Werdna1991's Story - (Areata to Totalis)

[Werdna1991]

In January 2010 my left eyebrow started to fall out. By March I decided to shave my head completely. Today, I have total hair loss except for a few eyelashes on my right eye and some facial hair growth on my upper cheeks (about 4-6 hairs per side) outside of the normal line of facial hair. Before this happened I had very thick hair and no hair loss at all.

Over the last few months I've been losing pubic hair, chest hair and leg hair. So it looks like things are moving towards Universalis.

I January was refered to a Dermatologist who offered various steriod based creams or oral steriods. Both seemed to be half hearted offers to treat symptoms rather than cause. I have also had experience with oral steriods as described below.

Blood tests suggest no Autoimmune issues

My history

In 1984 I was diagnosed with Crohns disease. Between 88 to 91 I suffered with Erethema Nedosum and Pyoderma Gangrenosum. Both associated with Crohns. Treatment was oral steriods for two years which caused various unsightly side effects. In 1991 the problem went after a long holiday. In 2003 fistulation of the bowel required suregery and I had a double resection. Since then I have been free of the disease. In 2005 I started getting pathy facial hair loss which grew back within a year. Never larger than 5cm diameter. My sister also a crohns sufferer has Aleopecia Areata, which grows back. So I have a propensity to Autoimmune problems and a genetic dispostion to same. Currently I am 47 years old

Medical help is very poor, simply because they claim not to know enough about the problem. I would like to know my options and some prognosis. Do I let it continue to run its course and live with this or do I get some help?

You might also give me your opinion of Naturopathy. A local naturopath believes i have a mineral deficiency, typical of the Antipodes, but exaserbated by bowel removal and therefore less ability to absorb nutrients and minerals. All blood tests for Vitamins eg B12 and Iron content are fine.

Thanks

 

[GeminiX]

Re: My Story - Areata to Totalis

Hi Werdna,

While I'm not in a position to comment on your condition, I would certainly take the word of a qualified medical professional over that of a naturopathic quack.

If the specialist is unable to perform a diagnoses, ask them if they would mind referring you to another expert. Don't be shy about telling them how worried you are so that they don't brush you aside.

<snip>
K. C. Atwood writes, in the journal Medscape General Medicine, "Naturopathic physicians now claim to be primary care physicians proficient in the practice of both "conventional" and "natural" medicine. Their training, however, amounts to a small fraction of that of medical doctors who practice primary care. An examination of their literature, moreover, reveals that it is replete with pseudoscientific, ineffective, unethical, and potentially dangerous practices." In another article, Atwood writes that "Physicians who consider naturopaths to be their colleagues thus find themselves in opposition to one of the fundamental ethical precepts of modern medicine. If naturopaths aren't to be judged "nonscientific practitioners," the term has no useful meaning. An article by a physician exposing quackery, moreover, does not identify its author as "biased," but simply as fulfilling one of his ethical obligations as a physician."
</snip>

Apologies for the copy & paste above, but I'm finding it repetitive to have to keep writing the same things about these so called physicians