Cancer, the Immune System and Alopecia Areata . Autoimmune diseases are significantly on the rise, and alopecia can be a devastating condition, not only personally but also professionally. It’s in our genes. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss. The exact cause of alopecia areata is unknown. Medical conditions include alopecia areata (al-o-PEE-she-uh ar-e-A-tuh), which is immune system related and causes patchy hair loss, scalp infections such as ringworm, and a hair-pulling disorder called trichotillomania (trik-o-til-o-MAY-nee-uh). In this post, I’m going to talk about the best food for alopecia areata, in other words, food that you need to consume on a daily basis if you’d like to get rid of this terrible skin condition. Alopecia areata can sometimes run in families, and be more common in people with other autoimmune disorders, like thyroid diseases, diabetes, and lupus. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that has to do with hair loss with symptoms that are mild and could also be severe. Small spots most commonly occur on the scalp and usually grow back within a year. This is Dr. Nik Hedberg and today I’m going to be taking about all the possible causes of alopecia areata and alopecia universalis. Often it results in a few bald spots on the scalp, each about the size of a coin. A person’s genetic makeup, combined with other factors, triggers this form of hair loss . These triggers include trauma, stress, infection, surgery, or hormonal change caused by pregnancy. And there are a lot of holistic options out there for alopecia. This means that your immune system mistakenly attacks a part of your body. ; Alopecia areata produces one or more patches of balding without any obvious change in the texture of the affected skin, a non-scarring alopecia. In most cases, hair falls out in small, round patches about the size of a … However, the condition is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system destroys healthy body cells .An autoimmune disease is a genetic disorder where faulty genes, in combination with environmental factors/triggers, lead to the erratic functioning of the immune system. A very small percentage of cases spread to the entire scalp (alopecia totalis) or to the entire body (alopecia universalis). It usually causes small, coin-sized, round patches of baldness on the scalp, although hair elsewhere such as the beard, eyebrows, eyelashes, body and limbs can be affected. Some triggers have been reported, most commonly emotional or physical stress, vaccines, viral infections, and drugs 12). It is thought that one’s genetic makeup, immune system, and possible other unknown triggers may cause the cycle of inflammation of hair loss. Alopecia areata usually begins when clumps of hair fall out, resulting in totally smooth, round hairless patches on the scalp. We can’t help it. Alopecia areata is a common cause of non-scarring (does not cause scarring to the scalp) hair loss that can occur at any age. With this in mind, it brings us to a theory that some environmental factors known as triggers are may be liable in the development of Alopecia areata and other autoimmune diseases. What triggers Alopecia Areata? There are many therapies which can offer benefits for someone with alopecia areata, however there is no single option proven to work for everyone. If you get your stress under control, your hair might grow back. Hannah thinks a healthier diet helped her hair regrow. With alopecia areata, the body's immune system attacks the hair follicles — causing hair loss. A person’s genetic makeup, combined with other factors, triggers this form of hair loss. The body's immune system attacks hair follicles, leading to patches of hair loss. The most common symptoms of alopecia areata include patchy hair loss and nail changes, such as depressions in your fingernails, vertical ridges along your nails and rough nail texture. One way to help improve the symptoms is with a diet for alopecia areata. It is not known why alopecia areata or other autoimmune diseases occur. A variety of factors are thought to cause alopecia areata (al-o-PEE-she-uh ar-e-A-tuh), possibly including severe stress. The word “alopecia” comes from Ancient Greek and roughly translates as “fox disease,” on account of foxes changing their fur twice a year. According to WebMD.com, hair loss results when the immune system attacks the source of hair growth: the hair follicles. The precise event that precipitates alopecia areata is unknown. Alopecia areata, also known as spot baldness, is an autoimmune disease in which hair is lost from some or all areas of the body. 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