For parents of babies with eczema, it can seem impossible to find a root cause. Could a gut health test provide some of those answers, and ultimately lead to relief? Here's my opinion and experience as a dietitian and mom of a baby with severe eczema.
This post has been written and medically reviewed by Kaleigh McMordie, MCN, RDN (Registered Dietitian Nutritionist).
If you have a baby with severe eczema, you already know how miserable it is for both mom and baby. Your precious child is red, itchy, flaky (and likely fussy), and as a parent, it's miserable watching your child suffer as you frantically search for answers as to what could be causing your little one's skin to break out like this. It seems like a never-ending loop of trying one cream, new detergent, and water filter after another. Especially if nothing seems to be helping. This has been my experience so far with my third baby, who has suffered from severe eczema since she was three months old. When none of the usual treatments or advice seemed to be working, I decided to dig deeper to find a root cause. That's where a gut health test came in. Out of frustration and desperation to help our little one, I ordered a TinyHealth gut testing kit.
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What is a Gut Health Test?
A gut health test uses a simple stool sample to look at the makeup of an individual's (in this case, baby's) microbiome - all the specific strains of bacteria (good or bad), fungi, viruses, and even parasites present in the gut. Based on the levels of each species present, a research-backed gut health profile is generated showing what is normal, healthy, and areas that could be problematic or linked to health issues. The TinyHealth test is the most comprehensive home test available, using a process called deep shotgun metagenomic sequencing, paired with a vast library of research and database of samples, to give both precise results and specific interpretations. The report is then used to offer specific recommendations to improve gut health in the areas of concern.
You can use my code BABYLEDBLISS for $20 off your first test.
What Can A Gut Health Test Tell Me About My Baby's Symptoms?
There are several conditions that we now know can be linked to gut health in babies and toddlers, including eczema, allergies, asthma, metabolic health, constipation, and sleep problems. And different strains and numbers of microbiota can be related to each condition. A gut health test can give you a look at what is going on in baby's gut that is linked to his or her symptoms, whether that's colic, fussiness, bloody stool, constipation, eczema, or poor sleep. While it's not a diagnostic tool, it can show associations between baby's individual microbiome biomarkers and certain conditions and symptoms. Based on your baby's individual levels of present microbes and the symptoms present, recommendations are made about dietary and lifestyle interventions to address any key areas.
For me, doing a gut health test was the first step in getting to the root cause of our baby's eczema so that we could take a targeted corrective approach instead of continuing to blindly throw expensive creams and supplements at a problem they may not even be able to fix. I wanted to take control and figure out if a microbiome imbalance was the issue, or if there was something else I should be looking into, such as food allergies. In the end, we got our report back and it showed that we didn't have any major imbalances that would be the sole cause of her eczema. So I knew I could rule that out and that there must be another underlying cause that I wouldn't be able to fix with probiotics alone. At a time when I was unable to get answers or allergy testing from anyone, this was the first time I felt like I was actually getting something concrete, specific and helpful. Though it didn't give us an instant fix, it was a relief to finally get something to move us in the right direction.
Pros and Cons of Gut Health Testing
Pros:
- Easy to do at home: The sampling is minimally invasive - just take a swab from baby's diaper and mail it off using the kit provided.
- Specific: You get an actual look into the specific strains in your baby's gut for targeted treatment - no more guessing at which probiotics you should give baby.
- Addresses the root cause: The typical health care model is focused on band-aids that mask symptoms. A gut health test can help you find and address the root cause of symptoms to fix the real problem.
- Affordable: Compared to doctor's office visits, testing in a facility, probiotics, creams, and steroids that don't work, an at-home gut health test or membership is pretty affordable.
Cons:
- Slow: At a time when you're desperate for answers now, waiting 2-3 weeks to get your report back can feel like an eternity. Same for waiting on a coaching call with your specialist if you choose to do one. But getting into a good doctor also takes that long now!
- Not diagnostic: It doesn't work like a blood test for allergies, for example, so it can't tell you definitively if your little one has a certain condition. But it can tell you where the gut may be off, and how that relates to any symptoms.
- Still may be too expensive for some: Though it's still relatively affordable if you're used to paying for healthcare out of pocket or using alternative therapies, a gut health test may still be a stretch for some since it's not covered by insurance. But for me, I was tired of spending money on super expensive supplements and creams without knowing if they'd work!
How a TinyHealth Test Works
The process of using TinyHealth is super simple. You purchase the test kit or a membership, answer a few questions about your little one (surrounding birth, antibiotics, etc) and receive the testing kit in the mail. Using the swab provided, you collect a stool sample from baby's diaper and mail it back using the label included in the kit. Once the lab analyzes the sample, you'll receive a report detailing your baby's gut microbiome, associations, and recommendations based on the results. From there, you can also set up a coaching call with a microbiome specialist to further discuss and interpret the report so you can implement any changes needed to improve.
After sending baby's kit off and getting her results, I was curious and ordered one for myself. I still haven't received the results, but my older kids are next!
Try It!
If you are struggling to find out what is causing your baby's symptoms with the traditional healthcare model, a TinyHealth gut test may help you find desperately needed answers. You can use my code BABYLEDBLISS for $20 off your first test.
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