Causes of Thinning Hair HairPrime® Program Products

The Herbs that Help What You Should Consider

THE HERBAL SOLUTION FOR HAIR LOSS!

Causes of Thinning Hair

Hair begins to thin due to stress, genetics, diet and other factors. Normally, hair growth occurs in three distinct phases. First, there is a growth or anagen phase usually lasting 2-3 years. This is followed by the resting or catagen phase, spanning 2-3 months, where the hair stops growing but doesn't fall out. Finally, there is a short phase of hair loss (telogen phase) lasting several days. The longer the hair growth phase, the longer the hair. Once thinning occurs, the normal hair growth cycle is reduced to only 3-5 weeks. Thus instead of hair developing into thick, mature (non-vellus) hair, the scalp develops only thin "peach fuzz".

The most compelling theory regarding hair loss involves the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Apparently, excessive DHT causes hair follicles to move from active to a dormant stage, resulting in androgenic alopecia or male pattern baldness. DHT also, supposedly, plays an important role in female pattern alopecia (female thinning). Because DHT levels are much lower in women, more generalized thinning over the entire scalp is typically seen. Due to hormonal imbalances, this process is frequently initiated or aggravated during menopause.

Recognizing the role that DHT and testosterone have on thinning hair, it became evident that this problem must be treated from internal systemic standpoint as well as an external one. Working from this philosophy, Dr. Isaac Eliaz and an international team of doctors, researchers and herbalists formulated the HairPrime® Herbal Treatment for thinning hair. Dr. Eliaz researched and tested HairPrime® for over five years with leading scientists and dermatologists affiliated with Stanford University Medical Center, University of Tel Aviv and the University of California San Francisco (U.C.S.F.)

The results of the most rigorous double-blind study, conducted by Dr. Joseph Greenberg, a Board Certified Dermatologist and Clinical Professor of Dermatology at U.C.S.F., were presented in February, 1995 at the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Convention. The study showed that HairPrime® helped to promote thicker, healthier hair growth for 90% of subjects in the active group.

HairPrime® Program Products

The four-part HairPrime® Program for Thinning Hair is a simple system that works by combining internal nutrients with an external environment of Healthy Hair Factors to nurture and help promote healthy hair growth. Remelanization (a return to natural hair color) will also often occur. The HairPrime® Shampoo is specifically formulated to gently bathe and nourish your hair, leaving it looking radiant, healthy, and full of vitality. The HairPrime® Scalp Primer, was developed as an enhancement step. Liposome and vitamin enriched, this herbal complex is formulated to prime the scalp by seeking to remove factors we consider as contributing to an unhealthy scalp and to apply factors we consider healthy for the hair and the scalp. The HairPrime® Cream/Lotion is specifically formulated with a patented botanical ingredient, Phydermanol TM, as a natural herbal formula that works on the scalp to create a supportive environment for healthy hair follicles. Working internally, the HairPrime® Supplement provides 17 selective herbs and 3 vitamins and minerals necessary for healthy hair growth. Three of the nutrients in HairPrime® which are crucial for healthy hair growth are Biotin, Pantothenic Acid and Zinc. Deficiencies of these nutrients will cause thinning hair and improper hair growth. Biotin, for example, is a necessary cofactor in enzymatic reactions in the Krebs Cycle. This cycle is responsible for producing energy in the mitochondria (through the degradation of sugars and consumption of oxygen) that is necessary for proper cellular metabolism and hair growth.

Which herbs play a function in stimulating the healthy hair growth?

The success of herbal remedies is due to their unique natural ability to balance and invigorate the body's natural systems. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, there are six physiological areas that influence hair growth. The herbs discussed in each of the following six categories have been incorporated into the HairPrime® Program for Thinning Hair.

1. The organs which have an effect on healthy hair growth must be nourished and supported. In Chinese Medicine, two of the most important organs are the "Chinese" kidneys and liver. "Organs" in Traditional Chinese Medicine are somewhat different and broader in scope than anatomical organs, although they usually will contain the same organ or a system that includes it. They should more properly be called "organ systems". The categories that follow offer examples of Chinese organs or organ systems.
   
   
   • In Chinese Medicine, each organ system has physiological functions and is tied to certain emotions, tastes, senses and distant body parts. The liver, for example, "opens into the nails." Therefore a weak liver-blood system may result in brittle nails. There are many herbs which benefit the kidneys and liver. However, there are specific ones which particularly affect the hair, including Polygoni Multiflori (He Shou Wu), Drynaria Fortunei (Gu Sui Bu), Fructus Ligustri Lucidi (Nu Zhen Zi), Ramus Loranthi Seu Visci (Sang Ji Sheng) and Semen Cuscutae (Tu Si Zi). These herbs are derived from the Chinese Pharmacopea, which categorizes thousands of herbs according to functions, taste, "temperature" and their place of action in the body.
   
   
   
2. The blood may need to be nourished and strengthened in order to provide a blood supply which is adequate for healthy hair growth. This is one of the reasons why women often experience temporary hair loss after giving birth due to the loss of blood and weakening of the blood "quality" during and after delivery. Herbs which nourish and strengthen the blood include Angelica Sinensis (Dang Gui), Radix Ligustici Wallichi (Chuan Xiong), Fructus Mori Albae (Sang Shen Zi).
   
   
3. The basic energy needs of the body may need to be strengthened. Without proper energy we cannot maintain adequate levels of blood. The interconnectedness of these two is summarized by the expression in Traditional Chinese Medicine, "Energy is the father of blood. Blood is the mother of energy." Herbs for strengthening energy include Codonopsis (Dang Shen), and Astragalus (Huang Qi).
   
   
4. Proper circulation of energy and blood must be established and maintained. It is not enough that the proper nutrients be available, they must also circulate properly to achieve healthy hair growth. Herbs commonly used to boost circulation include Radix Ligustici Wallichi (Chuan Xiong), Angelica Sinensis (Dang Gui) and Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae (Dan Shen).
   
   
5. Digestion may need to be regulated and strengthened. There is no use in supplying the body with nutrients if the body is not able to absorb and utilize them properly. Herbs which are helpful to digestion include Radix Glycyrrhizae Uralensis (Gan Cao), Pericarpium Citrii Reticulatae (Chen Pi), in addition to many others.
   
   
6. Finally, it is necessary to manipulate an herbal treatment in such a way that it will directly impact the appropriate body system. As mentioned earlier, in Traditional Chinese Medicine, herbs have various "energetic qualities". These include channels and organs of penetration, taste, color, "temperature" and direction of movement. It is truly an art to integrate various herbs to achieve a certain direction and effect. The herbs responsible for directing an herbal treatment to the specific organ system are called "guiding herbs". There are certain combinations of guiding herbs that will promote optimal effects on the hair. Both hair and nails, for example, are keratinaceous structures and are affected, both externally and internally, by similar ingredients. To directly impact the nails, as opposed to hair, requires an alteration of the herbal ingredients and the proportions of the guiding herbs-thus the art of Chinese Medicine.

The wisdom of Chinese Herbal Medicine, as enumerated in these six categories, form the philosophical foundation from which Dr. Eliaz and his colleagues formulated the HairPrime® Thinning Hair Treatment. But as a western trained Medical Doctor, Dr. Eliaz also understands that "proof", from a western perspective, must be established by rigorous scientific research. That is why Universal Biologics has already dedicated over five years to clinical research on HairPrime® and continues to develop new studies for targeted markets.

What You Should Consider

Before committing to HairPrime or any hair loss treatment program, especially an expensive one that you must continue using for the rest of your life you should consider the following:

1. Demand to see the clinical reports and verify its findings or at the very least determine whether the findings are by an objective source…(e.g. Research conducted at university medical schools is reliable as objective due to the risk of the university losing its federal grants funding if they are involved in unscrupulous conflicts of interest for commercial gain.)
   
   
   

2. Ingredients to avoid:
        
   a)   Propylene Glycol
   b)   Urea
   c)   Diazinol Urea
   d)   Polyquarternium
   e)   Sodium Laureth and Lauryl Sulfate
   f)   Dimethicone 

   
   

3. Nutritional Habits
   a)   avoid excessive intake of vitamin A
   b)   hormone replacement may increase hair loss
   c)   steroid muscle building supplements may increase 
         hair loss
   d)   avoid smoking
   e)   avoid excessive alcohol consumption
   f)    spicy foods may cause increased hair loss albeit 
         temporary 
   g)   avoid highly oxidative foods 

   
   

4. Physical Habits
    
   a)   cardiovascular and aerobic exercise is good for healthy blood flow to 
         the scalp 
   b)   excessive muscle building (e.g. body building) may increase 
         testosterone activity leading to an increase in DHT conversion 
   c)   excessive massaging of the scalp is not necessarily good 
   
   

5. Grooming Habits
     
   a)   excessive brushing with a brush that pulls on the hair (e.g. many 
         brushes have non-rounded brush tips or bristles and pull the hair 
         from the follicle when the hair gets caught between the bristles or 
         where the bristle/teeth meets the body of the brush) 
   b)   hair conditioners may condition the hair but are 
         generally not good for a healthy scalp 
   c)   avoid vigorous scrubbing of the scalp when shampooing 
   d)   avoid the contact of hair spray, gels and mousses on scalp skin 
   e)   hair coloring contains ingredients that may harm the scalp to the point 
         of causing hair loss 
       
         HairPrime may be used with colored hair and is useful to counter the 
         adverse effects of hair color ingredients on scalp skin 

   
   

6. Medications and Medical Conditions
      
   a)   People experiencing internal infections that require treatment with 
         antibiotics may experience increased hair loss 
   b)   People who have thyroid problems (e.g. hypo-thyroid, "cold" thyroid) 
         and taking medications as treatment (e.g. Synthroid) may experience
         increased hair loss. 
   c)   People on hormone replacement programs may experience increased 
         hair loss.     
   d)   There are many medications that may cause hair loss but do not 
         indicate such a warning. 

Currently, Universal Biologics is working on a PROMISING new topical application that is easier to apply and a more user friendly regimen. This new topical application incorporates an effective low-level concentration of an effective vasodilator and a new herbal extract from newly discovered herbs that is more effective in addressing the effects of DHT.

For further information about HairPrime®

please contact Universal Biologics at 1-800-LOV-HAIR (568-4247).

©2000 Universal Biologics, All Rights Reserved.