So, I guess I am in week 38 my second time through, although I quit finasteride about 2 months ago. I didn't quit because it stopped working or I got side effects, I actually stopped taking it to test out a hypothesis I have. I am a personal trainer by trade and have done tons of research specifically on improving health independent of weight loss over the last couple of years. The current nutritional program I have my clents on is very similar to the anti-inflammation diet, and I have a supplement progam that they also take. The 2 clients I have that are meticulous about doing what I recommend have completed changed their health, and it just so happens that their hair has been growing at an incredible rate with synchronized shedding followed by thickening. Unfortunately for us dudes, they are both chicks, so I decided to be my own guinea pig. As I was going through some boxes during a recent move I found some research I did on hair loss way back before I started taking finasteride and a lot of it matched up with what I was recommending. I remember back then researching Omega 6:Omega3 ratio and decided there was no way I was going to give up my way of eating. Times have changed and I am pretty cool with eating the way I wouldn't back then. In January I started eating this way and have noticed dramatic thickening everywhere. So, my plan is to document my progress without finasteride, and pretty much give away the nutrition and supplement program here so that anyone who wants to give it a try with or without finasteride for hair restoration can.
To start off, I want to describe why I am making these recommendations and why I think they work. Most people look at their circulatory system as a collection of blood vessels, but for our purposes, your blood vessels can be thought of as 1 organ. Why is this? For one, they are continuous, the blood vessels in your head come in to contact with the same blood that goes thorough the heart, femoral artery, etc. Second, when people think of heart disease they think of damage to the vessels supplying the heart. The problem with this is that the damage is basically everywhere, the symptoms are only recognized at the heart because they cause dysfunction there. The same kind of damage that is seen in the blood vessels in the heart are seen in the blood vessels in the penis, which is how erectile dysfunction occurs. In fact, ED has been shown to be a strong indicator of future heart complications (Typically within 3 years), which makes sense because whatever is causing the damage to the blood vessels in the heart makes it's way to the blood vessles in the wang. Long story short, the blood vessels in the scalp encounter the same circulation. Chronic inflammtion is the primary driver of vascular damage so goal numero uno is to limit or eliminate it. This is done with DHA, Krill Oil, Turmeric, low to no consumption of grains, and no sugar.
Secondly, there is no reason why your testosterone levels or 5-AR levels should change with age. The free radical theory of aging, which is the prevailing theory on aging, states that free radicals are a natural byproduct of cellular metabolism. Aging is a direct result of our body not being able to remove free radicals as fast as they are being produced. This free radical damage causes cells to malfunction and in some instances die. It makes sense that this could contribute to hair loss. So, taking antioxidants should fix the problem, correct? Not so much, your goal should be to increase your body's ability to produce glutathione, your body's endogenous antioxidant. What makes glutathione a much better antioxidant is that most antioxidants are similar to finasteride in that they are suicide inhibitors of free radicals. When an antioxidant encounters a free radical, it donates an electron and in the process becomes a free radical itself. Glutathione, while having it's own antioxidant capabilities, also recharges the exogenous antioxidants by donating an electron. Goal numero dos is to maximize glutathione levels. A recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that the decrease in glutathione production seen with aging can be reversed with Cysteine supplementation. You can do this through N-Acetyl Cysteine supplementation, but I just use Mercola Pure Power Protein which is from grass fed cows and undenatured (not heat processed), which prevents degradation of the Cysteine. I also take Astaxanthin because it is a kick *** antioxidant and cheap as hell. It also has improved my skin, specifically the wrinkles, and things that help your skin tend to help your hair as well. In the diet I give to clients, there are 2 required foods, you must eat broccoli and blueberries every day. In fact, broccoli sprouts are better than plain ole broccoli, but alternating is a good idea. These 2 foods are potent activators of the NRF-2 pathway, which is how glutathione is produced.
Finally, something most people are unaware of. Every cell in your body contains the same DNA, your liver cells, your skin cells, your muscles cells, etc. In fact, if you were to take a stem cell and put it in a petri dish, it would differentiate in to any of the above based on the environment it is in. Your DNA can be thought of as a master blueprint for you. The portion of the DNA that is read is based on the environment the cell is in. The reasoning for this is that as molecules bind to the cell membrane, they cause certain portions of your DNA to be read, the portion that pertains to that particular environment. Hair loss is no different, the gene(s) for hair loss will not express themselves if the proper environment isn't provided, which is why limiting inflammation is important. I could talk for hours about that but won't. For more on this, read up on epigenetics. To make a long story short, I will just tell you that every time you eat, you should be eating at least 2-3 servings of vegetables, and some form of protein. Optimally, all cows are grass fed and all animals are free range, this changes the make up of the fat they produce and is pretty important.
So, this is where my journey will take me. I have no idea if it will work or not, but I have seen my hair get better as I have done this with finasteride, so I am interested if it will work solo. I am not against going back on finasteride, but if I can keep my hair without unnaturally altering my hormone levels, I would prefer that route. I will probably start a new thread in a couple of months since this will be a dramatic departure from my old regimen.
