 Any consumer looking on the internet for a treatment for hair loss is exposed to a multitude of remedies. However, we only have good evidence for efficacy for the FDA-approved drugs, finasteride, sold as propitia, and minoxidil sold as roguene. It's considered a myth that all the patented hair loss supplements on the market will increase hair growth, and they may actually be more expensive with over-the-counter supplement regimens costing up to more than $1,000 a year, whereas the drugs may only be $1 to $300. The drugs can help, but can cause side effects. The propitia can diminish libido and cause sexual dysfunction while the topical minoxidil can cause itching, though I believe this is a typo for scaling much better than scalping. Here's a more comprehensive list of the more common side effects. To understand why there are so many hormonal side effects for propitia, like impotence, testicular pain, breast enlargement, you have to understand how the drug works. Androgens, male hormones like testosterone, are the principal drivers of hair growth in both men and women. We know this from studies a half century ago that show that castration of men stopped hair laws. Why exactly were they being castrated? Due to eugenics laws in the United States, when mentally handicapped persons were castrated or had their tubes tied against their will, so-called retarded persons were routinely sterilized without their consent or knowledge, and we, the United States of America, was the first country to introduce eugenic laws which were later upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. In the 1930s, a vocal proponent complained that the Germans are beating us at our own game. Anyways, testosterone is the primary androgen circulating in the blood and can be converted to dihydrotestosterone, which is even more powerful, by an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase, and that's the enzyme that's blocked by propitia, so it inhibits the souping up of testosterone. That's why women are not supposed to take it, since it could feminize male fetuses, whereas for men it has the sexual side effects, like erectile dysfunction, which can affect men for years, something the drug companies had to disclose for the last decade. A difficulty in achieving an erection that continues after stopping the medication, side effects that may even be permanent. Up to 20% of subjects reporting persistent sexual dysfunction for six or more years after stopping the drug, suggesting the possibility that it may never go away. What we think might be happening is that the drug may actually structurally change the part of your brain responsible for sexual function, and indeed, though blood levels of hormones in users with persistent effects appear normal, if you do a spinal tap and look at the cerebrospinal fluid surrounding their brains, neuro steroid levels do appear to end up being altered. So it's recommended that prescribers of finasteride, as well as potential users, be aware of the potential serious long-term risks of a medication used for a cosmetic purpose. To date, no new interventions are used routinely in the treatment of male or female pattern baldness. Given the side effects of the current drug options, there's a need for alternative treatments. So what about foods, things we could eat to combat hair loss? That's exactly what we're going to explore next.