Mum defies doctors by inventing diet to beat tennis ball-sized alopecia

The mother-of-three’s alopecia was so bad, she suffered 90 per cent hair loss, leaving patches on her head the size of a tennis ball.

Doctors tried everything, but in the end told her there was nothing more they could do.

Determined not to concede defeat, Mrs Corrigan spent hours researching and examining her own medical history, and concluded her diet and lifestyle were the cause of her condition.

So the 44-year-old used her knowledge and experience as a trained chef to devise an iron-rich and sugar-free diet, which has been so successful that GPs pass on her details to other sufferers.

Describing her alopecia at its worst, Mrs Corrigan, of Ashgrove Road, Bromley, said: “I fell into a downward spiral of comfort eating and not going out.

“I was embarrassed about my hair. My saving grace was I had a young family. I had to go to school, I was good at wearing scarves and hats.

“One mum asked me if I was having cancer treatment because of my hair loss.

“If you have alopecia people assume you're having treatment for cancer. It makes you feel quite guilty. You're not seriously ill, it's not life threatening but it can cause such huge problems.”

Inundated by requests from people all over the world for help, Mrs Corrigan has written a book called What’s Up With My Hair, which was published last month.

Following the success of her self-invented treatment programme, she said: “I felt like I was me again. You look in the mirror and see the person you've known all your life as opposed to this person who is not you.

“It's almost as if you were living inside someone else's body.

“I was back to how I believed I should be.”

To find out more visit Mary’s website at whatsupwithmyhair.com

MARY’S SAMPLE MENU

Note: If you believe your hair loss problems could be iron related, it is important you first establish what your iron levels are with your doctor.

BREAKFAST: Bran Flakes with soya milk and fresh orange juice

LUNCH: Baked beans on two slices of wholemeal toast, mixed berries and two tablespoons of low fat Greek yoghurt, one teaspoon of honey and one tablespoon of sunflower seeds

DINNER: Tuna pasta with large mixed salad and homemade pumpkin seed salad dressing.

Tea of coffee should not be drunk for at least one hour after each meal as these inhibit the absorption of iron.

One x 100mg vitamin C tablet is also recommended with each meal and an additional 1 x 500mg L-Lysine tablet for breakfast and dinner.

To see more of Mary's videos visit youtube.com/whatsupwithmyhair