The treatment of alopecia is limited by a lack of therapies that induce and sustain disease remission. Given the negative psychosocial impact of hair loss, patients that do not see significant hair restoration with conventional therapies often turn to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Although there are a variety of CAM treatment options on the market for alopecia, only a few are backed by multiple randomized controlled trials. Further, these modalities are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and there is a lack of standardization of bioactive in gredients in over-the-counter vitamins, herbs, and supplements. In this article, we provide a comprehensive review of the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of CAM, including natural products and mind and body practices, in the treatment of hair loss. Overall, there is a need for additional studies investigating CAM for alopecia with more robust clinical design and standardized, quantitative outcomes.

Despite similar levels and duration of benzene exposure, toxicological responses of workers are highly variable. Given a similar degree of exposure, why do some workers remain apparently unaffected, while others develop alterations of the hemopoietic system? It is hypothesized that inadequate nutritional status of possibly several nutrients including iron, selenium, methionine and ascorbic acid may enhance susceptibility to adverse effects caused by benzene.