A Vitamin for Hair Loss?

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"Alopecia areata (AA) is... 'an] autoimmune disease..." Scientists found that "...progressive AA patients' 'blood cells] displayed increased resistance towards apoptosis..." 'Programmed cell death, a natural occurrence whereby old cells die and are replaced with new cells.]

NOTE: The clue here leads to the possible use of vitamin D, which is a pro-apoptosis factor. 400 Int. Units is the recommended normal dose for unaffected persons, but up to 1000 has been shown not to cause side effects. Larger doses may cause calcemia, loss of calcium. 

Other Scientists stated that "By altering the pathogenic inflammatory response with few side effects, 'topical] sensitizers offer an attractive treatment option for many patients with alopecia areata, including those who have previously failed more traditional treatments and those who have extensive 'AA] disease."

A Vitamin for Hair Loss? Bibliography

J. Autoimmunity, vol. 23, 2004. By: Zoller, McElwee, Vitacolonna & Hoffman, German Cancer Res. Ctr., Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, D-69120, Heidelberg & Dept. of Applied Sciences, U. of Karlsruhe, Karlruhe, Germany.

Derma. Nurs., vol. 16, 2004. By Hair Disorders Clinic, Dept. of Derma., Wake Forest U. School of Med., Winston-Salem, NC., USA.