The common root causes of chronic skin concerns include:  poor digestive health and chronic digestive infections such as bacterial overgrowth, poor liver detoxification, hormone imbalances (stress, sex, insulin), blood sugar imbalance, inflammation, oxidatives stress and unresolved emotions.  

It is very important to identify and treat the root cause of your skin condition in order to heal and help you break free of the vicious cycle of persistent or recurring skin conditions.  Conventional treatment such as topical steroids and antibiotics mask and reduce the symptoms, but never actually solve the root cause, which means symptoms will resurface if medication is stopped.  This conventional approach leaves you dependent on medication rather than finding the solution.  When the root cause is identified and treated, you can truly solve the problem, heal your skin and not have to worry about recurring skin issues.

We commonly use functional testing to identify the root cause of chronic skin conditions in addition to our comprehensive initial consultation with a deep dive into your health history and your current health concerns.  We also place a strong focus on nutrition and lifestyle factors that play an important role in reducing inflammation and stress on the skin.

Some health problems are easy to understand and treat the cause, while others seem to make your doctor play a guessing game. Broken arms obviously need setting and casting. In situations like these, the root cause of your pain is obvious, and the treatment plan is fairly straightforward.  Ance, eczema, psoriasis and unexplained skin breakouts can be a result of a number of different root causes.  Unfortunately, not every ailment is so easy to treat or pinpoint what is wrong.

​​In situations like skin health, people often go from doctor to doctor, esthetician to esthetician and try a variety of medications and treatments without being able to figure out the real cause or find a cure for their symptoms

Naturopathic and functional medicine doctors commonly use specific lab tests to gain a better understanding of what is going on in your body’s ecosystem. Your body is complex, so different root causes may show up as symptoms that seem typical or irregular for that particular ailment. This is especially the case if one source of disease or dysfunction is interacting with another. 

Refer to our list of commonly used functional tests to get a clearer picture of what exactly is going on in your body, to identify the root cause of chronic skin conditions, and to help begin your journey toward better health.

Stool Analysis – GI MAP

Gut health is essential to the health of the whole body. If your gut biome, or ecosystem, is imbalanced, it can lead to a whole slew of symptoms. Comprehensive stool analysis tests assess your gut function, especially issues like inflammation and malabsorption. This test can be extremely helpful for those who have chronic skin conditions, IBS, weight problems, autoimmune disease, and more.

 

Food Sensitivity Testing – IgG Antibodies 

A food sensitivity test will test anywhere from 30-200 foods that may be causing patients to have reactions. This test measures IgG antibodies which are associated with delayed food reactions—in other words, the reaction is not seen for up to 72 hours after you have ingested the food. Surprisingly, food sensitivities may mean that what we traditionally view as “healthy” foods may not be healthy for your individual body. Testing for IgG reactions helps people discover the foods to avoid, often leading to a higher quality of life due to decreased symptoms and inflammation and improved skin health along with other symptoms associated with chronic inflammation.

 

Hormone Panel – Dutch Test

Hormones play a massive role in our health. Most of the time, they go unnoticed if they are properly balanced. However, if levels of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone become unbalanced, symptoms can be severe. They may include acne, hair loss, weight gain, low sex drive, infertility, anxiety, depression, other mood disorders, or changes in the menstrual cycle. We use the urinary DUTCH Test  to look at the ratios of these hormones to deduce whether or not they are at healthy levels or if treatment is needed.

 

Heavy Metal Testing – Urine Toxin Screen

Urine Elements are traditionally used to evaluate exposure to potentially toxic elements and wasting of minerals from the body.  Exposure to toxins, such as heavy metals, cause extra stress on the liver and detoxification system, which can result in a build-up of toxins.  When toxins build up in our body they can lead to inflammation and excreted through skin and potentially causing chronic skin irritation such as acne and dermatitis.