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AIP - Diet and Alopecia - My trial
Hello everyone,
I just wanted to start logging my personal journey.
Currently, I am using the Autoimmune protocol/elimination diet. I started this diet on February 5th. My desire is to see hair regrowth naturally by changing my diet. I've noticed some changes thus far.
A brief history:
7 years ago I remember having a circular bald patch on my chin. This grew back in a few months.
In August of 2014 the circular bald patch appeared on my chin, once again. I assumed it would fill in like it did before. However, it expanded and another spot formed on my chin.
In September (8th) I had an interesting experience: a tooth filling (amalgam) cracked in my mouth and I remember digesting a metallic like substance (mercury).
On the 8th of October I began to realize I was shedding a lot of hair in the shower. The rapid-shedding continued and I went to the barber towards the end of October. The barber took a low guard to my head and that revealed multiple, small, circular spots. I remember my barber saying that it looked spotted, like a leopard. I decided to have her take a razor to it and sported the bald look.
In mid-November I realized that my eyebrows were thinning and that I was loosing eyelashes. My facial hair also wasn't growing. By the end of January I was down to my last few eyebrow hairs, no lashes, no head-hair, and I had lost a majority of my body hair. Traumatizing!
I currently have patchy hair on my arms/legs that is slowly & steadily falling out.
I have a family history of autoimmune disorders including alopecia.
The diagnosis from my dermatologist is AA trending to AU. His recommendation is to start taking Xeljanz.
Above I mentioned mercury via amalgams. While I don't think it's the culprit I believe that it was a aggravating factor that added to the trigger. Therefore, I had 4 of them removed via a holistic dentist.
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Back to the Present:
As of February 5th I started the AIP. For those of you who don't know what the AIP diet is, just type it into google and you'll get a ton of information to look through. It's simply an elimination diet to cut out things that may be triggers. Some individuals with autoimmune issues have experienced amazing results via this lifestyle change.
Above I mentioned that I had total hair-loss besides some patchy hair on my arms/legs. By mid-November my facial hair stopped growing and it wasn't until early this month that I noticed regrowth. So, after 1 month on the AIP I started to notice white hairs growing, all over my face. I also noticed 4 black hairs grow on my right eyebrow with some white hairs on both.
Today, I had to shave the white hairs on my face because they were getting noticeable long. Only a several had pigment.
I'm still trying to find my groove in this diet but I'm becoming more and more sensitive to foods and how they make my body feel.
I believe that we can potentially calm the immune response and see regrowth via altering our diets and sticking to it.
I will continue to post updates every-so-often.
Can those of you who have went this route, chime in?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by KimF4L on
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Diet is a HUGE part of the process I wish you all the best sounds like you are making excellent strides towards growing your hair back.
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Permalink Reply by DJ88 on
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Hey whats going on Arun B?
I was wondering are you using any meds like Rogaine or foam steriods or just the diet? I've been thinking of doing this for awhile now
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Permalink Reply by Arun B on
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Hey DJ, just livin' life, believing for the best.
No meds of any kind. Simply diet. You should give it a shot! Why not? If you start to see some regrowth it'll be worth it. Plus, you'll naturally detox your body in the process.
I was considering participating in a research trial for xeljanz. Instead, I thought i'd try a different route. I'd much rather manage alopecia with diet than a medication. But, I am excited for the medical research that is being directed at this. And, it's amazing to see people getting regrowth with the meds. We'll see how the diet/lifestyle-change goes. I'm hopeful.
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I started reading up on this stuff and it seems legit. One thing that kind of shocked me was, in the not allowed sections it has eggs. When I first started bodybuilding I didn't really know what to do in terms of diet so I ate about 8 eggs a day for protein. That's crazy.
Here the list I was looking at
http://aiplifestyle.com/what-is-autoimmune-protocol-diet/
I eat alot of that stuff. Also milk is a big thing for me too. I will give this a try though
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The more you research the more it'll add up. Diet is probably our most sure fire way to win this battle. People can have a predisposition, no doubt. But, the foods in the standard american diet can definitely aggravate not to mention the various other factors (stress, heavy-metals, leaky gut, etc).
I did the same thing in regards to the eggs/bodybuilding when I was young (teens). Back then I even thought I may have been allergic to them. That could've been due to the extreme amounts though. haha.
If you drink milk, by itself then there really isn't a good substitute - if you're doing the elimination diet/AIP
But, if you use milk for smoothies you can go to a trader joes or a local health food store and get cans of coconut milk w/o additives.
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Permalink Reply by tryingtobestrong on
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Sounds great! I anxious to see what progress you will make! Keep us posted.
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Permalink Reply by Rach1992 on
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Hey, I just started this diet about a week ago! it's hard, but I think our hair will grow more because of it. I'd like to see how yours goes :) Keep posting!
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That's great!
Yeah, it can definitely be hard, at times. I try to look at it in the most positive way. For instance, instead of focusing on the eliminating I'm doing my best to focus on all the healthy foods i'm eating more of.
Let me know how it's going for you as well.
Something that I wish I had done is keep a food-journal. So, if you feel to do that it'll help you track how foods affect you + progress.
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Permalink Reply by leah on
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Hello Arun, Good for you, I tried a lot conventional methods and nothing seemed to work. And some side effects aren't fun. I am curious bout this diet and will look up. Have heard people who are celaic loss hair. I do think heavy metals aren't good, but I can't afford to remove fillings right now. This postive motivation to clean up my diet, I was thinking to start spring. Is easier when healthy food is fresher and local! The leader of Vancouver BC, did state a diet like this helped her get some regrowth and another @ their meeting said quality iron helped her. But ive taken a lot viatmins and no regrowth. However diet is best. I know there are Paleo meetups and is encouraging to have support. Bad food is such a big part of Western cultute, and tempting everwhere. lol. Thanks!
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Yeah, this could be a great, healthy solution for people. I know that it has been effective for some individuals but everyone is different.
It might be a worth endeavor. It's a win-win. If you don't get regrowth then at least you detoxed your body and became healthier. : )
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