Hi Guest_87818756,
I’m sorry you are going through this difficult experience with alopecia. I just thought I’d mention another approach that may be worth looking into. From what I understand alopecia is an autoimmune condition. There has been a growing focus on the role of the gut microbiome in autoimmune conditions. I have an autoimmune liver condition and it’s an approach that’s helped me. In fact it was an article about a man who had both alopecia and an autoimmune liver disease closely related to the one I have that inspired me to look at the gut as a way of treating the disease. If interested, I can’t post the direct link here but it’s called “AIP Stories of Recovery: Jarrett’s Recovery From Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis and Alopecia”.
I can’t provide medical advice as such but just suggesting that info in case it’s helpful. The man in that article was doing the Autoimmune Protocol Diet. In my case I went to a naturopath who does advanced microbiome testing. He then used that to guide supplementation that corrected various gut issues and my liver readings balanced for the first time in years. He’s a strongly evidence-based naturopath which I think is important as they vary and some only do guess work. But there’s also the option of trying a registered dietician or integrative medicine GP with an approach that includes looking at gut health in relation to autoimmunity. Someone with knowledge about alopecia would be ideal. Unfortunately if you have microbiome testing it can be a bit expensive, as in a few hundred dollars. But there is the option of trying dietary change and still trialling supplements like probiotics and prebiotics if you don’t want to pay for testing.
As far as anxiety goes, I can only really suggest what has helped me in relation to health issues. I spend some time in nature and I have a favourite place by the ocean that I find calming. I kind of meditate there and just allow myself to feel connected to the environment. I’ve done some somatic work with my psychologist in relation to trauma issues. We have used an approach called Somatic Experiencing and there’s an exercise in it where you chant a low “vooo” sound. This stimulates the vagus nerve which can be quite calming for anxiety. It can bring up emotions too but it also releases them.
At the moment I imagine a lot of the anxiety is feeling that treatments haven’t worked and that you feel like you’ve run out of options. But I’ve often found myself that with health issues there are options out there but I’ve just had to keep researching to find them. Of course it’s important to always look for reputable sources of information. I have found that addressing emotional issues in my life has also helped with my autoimmune health. Our emotional health and immune responses are intimately tied together, so you may find some improvements too if you find some emotional healing in your life. For me addressing emotional issues has really been the most significant factor in relation to beginning to turn around health issues.
They are just some suggestions which may or may not resonate for you. I’m wondering have you been able to receive any counselling support so far? I just read that if you have Overseas Student Health Cover you can get a Mental Health Care Plan from a GP to see a psychologist at a reduced cost. If you are a university student I think most universities have a counselling service. There was one at my university and you could have 6 sessions per year for free. So that’s just another suggestion in case that may help with strategies for anxiety.
Take care and all the best,
Eagle Ray
