UPDATE: On Alopecia Year 3

I took some time off.

Finding medical reasons for your alopecia is time consuming and expensive. I spent a good two years in various doctors' offices with no real answers in return. I was tired and fed up with the medical community. I got to the point where I only believed that a better diet and overall health regime might strengthen my immune system enough to grow my hair back. I tried to make myself eat allergen free, sleep better, exercise enough, and stress less.

But I needed more support and someone to hold me accountable.

An occasional break in the strict diet eventually led to week long binges of overeating bad food. My attempts at daily meditating became one more to-do box to check off and led to me stressing out more. I probably drank too much and exercised too little.

Most of all, I just didn't feel right.

I decided that I wanted to get back in the game and made an appointment to see Pam Rathbone to schedule some labs. I wanted to see the data on how my body was performing. Low energy, fatigue, and trouble sleeping had been plaguing me since the summer. Personally, I attributed that sluggishness to my diet, but I wanted to make sure that it wasn't anything more.

When your body decides to shed all its hair within a year, that's a big deal. I just want to make sure that everything else is running okay. Year 3 of Alopecia gave me a break from the weekly office visits and overpriced supplements, but I don't feel any closer to understanding why this happened to me. And yes, I have come to accept my baldness, but I'm still skeptical about its root cause.

So, on to year 4! I'm kicking it off with a new naturopath and a new dedication to overall health!