Before and after sex?

[BeingK8]

Thanks Kate; speaking of empirical experience, I'd be interested to hear back from you about how you respond to maca (you can spare me the bedtime details, just the daytime stuff is fine! ;) )

Sure thing! I'm all about it! And the hair thing was one of the big clinchers. I've always had nice, thick hair, but in the last, say...year or 2, it seems to be getting thinner in one spot in particular that makes it lay funny. I mean, my hair was always one of those things that people complimented me on and envied. It's not too bad yet, but at only 35, I don't want it to continue!

[Arky]

I started at 24.

Do check you iron levels.

Also consider if you have any other niggling health issues/symptoms which you've not yet found the cause for (e.g. any liver or gastrointestinal issues?).

The maca will do a lot to help level hormone levels if they're out of whack.

Incidentally, after you mentioned DHT with regard to female alopecia, I spent just few minutes googling yesterday and you may find the following of interest, even though it is primarily aimed at men and has its critics:

http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1551878

[jacsam]

Thanks Arky.....I do herbal work with people and even though I've done alot of research of this topic.....I haven't really found anything that helped significantly with hair regrowth. I had never heard anyone mention Maca for thicker hair. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[Arky]

Thanks Arky.....I do herbal work with people and even though I've done alot of research of this topic.....I haven't really found anything that helped significantly with hair regrowth. I had never heard anyone mention Maca for thicker hair. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Ahh, nice to have a practising herbalist here, we are honoured!

May I ask, then, what your findings have been, for better or worse, with:

* Ho Shou Wu / Fo ti

* Horsetail / shavegrass


Thanks

[jacsam]

I hate to disappoint you but I have never used Ho Shou Wu/Fo ti, not for any other reason than I just haven't used it. I know there's alot of talk about it now and then but I can't help you much with that one because I have no experience with it. On the other hand I love horsetail and have had many people love the following calcium combination, which is very high in horsetail:

6 -parts horsetail grass
3 -parts oat straw
4 -parts comfrey root
1 -part lobelia

Buy these herbs powdered and then put them into capsules.....people usually start off with 3 capsules 3-4 times a day. You will definately see your hair and nails grow much better. It is an incredible calcium formula. So basically, I love horsetail but then I love comfrey and lobelia too......and alot of other herbs not in this formula.

[BeingK8]

I started at 24.

Do check you iron levels.

Also consider if you have any other niggling health issues/symptoms which you've not yet found the cause for (e.g. any liver or gastrointestinal issues?).

The maca will do a lot to help level hormone levels if they're out of whack.

Incidentally, after you mentioned DHT with regard to female alopecia, I spent just few minutes googling yesterday and you may find the following of interest, even though it is primarily aimed at men and has its critics:

http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1551878

I'm lost here...
check my iron levels if I want to take maca or if hair loss seems to be an issue???
consider maca if there are other niggling issues?
Not entirely sure if anything other than the "started at 24" was a reply to me personally or not.

[Arky]

I'm lost here...
check my iron levels if I want to take maca or if hair loss seems to be an issue???
consider maca if there are other niggling issues?
Not entirely sure if anything other than the "started at 24" was a reply to me personally or not.

oops! Sorry for the ambiguity, yes it was all aimed at you, K8.

Yes, check iron levels if hair loss is an issue for you.

Consider maca as a worthwhile trial in any event. It's perfectly safe and covers a surprising number of bases. Of course, it's ability to promote endocrine balance relates not only to the adrenals but also the thyroid, and we all know healthy thyroid function is important for good hair growth

Wish I'd started taking maca (regularly) at 24! ;)

[Arky]

I hate to disappoint you but I have never used Ho Shou Wu/Fo ti, not for any other reason than I just haven't used it. I know there's alot of talk about it now and then but I can't help you much with that one because I have no experience with it. On the other hand I love horsetail and have had many people love the following calcium combination, which is very high in horsetail:

6 -parts horsetail grass
3 -parts oat straw
4 -parts comfrey root
1 -part lobelia

Buy these herbs powdered and then put them into capsules.....people usually start off with 3 capsules 3-4 times a day. You will definately see your hair and nails grow much better. It is an incredible calcium formula. So basically, I love horsetail but then I love comfrey and lobelia too......and alot of other herbs not in this formula.

Lobelia is darned hard to get hold of in the UK.
I do have horsetail - but I was under the impression it is somewhat toxic unless boiled for 10 minutes - am I labouring under a misapprehension on that point, then? Difficult to recall exactly, but I think I might possibly have picked up that impression from Paul Pitchford's 'Healing with Wholefoods' (which is an enjoyable, albeit inconsistent, read). I must say, I'd love to know I can just consume this herb without having to boil it every time. Bernard Jensen always used to say how valuable silicon is for the body (he invariably recommended oatstraw tea for supplemental silicon intake).

Back to the above formula, do you consider it to be high in calcium per se or rather high in silicon and thus supportive of good skeletal calcium matabolism? I honestly don't have a clue what the calcium content of those herbs is but I do know that oat straw and horsetail are particularly rich in silicon, and thus great for hair health. I know comfrey is great for helping bones knit and tissue to heal. (oops, we do seem to have drifted a bit off-topic, but at least the discussion is interesting! :) )


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[BeingK8]

oops! Sorry for the ambiguity, yes it was all aimed at you, K8.

Yes, check iron levels if hair loss is an issue for you.

Consider maca as a worthwhile trial in any event. It's perfectly safe and covers a surprising number of bases. Of course, it's ability to promote endocrine balance relates not only to the adrenals but also the thyroid, and we all know healthy thyroid function is important for good hair growth

Wish I'd started taking maca (regularly) at 24! ;)

Ahhh! I sort of suspect that, like most people who grew up and lived on S.A.D (or whatever you all call it over in the UK ...what DO YOU call it over there? LOL!), most of my levels are insufficient, you know? They can't be too ideal or I wouldn't be experiencing changes like that in my hair, joint aches, weight struggles, fatigue. I self-diagnosed adrenal burnout for SURE a few months ago. I'm still struggling with it - can't tell you how often I still give in to coffee and staying up way too late and stuff.

And thank goodness you posted on here again! I was trying and trying to remember what thread we were having this discussion on because I wanted to check out the link you suggested for maca but I could NOT for the life of me remember where it was. And I suppose it had a thing or two to do with the fact that our maca/hair loss convo has NOTHING to do with the thread title. LOL! I was so lost and just said, "oh well, if I am meant to know, it will come back up." Tada!

[MysticTree]

what DO YOU call it over there? LOL!

I don't think we call it anything in particular although I just call it SAD cos it is sad.

[Arky]

Rawhoneybee, do you want to come back in and get this thread back on track?

I'm feeling a little guilty now at how far we've drifted off-topic!


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[MysticTree]

Rawhoneybee, do you want to come back in and get this thread back on track?

I'm feeling a little guilty now at how far we've drifted off-topic!


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I think that people didn't really want to talk about their rawgasms.

[Arky]

...what DO YOU call it over there? LOL!

...McDonalds.


Next question? ;)

[Arky]

I think that people didn't really want to talk about their rawgasms.

Speak for yourself!! LOL

...experiencing changes like that in my hair, joint aches, weight struggles, fatigue. I self-diagnosed adrenal burnout for SURE a few months ago.

Joint aches...erm... lots of caffeic acid won't be helping that (perhaps you could neutralise at least some of the acid by including dandelion leaf or celery seed in your coffees?), but there may be something deeper causing systemic inflammation. As you know, I've chatted to various people on this board about possible causes of inflammation, during the past few months (e.g. http://rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=64495 ).


Weight struggles...mmm...thyroid, perhaps? I'm sure you've already thought about that but have you thought about it in conjunction with the adrenals? i.e. they're both part of the endocrine system...

..and, of course, the thyroid may play back into the hair thing. I suppose at least trying a bit of iodine/kelp wouldn't do any harm.

Funny how I seem to be drawn into many, many conversations lately that happen to run somewhat convergent with my own health issues and associated research. Almost like it was 'meant to be' in some way. Weird, and I'm not a 'New-Ager' but neither am I unjustly in denial about it. So...at the risk of sounding like a darned broken record... have you had yourself tested for metals? They can screw up thyroid and adrenal function...and they can induce systemic inflammation... I KNOW, I KNOW, I sound like a broken record with metals lately, and I confess I'm therefore almost embarrassed to even suggest this, but all the same...here we are, discussing issues which, like it or not, DO potentially tally.

Your late nights are, of course, probably due more to caffeine and adrenal fluctuations more than anything else, but it is interesting to note that Hg-toxic individuals may typically be night owls (although that may be due to the disrupting effect of mercury upon the endocrine system, as already discussed). You'll find all this in Andy Cutler's books.


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...Or maybe you've been anaemic and/or hypothyroid for some time, leading to a lack of 'get-up-and-go', and have then sought out caffeine to compensate, the caffeine then stressing the adrenals.

The joint inflammation might be due to straight liver congestion (e.g. stones due to poor previous diet, dietary inadequacy of taurine, glycine, lecithin or whatever, or due to liver overwhelm from some toxin other than heavy metals).

Also, bowel toxicity due to poor previous diet could tie in with liver difficulties, but I know from previous discussions with you that you're intimately familiar with bowel cleansing etc. so this seems unlikely.

Poor bowel function might not just result from poor diet but actually contribute to malabsorption of nutrients from your present-day healthy diet. Hair needs a good supply of nutrients just like any other part of the body. Interestingly, a healthy bowel with good balance of healthy flora is apparently able to yield large amounts of B-vitamins. B-vitamins are vital for good hair growth.

Another possible cause for the liver and inflammation issues could be intestinal or liver parasites, but then I'd be questioning why your immune system and bile were failing to reasonably fight parasites off...which (potentially, at least) goes back to heavy metals etc.

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I'm still struggling with it - can't tell you how often I still give in to coffee and staying up way too late and stuff.

GRIN!

I was trying and trying to remember what thread we were having this discussion on because I wanted to check out the link you suggested for maca but I could NOT for the life of me remember where it was. ...I was so lost and just said, "oh well, if I am meant to know, it will come back up." Tada!

Yeah, funny how this universe works sometimes, isn't it? I'm not saying I actually DO believe in the manifestation side of 'New-Age' philosophies, but interesting things have happened along those lines during my lifetime, and I'm sure yours, too.


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[MysticTree]

Speak for yourself!! LOL

I think it is a very personal thing for a newbie to come on the forum and ask in their first post and perhaps that is why very few people answered the question.