Dr. David Clark, DC -explains what you need to know about Alopecia Areata--causes, symptoms and what to do about it.
I’m starting a new series called--
“Autoimmune Diseases That Affect Women"
An A to Z list explaining signs, symptoms, and what to do about them.
First up is alopecia areata.
This is a condition in which the immune system kills the follicles of the hair cell. So, a woman will start losing her hair.
Now, the confusing thing about hair loss in women is that hair loss in women can be caused by several different problems. Here are the three most common I see...
- Alopecia areata. This is an autoimmune cause of hair loss.
- Hypothyroidism (low thyroid). Hair loss on the scalp, genitals,body or outer third of the eyebrows is a classic sign of hypothyroidism. Now, the most common cause of hypothyroid is Hashimoto’s, which is an autoimmune attack on the thyroid.
- High Testosterone levels...we can go into this some other time.
(There’s also some information to show that ferritin has some relationship with hair loss.)
So what can you do about Alopecia Areata?
What usually happens is you go to the doctor and they say,
“Well, it’s no big deal. You have to get over it. Maybe get a wig. Not a lot we can do about it.”
Not true.
The reason the doctor tells you to get on with your life and live with it is because they don’t have anything to offer you. (Many doctors do NOT understand how to successfuly manage autoimmune conditions).
Here's the truth about alopecia areata...
If you have alopecia areata, you have an autoimmune condition.
Having one autoimmune condition sets the stage for developing ANOTHER autoimmune condition, and suffering more, new symptoms.
This is the danger with any autoimmune condition. Normally, your immune system tolerates you. That’s called “self-tolerance.” When your immune system attacks and destroys your hair follicles, self-tolerance is broken forever.
PAY ATTENTION TO THIS NEXT PART LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDED ON IT:
Now, your immune system can attack and start destroying any other tissue in your body. Any of these could be next on the list...
- Thyroid --causing more hair loss, depression, constipation, weight gain
- Nerves -- causing peripheral neuropathy, weakness, tingling, burning
- Cerebellum -- causing nausea, vertigo, dizziness, balance problems
- Pancreas -- causing high blood sugar, Type 2 or Type 1 Diabetes symptoms
- Estrogen, progesterone, serotonin, dopamine...ANYTHING.
Often, a woman with alopecia areata ends up at some point later their life suffering with the symptoms of another autoimmune condition--whether diagnosed or not. She could go undiagnosed for years. (I see this a lot).
The good news...
If you go to the right doctor, one who understands how to approach autoimmunity from a functional perspective, there are some steps you can take to get some control over alopecia areata. But this doctor MUST understand the immune system.
See, in alopecia areata your immune system is unbalanced.
Let me give you the short course on the immune system. Take about 20 seconds.
Your immune system has two divisions.
- TH1
- TH2
The TH1 division is like the SWAT team. It’s T-cells. They’re the ones that actually go in and normally kill things that are invaders like viruses and bacteria, cancer cells.
TH2 are your B-cells. B-cells make antibodies. They make antibodies that direct the SWAT team to the invaders.
So, in an autoimmune situation, like alopecia areata, the two are out of balance. The SWAT team is killing things it shouldn’t kill.... or the B-cells are directing the SWAT team to kill things they shouldn’t kill.
In alopecia areata, the SWAT team and the B-cells are targeting the hair follicles, killing them. Then your hair falls out.
To help the unbalanced immune system in alopecia areata, you’ve got to calm down this autoimmune attack and try to balance the immune system.
(And that’s way too complicated to go into here.)
The doctor that you see needs to be a health detective. They’ve got to look for
- Triggers
- Exacerbating factors
- Specific Vitamin deficiencies
- Hidden gastrointestinal infections-parasites, fungi, overgrowths
- Environmental toxins/haptens like chemicals and metals
They’ve got to search for – well, there’s a lot. It gets complicated. There’s a lot of moving parts.
But this is not complicated:
If you already know you have alopecia areata, you need to be concerned about your immune system attacking other parts of your body.
You should know that if you’ve got alopecia areata, there is help.
(I’m not saying your hair can grow back because once you kill a hair follicle, it can’t necessarily regenerate. )
The biggest concern in alopecia areata is preventing the autoimmune attack from spreading into nore tissues....for example, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis or Type 1 diabetes.
That’s Condition A, alopecia areata.
Managing it, slowing it down...maybe reversing it is possible. But you’ve got to find a doctor who understands what to do.
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© 2011 David Clark. All Rights Reserved.
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Dr. David Clark, DC
Functional Neurologist
Diplomate College of Clinical Nutrition
Functional Endocrinology
Board Certified Chiropractic Neurologist
Vestibular Rehab Specialist
214-341-3737
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