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.

__________________

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? 


 


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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by 1975 on March 31, 2015 at 9:00pm

I followed the AIP for approximately five months in 2014, and saw no effect on my alopecia. I did see a pretty dramatic improvement in my rheumatoid arthritis, and my overall health seemed to improve. 

I lost 26 pounds in those five months, which I could semi-afford, and finally gave up on the diet when my weight began to drop to a point where I wasn't comfortable, and the hair situation hadn't improved. 

That said, my failure didn't entirely kill my belief in this treatment method, because the improvement to my other autoimmune condition was very noticeable. 

I have tried every backwoods, dubious treatment option that exists, and the AIP was the only one that felt like it was doing... anything. I still don't really know how to mitigate the weight loss, but I would be willing to try it again if I can get past that hurdle. 

Good luck, and please don't let this turn into yet another dead thread in two or three weeks. If you're going to give the AIP a genuine try, stick to it for three months at the very, very least. Everything I read suggested that it can take as long as 18 months to see changes.

Permalink Reply by Arun B on April 2, 2015 at 12:03am

Hey 1975, I'm sorry to hear that you didn't see regrowth after 5 months. Every individual is different and there are multiple variables at play. The fact that it helped your other autoimmune condition (arthritis) shows promise that it would eventually help with regrowth. 

A cool fact is that every cell is replaced in your body after a duration of 2 years.

26lbs of weight that you can't afford to loose is a lot. Making sure you're getting an ample amount of fats is key. I've definitely lost a bit of weight but I feel good none-the-less. 

I'll definitely be sticking with this protocol making various changes as needed. 

I'm in it to win it!

Let me know if you give it another try and thanks for posting!

Permalink Reply by Arun B on April 2, 2015 at 12:17am


Update: Looking in the mirror I realized that I may have to shave, again. It's not a significant amount of hair but something is happening.

I started the elimination diet on Feb. 5th. 
In March I began to notice some white facial hairs (mainly mustache). 
The hairs grew to a degree where it was noticeable to others so I shaved on the date of the original post (march 24th).

Today, I'm noticing that those white hairs are getting longer and once again, noticeable. 

In other news:

I spent some time with an herbalist, just to see what he had to say. He had me do a simple candida test and I tested positive. He also believes that there is a strong correlation between the mercury and the alopecia. I already knew that but it was interesting to hear his perspective. Like I said, I have a predisposition to alopecia and autoimmunity as it runs in the family. But, if your body is allergic to heavy metals it can be a major trigger. 

Another note:

My sister has had alopecia for over a decade. It started as AA and developed into AU (pretty much). She did loose some of her brows and lashes, but not all. And, they eventually grew back. 

When she did an elimination diet in addition with various supplements she almost saw complete regrowth 75%. And, that's after having nothing for years. She believes the regrowth would've continued had she not went overseas for a month. While she was away she wasn't able to adhere to the diet. Also, she got sick upon returning. 

This goes to show you that diet can be just as effective in treating autoimmune conditions than just medication. I believe that people using medication to combat autoimmunity should do it in conjunction with an elimination diet. This may speed things up. Obviously they'll need to consult with there doc, nutritionist, and whomever else. But, just my 2cents. 


Permalink Reply by Brian Lama on April 3, 2015 at 1:13pm

Nice write up. I am 52 and have AU. It started 10 years ago and for the most part, all my hair is gone. I was told that when I was a baby, I lost all of my hair. The doctor told my mom to feed me goat's milk instead of milk from a cow. I have no idea if that was alopecia back then or not. From then to when I was 42, I had no signs of alopecia.

I do believe diet can play a major roll in everyone's aliments. I have been vegan for 3 years for more cholesterol and animal welfare reasons than for alopecia. Recently, I have been thinking about trying an elimination diet to see if that effects my psoriasis and alopecia. It seems to me that there is something to it.

I will stay tuned to your posts and look forward to reading about your progress.

Take care,

Brian

Permalink Reply by Arun B on May 13, 2015 at 8:15pm

Hey Brian, I hope you are well. 

How has the vegan lifestyle been treating you? Have you experienced any remission whilst on the vegan diet? 


Permalink Reply by Beth T on April 7, 2015 at 4:00pm

I too am beginning the AIP protocol, wondering if you've begun adding any foods back in yet?  I'm completely happy with the foods allowed on the protocol and don't miss any of the prohibited foods.

What supplements are you taking?  I've just started reading about the DHT blockers and will start nettle leaf and saw palmetto. Thoughts on those?

Permalink Reply by Arun B on May 13, 2015 at 8:06pm

Hello Beth,

How has the AIP been going for you? I haven't reintroduced any foods back in, yet. One day I decided to enjoy so Terra Chips and felt completely fine. But, I think that was just a one time thing, for now. 

As far as supplements go I'm taking a variety: Fish Oil, Vit. D3, Vit. E, Selenium, Multi-Vit, B-Vit, Adrenal support, zinc, magnesium, and maybe a few others. Not to familiar with nettle & daw palmetto. 

Let me know how you're progressing!


Permalink Reply by amykate on August 12, 2016 at 10:27pm

Hi Beth! How is your AIP diet going? Are you still doing the protocol? Do you have any more foods introduced? I would love to know how it went or is going for you!

I don't know anything about DHT blockers. Can you tell me more?

I'm on the AIP right now, about 2 weeks into it, and haven't taken any supplements at all, but feeling like maybe I should be adding something.

Permalink Reply by Arun B on May 13, 2015 at 8:02pm

Hey everyone, I hope you are doing well. It has been quite a-while since I've posted last. Life has gotten busy! 

Things haven't changed too much since my last post in April. I still am having regrowth of white hairs on my face and I have to shave, weekly. 

I was hoping for more results by now but i'm going to stay the course. The AIP diet has gotten easier and more normal since I started in February.

I've been speculating whether or not mercury from my dental amalgams had a role to play in all of this. When my alopecia started it was at the exact same time that I started to have a toothache and had an amalgam crack. So, I am now getting a Mercury Tri-Test from Quicksilver labs to either get conclusive evidence of the toxicity or to rule it out. If it's present i'll start a mercury detoxification protocol. 

More later..

Permalink Reply by leah on May 15, 2015 at 12:37am
Thanks Arun!I've heard that diet changes can take a while to show if what was causing a.i. and is good your having little growth / shave your face weekly.I've had hard time giving up everything required and decide will do detox diet after my schooling is done for summer. Curious if you are under med prof advise? I saw avedic grad student and they gave list + 3 pages what to eat, not and never combine. Plus lot of herbs to get. Was little overwellmed. Best
Permalink Reply by Beth T on May 15, 2015 at 8:05am

Lea, is that list of foods and herbs available elsewhere?  I'm just curious if what I've been doing is close to that list.  I've been following nutritional and herbal guidelines for close to a year now, with absolutely no positive results with my hair.  I finally invested in a beautiful hairpiece and that took the pressure off to find a quick fix, so I can be more patient and methodical with what I try.

Permalink Reply by leah on May 15, 2015 at 6:22pm

  • Hi Beth, thanks, I will. Is okay if I find the papers on diet, etc and send to ya in few days? Little overload right now, have been working all day today and have to write up 2 papers and do exam prep for my class tomorrow...that's good you found hairpiece you like and don't feel pressure. Ciao

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