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Permalink Reply by michelle on December 28, 2013 at 9:43pm

Hi there,  I do appreciate the frustration in trying to find a 'cause' for alopecia. (in my case Alopecia Universalis).  Most docs will do a work up to eliminate any other causes for 'hair loss'.  Alopecia is an autoimmune disease.  There is no know cause.  It is interesting to note that the immune system is in fact over active when it attacks the hair follicles. It is not unusual for those with AA to have other autoimmune disease(s); or have family members with autoimmune disease.  What is the most challenging for AA is there is no known treatment that works for all that suffer with this disease....

I do believe it is important to be properly informed about AA...from doctor's that you trust, reputable websites so you can make choices that will work for you.

good luck with your journey:)

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Permalink Reply by dawggonit on December 30, 2013 at 10:43am

Yeah I do think it is an autoimmune disease but then you gotta ask what is the cause, b/c there HAS to be a cause as to why we get it.  I dont believe that there is a direct cause, b/c alopecia seems to not discriminate on who gets it.  I think there are other symptoms before hand that eventually build up and at the tipping point, alopecia can kick in w/ your lower immune system.  I also believe most doctors just are informed enough and are too quick to give you a cream or steroid shot when none of these has been proven to work.  They always say it may take 6-8 months or so before you see results.  Well you do nothing, it could take that long on its own to heal, or not. 

I dont think you can point to one cause as why you have alopecia, there are probably many.  It seems like diet and stress are the main culprits.  The saying, "you are what you eat" is so so true.  If you are constantly eating processed food or any other harmful chemicals they will eventually build up to a point where they start taking a toll on your body.  If you watched those two videos it says that your adrenal glands will release the hormone cortisol and this is in response to stress, either physical, emotional or chemical stress.  So these bad foods and harmful chemicals (flouride, chlorine, pestisides) are stress and will raise your cortisol levels.  Throw in your emotional and physical stress (the main ones we think about), then you got a lot of options in raising your cortisol levels.  Prolong cortisol levels are not good for your body.  When your cortisol levels are high for a prolonged amount of time, then your thyroid becomes slower.  And inversely, when your thyroid is active and healthy, your cortisol levels are low.  Also, stress in your body is accumulative so you can be doing the same routine and then once your stress levels rise too much, bam alopecia starts to set in.  I believe it might of happened to me.  I started to notice all of this after a relationship ended.  I took it way harder than I should have, but I really did like her.  I also never really got any closure from her as to why it ended.  I think that it what got me the most.  Also in sept I got laid off from my job and that really got me down for a week or two as the layoff was all political.  I noticed things got worse from then.   

It just seems like there are many cases where people get it, then heal and never have a problem again.  Then some people get it and keep it.  I wish we could all just list certain things, and just see if we have any things in common.  Like our diet, if we eat a lot of fresh vegetables or fast food all the time, or did any major event happen before you noticed your alopecia, like a surgery, tooth problems, breakups, laying off from work.  If you exercise and what do you do when you do exercise. 

Diet:  Right now I'm trying to eat as clean as possible.  I think I might need to go organic, but I typically eat vegetables and meats like chicken, beef and pork.  I've been eating hemp seeds almost daily for about 2 weeks now and i'm drinking green tea.  I'm thinking about going vegetarian for the health benefits, but I'll prob just eat meat 1 time a day.  I'm trying to cut gluten and added sugar out of my life.  I'm also avoiding cheese and dairy, soy, coffee, MSG, and other chemicals and processed foods. 

1st noticed alopecia:  Noticed a spot in my beard after a breakup.  Like I said, I took it pretty bad.  Also after this it got progressively worse.  About 6 months or so later I got laid off.  Supervisor picked another guy to get laid off and the boss said pick someone else, so it could only be me.  It just really pissed me off b/c literally I was one of the best workers up there, in teh top 5 for sure out of 50.  But I was in the first group to get laid off.  Up until this point I was getting really stressed b/c it seemed like nobody else would hardly work (meeting min requirements), while me and a couple of other people would work a full 8 hrs.  After I got laid off, i noticed my eyebrows start to go down hill.

Exercise:  I used to be real active, play basketball and allday softball tournments, but last year I stopped doing most of this, and hardly work out.  I need to start working out again. 

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Permalink Reply by Jason on December 30, 2013 at 11:19am

You have the right mentality. In short, cleaning up your diet, exercising, thinking less/stressing less will have a huge impact on your health. Hopefully in turn, that helps your alopecia. I have heard many cases of people clearing up these issues in their life and seeing positive results. I also think it is important to believe your hair can grow back (positive affirmations).. that cannot be overlooked. At one point, I thought diet was the only thing that can heal me. That's only a piece of the puzzle and the mind is very much connected to the body especially in case of autoimmune disorders. Congrats on your realization and I think you're on the right track. Best of luck to you on your journey, I wish you the best in 2014.

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Permalink Reply by Kelly on January 1, 2014 at 10:56pm

For myself I am new to AA. I my first bald spot sept 15th. My Dad had AA. I am losing my hair quickly. I went to two dermatologist and hated them both. I never followed up with steroids shots because I started having trouble with the cream/oil form that I was rubbing on my spots for 2 months. It was really screwing with my emotions because I am pre menopausal. I took my self off the fluocinonide and have been seeing a nutritionist who utilizes the Nutrition response testing system. I am on a no sugar, no processed food, high protein diet. I take whole food supplements made by standard process. When my Dad got AA their was no cure and there is still no cure. Each person chooses the path that they think is best to try to put their AA in remission. This path may not work to get my hair back, I hope it does but it is the one that I am comfortable with. I am feeling 80 % better. My hormones are getting back in balance. All my muscle aches are gone and I have a lot more energy. It took a long time of poor eating to destroy my immune system and it will take a while to get it functioning properly, but their is no guarantees. I still have allot of questions that I will be asking my fellow members of this site as I progress in the next phases of AA because It's very helpful site. I am hoping to have some free time in the future to ask more questions... Like I have little hair stubs of breakage then I get the bald spot? I am very confused on the different options of wig caps, that confuses the heck out of me. I hope you find your answers and Good luck with your path that you choose. Ps. Remember each persons body is different wise of nutrition requirements, food sensitivity, etc!! That is why I like the nutrition response testing system because my diet is designed for my me and what my body is lacking and I could never had made it wise of food choices without the help of my nutritionist that I see weekly thru this system.

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