The question I am asked more than any other is “What muscle building supplements should I use.” I find this disconcerting because it indicates an over-reliance on supplements. You should know up front that even if you follow my supplement recommendations below to the letter, you will not see any gains in muscle or strength without a scientifically-designed training and nutrition program to complement them. I know that many of you will ignore that last sentence, but at least you can’t say I didn’t warn you.

The Foundation

Just as a good training and nutrition program lays the foundation for supplements to work, it is important to have a foundational level to your muscle building supplement program.

I recommend that your foundational level include a high-quality multi-vitamin/mineral (cheap drugstore brands are useless), greens powder, protein powder, and a high-quality fish oil. I consider these supplements to be almost an extension of your nutrition plan. They serve to eliminate any nutrient deficiencies you might have, which help your body function at the highest level possible to enhance your strength and muscle mass.

The Second Tier

Most people tend to skip the Foundation and move directly to the second tier. This will not give you optimal gains. Again, I know many of you will ignore that last sentence, but I had to say it anyway.

The second-tier is made-up only of muscle building supplements that have been proven to enhance strength and muscle mass. The main supplements to include at this level are a post-workout shake, creatine, and a pre-workout stimulant. All of these have been shown without a doubt to enhance your progress.

The Third Tier

If you haven’t spent all of your money on supplements with the Foundation and Second Tier, you can move on to the Third Tier. This is where supplements that give smaller benefits as well as new and unproven supplements fit in. This would include things like creatine esters and nitric oxide supplements.

Unfortunately this is where most people spend all their money. I hate to see people caught-up in the supplement company marketing blitz, spending all their money on the latest supplement. These supplements should be last on your list, and should only be used if you are using the supplements in the Foundation and Second Tier. After all, why would you spend money on unproven supplements when there are supplements out there that have been proven to work?

Summary

I want to reiterate that even the scientifically-proven supplements alone won’t make any difference in your strength or muscle mass levels. A whole tub of creatine won’t enhance your strength or size one bit without a well-designed and training and nutrition program.

So the next time you are considering buying muscle building supplements, ask yourself if you wouldn’t just be better off with a new training and nutrition program.

Learn more about muscle building supplements and get a FREE muscle building report on “The 13 Reasons You Suck at Gaining Muscle.”

Each hair on the scalp grows less than half an inch per month. About 90 percent of the hair on the scalp is growing at any one time while about 10 percent of the hair is in a resting phase; after two to three months, the resting hair falls out and new hair starts to grow in its place. One large study that was done in Australia showed that the prevalence of mid-frontal hair loss increases as people age and affects 57% of women and 73.5% of men aged 80 years and over.

Hair loss may occur as part of an underlying disease, such as lupus or diabetes. In the past it was believed that baldness was inherited from a person’s maternal grandfather; while there’s some basis for this belief, both parents contribute to their offspring’s likelihood of hair loss. Hypothyroidism can cause hair loss, especially thinning of the outer third of the eyebrows.

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disorder also known as “spot baldness” that can result in hair loss ranging from just one area to every hair on the entire body. Since hair loss may be an early sign of a disease, it’s important to find the cause so that it can be treated properly and fast. Poor digestion, parasites and nutrient deficiencies such as iron or biotin deficiency shouldn’t be overlooked as possible causes.

Correcting a hormone imbalance may prevent further hair loss. Some drugs or medications can cause hair loss, which improves when you stop taking the medicine; medications that can cause hair loss include blood thinners, medicines used for gout, chemotherapy drugs used for cancer, too much vitamin A supplementation, birth control pills and antidepressants. One type of baldness is called traction alopecia, which is most commonly found in people with ponytails or cornrows who pull on their hair with excessive force.

Hair loss remedies and treatments with prescription drugs are long term commitments; not short term exposure. The surgical methods used include hair transplantation, whereby hair-producing follicles are taken from the back and sides of the head and injected into bald or thinning areas. Topical application of Ketoconazole, which is both an anti-fungal and a potent 5-alpha reductase inhibitor, is often used as a supplement to other approaches.

Products for hair loss include: shampoos, shampoos and conditioners, conditioners, lotions, creams, concealers, thinning hair shampoos, laser combs, laser brushes, the Lasertron Hair Growth Brush, herbal based products, chemical based pills or tablets, Nizoral shampoo, Neutrogena T-Gel, and many others. Stress reduction can be helpful in slowing hair loss. Minoxidil is a drug that’s used daily to prevent hair loss but may create heart problems; the hair it grows is very fine, only on the top of the head and may fall out again soon after the drug is stopped.

Immunosuppressants applied to the scalp have been shown to temporarily reverse alopecia areata, though the side effects of some of these drugs make this therapy questionable. While drastic, broad spectrum anti-androgens such as Flutamide are sometimes used topically; Flutamide is potent enough to have a feminizing effect in men, including growth of the breasts. Propecia (Finasteride) and Minoxidil (Rogaine in the U.S and elsewhere as Regaine) are drugs that have reported having shown some success in partially reversing loss but consider the side effects.

Circulation to the scalp is important. Make sure to test remedies on a small area first and check with your hair loss doctor or skin doctor before trying any natural home remedy if it includes any irritating ingredients. Onion juice and honey remedy for hair loss: prepare a hair-growing elixir by combining 1/4 cup of onion juice with one tablespoon of honey; massage the scalp with the mixture every day.

Russian cure with honey and vodka remedy for hair loss - combine one tablespoon honey with one jigger of vodka and the juice of a medium-size onion; rub mixture into the scalp every night, cover with a cap and shampoo in the morning. Try scalp massage every day. Resveratrol, from grape skins, is a lipase inhibitor and by decreasing the body’s ability to absorb fat through the intestine walls, it reduces the total fat and calorie content of a person’s diet.

Polygonum Multiflorum is a traditional Chinese cure for hair loss; whether the plant itself is useful, the general safety and quality control of herbs imported from China can be questionable. Try lying on a slant board with head down for 15 minutes a day, but clear it with your doctor first. Beta Sitosterol, which is a constituent in many seed oils, can help to treat BHP (benign prostatic hypertrophy) by lowering cholesterol; but consuming large amounts to get at small quantities of beta sitosterol is likely to exacerbate male pattern baldness.

Fingernail buffer for hair loss: strange as it may sound - three times a day or so, for about five minutes, buff your right fingernails with the fingernails of your left hand; this is supposed to stop hair loss, encourage hair growth and prevent hair from graying. Saw Palmetto is an herbal DHT inhibitor often claimed to be cheaper and have fewer side effects than finasteride and dutasteride; unlike other 5alpha-reductase inhibitors, saw palmetto induces its effects without interfering with the cellular capacity to secrete PSA (protein specific antigen). Garlic oil remedy for hair loss - at bedtime, puncture a couple of garlic pearles, squirt the oil on the scalp, massage, cover with a cap, shampoo and rinse in the morning.

It’s important to find out exactly what is causing your hair loss problem in order to choose the right approach. Treatment for alopecia can be slow and sometimes not successful; the more hair that’s lost, the more you may have to work at it to get it back and in some cases may not be able to; but try as many natural non-invasive treatments and remedies as possible. If you experience any form of hair loss that causes you concern, make an appointment with your doctor to discuss the treatment options available to you for your particular condition.

Interesting bit of trivia: the word alopecia is formed from the Greek word meaning fox; the origin comes from the fact that the fox sheds its coat twice a year. The average human head has about 100,000 hair follicles; each follicle can grow about 20 individual hairs during a person’s lifetime. About 90 percent of the hair on the scalp is growing at any one time while about 10 percent of the hair is in a resting phase; after two to three months, the resting hair falls out and new hair starts to grow in its place.

Some mycotic infections can cause massive hair loss. If a medicine is causing your hair loss, your doctor may be able to prescribe a different medicine or you may find you really don’t need the medicine at all. In the past it was believed that baldness was inherited from a person’s maternal grandfather; while there’s some basis for this belief, both parents contribute to their offspring’s likelihood of hair loss.

About three or four months after an illness or a major surgery, you can suddenly temporarily lose a large amount of hair; this hair loss is related to the stress of the illness. Since hair loss may be an early sign of a disease, it’s important to find the cause so that it can be treated properly and fast. Poor digestion, parasites and nutrient deficiencies such as iron or biotin deficiency shouldn’t be overlooked as possible causes.

Temporary loss of hair can occur in areas where sebaceous cysts are present for one week to several weeks in length. Hypothyroidism can cause hair loss, especially thinning of the outer third of the eyebrows. Some drugs or medications can cause hair loss, which improves when you stop taking the medicine; medications that can cause hair loss include blood thinners, medicines used for gout, chemotherapy drugs used for cancer, too much vitamin A supplementation, birth control pills and antidepressants.

There are natural home remedies and many recipes for making mixtures to apply topically to the scalp. Products for hair loss include: shampoos, shampoos and conditioners, conditioners, lotions, creams, concealers, thinning hair shampoos, laser combs, laser brushes, the Lasertron Hair Growth Brush, herbal based products, chemical based pills or tablets, Nizoral shampoo, Neutrogena T-Gel, and many others. Immunosuppressants applied to the scalp have been shown to temporarily reverse alopecia areata, though the side effects of some of these drugs make this therapy questionable.

Surgery is another method of reversing hair loss and baldness, although it may be considered an extreme measure. Studies done on subjects of various ages suggests that weight training alone may increase testosterone in studies where aerobic exercise only was compared to either weight training or a moderately sedentary life. Very little testing has been done on the long-term effects of Minoxidil on women.

Minoxidil is a drug that’s used daily to prevent hair loss but may create heart problems; the hair it grows is very fine, only on the top of the head and may fall out again soon after the drug is stopped. Hair loss treatments and remedies range in price from free to expensive. Minoxidil is a very expensive drug, costing about one hundred dollars per month for daily treatment.

Rub vitamin E oil into the scalp nightly. Massage the scalp nightly with an oil made of one part rosemary oil and two parts almond oil. Resveratrol, from grape skins, is a lipase inhibitor and by decreasing the body’s ability to absorb fat through the intestine walls, it reduces the total fat and calorie content of a person’s diet.

Make sure to test remedies on a small area first and check with your hair loss doctor or skin doctor before trying any natural home remedy if it includes any irritating ingredients. Garlic oil remedy for hair loss - at bedtime, puncture a couple of garlic pearles, squirt the oil on the scalp, massage, cover with a cap, shampoo and rinse in the morning. Try using double-strength herbal sage tea as a hair rinse or apply to scalp every day as a tonic.

Onion juice and honey remedy for hair loss: prepare a hair-growing elixir by combining 1/4 cup of onion juice with one tablespoon of honey; massage the scalp with the mixture every day. Massage the scalp with the fingers daily. Polygonum Multiflorum is a traditional Chinese cure for hair loss; whether the plant itself is useful, the general safety and quality control of herbs imported from China can be questionable.

Raw onion remedy for hair loss - take half a raw onion and massage the scalp with it; cover the head overnight, shampoo and rinse in the morning. Fingernail buffer for hair loss: strange as it may sound - three times a day or so, for about five minutes, buff your right fingernails with the fingernails of your left hand; this is supposed to stop hair loss, encourage hair growth and prevent hair from graying. Russian cure with honey and vodka remedy for hair loss - combine one tablespoon honey with one jigger of vodka and the juice of a medium-size onion; rub mixture into the scalp every night, cover with a cap and shampoo in the morning.

To prevent further hair loss, consider a healthier lifestyle - eat a more plant-based diet, and get plenty of exercise; be good to your immune system. Treatment for alopecia can be slow and sometimes not successful; the more hair that’s lost, the more you may have to work at it to get it back and in some cases may not be able to; but try as many natural non-invasive treatments and remedies as possible. Consider all your natural options first; change your diet to one that’s more natural with lots of fruits and veggies.

One study that was done in Australia showed the prevalence of mid-frontal hair loss increases as people age and affects 57% of women and 73.5% of men aged 80 years and over. The normal cycle of typical hair growth lasts from two to six years. A bit of trivia- the word bald derives from the English word balde, which means white or pale, or the Celtic word - ball, which means a white patch or blaze, as on a horse’s head.

Some fungal infections of the scalp can cause hair loss in children which is easily treated with anti-fungal medicines. In the past it was believed that baldness was inherited from the maternal grandfather; while there is some basis for this belief, both parents contribute to their offspring’s likelihood of hair loss. Since hair loss may be an early sign of a disease, it is important to find the cause so it can be treated properly and fast.

Hair loss may occur as part of an underlying disease, like lupus or diabetes and hypothyroidism can cause hair loss, especially thinning of the outer third of the eyebrows. Traumas due to chemotherapy, childbirth, major surgery, poisoning, and severe stress may cause a condition known as telogen effluvium.

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disorder also known as “spot baldness” that can result in hair loss ranging from just one area on the body to every hair on the entire body. If a medicine is causing your loss, your doctor may be able to prescribe a different medicine or you may find you really don’t need the medicine after all. Poor digestion, parasites and nutrient deficiencies like an iron or biotin deficiency shouldn’t be overlooked as possible causes.

Minoxidil is a drug that is used daily to prevent hair loss but may create heart problems; the hair it grows is very fine, only on the top of the head and may fall out again soon after the drug is discontinued. There are hundreds of hair loss products on the market today used as remedies and treatments. There are many natural home remedies and all sorts of recipes for making mixtures to apply topically to the scalp.

Surgery is another method of reversing hair loss and baldness, although it is considered an extreme measure. Topical application of Ketoconazole, which is both an anti-fungal and a potent 5-alpha reductase inhibitor, is often used as a supplement to other medical approaches. Minoxidil is available without a prescription and is for topical application only, but one needs to consider the side effects.

Products for hair loss include: shampoos, shampoos with conditioners, conditioners, lotions, creams, concealers, thinning hair shampoos, laser combs, laser brushes, the Lasertron Hair Growth Brush, herbal-based products, chemical- based pills or tablets, Nizoral shampoo, Neutrogena T-Gel, and many others. Studies done on subjects of various adult ages suggests that weight training alone may increase testosterone in studies where aerobic exercise only was compared to either weight training or a moderately sedentary life. Propecia (Finasteride) and Minoxidil (Rogaine in the U.S and elsewhere as Regaine) are drugs that have reported having shown some success in partially reversing loss but one needs to consider the negative side effects and long term usage.

Massage the scalp nightly with an oil mixture made of one part rosemary oil and two parts almond oil. Make sure to test all remedies on a small area first and check with your doctor or skin doctor before trying any natural home remedy if it includes any irritating ingredients. You can try lying on a slant board with head down for 15 minutes a day, but clear it with your doctor first.

The Russian cure with honey and vodka remedy - combine one tablespoon honey with one jigger of vodka and the juice of a medium-size onion; rub mixture into the scalp every night, cover with a cap and shampoo in the morning. Polygonum Multiflorum is a traditional Chinese cure for hair loss; whether the plant itself is useful, the general safety and quality control of herbs imported from China can be very questionable these days. Vodka and cayenne remedy for hair loss - mix one jigger of vodka with a 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (test on skin first for sensitivity) and rub it on the scalp; blood rushes to the hair follicles stimulated by the vodka and cayenne pepper - but be careful if you try it.

The olive oil and rosemary remedy for hair loss - use equal amounts of olive oil and oil of rosemary; combine them in a bottle, shake vigorously, massage into the scalp, put on a cap, go to bed and shampoo in the morning. The raw onion remedy - take half a raw onion and massage the scalp with it; cover the head overnight, shampoo and rinse in the morning. Resveratrol, from the skin of grapes, is a lipase inhibitor and by decreasing the body’s ability to absorb fat through the intestine walls, it reduces the total fat and calorie content of a person’s diet.

Circulation to the scalp is of utmost importance. Saw Palmetto is an herbal DHT inhibitor often claimed to be cheaper and have far fewer side effects than finasteride and dutasteride; unlike other 5alpha-reductase inhibitors, saw palmetto induces its effects without interfering with the cellular capacity to secrete protein specific antigen (PSA). Apple cider vinegar used as a hair rinse may also stimulate hair growth.

Keep in mind that hair loss should be continually treated, preferably naturally however, even after the loss stops. Sometimes it will indicate a disease or condition that hadn’t been recognized or diagnosed before. If you experience any form of hair loss that causes you concern, make an appointment with your doctor or dermatologist to discuss the treatment options available to you for your particular condition.

The average typical loss of hair amounts to about 100 strands a day. And the average human head has about 100,000 hair follicles. Each one of these follicles can grow about 20 individual hairs during a person’s lifetime. Female or male pattern baldness varies from population to population based on genetic background. It’s important to understand the cause of your hair loss before you undergo any hair loss remedy or treatment.

Some drugs or medications can actually cause hair loss, which improves when you stop taking the medicine. Medications that can cause hair loss include the blood thinners, medicines used for gout and gouty arthritis, chemotherapy drugs used for cancer, too much vitamin A supplementation, birth control pills and antidepressants. Hypothyroidism can cause it, especially the thinning of the outer third of the eyebrows. Many women notice hair loss about three months after they’ve had a baby. During pregnancy, high levels of certain hormones cause the body to keep hair that would normally fall out. So when the hormones return to pre-pregnancy levels that hair falls out and the normal cycle of growth and loss starts up all over again.

And some mycotic infections can cause massive hair loss. Fungal infections of the scalp can cause it in children, which is usually easily treated with antifungal medicines. About three or four months after an illness or a major surgery, you can suddenly lose a large amount of hair temporarily. This loss is related to the extreme stress of the illness.

Recognizing and properly treating an infection may help stop the loss. If the thyroid gland is either overactive or underactive, hair may fall out. However treating thyroid disease will remedy this. Poor digestion, parasites and nutrient deficiencies such as iron or biotin deficiency shouldn’t be overlooked as possible causes.

There are prescription drugs, herbal remedies and topical applications available for hair loss. Surgical methods used include hair transplantation, whereby hair-producing follicles are taken from the back and sides of the head and injected into bald or thinning areas, but this is very expensive and requires several sessions. Try to go a more natural way with treatment if possible. Taking drugs means many months of exposure to chemicals causing side effects and possibly irreversible damage.

Minoxidil is a very expensive drug, which costs about one hundred dollars per month for daily treatment. Very little testing has been done on the long-term effects of Minoxidil on women. Surgery is another method of reversing hair loss and baldness, although it should be considered an extreme measure. There are both natural products and chemical-based products for it.

Some of the products for hair loss include: shampoos, shampoos and conditioners, conditioners, lotions, creams, concealers, thinning hair shampoos, laser combs, laser brushes, the Lasertron Hair Growth Brush, herbal based products, chemical based pills or tablets, Nizoral shampoo and Neutrogena T-Gel. Stress reduction can be very helpful in slowing it down.

Polygonum Multiflorum is a traditional Chinese cure or remedy for hair loss. Whether or not the plant itself is useful, the general safety and quality control of herbs imported from China is now questionable. And saw Palmetto is an herbal DHT inhibitor often claimed to be cheaper and have fewer side effects than either finasteride or dutasteride. And unlike other 5alpha-reductase inhibitors, saw palmetto induces its effects without interfering with the cellular capacity to secrete PSA (protein specific antigen).

Garlic as a hair loss remedy - an hour before bedtime, slice open a clove of garlic and rub it on the area of loss, wait for an hour and then massage the scalp with olive oil, put on a cap, go to bed, shampoo your hair in the morning, repeat for a few weeks, and hopefully hair will stop falling out and regrowth will be evident.

One patient reported that he used virgin coconut oil on his hair and scalp for a year. During that time his hair became thicker and he hade more of it on the top of his head where he had been receding a bit. It’s good as a hair gel too. Some people lie on a slant board with their heads down for about 15 minutes a day, but clear it with your doctor first if you decide to try it.

The onion juice and honey remedy: prepare a hair-growing elixir by combining 1/4 cup of onion juice with one tablespoon of honey. Massage the scalp with this mixture every day.

Resveratrol, from grape skins, is a lipase (relevant to the hair loss process) and by decreasing the body’s ability to absorb fat through the intestinal walls, it reduces the total fat and calorie content of a person’s diet. Beta Sitosterol, which is a constituent in many seed oils, can help to treat BHP (benign prostatic hypertrophy) by lowering cholesterol. But consuming large amounts of it to get at small quantities of beta sitosterol is likely to exacerbate male pattern baldness. So be careful if you have BPH and are taking it.

The Asian remedy - rub sesame oil onto your scalp every night, cover with a cap or old towel. In the morning wash with an herbal shampoo, rinse with a solution of one tablespoon of raw apple cider vinegar to one quart of water.

The olive oil and rosemary remedy - use equal amounts of olive oil and oil of rosemary. Combine them in a bottle, shake vigorously, massage onto the scalp, put on a cap and shampoo in the morning.

Massage the affected scalp areas with the fingers each day. And raw apple cider vinegar used as a hair rinse may stimulate hair growth.

Remember that any drugs you take for hair loss will be a long term commitment. When they are stopped the hair loss returns. Make sure you consider the risks to your health before doing this. If you experience any form of loss that causes you concern, make an appointment with your dermatologist, hair loss doctor or regular doctor to discuss the treatment options available to you for your particular condition. It’s important to find out exactly what is causing your problem in order for you to choose the right hair loss remedy or approach.

The average human head has roughly 100,000 hair follicles and each follicle can grow about 20 individual hairs during a person’s lifetime. The severity and nature of baldness can vary greatly; it does range from male and female pattern alopecia, alopecia areata, which involves the loss of just some of the hair from the head, and alopecia totalis, which involves the loss of all head hair, to the most extreme form, alopecia universalis, which involves the loss of all hair from the head and the whole body. It’s normal to shed some hair each day but men, women, teens and children may all experience excessive hair loss.

Temporary loss of hair can occur in areas where sebaceous cysts on the head are present for one week to several weeks. Poor digestion, parasites and nutrient deficiencies like iron or biotin deficiency shouldn’t be overlooked as possible causes. Some drugs or medications can cause hair loss too, which improves when you stop taking the offending medicine; some of the medications that can cause hair loss include blood thinners, medicines used for gout, chemotherapy drugs used for cancer, too much vitamin A supplementation, birth control pills, retinoids used to treat acne and skin problems, blood pressure medications and antidepressants.

One type of baldness is called traction alopecia, which is most commonly found in people with ponytails or cornrows who pull on their hair with too much force. In the past it was believed that baldness was inherited from a person’s maternal grandfather; while there’s some basis for this belief, actually both parents contribute to their offspring’s likelihood of hair loss. If the thyroid gland is overactive as in Grave’s Disease or underactive, hair may fall out; treating thyroid disease will help remedy this.

When hypothyroidism causes hair loss there will be thinning of the outer third of the eyebrows. Fungal infections on the scalp can cause hair loss in children, which is easily treated sometimes with topical antifungal medicines. Some tumors and skin growths can also induce localized baldness.

Sometimes surgery is another method of reversing hair loss and baldness, although it may be considered an extreme measure. Regular aerobic exercise can help keep androgen levels (male hormones) naturally lower while maintaining overall health, lowering stress and increasing SHBG. Very little testing has been done on the possible long-term effects of Minoxidil on women.

Propecia (Finasteride) and Minoxidil (Rogaine in the U.S and elsewhere as Regaine) are drugs that have been reported to having shown some success in partially reversing loss but one must consider the side effects. The surgical methods used include hair transplantation - when hair-producing follicles are taken from the back and sides of the head and injected into bald or thinning areas. Hair loss treatments and conventional and natural remedies range in price from free to expensive.

Try a more natural way of treatment if possible; taking hair loss drugs requires many months of exposure to chemicals. Propecia is available with a prescription; it comes in pill form, is only approved for men’s use and may take up to six months before you can tell if it is working. There are literally hundreds of hair loss products used as hair loss remedies and treatments.

You might try using double-strength herbal sage tea as a hair rinse or apply to the scalp every day as a tonic. An Asian remedy for hair loss - rub sesame oil on your scalp every night, cover with a cap or old towel; in the morning wash with a good herbal shampoo and rinse with a solution of one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in one quart of water. There is the garlic oil remedy for hair loss - at bedtime, puncture two garlic pearles, squirt the oil on the scalp, massage, cover with a cap, shampoo and rinse in the morning.

Make sure to test all remedies on a small area first and check with your hair loss doctor or skin doctor before trying any natural home remedy if it includes any irritating ingredients. The Russian cure with honey and vodka remedy for hair loss - combine one tablespoon honey with one jigger of vodka and the juice of a medium-size onion; rub mixture into the scalp every night, cover with a cap and shampoo in the morning. Taken orally, saw palmetto is an herbal DHT inhibitor often claimed to be cheaper and have fewer side effects than finasteride and dutasteride; unlike other 5alpha-reductase inhibitors, saw palmetto induces its effects without interfering with the cellular capacity to secrete PSA (protein specific antigen).

Polygonum Multiflorum is a traditional Chinese cure for hair loss; whether the plant itself is useful, the general safety and quality control of herbs imported from China can be questionable - only order form a reputable supplier. The olive oil and rosemary remedy for hair loss - use equal amounts of olive oil and oil of rosemary; combine them in a bottle, shake vigorously, massage into the scalp, put on a cap and shampoo in the morning. Another remedy, massage the scalp nightly with an oil made of one part rosemary oil and two parts almond oil.

The onion juice and honey remedy for hair loss: prepare a hair-growing elixir by combining 1/4 cup of onion juice with one tablespoon of honey; massage the scalp with the mixture every day. The raw onion remedy for hair loss - take half a raw onion and massage the scalp with it; cover the head overnight, shampoo and rinse in the morning. Beta Sitosterol, which is a constituent in many seed oils, can help to treat BHP (benign prostatic hypertrophy) by lowering cholesterol; but be careful, consuming large amounts to get at small quantities of beta sitosterol is likely to exacerbate male pattern baldness.

Consider picking one of the least harmful, topical, natural home treatment remedies (the kind you whip up at home), and try it on your scalp for at least 30 days. And concentrate on boosting your immune system to give your hair the best chance to regrow. Make sure to keep your scalp in good condition at all times.

The severity and nature of baldness can vary greatly; it ranges from male and female pattern alopecia, alopecia areata, which involves the loss of some of the hair from the head, and alopecia totalis, which involves the loss of all head hair, to the most extreme form of baldness, alopecia universalis, which involves the loss of all hair from the head and the body. The trigger for male pattern baldness, also called androgenic alopecia, is DHT, a powerful sex hormone that can adversely affect the hair and the prostate gland.

It’s possible that correcting a hormone imbalance may prevent further hair loss. Poor digestion, parasites and nutrient deficiencies such as iron or biotin deficiency shouldn’t be overlooked as possible causes too. And alopecia areata is an autoimmune disorder also known as “spot baldness” that can result in hair loss ranging from just one area to every hair on the entire body.

Since hair loss may be an early sign of a disease, it is important to find the cause so that it can be treated properly and quickly. Recognizing and treating an infection may help stop the loss. If a medicine is causing your loss, your doctor may be able to prescribe a different medicine or you may decide you really don’t need or want the medicine.

Hair loss may occur as part of an underlying disease, like lupus erythmatosis or type two diabetes. If the thyroid gland is overactive or underactive, hair may fall out and treating thyroid disease will help remedy this. Hypothyroidism can cause it too, especially the thinning of the outer third of the eyebrows.

There are hundreds of hair loss products on the market used as remedies and treatments. The surgical methods used for hair loss include hair transplantation; hair-producing follicles are taken from the back and sides of the head and injected into bald or thinning areas. Minoxidil is a drug that has to be used daily to prevent loss but may create heart problems; the hair it grows is very fine, only on the top of the head and may fall out again soon after the drug is stopped.

Minoxidil is a very expensive drug, costing about one hundred dollars per month for daily uninterrupted treatment. The topical application of Ketoconazole, which is both an anti-fungal and a potent 5-alpha reductase inhibitor, is often used as a supplement to other approaches. Try to think about natural treatment if possible; taking hair loss drugs require many months or years of exposure to harmful chemicals.

Stress reduction can be helpful in slowing your hair loss. Surgery is another method of reversing loss and baldness, although it could be considered an extreme measure. There are both natural and chemical-based products available.

Raw apple cider vinegar used as a hair rinse may stimulate hair growth. For the garlic for hair loss remedy - an hour before bedtime, slice open a clove of garlic and rub it on the area of loss, wait for an hour then massage the scalp with olive oil, put on a cap, go to bed, and shampoo your hair in the morning. Repeat this for a few weeks, and hopefully hair will stop falling out and regrowth will be appearing. Polygonum Multiflorum is a traditional Chinese cure for hair loss; whether the plant itself is useful, the general safety and quality control of herbs imported from China is questionable these days.

The raw onion remedy - take half a raw onion and massage the scalp with it; cover the head overnight, shampoo and rinse in the morning. The olive oil and rosemary remedy - use equal amounts of olive oil and oil of rosemary; combine them in a bottle, shake vigorously, massage into the scalp, put on a cap and shampoo in the morning. Also you can try lying on a slant board with head down for 15 minutes a day, but clear it with your doctor first.

The Asian remedy - rub sesame oil on your scalp every night, cover with a cap or old towel; in the morning wash with an herbal shampoo, rinse with a solution of one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in one quart of water. Another remedy is to massage the scalp nightly with an oil made of one part rosemary oil and two parts almond oil. Vodka and cayenne is another remedy - mix one jigger of vodka with a 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (test on skin first for sensitivity) and rub it on the scalp; blood rushes to the hair follicles stimulated by the vodka and cayenne pepper - but be careful if you try it.

One patient reported that he used coconut oil on his hair and scalp for a year and during that time his hair became thicker and he had more of it on the top of his head where he had been receding a bit; it’s good as a hair gel too. Good circulation to the scalp is important. Make sure to test all these home remedies on a small area first and check with your doctor or skin doctor before trying any natural home remedy if it includes any irritating ingredients.

Consider picking one of the least harmless, topical, natural home treatment remedies (the kind you whip up at home), and try it on your scalp for at least 30 days and see what happens. With extensive research, reading ratings and reviews and reading testimonials from real people you may be able to find the right hair loss product, treatment or remedy that’ll work for you. And concentrate on boosting your immune system to give your hair the best chance to grow.

Male pattern baldness, also called alopecia, is characterized by hair receding from the lateral sides of the forehead, known as a receding hairline; an additional bald patch may develop on top. It’s much easier to prevent the falling out of healthy hairs than to regrow hair in follicles that are already dormant. Baldness is simply the state of lacking hair where it usually grows, especially on the head.

Many women notice hair loss about three months after they’ve had a baby; during pregnancy, high levels of certain hormones cause the body to keep hair that would normally fall out and when the hormones return to pre-pregnancy levels that hair falls out and the normal cycle of growth and loss starts up again. If the thyroid gland is overactive or underactive, hair may fall out; treating thyroid disease will help remedy this. Poor digestion, parasites and nutrient deficiencies such as iron or biotin deficiency shouldn’t be overlooked as possible causes.

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disorder also known as “spot baldness” that can result in hair loss ranging from just one area to every hair on the entire body. If a medicine is causing your hair loss, your doctor may be able to prescribe a different medicine or you may find you really don’t need the medicine at all. About 3 or 4 months after an illness or a major surgery, you can suddenly temporarily lose a large amount of hair; this hair loss is related to the stress of the illness.

Hair loss may occur as part of an underlying disease, such as lupus or diabetes. In the past it was believed that baldness was inherited from a person’s maternal grandfather; while there’s some basis for this belief, both parents contribute to their offspring’s likelihood of hair loss. Tumors and skin growths can also induce localized baldness.

There are prescription drugs, herbal remedies and topical applications for hair loss. Go a more natural way with treatment if possible; taking hair loss drugs require many months of exposure to chemicals. There are natural home remedies and many recipes for making mixtures to apply topically to the scalp.

Please be aware there are side effects and serious side effects sometimes with the drugs that are commonly used for hair loss. Immunosuppressants applied to the scalp have been shown to temporarily reverse alopecia areata, though the side effects of some of these drugs make this therapy questionable. Stress reduction can be helpful in slowing hair loss.

Minoxidil is a drug that’s used daily to prevent hair loss but may create heart problems; the hair it grows is very fine, only on the top of the head and may fall out again soon after the drug is stopped. Minoxidil is a very expensive drug, costing about one hundred dollars per month for daily treatment. Propecia is available with a prescription; comes in pill form, is only for men and may take up to six months before you can tell if it is working.

Onion juice and honey remedy for hair loss: prepare a hair-growing elixir by combining 1/4 cup of onion juice with one tablespoon of honey; massage the scalp with the mixture every day. Massage the scalp nightly with an oil mixture made of one part rosemary oil and two parts almond oil. Asian remedy for hair loss - rub sesame oil on your scalp every night, cover with a cap or old towel; in the morning wash with an herbal shampoo, rinse with a solution of one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in one quart of water.

Olive oil and rosemary remedy for hair loss - use equal amounts of olive oil and oil of rosemary; combine them in a bottle, shake vigorously, massage into the scalp, put on a cap and shampoo in the morning. Garlic oil remedy for hair loss - at bedtime, puncture a couple of garlic pearles, squirt the oil on the scalp, massage, cover with a cap, shampoo and rinse in the morning. Try using double-strength herbal sage tea as a hair rinse or apply to scalp every day as a tonic.

Rub vitamin E oil into the scalp nightly. Try scalp massage every day. Polygonum Multiflorum is a traditional Chinese cure for hair loss; whether the plant itself is useful, the general safety and quality control of herbs imported from China can be questionable.

Circulation to the scalp is important. One patient reported that he used coconut oil on his hair and scalp for a year and during that time his hair became thicker and he hade more of it on the top of his head where he had been receding a bit; good as a hair gel too. Apple cider vinegar used as a hair rinse may stimulate hair growth.

Remember that regrowing hair is a slow process, so don’t look for results overnight for any remedy or treatment you try. Remember that any drugs you take for hair loss will be a long term commitment; consider the risks to your health before doing this. Keep in mind that hair loss should be continually treated, preferably natural however, even after it stops.

By now you have probably heard about the benefits of taking a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement. If not, the basic reasoning is that a multi will prevent and treat any nutrient deficiencies you may have. These deficiencies are a result of a less than optimal diet as well as some factors outside of our control (lower mineral levels in soil, higher stress levels of modern life, etc.).

While I wholeheartedly agree with the premise behind recommending a multi-vitamin/mineral as one of the top muscle building supplements, I believe that simply recommending that you take a multi isn’t enough.

This is because the recommendation of a daily multi simply leads most people to go the drug store and pick-up the cheapest brand they can find. You may be thinking, “Aren’t all multi-vitamins the same since most contain about 100% of the daily value of most nutrients?”

Unfortunately this is not the case. We have all heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” Unfortunately this isn’t the truth with multi-vitamins. A more fitting saying for multi-vitamins is, “You are what you absorb.”

You see, there are three reasons why cheap, drug-store multis are inferior to higher-quality multi-vitamins, and all of them have to do with absorption of nutrients:

1. Compression
The typical drug store vitamins are usually made so that you only have to take one pill per day. To fit all of the nutrients into one pill there is some serious and heating and compression that takes place during the manufacturing process. This not only damages some of the fragile vitamins and minerals, but it also creates a pill that is so hard and dense that your body can’t break it down and absorb it.

2. Mineral Forms
If you look at the label of a multi-vitamin you will see various nutrients listed. For example, if you look at magnesium you will see that next to the word “magnesium” there are the specific forms of magnesium listed in parentheses. The problem is that not all forms of minerals are absorbed the same. In fact, the commonly used oxide form has the lowest absorption rate! Remember, it doesn’t matter if you are taking 100% of the recommended daily value if you’re only absorbing a fraction of that!

3. Vitamin Overload
This is another problem with those one pill multis. Sure, they have 100% of the daily value of some nutrients, but you are getting all of these nutrients at one time! Remember that this is the DAILY value. This means that it should be taken throughout the day, not in one big dose. These big once-a-day mega-doses are ineffective for absorption and keeping nutrient levels high throughout the day.

The Solution

There are many good brands of multi-vitamins available. However, you are not likely to find them in the drug store. Instead, check with your medical practitioner. There are brands which sell their products only through medical professionals and these tend to be of a higher quality. If you can’t obtain one of these brands, simply look for a multi-vitamin that requires you take more than 1 pill per day (usually 4-8 is the norm). This is a good sign that the vitamin is of higher quality.

Most of all, you should feel a big difference within the first week of taking a high-quality multi-vitamin. If you don’t notice an increase in energy and well-being then you made need to switch.

If you take these steps then you will see why multi-vitamins/minerals are one of the top muscle building supplements.

For specific recommendations of which brands to use please refer to the No B.S. Supplement Guide from Athletic Muscle Building.

Learn more about top muscle building supplements and get a FREE report on muscle building called “The 13 Reasons You Suck at Gaining Muscle.”

Get A Head Start On The Cold And Flu Season: Build Your Immunity

Since cold and flu seasons will be here soon, many people go running to the medicine cabinet for vitamin C and a zinc lozenge after just one cough or sniffle from someone around you. By strengthening your immune system you can enjoy a happy, healthy holiday season. Immune boosting is rather difficult because immune function is not specific to one place or organ in the body. The liver, spleen, and blood make up the majority of immune function, along with biochemical products including enzymes and prostaglandins. However, immune function is influenced by the entire body. It is also influenced by outside factors ranging anywhere from depression to allergies, causing immune dysfunction to vary greatly depending on the person. Due to the complexity of the situation, without long term care, quick fix immune boosts will have little effect so immune boosting needs to be a year-round effort. However, many of us only remember to strengthen our immune system when reminded by the first case of a winter cold. Luckily, building immune-boosting habits is not hard and can be easily incorporated into any lifestyle. Long-term immune boosting can be started by learning which factors lower natural immune function. These include both physical and emotional stress which are very hard on your body systems and make you very vulnerable to illness. Physical stressors can come from medications, stimulants, poor diet, free radicals, fatigue, and nutrient deficiencies. Emotional stressors can come from anything as mild as a traffic jam to chronic depression.

To strengthen the immune system, there are five tips to follow.

1. Decrease your use of pharmaceuticals and caffeine to a minimum. Medications and artificial stimulants cause stress on your immune system that can weaken natural immune defenses over time. Exercise is a great way to boost your energy and increase your overall health along with drinking plenty of water and tea.

2. Make a commitment to eat better. Immune cells can be weakened by alcohol, polyunsaturated fats, and refined sugar. Try to decrease your intake of these items. A recent study found that white blood cells of vegetarians are twice as effective against tumor cells as those people who eat meat. Many experts believe that the phytochemicals in plants can protect people against cancer and heart disease.

3. Take an antioxidant supplement such as vitamin C and E or alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) regularly. These are excellent for fighting free radicals that damage the body cells and stress the immune system.

4. Glyconutrient supplementation is one of the best known ways to fight off illnesses and is imperative for healthy immune function. Most people know that large-scale malnutrition makes individuals more likely to get diseases. However, many people are not aware of the various vitamin and mineral deficiencies that can lead to dysfunction of the immune system.

5. Although emotional stressors will probably never disappear, they can be managed by getting adequate rest, doing relaxation techniques and exercising regularly. The single most important factor in boosting your immune system can come from reducing the stress in your life.

Even after following all of these tips, some bugs will still find a way to get through. To tackle those, short-term immune boosters including echinacea, astragalus, garlic, and reishi mushroom may be beneficial. Most importantly listen to your body. Even though the basics of immune boosting are the same, your individual regimen must be specialized for your own needs. The longer you treat your body right, the healthier you will be.