The Question Isn't Why You're Losing Hair. It's Why Your Immune System Started Attacking It.

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition driven by specific triggers - immune dysregulation, gut permeability, nutrient depletion (especially ferritin, vitamin D and zinc), thyroid dysfunction and chronic stress. When those triggers are identified and addressed, the immune attack on the follicle can reduce. Follicles in alopecia areata aren't destroyed - they're switched off, which is why regrowth remains possible even years later. We don't promise regrowth. We find and fix what's driving the attack, and measure the change in your blood work.

No. And we will never ask you to. Steroid injections, minoxidil, topical immunotherapy, JAK inhibitors - whatever your dermatologist has prescribed is working on the local immune response. The ALIVE protocol works alongside it, addressing the systemic drivers your treatment doesn't reach. As those drivers are resolved, your dermatologist may choose to adjust treatment based on your progress. That decision is always between you and your dermatologist.

Your dermatologist diagnoses the pattern and suppresses the local immune attack. That's valuable. iThrive asks a different question: why did your immune system turn on your follicles in the first place? We test 60+ markers - inflammation, thyroid, iron and ferritin, vitamin D, blood sugar, liver and gut-related indicators - using functional medicine ranges. Then a dedicated practitioner builds a protocol around what's actually driving the autoimmune response. The approaches are complementary.

The Root Cause Analysis is valuable at any severity - it reveals the underlying drivers regardless of how much hair you've lost. Extensive cases are typically harder and slower, and we'll tell you that honestly rather than sell you a timeline. What the protocol addresses is what medication alone cannot: nutrient repletion, microbiome repair, gut lining restoration, blood sugar stability and nervous system regulation. Your nutritionist works with your current treatment reality, not against it.

This is the single most common gap we see. Standard reference ranges are built to catch disease, not to identify sub-optimal function. A ferritin of 20 ng/mL is "normal" on a lab report and is well below what a hair follicle needs to sustain growth. The same applies to vitamin D, B12, TSH and thyroid antibodies. We read your numbers against functional optimal ranges - which is often why results come back looking very different from what you were told.

Shedding usually slows before regrowth begins. Most clients report reduced shedding, better energy and steadier digestion within 4–8 weeks. Visible regrowth typically takes longer - hair grows roughly 1 cm a month, so meaningful visible change is usually a 3–6 month picture. Measurable improvement in inflammatory and nutrient markers shows in your post-programme blood work at 12 weeks.

A complete blood panel of 60+ parameters, collected from your home by a phlebotomist. Analysis by a dedicated functional nutritionist using optimal ranges, not the standard reference ranges your doctor uses. Your symptoms, lifestyle, and health history factored into the analysis. And a 60 to 90-minute one-on-one video consultation where your nutritionist walks you through everything they found. The blood tests are included in the price. There are no hidden charges or extra cost for anything.