Testing an Autoimmune Diet

I’m really interested in the link between gut health and autoimmunity. And I’m curious to know if the autoimmune diet I tried back in 2018 could’ve actually made a real difference to my alopecia – if only I’d stuck to it!

So I went to see a Functional Medicine (FM doctor) when I was home in Ireland last summer (2019) to explore this link further. 

What I wanted to find out

• Whether my gut health could be affecting my hair.
• If inflammation could be causing the chronic daily headaches I’ve had for 2 years.
• If the same factors might have contributed to the depression and anxiety I’ve had on and off for years, too. (I know. Not fun.)

The doctor ran some tests on my microbiome and diagnosed me with gut dysbiosis. She told me that this can lead to autoimmune conditions, plus mental illnesses such as brain fog, anxiety and depression – due to its effect on our neurotransmitters. I can relate to that.

What the doctor advised

• A 5-day gut cleanse. During this time, she told me to only drink smoothies made from water and “medical food” – a protein and vitamin-rich powder called UltraClear Sustain from Nutri Advanced – to ensure I’d still get all the nutrients I need.

• An elimination diet for at least 30 days. This would include cutting out dairy, eggs, wheat/gluten, alcohol, sugar, soy and soybean products. Yikes… but she DID say I could have one coffee a day. Yay!

• A supplementation plan for at least 30 days. My range of goodies include this Vitamin B formula plus Vitamin D with K, this Magnesium blend, plenty of raw ginger and turmeric (if you don’t like that, try these) and a very special probiotic that I swear by called FloraMend Prime Probiotic from Thorne Research. I also have to take a lot of fish oil daily – at first, I took Wiley’s Alaskan liquid but then, thankfully, came across capsules instead…which is much better than the liquid stuff!