Hello Richard
 > I have a friend who is now suffering from alopecia patches and she 
 > has read
 > somewhere that vitamin B intake should be increased. Is this true? 
 > If so, why?
Dunno about vit B.  Alopecia is certainly a symptom of vit A excess.  It is 
also a symptom of many other conditions.  I think your friend may do well to 
consult a skin specialist, rather than relying on 'distance diagnosis' - this 
is quite a complex area.  All the best - Pat (RGN/RPN)
--- FLAME v1.1
---------------