Alopecia World
www.alopeciaworld.com
AA for 3-4 years, Partial AU for 1-2 years. I have 100% regrowth on my scalp(not 100% pigment yet), rest of my body regrowth is coming along.
Lets start with this, a photo before I even knew what Alopecia was.
So mid year 2015 I noticed some patches of hair missing on my scalp.I just blamed my hardhat for it and never thought much of it. They progressively got worse until I had to shave my head in April, 2016.
April 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3dSN76TvZg&feature=youtu.be
I went to a Dermatologist got a bunch of topical creams and told it was fine and was from stress. Essentially they don't know why it happens and have no reasoning, so they blame it on that. After that I did some digging and went on a PALEO diet for 12-14 months(zero alcohol consumption). A solid 10 months at 100% compliance.
October 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqUXBEIHNTE&feature=youtu.be
I also spent 4-5 sessions with a Naturopath, I added L-glutamine and probiotics to my diet. I had 80% regrowth of the hair I lost on my scalp. But the other 20% would not grow any hair and remained bald, so I still shaved my scalp.
December 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzWeI1dzl0E&feature=youtu.be
I never had AU at this time. I got discouraged and just went off the diet all together and resumed consuming alcohol. About 12-15 months later and no regrowth, numerous blood tests, trips to the dermatologist, and now more hair lost on my scalp I also lost all the hair on my arms/legs/majority chest/partially in my armpits.
January 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqkZ98-rx1Y&feature=youtu.be
I spent alot of time learning about Leaky Gut. So in this day and age an ad popped up on my Facebook for a leaky gut video. I watched the 90 minute video. After that I bought the E-book(The Plant Paradox - Dr.Gundry) for $11 and read the 300-400 page book in a 3 days. I decided why not, the logic behind the science in the book made sense. It explained why i had 80% regrowth on my paleo diet, but not the 100% I so dearly wanted.
So i started the diet, 5 days in, I had regrowth on my scalp in the original spot that I lost hair and has had ZERO regrowth since that initial falling out phase, until now! About 14 days in I noticed my scalp is fully complete with hair, although not all the pigment is there. It will come in time as I learned on my first diet. My arms, legs,armpits, chest have started to have hair return to them. All white/peach fuzz in color. As of writing this I am on day 38! I have followed the diet 99%. I sometimes get a craving for honey. Which isnt allowed in the phase I am in. These are the most recent pictures. I wont post the ones of my arms/legs/armpits/chest.. because the peach fuzz is extremely hard to see in a picture and the light angle has to be good. BUT THEY ARE THERE AND GROWING, which I haven't had a single strand of hair grow on before this diet after they originally fell out.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Cocopuffz17 on
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So this in an update, after 259 days of changes to my nutrition.I have been about 95% compliant on the food I eat.
I strongly believe the result would be faster if I didn't come off of an antidepressant I've been on for 11 years. It has been the most challenging thing I have ever done in my life coming off the AD. But there is positive progress everyday. Enjoy!
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Thanks! Appreciate it! how have you been?
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Hi, I am great. I stopped wearing a wig 2 weeks ago and have a pixie cut now. I am impressed by your determination!!!
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Woohoo, sweet! Thanks! It’s been really challenging, but it’s worth it!
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Here is an update. I’m super pumped at the progress!! I am gaining pigment faster and faster each month. Vellus hair all over my body. Photo on the left is June 23/19, photo on the right is August 17/19
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Thanks, appreciate it!!! =)
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Hi,
Really solid improvement. Good for you!
In the past, I have also seen an almost complete remission from ~60% body hair loss as a result of an extremely restrictive diet (and a regiment of statins, which I have come to doubt because they do nothing by themselves without the restrictive diet). For roughly four months, I ate very little outside of enormous quantities of meat and green vegetables. My hair was growing, I was sleeping like a brick, my head was clear, and my athletic performance was massively improved. I stopped because I'd lost 24 pounds, and couldn't really afford to lose more. And, the hair fell back out and the overall fog returned.
Seeing the correlation in my own odyssey, I have no doubt at all that diet plays a significant role in autoimmunity.
But, what's the poison? Lectins? Sugar? Gluten? Anything non-paleo? Processed crap? That's the part that I can't pin down.
Your tentative success is really good news, and I'll be watching. Please keep this thread updated! Despite how difficult a restrictive diet is in the food-as-a-recreation Western lifestyle, I'd much rather figure out how to make that work over a long term than jump on the stupid immunosuppressant train like most of this forum seems to want because it's easy.
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Thanks!
That's awesome that you had a full remission. Unfortunate you couldn't afford to lose anymore weight. I lost 24 lb in the first 20 days of this lifestyle and have stayed the exact same since that time frame, so over 300 days now. The focus I obtained while changing my nutrition is mind blowing to me.
That is the true question. I have limited my lectin intake ALOT and have had great success. I also completely cut out sugar and let me tell you the withdrawals from that were ridiculously tough.
I will definitely keep my thread updated. I am about to upload another picture here soon. I am now growing my hair out !!!! :) I completely agree with you. I was on a medication long term and I refused to take anymore pills including another for alopecia. In reality it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Forced me to change and in turn I came off a medication I was told I needed for life.
It's tough though because doctors just throw meds at the problem. They always said my nutrition was good and that these things just "happen". Nothing in the body just happens. The human body is an absolute work of art. It has survived the hardest times in the world. But we don't trust it to heal itself? We never question that food that we eat everyday of our lives. Often blaming alot of it on age or environment. People often forget plants want to survive to and develop self defense mechanisms.
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Huh. Maybe I gave up too early and my weight loss would have leveled off like yours has.
As much of a pain in the ass that the super restrictive diet often was, I couldn't believe how great I felt, both physically and mentally. I've read interviews with high-level athletes who eat from an extremely short list of dull food, and virtually all claim that it's very important to start viewing food as pure fuel and not a "source of happiness." When I did that, the same old meat and vegetables every day became easier to handle. Just shovel it in me, then move on to other things (which I had more energy and ambition to do).
And, I'm absolutely with you that doctors throw pills at problems rather than looking any deeper -- I call them "walking prescription pads." But, they're likely just providing the easy fix that the patients want. I've suggested dietary or lifestyle changes to all kinds of people in my life to address health problems, and every single one of them has declined to even try because it sounds too difficult.
I guess that's the state of the world, but it's great to see that you've stuck with this, and I hope the positive results continue for you! Imagine learning to manage this damned thing without being tied to meds for the rest of your life! Nothing in the body "just happens." Wise, wise words.
When you reach 100% growth, do you intend to experiment with adding things back into your diet to try to pin down the biggest offenders?
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Ya, I really think it would of leveled off.
Yes, that is so true. We eat for taste satisfaction. When have you ever heard someone say that meal was so nutritious, very seldom. It's always it was so tasty. People also poke fun at people who eat healthy, mainly because they feel bad that they cant do it themselves. In the book there was a quote from a young boy that said "Feeling healthy never tasted soooo good!" I always think of that when I want to fall off the wagon.
They sure do, unfortunately. I was told I needed this antibiotic for my stomach bacteria H.pylori that there was no way to get rid of it other than antibiotics. I came off my AD which was causing my poor stomach acid levels and low and behold the bacteria is gone. A properly functioning body can combat a majority of health issues. It comes downs to being stuck in the rut. Once you realize that what your "normal" is....it really isn't normal, it's just what you've become accustom to over time. It's how I felt for a long time and then change my nutrition and could not believe it just as you said, focus and clarity in life.
Yes, I fully expect to implement foods back. I have tried a few and they make my stomach extremely upset so I just stay away from them and continue with the nutrition that makes me feel good.
I will definitely keep you posted. I am growing my hair out and am excited to see what it will look like. Not 100% pigment yet, but more is coming in everyday.
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