Episode 19: How Healing Alopecia Looks Like

Today’s episode of the podcast is about How Healing Alopecia Looks Like

KEY TAKEAWAYS COVERED IN THE PODCAST

Alopecia can affect you in a whole lot of ways you can imagine.

It can affect your perspective in life and how you relate with others.

So, if you have Alopecia or know someone who has, you may wrestle with these thoughts:

• Do you struggle to find the support you really need?

• Is healing possible even if you have had it for so long?

• How does healing even look like?

HIGHLIGHTS YOU CAN'T SIMPLY MISS

• What does healing really look like? 01:20

• Healing looks like the abundance of hair that comes back 01:33

• Healing is when I saw myself in the mirror emotionally 03:06

• Healing looks like having total control of your health and understanding the keys to your success 04:48

• Whenever there's like an imbalance, then that's like a red flag to get back to basics 06:03

• You can't let alopecia fester 07:06

• If you have any sign of alopecia, you need to handle it as soon as possible 07:23

• Healing alopecia is not one day to the next, nor is upgrading your health 10:14

• I feel complete and whole knowing that alopecia won't come back again 11:04

• The thing is like hair is tied to health 14:19

• If we're having issues with the hair, then there's an underlying issue with our health 14:25

• Alopecia affects mindset, opportunities and possibilities 17:24

• The first step is to believe in yourself and healing is possible for everyone 19:32

HELP IS WITHIN YOUR REACH!

Alopecia Angel is here to support you in your journey to find encouragement and healing to regain your hair and health.

Reach out to us, join our community, and inspire someone by sharing my podcasts.

You're one click away to start recovering and healing from Alopecia. Sign up to join our Hair N' Heal Program: www.alopeciaangel.com

For more episodes: www.alopeciaangel.com/podcast-all-episodes 

Transcription

Awaken to hair growth. Awaken to hair growth because there is, possibility to get your hair back. Awaken to hair growth because we're not told that we're able to conquer and overcome alopecia. Awaken to hair growth because I want to be a positive light and beacon for you because I've healed my alopecia and now I help others do the same with different types of alopecia, men, women, children, of all ages of all races and ethnicities.

Hello everybody and welcome back to the alopecia angel podcast, awaken to hair growth. Today, we are talking about healing and what that looks like. What does that look like? What is the definition of that? And how do you know once you've healed back in episode one, you know, that back six, seven years ago, I had alopecia and it took me over three years to get back to normal and to see progress and to see hair growth and to overcome this beast of hair loss, alopecia and then also all the ancillary situations and symptoms that I was feeling everything from digestive issues to rain fog, to fatigue, depression, anxiety, and so much more.

And today I wanted to start, not just today, but also the week off with something positive. Because again, a lot of times we do not hear enough positivity around alopecia. And what does healing really look like? How do you know once you've really healed? I was posed this question by a client and many times maybe I don't convey this enough, but healing, for me, my definition looks like the abundance of hair that comes back.

Not just the eyelashes, not just the eyebrows, not just the head on your hair, but then also not fearing hair loss to go away. So for example, I had COVID and I knew I wasn't going to have any hair loss and I did it and I also got pregnant and then I had my baby and I didn't get alopecia again. Now, granted, I did get postpartum hair loss, but that's because you know, your hormones are going up and down a little bit, and they're just trying to recalibrate after having a baby, which is a full body situation. It's a full body emergence of a new life.

And so of course there's a little recalibration there that's needed and balancing out. And so of course I had a little bit of postpartum hair loss, nothing major. And then back to normal hair growth continues and you know, again, as I've mentioned before, maybe not just my podcast, but maybe in my blogs, that the real concern for me right now is the gray hairs, the pesky gray hairs that happen of course, with age, with stress, maybe in, in part due to genetics.

But actually I've been researching more and more about gray hair and how to reverse this. And so I'm actually testing and trying out something. So once I have more conclusive information, I will be coming back to you about that. But any case going back to healing and what that looks like, first and foremost, the day I felt that I was on the right path of healing, that I was finally getting something correct and just kind of that nudge that I was doing things right, was when I saw myself in the mirror and I saw my old self, not physically, but emotionally.

You know how you can look at yourself in the mirror and sometimes you don't, you still don't see yourself. You don't feel like yourself, you don't recognize the person that's there. That's what was happening for me with alopecia. I didn’t recognize the person that was in front of me in the mirror. And what's more, I was actually avoiding mirrors like the plague during those three years, I was avoiding it completely.

The only thing that I would do was to take pictures so that I can gauge how much hair loss I was having on a daily, weekly, monthly basis, yearly basis compared to hair growth and you know, how the spots were coming and how they were moving forward or are moving backwards. And so I really avoided mirrors at all costs.

And I really realized that day I happened to be in the US at the time and I saw myself in the mirror and I saw a glimpse of myself. I felt more of myself and it was just literally one day to the next and I knew I was onto something and I knew I was healing and I knew I was on the right path and I knew I saw that light at the end of the tunnel.

That's what I'm trying to say here. I saw that light at the end of the tunnel and I was like, okay, I'm feeling more like myself. I know I'm more than halfway there and I was, and thankfully it was, uh, from there it was just like a straight shot and boom, all the hair started coming back and it just kept growing and growing and growing.

And, and then now here we are, you know, years later, And again, that healing, what does that look like? It looks like, feeling like yourself. It looks like being happier and optimistic. It looks like not, fearing hair loss to come back. It looks like having total and utter control of your health and understanding what that looks like and understanding the keys to your success.

Not just for today, not just for the next weeks or the next month or the next year for no alopecia to come back but for the rest of your life. I don't think that society, doctors, education system gives us enough credit as to what we're able to do on our own, to support ourselves in our body, to do better, to boost our health and to get the health and hair that we want.

And maybe that's by design and maybe that's also, you know, for other reasons, but in any case you do and I'm telling you, cause I've been there, I've done that. And now the beautiful thing about healing and how that looks like for me is that again, whether I have an upcoming pregnancy or not, whether I get COVID or not, I still don't fear the alopecia coming back.

And even in times of stress, which I still have, and even in times of uncertainty and even in times of whatever life throws at me, I still know I can control my health on so many different levels and I do. And I do it, not just for me. I do it for my family. I do it for my children. I do it for my husband and you see optimal health.

And whenever there's like an imbalance, then that's like a red flag to get back to basics, to get back to what we really need to focus on. And health is really the priority here and for you going through alopecia or for your loved one, if you're the parent for per se, going through this health should be the utmost concern and priority for you at this time.

And I only say this because it can, and it does get worse. It got worse for me, even though I was trying many things and I'm sure you have to, you've tried many things, whether that's from the drug store, whether that's from medications, whether that's from online or what have you, you've tried many things and so have I.

And I only saw my hair loss getting worse and probably in the same token, you are seeing it get worse too. Now I've had many clients where they come to me with alopecia or one autoimmune disease and then all of a sudden, six months later, they have two more, two more autoimmune diseases or they have one more.

And what I like to say is not just the parents, but then also to adults alike, you can't let alopecia fester. And many times when clients come to me, they've already had alopecia on and off for maybe 10 years or 20 years. And only now it's gotten so bad that they can't handle it, that they, that it really affects them. And only now, do they want to do something?

If you have any sign of alopecia, you need to handle it as soon as possible. You need to take control right then and there, because it's not going to get better on its own. I think that's a myth and I also think it's a lazy approach. So, for example, you know, when you have a cold and you think you've recovered from the cold, and then all of a sudden months later, you go to the doctor because you hear something in your chest and they're like, well, you know, you have pneumonia.

Well, you know, you have bronchitis. Well, how come we've let that escalate. The thing is it's like, you thought your cold was okay. You thought it was under control and apparently it wasn't. And so what needs to happen is full healing, total healing for you to be able to overcome any invader, any bacteria, any life situation that's thrown to you.

For example, in my case, you know, the pregnancy, everything was fine. COVID everything was fine. And I got to tell you, my COVID was so simple. It was a runny nose that's all it was, it was a runny nose for 48 hours and there was no cough. No, no nothing, just a little bit of sneezing and a runny nose. And it was just very, very mild.

And when you take control of your health and you know exactly what to do and you know exactly how to manage, mitigate, and you put it into practice, boom, that you become bulletproof, you become unstoppable and then you go from victim to victorious. You go from alopecia patient client to alopecia champion.

You go from seeing that potentially your world is shaken to understanding that you're on top of the world and you are on top of this Mount Everest. For many of you, alopecia is a Mount Everest, for me it was, it was something that I didn't know, I could scale and overcome. I didn't know if I had the right equipment, the right tools to get on to this mountain and then climb it and get over it and like conquer it.

And I did, and it all starts with the belief. It's a belief that you can do this because you can just like, I can, anyone can, you know, it just takes a little guidance, a little effort and grit. You can do this just like anyone can run a mile, just like anyone can go to school and graduate college. You don't graduate college one day to the next, it takes consistent action over three, four years to get that.

And even when you do go to college for three, four years, depending if you, if you've taken the four years or maybe if you've taken a little bit more like five or six years to graduate college, you still have 12 years before that of schoolwork, if not more. And you have, you know, eight years of elementary and then four more of high school and potentially you've, you've done more schooling of some sort and you know, that equals more.

In any case, graduating college is not one day to the next. Healing alopecia is not one day to the next, nor is upgrading your health. But in less time with full guidance, you got this, you have the blueprint, you just need to put it into practice. So what does healing look like? Not just absurd amounts of happiness, because yes, I do have my hair and I love it, but it also looks like not having any more symptoms, not having any more fatigue, not having any more brain fog, no more depression, no more anxiety, no more digestive issues. No more ridges on the nails, no more dry skin, scaly skin, no more side effects from any foods that could have been or hindering me or my progress.

It means like a.) I know my blind spots, I'm much more self-aware, body aware. I feel like myself again, a hundred percent. Mind, body and spirits. I feel complete and whole knowing that alopecia won't come back again, because again, I hold the keys to my health just like you hold the keys to your health and your hair growth and your success come with that.

And really your success is inevitable once you learn what you need to learn to move past this. And once you start shifting your perspective of alopecia being a disease, alopecia being, you know, this lifelong burden, alopecia being a diagnosis, alopecia being this shackle to your foot, and you start seeing it as a learning lesson, as a life lesson, as a opportunity to do better as an opportunity to learn something new, then that's where the magic happens.

And knowing that as a woman, you know, even after pregnancy alopecia doesn't have to spark up again. Now, if it does then potentially there was more work to be done and it doesn't have to spark up during menopause. It doesn't have to spark up during COVID or any other life situation. Once you get full healing, none of this should be affecting you. None of this should be leading you back to alopecia. Hair keeps growing and perhaps the only thing you may have to look after are those pesky gray hairs like I do, and, you know, color treatments or whatnot, but outside of that life is good.

Life is so good. It's so beautiful. And again, that's why I created alopecia angel because I struggled so much and being the go-getter that I am and being the positive person that I am, I never saw myself. So down in the dumps, I never saw myself so discouraged with trying and failing, trying, and failing, trying, and failing so many different things. And I also never saw myself not seeing myself in the mirror, meaning I would see myself in the mirror, the reflection, but I still didn't recognize that person.

And I just couldn't relate to that person. I just couldn't, it was almost like an out of body experience and alopecia and even labor going through pregnancy and labor was also an out-of-body experience. For those of you who've had children, maybe you can relate a little bit, especially if you had both alopecia and children for me, that's the way it was.

It was both an out of body experience, something super new and something so foreign to me. So, so foreign, and this is why, again, I created this so that people don't have to struggle. So you don't have to have the tears, so you don't have to worry. So you don't have to come up with no answer. So you don't have to go to a gazillion doctors like I did, pay out of pocket like I did to get no results, to get no answers, to only get prescriptions and medications that don't help, that don't give you the hair that you want long-term. And you know, for me, this has been the biggest struggle probably of my life, but then also it's been the most beautiful life lesson as well.

I've learned so much about myself, about my body, about what I need, what I don't need. And I've created almost like my plan, my life plan, so that I can ensure that my health is to the fullest and not just to the fullest with hair, because, you know, if you think of it, if you think of it, or maybe someone else who doesn't have alopecia, or doesn't have hair loss, or who hasn't had this struggle is thinking, oh my gosh, this person is so superficial.

They're only so concerned about their hair. Yes and no. The thing is like hair is tied to health. So if we're having issues with their hair, then there's an underlying issue with our health. And this is why the hair and heal program looks and uncovers so much. Whether it's blind spots, whether it's areas for improvement, because lo and behold, I just finished with, uh, with a new cohort, with a new program for people entering and, you know, some people put in there, oh, I'm such a clean eater.

Oh, I'm this? Oh, I'm that? And then I look at their evaluation form and I see mistakes, very common mistakes, actually, for people who think they're so healthy, for people who think they're so clean and this and that and so, you know, specialize and so cautious and careful, we all mean, well, we all want the best for ourselves.

I get that but the thing is, is like sometimes even what we think is clean, even what we think is healthy, even what we think is good for us is actually just the opposite, just the opposite. And I say this from experience, but I also say this because I've dealt with so many hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of families and adults alike all over the world.

I've already helped people in all seven continents, six, sorry, not Antarctica, all six continents and it's amazing to see how we're all bonded together. My hair loss were all bonded together by alopecia and yet, regardless of where you live, regardless of your ethnicity, your age, your race, how old you are, you can still do the program and you can still see results regardless.

And so that's the beauty of it because I've done the hard work for you and they're with you all the way step-by-step and the best part is that you don't have to suffer anymore. That's exactly why I do this because I don't want anyone to have to suffer anymore needlessly. On a side note, if you have children listening to this, this is where you would want to pause as a parent. I like to be cautious with ears and young ears. So I'll give you a second there to pause this because I will talk about a slight topic that's a little sensitive. 

Over the weekend I was approached by a lady who had come to me about this little girl. She’s 12 years old and she had just taken her life over the weekend and it's a difficult to have to talk about this, but it's, it's a fact, and I will talk about suicide in particularly on another episode, but my heart goes out to her and her family. I don't want to disclose her name cause I don't have permission from her parents directly just yet to talk about her but my heart goes out to her and to her and to anyone else suffering.

And this is the biggest takeaway is like, if you can help one more person, one more family to avoid needless suffering to avoid needless, I mean, I'm at a loss for words, just needless struggle then this is my purpose. This is truly my purpose to help others. I know that again, I was down in the dumps with alopecia and many people are down in the dumps and it affects their lives on so many levels. It affects their work, their school, their relationships, their friends, their, their confidence, their self esteem. 

It affects their mindset, their opportunities or possibilities that holds them back from activities, from dating, from living their best life and it shouldn't because there is a solution, because there is a way out, because we're not talking about this more and more. On my last episode or in a couple episodes before I talked about vulnerability and I really feel like this is the key to it because the more you talk about like, yes, I've healed, yes, I've overcome this then it's like, you give more hope to others because it is possible and there is a way.

But again, I can't do the pushups for you, I can't run on the treadmill for you. We all have to take that initiative. We all have to take that action. It's a beautiful thing when you love yourself so much that you do take that action and I know all of you do. I know all of you want a solution and I'm here when you're ready. I really am and for those of you suffering and struggling, and even thinking about taking your lives, there is help.

There is resources out there wherever you live in any country, state, province, or city. There are resources and if you need help, I'm happy to help you find those. And this whole weekend, I've been thinking about this little girl and her family, and, um, apparently she's got a nonprofit and she's got an organization and a go-fund me link and everything.

Again, I don't want to step on any toes and I want to wait until her parents give me permission. And you know, this was brought to me by a family friend and so again, I'm just navigating those waters with lots of respect and care, but at the same time, I know she's not the only one suffering. I know she's just one more person who, who maybe didn't see a way out, didn't know a way out.

And so my heart goes again, out to this family and to all, all of you listeners, but then all the other families as well, who have gone through a similar situation or don't see a way out because there is, there is a way out and again, it's all up to us. It really is just like getting that promotion, buying the car, saving up for the house, losing weight, getting healthy, achieving hair growth is possible for you, it really is.

And so I leave you with the message that the first step is to believe in yourself and know that it is possible for everyone. Alopecia, correct, it doesn't discriminate. It can happen to anyone but at the same time, view it as a life lesson, view it as an opportunity to do better, to learn something new and I guarantee that you will come out of it so much stronger.  You will come out of it so much healthier. You will come out of it so much more alive, so much more empowered, so much more relieved and balanced and whole, really you will because you'll see all the parts that create true health.

You will see all the puzzle pieces that go into alopecia into healing it. You will see the things that have been a miss that are needed for each one of us to ensure that optimal health is there. Health with the health comes the hair. It's an, A plus B equals C, it really. So healing is possible and that's what healing looks like to me. It looks like not fearing the future. It feels like taking life by the horns and living your best each and every day with optimal health and understanding that you control that, you control every aspect of your health and it's up to you to, to understand it and to learn it.

And many times we have to unlearn to relearn because no one's teaching us this. I've said this many times, no one teaches us this cause I know what I was told was untrue, you know, by all the doctors or even by any internet searches, that there is no cure, that there is no possibility that there is no this, there is no that, when indeed there is, I know now what it takes to overcome this and that I understand now too that, that it stopped and it starts with one step.

And as you progress, even if it's a baby step, you can take that today and even if you're not ready for more and you want to wait like another week, take another baby step another week and then, you know, keep going. The more baby steps, the more steps we take towards that, the better the results. Thank you so much for your time. I look forward to talking to you next time. Take care. 

Thank you for listening to the alopecia angel podcast, a positive light in healing alopecia. You can do this and we can help. Spread the word that reversing alopecia is possible by telling your friends and family.