| If you’ve been experiencing thinning hair like millions of others, you will find this helpful. Pass it on to your friends and family. Alopecia is an autoimmune disease, where the “body attacks itself." Dr. McDougall’s recent video explains how animal foods cause autoimmune diseases. The underlying process is known as molecular mimicry. For alopecia to occur, the sequence of events is as follows: Foreign hair follicles (glands) are eaten. "Foreign" (meaning not of our own body) refers to the hair follicles of cows or pigs. We obtain these foreign glands through the food we eat. The foods containing the greatest number of these hair follicles are hot dogs and other meat-based sausages. Nothing is wasted by a typical slaughterhouse. The immune system makes antibodies to the foreign proteins of cows and pigs (after they pass intact through the gut wall into the bloodstream). Unfortunately, the antibodies produced by our immune system not only attack proteins from cow and pig hair follicles, but also attack similar proteins found in our bodies, and in this case, destroy human hair follicles. There are other suspected causes (rarely viruses) of autoimmune diseases. In most cases, as with most diseases, the rich Western diet is the underlying cause. A healthy diet started early in life will prevent most autoimmune diseases, such as inflammatory arthritis and inflammatory bowel diseases, as well as common conditions: obesity, type-2 diabetes, heart disease and cancers. Making the change to a healthy diet like the McDougall diet can help prevent further damage from autoimmune diseases. However, there is no way to reverse the damage that has already been done. For more information on "the healthiest diet on the planet” read more about our Free McDougall Program. If you would like or need more support to reverse a chronic disease or stop the progression of an autoimmune disease, our in-depth 12-Day McDougall Program offers medical care, personalized support for a year and you will become a McDougall patient for life so we will be here when you need us. | 