Breaking Down a Root Cause Approach for Skin. 

You have probably heard the phrase “Root Cause Approach” and wondered how it applies to skin. This goes way beyond focusing on hormones, and looks at a whole body approach to skin. It is often the only thing that works for those who have “tried everything” and still have no answers. 

Your skin is a really effective communicator. It loves to share – even when it’s super inconvenient. It brings to our attention (painfully, unavoidably) that there is an internal imbalance. 

We can try to shhh it by using a band-aid approach. And sometimes that works… for a while. But ultimately using acne and eczema meds actually suppresses the root cause, which ends up rebounding when you stop that Birth Control, or steroid or antibiotic. Why? Because it didn’t treat the root cause. And we know know that whatever we resist will persist. Because the skin isn’t done communicating that there is a problem. We could look at it as a cry for help. 

It’s a bit like when that red light comes on in the dash of our car. A band-aid approach would just be to change the bulb. A root cause approach would be to pull over, call RACV or a mechanic and they will pop the hood to find out what the heck is going on. 

A root cause approach seeks to deeply understand, and resolve the underlying CAUSES of imbalance and inflammation in the body. 

Wondering if you have inflammation? That’s easy, anyone who has a skin condition is inflamed. 

A conventional approach is geared towards identifying disease. When running labs, reference ranges that your GP use are generally looking for late stage disease development. 

“NORMAL IS NOT OPTIMAL” 

The “normal” ranges indicated on your blood work are based on statistics. As our population becomes more chronically ill or diseased, those “normal” reference ranges just get wider and wider. 

If your goal is to get answers for your acne, dermatitis, fatigue, anxiety, brain fog, sleep problems, bloating, constipation, constant low iron, PMS, cramping and inflammation and to live a vibrant life with energy to spare – then “normal” labs are not the answer. Optimal ranges, based on healthy people and not just the absence of disease of a skin condition is the ANSWER.  

Conventional medicine falls short with looking at things preventatively or holistically. It offers pills for symptoms. That’s it. 

When we use a root cause approach with pathology, we can start putting together the pieces of the puzzle.  

Examples:

– High Ferritin can indicate inflammation or autoimmune disease 
– Low Ferritin can also indicate inflammation, blood loss through heavy bleeding, lack of nutritional cofactors (B12, folate, vitamin A, cobalt), low stomach acid, lack of available iron in the diet and/or low vitamin C
– Hormones not tested at the right time of the cycle, won’t give us the right answers. – – – Testing progesterone before ovulation is a waste of time. 
– Fasting insulin that is low, can actually be as problematic as high insulin and indicate hypoglycaemia which affects our hormones. 
– LH/FSH ratios can give us an insight into PCOS driven acne. 
– Globulin and Albumin can tell us how inflamed you are 
– Testing Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, without assessing FT3, FT4 and antibodies is a waste of time. 
– Elevated liver enzymes? 50% of liver function has been compromised to get to that point. 

Acne and dermatitis is a SYMPTOM and the answers are in the pathology. Remember labs don’t lie, you just need them properly interpreted from a root cause approach. 

When we combine this with a full case history, all symptoms, foundations of food, sleep, stress, lifestyle, movement, trauma, supplements, medications and genetics – we get the answers. And that, is healing.