Alopecia World
www.alopeciaworld.com
Gluten free and anti inflammatory diet journal
About 5 months ago I noticed what looked like a small knick in the back of my head...long story short, this was no knick! It progressed into a large patch, more patches appeared, i began losing facial hair, etc. After the first patch becam quarter sized, I saw a dermatologist and she said I had AA...i figured this prior to my visit because I had googled it! Lol, the power of the internet...I think i had more info about it than the doctor knew! Anyway, she gave me a sample of a topical cream and said the patch looked like it was done growing bigger and would regrow. WRONG! Obviously it didnt, and i knew from my research that there wasnt much I could do, as far as effective treatments go....I accepted it and eventually shaved my head since I could no longer hide it with a hat.
Long story short, I probably had a similair experience to all of ya'lls! I'm 32 and this is my first experience with my alopecia, needless to say...its rough coming to terms with lossing your hair in such a drastic way! Upon surfing the web for info i came across stories of gluten free diets and the notion that eliminating certain foods could help with regrowth. I also found this awesome site called "Alopecia World"...you may have heard of it?!? Here i found real support and a place to connect with others who know EXACTLY what i'm going through! Its a great thing! I also found people who are seeing results from G/F diets and anti inflammatory diets or just eleminating foods they are sensitive to. It just seemed to make sense to me.... It definately couldnt hurt to try!
I made up my mimd to fully make the switch and STICK to it, at least for 3 months to see if i could get results. (it seems to take 3-6 months before people get any type of results) I began with immediately eliminating caffeine from my diet about 4 weeks ago, since I was a heavy soda drinker. I replaced soda with water and now drink more juice when i crave soda or something with more flavor.nothing with sugar added...100% juices and only natural sweetners.
The following week I began to eliminate gluten from my diet and other anti- inflamatory foods. I may have slipped a bit, due to being uninformed and being confused about what was and wasnt ok to eat but I knew I was making HUGE strides in the right direction! I figured even if a few things slipped through, it still had to be an improvement and I had to crawl before I walk! It is a MAJOR change for me and easing into it seemed to make it less drastic.
I know that everyone has different sensetivities to different foods but I am not able to pay for these tests or for additional testing. I just decided to eliminate gluten, caffiene, dairy and red meats from my diet since these seemed to be the major pro-inflammatory foods.
It has been a month since I began this whole process and about 4 days ago i stopped shaving my head to see if I could notice any changes. To my surprise...regrowth! It seems that the majority of my bald spots are now covered with white or clear hairs. Mainly the last places that I lost hair are the ones growing back first, or so it seems. The original patch, which now covers 15% of my head is still bald but i now have some hope. I am excited but dont know if this is just coincidence or there is a connection to my dietary change?!? Surely it has to be from the diet??? I find it hard to believe that its sure coincidence! I def will continue with the diet change and hope for the best! I will add some pics later and keep ya'll posted! Any shared experiences, comments, suggestions, questioms are welcome! Please share your stories, as it helps others and yourself!
-
Comment by Louis on July 8, 2012 at 1:33pm
-
Well, I was hesitant to shave my head again because I feared losing my new found white hairs but did! To my surprise, I let my hair grow for 3 or 4 days again and I still have them! It has been about a week and a half since the last pics and I am still on track with the gluten-free diet! I feel better than ever physically, have lots of energy and have been sleeping great!
I also picked up some shampoo that has tea tree extract and other organic compounds that are supposed to strengthen and help the hair folicles. The shampoo has no Parabens, SLS, or phthalates. My scalp was sensitive in the areas where the white hairs were growing but after using this shampoo it no longer feels irritated or itchy... I feel like the shampoo is helping but after I bought it, I noticed it had wheat products in it or Gluten....I googled it and a lot of shampoos DO have gluten in it! Not a problem unless you ingest it or you have skin sensitivity. The info I found said I should be okay but everyone is different! I also found shampoos with Biotin added to it, wondering if anyone has had any experience with a good shampoo containing Biotin or tee leaf? Oh yeah, I am also taking a Biotin supplement and liquid D-3 supplement. Ill post a few more pics and ill repost pics in another month to compare!
-
-
Here's a side view...white hair growth mainly on top
-
-
The back after shaving 3 or 4 days ago...
-
-
-
-
Thanks Aimee!
i appreciate the support! Its def a HUGE change going G/F and cutting inflammatory foods from your diet! Believe me when I say it gets easier! Half the battle is trying to find out what you can and can't eat or where you can get the foods you can eat. Also, many G/F foods or organic foods can be pricey but using coupons and buying sale items and shopping around will help make future grocery shopping loads easier! I am somewhat flexible about the night shade veggies and try to stay away but if I do eat them I will limit my intake. Maybe go in steps, you already do night shades....maybe do gluten next, then casffeine or another inflammatory?!?
-
Comment by Sandy on July 9, 2012 at 11:28pm
-
Keep us posted on your progress. ..I would go on a gluten free diet if I thought it would work. It definitely looks like you are growing hair!
-
-
Thanks for the comment Sandy! I will definately keep everyone posted on my progress. It is a difficult change to make but it has been worth it so far. Besides just gaining some growth, I also feel great and have soooo much energy! I think I am going to start exercising regularly or join a gym soon. It seems to have helped with my depression as well! I encourage you to gather some info on Gluten free and Anti inflammatory diets!
-
-
Hi Louis,
I started my anti-inflamamtory diet last week. I actually feel better! Most probably because I feel like I am doing "something about it" vs sitting on my hands...Any way who needs all that white flour and all that sugar? Just had a (big) bowl of spinach and whole wheat pasta primavera. Loved it...Had salmon and veggies last nite and loved that too. I found this great diet on line by Dr. Weil "anti-infalmmatory diet and food pyramidhttp://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02995/Dr-Weil-Anti-Inflammatory-Food...
The cool thing for me, the diet allows for a glass ( or two) of red wine daily. Red wine being my equalizer for losing my hair : )
-
-
Hey sandy,
that is awesome im glad you decided to take the leap! I am familiar with Dr, Weil and the anti inflamatory diet. After reading his material it just made sense to cut out the inflammatory foods...and i take advantage of the wine loophole quite often lol! Good luck with the diet, it gets easier! Im able to continue the diet but havent been perfect I must admit! I have had a beer or two on occasion but feel that i have been doing a great job over all. Its been over 3 months now almost four i believe....im still seeing new regrowth and my normal hair color has sarted returning! I figure it will take at least 6 months to get all my hair back, if it even happens..... I will post updated pics soon, stay motivated and keepnat it! If ya need any suggestions or have any for me pkease share!
-
-
I can do this diet....I see some sparse hair growing back, even though the spot seems to be getting bigger....I am on a mission...whatever it takes....I do rogaine twice/day, I'm taking these supplements called Regene Max and I am doing the diet to stay healthy. My problem is definitely my immune system. The good news is that since my AA, I haven't had one single canker sore in my mouth. This used to be a chronic condition...sometimes even had 4 sores at one time that hurt like hell....So I almost would rather be bald than deal with those dame sores. I think the key with alcohol and the antinflamatory diet is that it has to be red wine...nothing else. Red wine has some anti oxidant properties that are very beneficial especial for men. Ditch the beer, stick to red wine for now.
I bought these black bean burgers by Lite Life at the suppermarket that are kick butt delicious...heat them on a skillet with a couple of minutes and put them on a whole wheat bun with your favorite toppings and you'll love them.
Good luck I am keeping my fingers crossed we all grow some hair ; )
© 2024 Created by Alopecia World.
Powered by
You need to be a member of Alopecia World to add comments!
Join Alopecia World