Chris

My history with alopecia areata began in 2004 while I was living in Australia. For three years large and small bald patches would appear on various parts of my head and then the hair would grow back. I managed to get by using makeup to camouflage the smaller spots or by wearing hats.

Ironically, I was studying Naturopathy when this condition began, so I consulted with one of my instructors who suggested a Hair Tissue Analysis to determine or rule out any nutritional deficiency or toxicity. The tests determined that although my toxic metal levels were low, my nutrient mineral ratio levels were unbalanced, so I began a year of nutritional therapy – vitamins, minerals, dietary changes and herbs. When I was retested several months later, the results were closer to normal, but the alopecia persisted.

So I began to research alopecia and autoimmunity, as there is a history of autoimmune conditions in my family. I sought out endocrinologists, dermatologists, hair specialists of every background and went for hormonal and vitamin testing through Integrative Doctors (medical doctors with experience and an interest in alternative medicine). The Integrative Doctors were by far the most empathetic, offering the most support and inspiring me to explore aspects of my life that might be in need attention and rebalancing.

I always had problems managing stress, which often caused problems with my sleep patterns. So I signed up for a 16 week Stress Management Course with a well known Stress Therapist. I also joined a macrobiotic cooking class to address some of the digestive problems I was experiencing, and began alternating acupuncture and massage sessions every other week. Within a few months my hair returned to its normal state.

Then, in August 2007, my family and I returned to my homeland, Canada. Within a month of my return my hair started to fall out in clumps, which it had never done before. I had not been sustaining the self-care regime I had started in Australia and so by December I had lost all of my hair and had to wear a wig. I was devastated and my self esteem plummeted.

Early the next year, determined to have my own hair back, I sought out a medical specialist who could provide the medical treatment that I had previously declined (due to the adverse side effects and the unpredictable success rate). I began an intensive eight month treatment of topical corticosteroids, local steroid injections and minoxidil, which caused my hair to grow, but not just on my head.

Hair began growing on my face and neck, I started getting heart palpitations, I was retaining water and the steroids caused large dents on my head to form at the injection site. I kept telling myself that I could manage the side effects until the hair grew back and then I could possibly cut back on the medication so the side effects would be less severe (Red Flag Alert! – Seriously, what is the payoff here to have hair on the top of your head?). But not long afterwards, my hair started falling out anyway and I decided to decline any further treatment.

During this time I became a licensed Realtor. So before I started working I bought myself a new wig, decided to take a more philosophical approach to the situation and just get on with things. Maybe this was my ‘lot in life’. After all it was just hair and not a life threatening condition. I made up my own Eckhart Tolle mantra “let go of your ego, let go of your ego” (yeah…you’re not kidding!). I busied myself with work and tried to forget about my lack of hair.

A year into my real estate career and after once again losing my entire head of hair and parts of my eyebrows, my hair was attempting to grow back (interesting that I perceived my hair as independent from me and having a mind of its own), but very slowly and with some minor setbacks. Something in the pit of my stomach kept repeating to me “this is not right, this is not normal and this has to be reversible.”

Looking back, seven years ago I didn’t have alopecia – I have been watching the hair come and go over time – there has to be a reason why it falls out and then regenerates itself. What was the catalyst that may have triggered this condition? What is at the root of the problem that I am not addressing? I decided to take a 3 month leave of absence to spend some time with myself to see if I could “address” the issue.

Now it may sound a little self indulgent to take three months off, but the fact of the matter is that I have never been very good about giving myself permission to relax and take time out for me, away from my family and/or work. I returned to meditation to help me focus and made a note to start yoga classes. It was a little strange at first and I was easily distracted, but as I began to ask myself some very profound questions some amazing revelations began to occur.

Here I am four and a half months later and a lot has happened during this time. I have been studying the effects of stress (which is a really loaded word) on the nervous system and how it goes on to affect the immune system. I had to take a close look at what my stressors have been over the years and attempt to eradicate or minimize them. As a result, I have made a decision to leave real estate, to separate from my husband, and to work with a personal/business coach who keeps me focused and accountable as I build a career in Integrative/Complimentary Health. I also realize that I need to put my well-being first so that I can serve my children, my family, my friends and my community better.

I don’t mean to oversimplify any part of this in any way. There are obviously many other factors that are significant, but they are too detailed and complex for me to write about in this article. The point is that the time that I have allowed for introspect and self care is paying dividends. My eyebrows have completely grown back and my hair is gradually recovering.

What have I learned from my experience with alopecia? Each one of us is unique in our biological composition, personal experiences and our perception of the world. If we approach healing with this knowledge we can address the dis-ease within each person that manifests as alopecia or any other pathology.  I have also learned that alopecia came into my life as a teacher; I have explored emotional and psychological healing and the role that spirituality plays in this and it has been a profound learning experience. I sincerely believe that in most cases, alopecia can be healed.

December 2009  - In this photograph it is hard to see the fine white hairs that are just starting to coming through in some areas of the top of my head. The hair on the sides of my head is thicker, whereas  the hair on the top and the back of my head is much slower in coming back in.  There are a couple of small patches without hair that I have just recently lost which are areata patches (they came out in clumps around Dec 25).

March 2010 – Three months later, the white hairs have some length so I have colored them.  It takes a few treatments for the color to adhere to the hair, so despite the bald appearance, there is almost complete hair coverage here, although some hair is very fine and just coming through.   The couple of small, areata patches that were noted in December are still there.  So there is new growth, but it is coming in very slowly.

June 2010 – I am at Mohair Salon having my extensions tightened and Crystal, my hairdresser, is taking the video of my hair growth.  Crystal said that all of the hair appears to be growing in and that there are no visible patches. The hair is all white still (first stage of hair regrowth) and is shorter in some areas.  What surprised me after two months is how it is starting to thicken up now!  What do I think is making the difference? – a more alkaline diet, seaweed supplemententaion, and stress management (yoga, meditation, more sleep, change of thought patterns, affirmations).  Note: I don’t have a great camcorder so it may be difficult to for you to see just how much growth is there due to the lighting and poor video quality.