Zinc! Zing!

**born** · 02-17-2012, 07:07 PM

Originally posted by chrisis

So I went to visit my parents today and talked about my hair loss and future options. Luckily they were very supportive

On a side note, my Dad told me he'd been taking zinc for his psoriasis and had experienced the welcome side-effect of thickened hair on his scalp. He pointed it out and I did notice it was thicker than I'd seen it for awhile.

Anyone else supplementing with zinc? I'm thinking of adding it along with saw palmetto since I'm discontinuing finasteride for the moment. If anyone has an experience with these or other supplements, please comment

just stick to propecia that it is proven to work.Just get a daily multi vitamin tablets and you will be fine.

**chrisis** · 02-17-2012, 07:08 PM

Tried propecia and got undeniable side effects after 3 months. Quitting for awhile and may resume it at a lower dose.

**25 going on 65** · 02-17-2012, 07:15 PM

I don't know of any evidence for vitamin/mineral supplements impeding the progress of genetic hair loss, but they might have a noticeable impact on the quality of existing hair.
I know a woman who has suffered from hair loss ever since giving birth to her first child, and she has taken zinc and biotin for years. She uses medicinal treatments too (minoxidil and keto shampoo that I know of) but seems to think the supplements are worthwhile to boost the appearance of her hair.

If nothing else, it seems like it would be a relatively cheap experiment to try for 6-12 months. Though it might be hard to assess the results if you're also just starting medicinal treatments like keto and minox.

**StressedToTheBald** · 02-17-2012, 07:23 PM

Originally posted by chrisis

So I went to visit my parents today and talked about my hair loss and future options. Luckily they were very supportive

On a side note, my Dad told me he'd been taking zinc for his psoriasis and had experienced the welcome side-effect of thickened hair on his scalp. He pointed it out and I did notice it was thicker than I'd seen it for awhile.

Anyone else supplementing with zinc? I'm thinking of adding it along with saw palmetto since I'm discontinuing finasteride for the moment. If anyone has an experience with these or other supplements, please comment

I'm taking good amounts of zinc.. don't know total daily intake as I use multiple products containg zinc, but I can check, sum up, and get back to You.

As for saw palmetto, I use 300mg daily. You might want to consider taking beta sitosterol with or instead saw.. I've found claims about beta beeing from 1000 to 3000 more potent than saw palmetto.

The famous saw palmetto+beta sitosterol study reports 60% of success rate.

"Background: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is characterized by the structural miniaturization of androgen-sensitive hair follicles in susceptible individuals and is anatomically defined within a given pattern of the scalp. Biochemically, one contributing factor of this disorder is the conversion of testosterone (T) to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) via the enzyme 5-α reductase (5AR). This metabolism is also key to the onset and progression of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Furthermore, AGA has also been shown to be responsive to drugs and agents used to treat BPH. Of note, certain botanical compounds have previously demonstrated efficacy against BPH. Here, we report the first example of a placebo-controlled, double-blind study undertaken in order to examine the benefit of these botanical substances in the treatment of AGA.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to test botanically derived 5AR inhibitors, specifically the liposterolic extract of Serenoa repens (LSESr) and β-sitosterol, in the treatment of AGA.

Subjects: Included in this study were males between the ages of 23 and 64 years of age, in good health, with mild to moderate AGA.

Results: The results of this pilot study showed a highly positive response to treatment. The blinded investigative staff assessment report showed that 60% of (6/10) study subjects dosed with the active study formulation were rated as improved at the final visit.

Conclusions: This study establishes the effectiveness of naturally occurring 5AR inhibitors against AGA for the first time, and justifies the expansion to larger trials."

**2020** · 02-17-2012, 07:27 PM

zinc won't do jack... if anything, you could actually have problems with it as it is easy to overdose on

**chrisis** · 02-17-2012, 07:28 PM

StressedToTheBald, I read about a guy who had his blood tested prior to and after saw palmetto supplementation, and while his DHT fell, it also reduced levels of testosterone. It makes me wonder if that would cause the same drop in libido that finasteride caused. Thoughts?

**chrisis** · 02-17-2012, 07:31 PM

Originally posted by 2020

zinc won't do jack... if anything, you could actually have problems with it as it is easy to overdose on it

I disagree that it won't do "jack". My Dad is nearing 60 and the only change he's made recently has been supplementing zinc, for his psoriasis. He's clearly noticed a side-effect that he wasn't expecting, but is welcome nonetheless. I'm not saying it's equivalent to finasteride, but it clearly has done something.

**2020** · 02-17-2012, 07:33 PM

Originally posted by chrisis

StressedToTheBald, I read about a guy who had his blood tested prior to and after saw palmetto supplementation, and while his DHT fell, it also reduced levels of testosterone. It makes me wonder if that would cause the same drop in libido that finasteride caused. Thoughts?

of course it can.... there is absolutely no difference between propecia and all those other natural treatments that reduce DHT. If your body can't tolerate lower DHT levels, then you will get side effects no matter what you use...

StressedToBald is a bald troll... ignore & report him

**chrisis** · 02-17-2012, 07:34 PM

The natural line of inquiry then is, has anyone reported side effects taking saw palmetto?

**ryan555** · 02-17-2012, 07:47 PM

Originally posted by chrisis

StressedToTheBald, I read about a guy who had his blood tested prior to and after saw palmetto supplementation, and while his DHT fell, it also reduced levels of testosterone. It makes me wonder if that would cause the same drop in libido that finasteride caused. Thoughts?

That was me. That test ended up being completely bogus because I wasn't told that I need to take my blood tests first thing in the morning. I re-tested and showed no change in testosterone or serum DHT. However, I have read that SP does not reduce serum DHT, it only reduces DHT binding to the androgen receptors.

**StressedToTheBald** · 02-17-2012, 07:48 PM

Originally posted by chrisis

StressedToTheBald, I read about a guy who had his blood tested prior to and after saw palmetto supplementation, and while his DHT fell, it also reduced levels of testosterone. It makes me wonder if that would cause the same drop in libido that finasteride caused. Thoughts?

I'll check out that thread.
I don't have side effects, not now when I use saw palmetto via tablet, nor I had any when I used it in tea form. The only 'side effect' when I used saw palmetto it in tea form was that I also used to take out and drink what was in the tea filter bag.. it probably dissolved poorly in my stomach and I used to have a feeling of bad breath in my mouth some time after.

Also, if You want more proof, here is the official story from the studies..

"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12006122

http://www.hairgenesis.com/hairstudy02.pdf

"Since AGA shares similar hormonal pathways with BPH, it was previously recognized that the pharmaceutical agents useful against BPH may offer some potential benefit in the treatment of AGA. The modification of Proscar (finasteride 5mg initially indicated for BPH), to Propecia (finasteride 1mg new indication AGA) serves as a paradigm for this rationale (Kaufmann 1999). Like finasteride, several botanically derived substances have also demonstrated the ability to inhibit key hormonal processes associated with BPH. Importantly, these botanicals have not been linked with the spectrum of negative side effects, adverse reactions, or teratogenicity, associated with the pharmaceutically derived alternatives (Klepser and Klepser, 1999).

Recently, several clinical trials have been reported demonstrating the efficacy of botanical compounds in the treatment of a number of androgen dependent conditions, and, specifically, BPH. For example, among 1,098 BPH patients tested in one recent study, the general safety profile of the lipsterolic extract of Serenoa repens (LSESr 320 mg/day), or saw palmetto berry extract, compared favorably with that of finasteride, and sexual side effects were less common with the extract than with the drug. In particular the use of this extract has not been associated with erectile dysfunction, ejaculatory disturbance, or altered libido (Wilt et al. 2000a). Remarkably, in another biochemical study, it was found that LSESr was a 3-fold more effective inhibitor than finasteride (5 mg/day) at concentrations adjusted to the recommended doses for BPH treatment. It should be noted that finasteride as indicated for AGA is dosed significantly lower (1 mg/day), suggesting, a 15-fold more potent level of inhibition at the recommended daily dose of LSESr (320 mg/day) (Delos et al. 1994)."

**chrisis** · 02-17-2012, 07:51 PM

Sorry, I should've recognised your name Ryan! I'm just so overwhelmed with information right now...

Would you personally recommend SP then? Have you taken any supplements after coming off finasteride that have helped in any observable way? I assume you were experimenting with saw palmetto because you needed to come off propecia because of your unrelated medical condition.

**chrisis** · 02-17-2012, 07:54 PM

Thanks Stressed. Curious if you've observed any improvements in your hair condition since taking saw palmetto or any other supplement for that matter.

**StressedToTheBald** · 02-17-2012, 07:56 PM

Originally posted by ryan555

I have read that SP does not reduce serum DHT, it only reduces DHT binding to the androgen receptors.

Can You please provide a link or quote, I'd really really like to read more about this. If this is the case, it might just be the answer why saw palmetto doesn't cause side effects. Potential issue and what puzzles me is because DHT exists in prostate and hairs.. is it also free floating in the bloodstream.. in order for DHT to work, if androgen receptors are blocked then DHT cannot perform.. its like a key without the lock.

Zinc! Zing!

Zinc! Zing!

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