyroid). Another thing, and this would relieve me of some stress - I have heard that in a HYPERthyroid individual, the hair fall off faster, but it also grows faster, and therefore, HYPERthyroidism, will not lead to complete baldness (versus HYPOthyroidism, where significant and permanent hairloss, may result) - Do you think this is true? Thanks a ton Regards, Ritchie | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Ritchie: How did you go from hypothyroidism to hyperthyroidism is this short period of time? I suspect this was because of a higher than necessary dose of medication for your hypothyroid problem. Or perhaps the results of your blood test were confused. One does not just go from one condition to the other spontaneously. You're obviously worried about your health - I would be too if some doctor told me what your doctor told you. Don't be too concerned about your hair till you get this thyroid problem straightened out. If I were you, I'd be looking for a new doctor or a new clinic. I'm sure there must be qualified medical professionals on the subcontinent. | ||
| Ritchie |
Yessir, It has happenned due to excess medication. Also, we both suspect fluctuations in autoimmunity as one possible cause( My Anti-Thyroglobulin level was 1350 while it should be less than 35). We have reduced the dose and am feeling a lot better. I continue to remain anxious about my Hairloss problem because it still is the only acute symptom. And it is very severe. Ritchie | ||
| Jay Y |
Hi Tom I am 34 years old and have been gradually thinning for about 10 years. I still have complete coverage but it is just getting thinner and thinner. The thing is I cannot see any vellus hairs just normal thick dark ones, what's going on here? I am doing the exercises but it is too soon to see any results. Am I a good candidate for the program? | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Jay Y: Even though you're 34 years old you're still a good candidate for the scalp exercise program. You still have complete coverage. This is important. If you had bald areas on your scalp and had these bald areas for many years, there would be the probability that many hair follicles are dead. Dead hair follicles cannot be brought back to life. Your hair is getting thinner but you see no vellus hair in the thinning areas of scalp. People with male pattern baldness almost always have vellus hairs intermingled with the the terminal hair. People with telogen effluvium don't have vellus hairs. The description you've given of your hair loss is typical of MPB, not TE though. With hair loss problems there are many puzzles. Diagnosis and treatment are often not straightforward. Don't worry about your lack of vellus hair. If the SE program seems logical to you, try it out for eight months or a year. There are no side effects except for tighter facial muscles. | ||
| igor |
Tom, i am 42 years old man, bald almost twenty years. I started with SE last april even you said there is no chances for man bald over a decade. I have some hair regrowth on my both bald edges, where i lost my hair last (maybe two years ago). I am very satisfied with SE, my wrinkles almost go, and i will keep doing SE probably all my life. For me is enough to keep the hairs i have. Thanks a lot Tom. Peoples doing SE, dont give up. igor | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Igor: I'm sorry if I said there was no chance of regrowth for a man who has been bald over a decade. What I meant to say is that the probabilities are not good. I just didn't want you to get too optimistic and then be disappointed. But I'm glad you've had some moderate results. I'm sure your face looks better too. Getting rid of the horizontal and vertical lines takes years off a person's appearance. | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Everyone: This thread is getting too long. Click here for a new page on which you'll perhaps find some partial answer to this question - Scalp Exercise Success Rate?, Part II. |
