Feeling down

[Cave Dweller]

Glad to hear you are feeling better, sir.

Don't be a stranger.

[calbito]

Jfols, here is something that may help,  Back around 1970 or so the newspapers here in the US were all in a panic over a medical study which linked coffee drinking to heart attacks.  Publishing medical studies in the news was a very recent practice back then, so people were much more naive about them than they are now.  Anyway, everyone was screaming about how dangerous coffee was and how everyone should quit drinking it or they would have a heart attack Real Soon Now.  Then a few years later a study came out that said coffee not only did not hurt your heart, but was actually good for you.  Back and forth the studies went, until they finally decided that coffee was pretty much harmless for most people, save those with special medical conditions.  But what about that first study?  Well, it turns out that in 1970 most people who drank coffee also smoked cigarettes, and it was the tobacco that was putting them in an early grave, not the coffee.  Once they accounted for the cigarette smoking, the data showed that coffee drinking was harmless.

The point I am trying to make is that you cannot rely on one study.  There may be other, unknown factors at play, and having MPB may not actually have any adverse health effects.  Hope this helps to put your mind at ease.

[buddha]

Here is something that definitely will not help but it is the truth. I had an argument (not a loud one, more a difference of opinion) with a friend of my wife who is a strict vegetarian, has never smoked, drinks sparingly, and on and on. I, on the other hand, eat red meat (not excessively), smoke cigarettes (about 7 a day and no intentions of quitting), and drink on occasion although in my younger years I could have been adequately described as an accomplished alcoholic. She just had to inform me of the risks that my lifestyle presents to my longevity. So as not to be thought speechless I had to retort that the one thing that she and I have in common, aside from our friends and spouses, is the fact that someday we'll both be dead. That piece of news actually seemed to startle her. She had not considered that.

The point is that no matter what we do or don't do we're all gonna die someday. Like I've said before life is a crapshoot. One day you walk out the door and "Boom Boom Out Go The Lights". You never come back. Same for everyone you know and love. Nobody gets out of here alive.

So rather than worry about the inevitable just accept it and go on with life. There ain't that much of it, life I mean, relative to the rest of the world. Sometimes I think these studies are put out there, like the baldness relating to heart disease crap, just to keep us rocked back on our heels. We're so busy worrying about how the color of beer we drink relates to bladder cancer that we can't sit down and enjoy a nice cold beer with a friend. And we wonder why so many people are on anti-depressants. Dude, my best advise is to ditch those hair drugs you're on, shave your head or not (up to you) and relax. Find a lifestyle that allows you more time to play than it does to work and do the $h!t that makes you smile. I honestly think that you're too young to be worrying about a Norwood 2.5 predicting your tragic and untimely death. 

[Crowbar]

Good stuff Buddha so true

[lightbulp]

+1 at what buddha said 

[buddha]

Thanks boys.

[Jfols]

I just want to enjoy adulthood, have a family and watch them grow up and enjoy that time as a healthy outgoing person, not having to worry the ticker.

At 20, I said something very similar to my boss.  I really expected to be dead before I reached 50.  He almost slapped me because he was 55.  He now is in his eighties, and we still keep in touch.  He laughs at me to this day for what I expected to happen.

To answer your question about my health:  I developed glaucoma.  SURPRISE!  Nothing in my biological history indicated THAT would happen.  No melanomas, polyps or other cancers.  I also did not get married or start a family until I was well into my thirties - probably because I did not meet my soul mate until I was 31.  We have been happily married for twenty years and have three kids.
 Hi cave, was it because of your hair loss that made you say that to your boss or something else? Thanks
Now quit worrying and go out and enjoy life!

[Jfols]

Hey guys, small update sort of thing, whilst doing some research for something completely different I actually found http://www.hairlosssucks.com/download/hds1.pdf which to me suggests a smaller link than what I was worried about, although in didn't read thoroughly, just incase I have misunderstood and is infact something that will get me worrying again haha

[Cave Dweller]

Jfols...

I am glad your anxiety is lessening, but why are you still allowing yourself to worry?

Take a statistic like that as a motivator to take care of yourself, avoid habits, etc. that can contribute to heart disease, and get a regular check up with your doctor. Then don't dwell on it any longer.

Our lives really are complicated enough as it is.  Worry about the things you CAN control.

[greatnessinc]

Summer is the perfect time to try out head shaving. There's no shame in trying it out and not liking it. First time I shaved I only kept it up for a week because I used improper technique and inadequate tools. I found this site and geared up gathered proper tools for the task then gave it another go and haven't looked back since.

[chgobuzzbald]

The key element to success in life is confidence, not hair on your head. It took me a long time to learn that and I made the mistake of hair transplants. Left me with still thin hair on top and very thin hair on the sides/back area plus really bad scarring there. This year I had my head micro tattooed as in my profile pic. It solved the problem my own lack of confidence created in the first place with the transplants and allows me to shave my head and be a confident bald guy which I really love. Shave and change your life.

[MarshalArtist]

Jfols, biology is NOT [necessarily] destiny. All you know is that you MIGHT have a higher chance of heart disease. Knowledge is power and forewarned is fore-armed. Eat healthy, exercise, get regular checks at your doc's, take meds if you need to, and worry less.  Once you do all you can, there is nothing else to do. If your concerns are getting in the way of you enjoying life, you may want to get some counseling. There is no shame in getting the help you need. Worry never added a day to anyone's life or a hair on anyone's head...quite the opposite, in fact.