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Bacteria
Induced Baldness - 10 HairSite Regulars Participated In Growth
Response's Free Trial
| A little background:
on May 15th, 2002, Kathrin, a new participant in the Support Forum,
posted about a certain shampoo and conditioner that completely
stopped her hair loss in one week. The product is called Growth Response. According to the inventor of
Growth Response, hair
loss may be caused by certain bacterial activities that can be
easily cured using a certain shampoo and conditioner. |
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It
wasn't long (two days to be exact) when Pants & Tyler Durden
enticed Growth Response to offer 10 HairSite regulars a free trial
of the products. Regulars who are currently known to be in this
program are: Chris, Hardwo0d, Jean, JohnUK, LIF, Pants, Sara, Trey, Tyler
Durden. Tyler
Durden's Interview With Growth Response Reprint
of Tyler Durden's post in Waseda's forum # 34
http://www.hairsite7.com/m569zo34/_disc569/00000193.htm
<QUOTE>
I talked to the inventor of "Growth Response" last night
over the phone. This is what he had to say. Bear in mind, this is
basically a synopsis of the notes I took whilst talking to him --
it's not verbatim unless I quote him. Just a warning, folks: this is
*long*. Took awhile to type up referencing my notes.
THE INVENTOR'S PERSONAL BACKGROUND, HOW HE
CAME TO CREATE THE PRODUCT :
He has been the owner of a manufacturing plant for hair products,
for 23 years, and has an intricate knowledge of the business. It is
located in the San Fernando valley in California. He says
formulating products is a science and an art. He developed the
product because of his own personal hairloss problem. Trying various
'traditional' hair growth products, he got no results (he felt
something was missing) and decided to do his own personal research
but didn't know where to begin.
He went to Columbia, and talking to his
brother, he learned that there was a man based in Columbia who
claimed he could grow hair. In speaking with this man, he learned of
a product for [yeast] infections taken internally called "tekonazol".
This drug as a side-effect *can* grow hair, but one of the side
effects is impotence, therefore, he tried other substances along the
same lines (anti-microbial) but without these side effects.
Basically from there he researched and began
to experiment. He says primarily he researched bacteria and found
that they are capable of moving from one place to another on the
body, mutating and adapting to build resistance to common
antibacterial agents, etc. His opinion is that hairloss is due to a
bacteria imbalance within the body, demonstrated through the hair.
He experimented with anti-microbial substances until he found a
combination that worked for him. 45 days later, he had noticeable
new hair growth -- vellous hairs -- which as weeks passed became
stronger.
An example he gave of the adaptability of
organisms: In 1995, a doctor from the department of energy was hired
to explore the bottom of the Johannesburgh gold mine, and found that
in the deepest part of it that there was bacterial life, even in
this toxic environment. They live off nutrients, and can survive
many hazardous situations. Researchers now believe bacteria may have
a lot to do with cancers; he said take a look at many products on
today's market -- they are anti-microbial. They prefer humid,
nutrient-rich environments, and a prime habitat is the head. He
brings up the point that the hair/scalp takes so long to dry, even
when we attempt to blow-dry our hair/scalp. Water is an essential
element to life, including bacterial life. (Tyler's note: honey [HAIRBACK]
is anti-microbial, Nizoral shampoo which has long been used by
hairloss sufferers is anti-fungal). Infection can progress without
our even noticing it; we scratch our heads, have unsanitary
practices, etc. The richest source of the nutrients are on the top
of the head, hence the basic pattern (bacteria prefer it).
He sees a lot of talk about testosterone. He
says if it all comes down to that, then 1) why are the younger
generation of men nowadays losing hair more than ever, and 2) why
are women losing hair more and more as well? These help the body win
the fight against bacteria; today, we have weaker immune systems due
to improper diet/toxicity in the environment, etc. He said there is
a 'war' going on, that we cannot see -- microbes vs. us. AIDS, and
other diseases, are taking their toll on the world. Ask any doctor
he said, athlete's foot (fungus) is one of the toughest conditions
to get rid of, just like yeast infections in women. Once you have
it, it's there and takes a lot to knock it out.
He disagrees with the notion that hair is
"dead" material. He says hair loss can be seen as a
message from some other part of the body. People enduring
chemotherapy or radiation treatments lose their hair, and when that
ordeal is over, 6-8 weeks later they begin to get their hair back.
It's a way for the body to say that it's going through a fight. Hair
is very, very sensitive and is a *receptor* of anything that happens
in your body. In a sense, it's an indication of the rest of the
body's status.
Back in Columbia where he met the man from
whom he got the idea for the product (and a number of the
ingredients), the man told him that he could tell there were other
issues in his body, from the limp, lifeless look and condition of
his hair. In this way, hairloss is a signal of a bacterial imbalance
in the body; baldness is a sign that organisms have taken over in
the scalp. Various foods that are prominent in the American diet
promote bacterial growth: beer (yeast), chocolate is hard for the
stomach to digest, milk (salmonella), etc. He said he knows
personally from his own hairloss problems what kind of torture
people go through. He hated the looks he got from people, hated how
people look up at your hairline when talking to you, and hated the
fact his confidence was destroyed. He needed an immediate solution
and this was it.
Between 300-400 people have used the
product, he said. He has never heard of it not working for anyone.
He did mention he is aware that this industry is home to a lot of
crooks and scam products, hence he understands people's skepticism
and is not offended by it; all he wants is the chance to prove
himself. Realizes that people don't believe anything they hear
anymore. He feels that nutrients and DHT are perhaps factors in the
hairloss process but are not the primal causes. He has tried various
products/substances for hairloss treatment, and doesn't believe
there's a better product than his.
WHAT
IS THE PRODUCT MADE UP OF?
It consists of a system made up of a spray which is applied to the
head every night before bed. It is slightly oily. There is a shampoo
(used every morning/whenever showering, once a day), a conditioner
(contains nutrients, used twice a week), and a cream for the feet
(used once a day. This is to quell infectious organisms in the feet,
since this is another favorite bacterial habitat). There is no need
to use the foot cream anywhere else on the feet except on and
between the toes, and along the nails. Again, this is to kill
organisms in the areas of the body most hospitable to microbes.
WHAT
IS IN IT?
The product is composed of various synthetic and 'natural'
ingredients (listed on the bottle). Essentially, it kills the
micro-organisms on the scalp (all of them). He mentioned it kills
the bacteria in various stages, and there is a combination of 2
ingredients in Growth Response which he calls "incredible"
because they eliminate organisms so completely. There is nothing in
it which is not safe for the body, and the product can be used over
a long period of time (he himself has used it for about 5 years).
WHAT
DOES IT DO?
Again, it destroys the micro-organisms (bacteria and fungus) which
cause hairloss. When it is used, people commonly report a tingling
sensation on the scalp, and a warm sensation of additional
circulation. Itching/flaking/dandruff/other bad scalp conditions
should disappear (he himself had scalp itch accompanying his
hairloss).
RESULTS?
In 7 days, excessive shedding should completely stop. Regrowth of
vellous hairs should be noticeable within 45 days, with these hairs
getting longer and stronger as time goes on. Almost immediately,
hair should look and feel stronger, scalp should be healthier, and
hair should have greater elasticity with less tendency to fall
out/break.
Ultimately, 10-18% of hair, at least, should
be expected back. I told him that this 10-18% sounded rather low...
why was this? He said that over time, the infection produces a
*film* or coating over the follicles, with one layer of the coating
compounding against the previous one below it. As the months and
years go by, these layers build up. Growth Response helps eliminate
this coating, but only to a relatively small extent. RESEARCH IS
ONGOING he said, as he continues to work on ways to get rid of this
barrier which keeps hair from growing back the way it normally
would/should. He speculated that alpha-hydroxy may be useful for
this purpose, but this is a work-in-progress. He stated that this is
the reason that people who are extremely bald, have very shiny
scalps; the barrier interferes with proper scalp secretions screwing
up the oil secretions/health/appearance of the scalp even more (my
take: this sounds a heck of a lot like what *we* call follicular
fibrosis, a build-up of fibrosed collagen surrounding the follicle
and preventing the hair from growing back. Various other researchers
believe layers of sebum build up and solidify creating this
'coating'. It's a very interesting commonality, but unfortunate he
doesn't have the answer to it yet. He said that if this could be
removed, that then his product would produce pretty amazing results.
As it is, it stops hairloss and produces regrowth -- how much,
depends on the user and how long he/she has been losing hair. So,
over time, decent-to-good results should be noted but if someone is
*completely* bald... the result will likely not be miraculous. It is
more ideal for estimated NW1-3. He did mention that 35% of the hair
growing back was not uncommon).
He mentioned that he had given the product
to a good friend who was completely bald on top and has been using
it for the past 2 years. Though he has stopped his hairloss and grew
new hair, the results have not been 'astonishing'. For completely
bald people, the product should work to a certain degree, but it
will take some time to get hair back. As far as stopping hairloss
and growing hair back, he said he is willing to put up his own
professional reputation on the fact that it works. All he wants is
for people to try the product and let the product speak for itself.
He said that the best part is that he could *say* anything to make a
sale; he wants people to see for themselves the results they will
get, and positive promotion from word-of-mouth thru the Internet
will help sell the product over time. He *likes* the fact that some
people think he is lying; they will be proved wrong and the people
who use it will thank him repeatedly.
WHAT
DO YOU ASK OF THE TRIALISTS?
He wants the *product* to talk, not him. He doesn't want to be in
the limelight; instead, results will speak for themselves and
Kathrin will handle all marketing and distribution. There will be a
money-back guarantee of some sort, and it should be available through
a website (a domain name has already been reserved for it). This
will come at some point in the future, but already manufacturing is
in place, and they are ready for any and all orders, so the lack of
a website will not be a problem.
He is a very, very busy man with his
chemist/compounding business and has precious little time to devote
to the product other than manufacturing it. People should have a
towel for their head, a towel for their body, and another towel for
their feet. This will minimize ways of transferring organisms from
one area of the body to another. If an individual is married, or has
family members/roomate(s) living with him/her, he should not borrow
anyone else's towel (for showering or hand-washing, ect).
NO other products should be used whilst
using Growth Response products. This will eliminate other variables
from the results. The Growth Response treatments will be shipped out
to the test subjects this coming Tuesday (Monday's a holiday).
Pictures should be taken of the top of the head; they DO NOT have to
be sent to him! Many sufferers are ashamed of their problem and it
has damaged their self-esteem to the point where they could never
take a picture of the top of their heads. The pictures can be for
the test subjects own personal use and review to visibly *see*
improvement and results.
Finally, he is being kind enough to give
away free product. All he asks is, USE it as directed and DO NOT let
it sit on the shelf. Have a commitment to it, and give updates (and
take pictures if possible) after 2 weeks, then after a month, and
bi-weekly thereafter.
CONCLUSION
Kathrin will handle the feedback/comments/questions/etc. for Growth
Response. She is the contact person for basically everything, being
the marketing and distribution 'arm' for the product. There will
very likely be a website forthcoming where more information will be
available, and perhaps a FAQ, and an order form and so forth. All
questions should be fielded to her.
I told the inventor about Hairsite.com and
invited him to read the forums where we should soon be talking about
the product. He is a busy man but does find time to use the Internet
periodically; I don't know about him posting anything because once
again Kathrin is the spokesperson and contact for the product, but
there is a chance he may be reading what we have to say. :) My take:
it sounds interesting, and is a rather different point of view of
the whole hairloss enigma than we've heard before.
If it works as claimed, successfully
stopping MPB and growing some hair back, it is more, in and of
itself, than anything else that we have going right now. It's such a
shame that this whole area of treatment is still, in the year 2002,
experimental, and we know so little about the problem and how to
address it. Promising? Perhaps. He stands behind his product, I'll
give him that. I have had my own hopes raised and dashed countless
times -- far too often to believe any claims made anymore at face
value. We'll see, and give this product a fair trial.
To any and all test subjects: please out of
courtesy do as he says, and stop all other products for the time we
are using Growth Response. The supply should last around a month, where after,
according to him, we will all want more. ;) We'll see about that.
Anyone with hair/scalp issues should find relief from persistent
itching/flaking/burning scalp conditions with the use of this
product (that's the claim); should this be true, people who suffer
from these conditions should find relief enough to persuade them
that this is the 'real deal'. He says he is risking his good rep.
for his product, and giving free samples away; we should at least
give him the chance to prove himself before drawing any conclusions.
Thanks, TD
<END OF QUOTE>
Test subjects who wish to post their testimonials, please go to Growth
Response Forum under Topical Treatments . HairSite will also compile testimonials in the Personal
Journal forum.
Now of course,
nothing can go silently in our forums without opposing views and
possible confrontations. TAFP presented his views about Growth
Response:
<QUOTE from TAFP's
post in Support Forum>
This is an example of people misinterpreting scientific findings and
getting trapped in a common logical fallacy -- that of confusing
CAUSE with EFFECT.
Some researchers have microscopically analyzed the miniaturized
vellus follicles of people with androgenetic alopecia (common male
pattern baldness or the female variant thereof), and found the
follicles are infested with certain species of microscopic bacteria,
fungi, or mites. These organisms don't appear to cause any severe
disease or pathological changes that endanger the patient's health.
They are just there, in the follicles. Whereas these same organisms
are found to be absent in the follicles of people who are not bald
or don't show signs of androgenetic alopecia.
So, they connect the two phenomena in their minds and reason that
the bacteria or mites must be the CAUSE of the baldness.
How wrong they are, and how illogical!
Androgenetic Alopecia is known to be caused by changes in the
follicle associated with exposure to a molecule called "DHT",
dehydrotestosterone, which is a chemical variant of testosterone.
Certain people have scalp follicles which are genetically more
susceptible to DHT and its ill effects. In these people, long-term
exposure to DHT causes scalp follicles to gradually shrink. This
phenomenon is called male-pattern baldness (MPB), and also occurs in
females, in a more diffuse pattern (female-pattern baldness),
because females also have testosterone which can be converted into
DHT.
At the cellular level, in addition to miniaturizing scalp
follicles in genetically predisposed individuals (those carrying
genes for androgenetic alopecia), DHT exposure and sensitivity also
has other effects which make scalp follicles more hospitable to
certain otherwise HARMLESS bacteria, fungi, and/or mites.
Note that these organisms are otherwise HARMLESS, have no direct
effect on follicle growth, and simply thrive in follicles which have
been affected by DHT. Perhaps they thrive on the metabolic
by-products created by DHT sensitivity, which usually includes
increased production of sebum. The bacteria or mites are simply
there in greater numbers because there's more FOOD for them there,
and the DHT-affected follicles provide a better home for them!
The bacteria and mites are really harmless (like many of the
"normal flora" -- bacteria that live on the skin or in the
mouth and organs of healthy people). They are not CAUSING the
alopecia. They just happen to thrive in follicles which are being
transformed by the balding process. The real cause of the baldness
is DHT, and this has been documented time and again.
But, time and again, researchers have found these bacteria and
mites to be present in the follicles of bald or balding people, and
not in people with thick heads of hair, and have simply ASSUMED the
organisms are causing the baldness! They think they've made a
brilliant discovery, and every once in a while we read about someone
selling a product based on this "discovery".
But, I have to say the "cause-and-effect" role of
bacteria or mites in hairloss has NEVER been proven. It's all
circumstantial evidence based simply on the PRESENCE of the
organisms in people's balding follicles. Where's the proof?
On the other hand, there is voluminous scientific PROOF that DHT
susceptibility causes follicles to shrink in people with the genetic
predisposition to androgenetic alopecia.
<END OF QUOTE from TAFP>
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