What is causing my Eczema?

When we're new to eczema, getting rid of the symptom is all we really care about. But when the problem has become chronic, it causes us to question deeply: What is causing my eczema?

Running lab tests to get to the root of a health problem has been the reserve of the medical industry for decades. The first step in being admitted to a hospital or health clinic is to run a set of tests to check the patient’s ‘vital signs’. This is usually done to check that levels are not extremely out of range, and to rule out chances of serious life-threatening problems. Lab testing at the clinical level has become the accepted approach, and is usually done when a patient checks in to a health facility with a serious set of symptoms. However, what should be done if a patient’s symptoms are not severe enough yet to warrant a professional diagnosis? i.e. the condition is subclinical? The chances are in these cases, the patient knows something is wrong, but the test results from the doctor do not show that there is a problem. This can be extremely frustrating for the patient.

As functional health practitioners, we are not only interested in cases where symptoms are obvious and severe. In fact, we specialize in helping people who are subclinical, i.e. their doctor’s analysis does not show there is a problem, and there is no clear path forwards for the person to take. The lab tests that functional health practitioners use are different to those you will typically receive at the regular hospital or health clinic. They are functional lab tests, which means that they don’t just look at how sick someone is, they look at how far they are from optimal health.

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Functional health practitioners assess the entire body, rather than ‘zooming in’ on just the suspected area of concern. Here’s an example: A person presents with the following symptoms:

• Tiredness

• Weight gain

• Sensitive to cold

• Depression

• Slow movements and thoughts

A regular physician is likely to assess these symptoms and conclude that the person has a thyroid problem. They run a thyroid panel and sure enough, the tests come back as an under-active thyroid. The solution? Thyroid supplements or medication, and they are likely to be on that treatment indefinitely. What’s wrong with this type of approach?

We have not learnt anything about why the thyroid is under-performing. In our functional practitioner community, we have found that there are secondary causes behind the majority of under-performing thyroid glands. Most thyroids don’t just decide to start under-performing one day; there is a progression of dysfunction that has led to this point. If these underlying imbalances are not uncovered and addressed, the chances are, other symptoms may ensue. Running an in-depth health investigation is the preferred way to find out the hidden areas of imbalance / dysfunction in the body at a functional level, so that as many healing opportunities are identified as possible. This allows for a body to be brought to a place of optimal balance and function at a foundational level. Failure to work in this way may lead to years of investigation, trial and error, and 'chasing symptoms'. At The Vitality Project, we work to identify as many healing opportunities as possible by running an array of functional lab tests as part of our health investigation and coaching packages. These tests look into the hidden stressors that give rise to the majority of sub-clinical health complaints. Here’s a step-by-step on how our investigation works:

1. Book your free exploratory call.

2. Sign up to begin your health investigation.

3. Functional lab test kits are sent out to you.

4. You provide the samples and post them to the lab in the packaging provided.

5. We obtain your medical history information, complete an extensive health analysis and carry out a metabolic type assessment.

6. We conduct an intake consultation, discuss your history and build your initial healing protocol.

7. We receive your lab results, review, analyse, and consult with the laboratories and our clinical team.

8. We conduct an in-depth 'Results & Recommendations' session with you.​ We build and present your bespoke healing protocol, based on your medical history, lab results and clinical consultations.

9. We assist you in transitioning onto your healing protocol, working with you to adapt efficiently and sustainably.

10. We consult with you every 2 weeks (at least) to monitor your progress, tweak your program as necessary, provide support, and make sure you are on track to get results.

11. Learning module contents are delivered to you during consultation sessions and via email. You are able to email us any time for support as needed.

12. We conduct another health analysis after 90 days, to assess whether further work or investigation is required. Re-testing labs may be recommended.

I hope you have found this breakdown of a functional health investigation useful, and that you understand the benefits of working this way. Our approach of combining a functional health investigation with personal coaching is far superior to many other ways of working. If you are interested in beginning your own health investigation, you can find out more on the 'How it Works' page.