Welcome

I have suffered from autoimmune disease since the age of 17 and I have several relatives who are also fighting autoimmune diseases. I have been diagnosed with Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH), Lupus, and the Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS). Family members have been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Dermatomyositis, Grave’s, Hashimoto’s, Vitiligo, and Type I Diabetes.

In the search for my diagnosis, I have seen doctors in six states, from every medical specialty, seven of whom were Rheumatologists. I had an extremely difficult time finding a doctor to take my symptoms seriously because most of my blood work was normal and I did not look sick. I have a Master’s degree in Aerospace engineering and solve puzzles for a living as a systems analyst. I resorted to reading medical journal articles to try to put my own pieces together when the doctors were finished looking. I ended up being a very complicated case and had the unfortunate luck to end up with the rarest and oddest of symptoms, as if all autoimmune symptoms aren’t bizarre enough! It took me 13 years to finally find a doctor who understood my body.

As a result of my search for a diagnosis, I’ve learned a lot about the immune system, doctors, and the medical system. I’ve been asked by numerous people who have heard my story how did I find out certain facts, or how did I find a certain doctor because they also have a friend who the doctors don’t seem to be able to help? Over time, I’ll post all the knowledge I’ve gained over the years, to give someone else having troubles obtaining that elusive diagnosis some other options to consider when you hit a brick wall.

Email: autoimmunediagnosis@gmail.com

Medical Disclaimer

This website is for informational purposes only. Readers are encouraged to confirm the information contained herein with other sources. Patients should review the information with their professional health care provider. The information is not intended to replace medical advice offered by physicians. Remember I’m a rocket scientist not a doctor.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Glutamine and Lupus Hair Loss

I haven’t been very successful at finding legitimate medical resources about this blog post, but maybe someone else out there has additional information. I recently saw an endocrinologist for adrenal insufficiency from taking steroids over the years. He recommended taking L-Glutamine to help with my weakness since it is supposed to help build muscle. Besides helping with my weakness I noticed my hair drastically changed textures and started rapidly growing even in my thin spots from Lupus. My skin is also very smooth and heals much faster after the inflammation has stopped from the Lupus rashes. The changes in my hair occurred within a week of taking 15 g twice a day. It comes in a powder that you add to your favorite drink. Look for the USP grade. I ran out of the L-Glutamine 5 days before the next order arrived and my hair changed back to being brittle and fragile within a couple days. I’ve tried lots of shampoos over the years to help with the thin hair due to Lupus and nothing seems to help. The L-Glutamine is amazing. My hair dresser was shocked. While not a respected medical journal article, the following link had some good information about L-Glutamine.

Glutamine

It sounds like L-Glutamine could be good at treating autoimmune diseases. However, I couldn’t find anything in pubmed about L-Glutamine being used to treat autoimmune diseases. The closest article I could find was a dermatology article from Cambridge that explained the Glutamine is important and necessary for hair growth.

Metabolism of Freshly Isolated Human Hair Follicles Capable of Hair Elongation: A Glutaminolytic, Aerobic Glycolytic Tissue

Someone should really tell the rheumatologists about L-Glutamine.