Search Articles

Getting to the Root of Itchy, Inflamed Skin, Chronic IBS, Eczema, and More!

May 23, 2019 | 3 Comments | SAFM Team

Congratulations to SAFM student and AFMC-certified practitioner, Diane! We are celebrating her success with a client suffering from persistent inflamed and itchy skin, chronic bloating/constipation, eczema, joint pain, persistent weight gain, and more. A veritable buffet of functional medicine interconnectedness! Remember: the skin outside the body is usually a reflection of balance (or lack thereof) inside the body. And especially inside the gut.

Check out the video for pearls in this case and what tools Diane used to help her client find lasting relief. Indeed, MUCH dis-ease in the systemic body begins in the gut. In the case of chronic, systemic inflammation, the point of connection is often enhanced intestinal permeability and immune reactivity, where what happens in the gut does not stay in the gut! I have shared many details about this dynamic and what can provide resolution. Decades of SSRI anti-depressant drugs, oral birth control, and anti-seizure medication along with low Vitamin D and chronic stress can easily create the perfect storm for enhanced intestinal permeability. This client’s methane-mediated SIBO (and associated constipation) only worsened the downstream inflammatory dynamic. Our students learn to confidently use a rich variety of tools to assess and respond to these complex dynamics.

Diane did a great job balancing and combining foundational recommendations (like Eating Hygiene; see how I explain it to my own clients) and more clinically-targeted recommendations to eradicate her client’s SIBO (like specific antimicrobials) and provide targeted hormone support (in this case, specific adaptogens to raise cortisol and specific nutrients to increase T4 to T3 thyroid hormone conversion). The bottom line?

Skin flares: gone
Canker sores: gone
Constipation: gone
Chronic GI gas and cramping: gone
Eczema: gone
And finally sleeping soundly and feeling much more energetic

A wildly satisfied client, indeed! Are you ready to create similar results for your patients and clients? Learn more about our transformational training program in Applied Functional Medicine here

Warmly,

P.S. If you are passionate about transforming healthcare through the power of functional medicine, we encourage you to learn more about our training program here.

To receive clinical tips like this one right to your inbox, click here to receive our weekly newsletter.

Like us on Facebook to stay connected to our rich (free!) content and be notified of our popular, monthly Facebook Lives.

« previous

Current ye@r *

3 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Carrie

Thank you! That’s seems like good advice????

Carrie

I have loved these videos and all the clinical pearls you provide! This is precisely how I’d like to equip myself to help clients get to the root cause of their symptoms! I’m currently enrolled in 2 other health coaching programs right now, both have a different focus. I’d like to get the kind of training you offer to counsel clients through lab work, but the programs I’m in seem to steer away from that. The importance of scope of practice is repeatedly emphasized. How does your school approach the scope of practice question in working with clients?

Author

SAFM Team

Reply to Carrie

Hi Carrie – thanks for your enthusiasm! Here at SAFM we have students with a huge variety of backgrounds, prior training, degrees, certifications, licenses, locations, preferences, and mindsets. Some work on their own in entrepreneurial ventures; others work as part of multi-modality teams or as part of clinics or established medical practices. So clearly there is no “one”, right answer! We don’t teach any guidelines on scope of practice, leaving it up to each individual to pursue the practice that they feel is best for them. Regardless, we believe a thorough education and understanding is vital and valuable to ALL practitioners! We believe the three most valuable services we provide to patients/clients include (1) Inspiration, (2) Education, and (3) Empowerment. After all, you cannot teach and inspire a client with something that you yourself don’t thoroughly understand. In terms of scope of practice, I would encourage you to lightly take in the information and ideas around you, but shut down any guidance that is implying you “must” choose a specific path. Make the choice yourself about what is going to best fulfill Your Calling. No one can answer that truthfully but You 🙂