For my young daughter there was a gluten connection. It went away once she was strictly off gluten, six years ago when she was eight. She had several dime-size patches of hair loss, perfectly circular, where the hair would break off at the scalp. It was tested and not found to be fungal. She also suddenly got tall off of gluten, after having been very petite like everyone else on her father's side, and her teeth became less crowded. Robb Wolf's recommendations for autoimmune conditions are avoiding nightshades and eggs for a time in addition to the paleo diet.

I would second the gluten connection. Although I don't personally have experience with alopecia, my son's severe eczema and horrible, emergency room visits due to constipation (pain was severe) completely disappeared. Plus, he grew about 6 inches in a year post gluten free. The reason for the growth seems obvious that he was finally able to absorb vitamins and minerals as his leaky gut was clearing up.

I've also heard Robb Wolf speak about this and would recommend his advice for avoiding those foods and see how it goes. You've got your health to recover and that is totally worth an elimination diet for a bit. In my opinion.

I remember Robb Wolf specifically mention Alopecia in one of his podcasts. In #68 Matt Lalonde also sums up the 'elimination diet' for people who sufer from AI disease. (It's more stricter than Paleo, but the results are impressive).

Jeanne is correct. Alopecia areata is associated with gluten intolerance and most GI docs and dermatologist know it but few treat the dietary component. Go get a transglutaminase test and also mandate that they do a biospy of your intesting too. Many times the blood test is equivocal.

I have Alopecia universalis....... i am going to try this diet..... how long must you stay off eggs for? I thought you could eat those in the Paleo diet? just not over cooked?

I am 42 and have had AA since I was 16. I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis at 39. My celiac friend has been telling me for years to go GF. I couldn't imagine life without bread. I only started Paleo about 2 weeks ago, so I don't have any recovery stories, yet! My son, 10yo, has had severe eczema since birth. It is getting worse not better, and he's up to taking oral steroids during allergy season. I'm slowly transitioning the whole family to Paleo.

Back to the alopecia. It does suck. Especially when you are young and so desperately trying to attract boys. I had huge emotional issues and stress about going bald. Fortunatley my AA never was severe enough that I couldn't hide it with some fancy styling. After I got married, I calmed down a lot about my condition. "who cares if I go bald, I got my man" type of feeling. I still always have spots, some small, some large.

I started Paleo to deal with my weight and RA, but your question reminded me that I have AA too. Huh, 2 birds with 1 stone, if this works.

I also have Alopcia Areata. Going on two years now with four flair ups. My last flare up lasted the longest and so I tried the month trial of Paleo with good success and regrowth. Problem is, I stopped at one month and within three months had another flare up. I reintrodued everything within those two months, so I really don't know what the culprit is.

Natural treatments improve blood circulation and maintain proper electrolyte balance. Over the years, Homeopathy, Ayurveda and other natural therapies have believed that homeostasis is the best way to bring an individual into lasting equilibrium and removing the cause of any disorder forever. Homeopathic remedies and ayurvedic herbs such as T2 Amino Acid Mineral Liquescence, T4 Blood Liquescence, X12 Metab help to promote healthy hair follicles for re-growth of hair.

I have had AA on and off for many years, never correlating it with gluten until recently. In the back of my head I've had a patch of hair loss for about 4 years, and shots were not helping. Just recently I tried another set of shots, went off gluten because my husband and kids were not eating it, and my hair grew back. Then two weeks ago I had two days of bread and pasta and my patch is back!

Rossana