S01 E08 – The Right Way to Test for Acne Root Causes

Dealing with stubborn acne — super frustrating. Especially when you’ve tried everything under the sun to clear it up… like elimination diets, skincare products, and meds.

That’s why we’re a big supporter of “Test. Don’t Guess.” So we know exactly what’s happening under the surface of the skin and have a clear path forward. Today, we’re analyzing one of our favourite functional tests for acne and the major misonceptions between functinal tests and traditional blood labs.

In this week’s episode, we discuss…

• The difference between traditional blood labs and functional tests.
• Why your blood labs come back “normal” when you feel anything but.
• Our favourite tests to determine the root cause(s) of our clients’ acne and the order we recommend doing them in.
• How much more effective acne-clearing protocols are when they’re tailored to you and your imbalances.
• The role a Hair Trace Mineral Analysis plays in clearing up acne (for good).
• The importance of having a solid foundation in place before starting therapeutic protocols.
• Why testing too many things at once and over supplementation is holding back your progress.

Additional Resources

• Blog: Hair Trace Mineral Analysis for Acne
• HTMA Testing Package

Minerals in the body are involved in almost all enzymatic reactions, metabolic activity, detoxification cycles. They are vital for the effective absorption and proper functioning of nutrients, vitamins, and your symptoms connected to acne.

Cris Brown, RHN / CNE + Chief Programming Officer at KSW Inc.

Key Episode Moments:

• 00:00:03 – Introduction
• 00:01:19 – Reasons for Persistent Acne
• 00:04:14 – Importance of Functional Testing
• 00:06:51 – Nuances of an HTMA
• 00:09:57 – Building the Acne Protocol
• 00:12:57 – Importance of Understanding the Root Cause
• 00:14:26 – Interpreting Hair Trace Mineral Analysis
• 00:15:36 – Addressing the Root Cause
• 00:18:12 – The Benefits of Hair Mineral Analysis
• 00:20:50 – The Importance of Proper Testing Order
• 00:26:11 – The Dangers of Over-testing and Over-supplementing
• 00:27:17 – Saving Money in the Long Run
• 00:28:34 – The Importance of Testing
• 00:30:22 – The Benefits of a Dutch Hormone Test
• 00:38:22 – The Importance of Blood Tests for Acne
• 00:39:03 – The Use of Hair Trace Mineral Analysis
• 00:42:38 – Common Threads in Acne Sufferers
• 00:46:53 – The Link Between Iron and Anemia
• 00:52:00 – Understanding Cris’s geeky verbiage 
• 00:53:06 – The importance of balancing minerals
• 00:53:31 – Actionable tips for improving mineral levels
• 00:54:52 – The benefits of food rotation
• 00:56:57 – Summary and key takeaways

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