What is triggering your child’s eczema?
Gut health and eczema in children are far more connected than most parents are ever told, and understanding that connection can completely change the trajectory of healing.
When your child is scratching until they bleed, waking every few hours, and living in a constant state of discomfort, it does not matter how many times you are told that eczema is “just cosmetic” or something they will “grow out of.” The suffering is real. The exhaustion is real. And the fear that you are missing something important never really goes away.
“Eczema is not the enemy. It is information. It is the body asking for support, not suppression.” -Andra McHugh
Many parents arrive at this point after doing everything they were told to do. Clean diet. Filtered water. Fragrance free products. Steroid creams that work for a moment and then stop working. Bleach baths that feel extreme but are framed as necessary. And still, the eczema persists.
This is where a functional medicine lens changes everything.
In this conversation, Dr. Julia Ward shares why chronic eczema rarely starts in the skin, how gut inflammation and detox overload drive immune reactions, and what parents can focus on when diet changes alone are not enough.
Listen Below For The Entire Episode on The Eczema Kids Podcast
Why eczema rarely starts in the skin
Eczema is often treated as a surface level problem, but the skin is not the cause. It is the messenger.
From a functional medicine perspective, eczema is an outward signal of internal inflammation. When the immune system is overwhelmed, the skin often becomes the body’s release valve.
Dr. Ward explains that when a child presents with chronic eczema, she almost always starts by looking at gut health. Not because food is always the problem, but because the gut is where immune regulation begins.
Roughly 70 percent of the immune system lives in the gut. If digestion is inflamed, imbalanced, or compromised, the immune system stays on high alert. Over time, that constant activation shows up as eczema, allergies, asthma, and other inflammatory conditions.
Leaky gut and immune overreaction
One of the most common patterns seen in children with eczema is increased intestinal permeability, often referred to as leaky gut.
The lining of the gut is only one cell thick. Its job is to allow nutrients to pass through while keeping harmful particles out. Stress, infections, medications, toxins, and inflammation can weaken that barrier.
When the gut lining becomes inflamed, microscopic gaps form between cells. Undigested food particles, bacteria, and toxins can then pass directly into the bloodstream. The immune system responds exactly as it is designed to by mounting an attack.
The problem is not the immune response. The problem is that the immune system is being triggered constantly.
Over time, this leads to immune confusion, hypersensitivity, and chronic inflammation. In children, that inflammation often shows up as eczema.
Dysbiosis and the gut microbiome
Another major driver of eczema is dysbiosis, which simply means an imbalance in the gut microbiome.
The gut is home to trillions of bacteria. Some are beneficial and protective. Others are opportunistic and take advantage of imbalance. Antibiotics, processed foods, sugar, stress, and environmental toxins can all disrupt this delicate ecosystem.
When beneficial bacteria are crowded out, inflammation rises. Digestion suffers. Detoxification slows. The immune system loses its ability to differentiate between true threats and harmless inputs.
This is why some children seem to react to everything. Foods that were once tolerated suddenly cause flares. Environmental exposures feel overwhelming. Parents begin to remove more and more foods, often without lasting relief.
Constipation and toxin recirculation
One often overlooked factor in eczema is bowel regularity.
If a child is not having daily bowel movements, toxins that should be eliminated are instead reabsorbed. This increases the overall inflammatory burden on the body.
Dr. Ward emphasizes that constipation is not benign. It is a sign that detox pathways are sluggish. When elimination slows, inflammation builds.
For many children with eczema, improving bowel regularity alone can significantly reduce symptoms. This is not about harsh laxatives. It is about fiber, hydration, mineral balance, and nervous system regulation.
The liver, detox pathways, and eczema flares
Children have developing detox systems. Their livers, kidneys, and lymphatic systems are not as robust as those of adults. This makes them more vulnerable to environmental toxins.
Pesticides, fragrances, cleaning products, mold toxins, and chemicals in personal care items all add to the toxic load. When the body cannot process that load efficiently, inflammation rises.
In many cases, eczema is the body’s way of saying that the system is overwhelmed.
This does not mean parents have failed. It means the child’s capacity has been exceeded.
When food is not the real problem
Food reactions are real, but they are often downstream, not primary.
When the immune system is overloaded, it reacts to inputs that would otherwise be harmless. This is why some children test reactive to dozens of foods. The immune system is not broken. It is overwhelmed.
Dr. Ward cautions against overly restrictive diets. If a child is down to only a few tolerated foods and still reacting, that is a sign that something deeper is driving the inflammation.
In those cases, removing more foods is not the answer. Addressing gut integrity, microbiome balance, detox pathways, and environmental exposures becomes essential.
Mold, mycotoxins, and overlooked triggers
One of the most commonly missed contributors to chronic eczema is mold exposure.
In humid climates or water damaged buildings, mold and mycotoxins can significantly stress the immune system. Children exposed to these toxins often develop heightened sensitivity to foods, chemicals, and environmental triggers.
When diet changes do not move the needle, investigating mold exposure can be a crucial next step.
Why standard lab work often misses the root cause
Many parents are told that “everything looks normal” after routine blood work. This can be incredibly frustrating when symptoms are anything but normal.
Standard labs are designed to detect acute disease, not chronic functional imbalance. They often miss gut inflammation, microbiome disruptions, toxin burden, and subtle nutrient deficiencies.
This does not mean the child is fine. It means the right questions were not asked.
Supporting the microbiome after antibiotics
Antibiotics are sometimes necessary. They can also significantly disrupt gut health.
Repeated courses of antibiotics reduce microbial diversity and weaken immune tolerance. This is why eczema often worsens after early antibiotic exposure.
Rebuilding the microbiome requires intention. Probiotics, prebiotics, immunoglobulins, fiber, and nutrient dense foods all play a role.
Immunoglobulins, in particular, help calm immune reactivity and support gut barrier repair. They send a signal of safety to the immune system, reducing inappropriate responses.
Inflammation, itch, and sleep
Eczema is not just a skin issue. It affects sleep, behavior, emotional regulation, and family dynamics.
Reducing inflammation supports better sleep. Better sleep supports healing. This feedback loop is critical.
Omega 3 fatty acids, hydration, gut calming nutrients, and barrier supporting skincare all contribute to breaking the itch cycle.
Reintroducing foods safely
Food reintroduction should happen only after a period of symptom stability. Dr. Ward recommends being symptom free for at least two to four weeks before reintroducing foods.
Reintroductions should be slow and methodical. One food at a time, with several days between additions. This allows delayed reactions to become clear.
Rushing this process often leads to confusion and setbacks.
The hope in pediatric healing
Children are incredibly resilient. Their bodies are designed to grow, repair, and adapt.
When inflammation is reduced and systems are supported, many children regain food tolerance, healthy skin, and immune balance.
Eczema does not have to be a lifelong condition.
FAQ
Why does my child still have eczema if we eat clean and avoid triggers?
Clean eating reduces inflammation, but it does not automatically repair gut integrity, rebalance the microbiome, or restore detox capacity. When the immune system is overwhelmed, it can react even to healthy foods. In these cases, focusing only on diet can lead to unnecessary restriction without lasting healing. Supporting gut health, elimination, and detox pathways is often what allows the skin to finally calm.
How can I support my child’s eczema without guessing or removing more foods?
This is exactly why the Eczema Elimination Method exists. Instead of endless trial and error, the method provides a structured framework to lower inflammation, rebuild gut and immune capacity, and support the skin barrier at the same time. Parents learn how to identify root drivers, stabilize symptoms, and move toward real healing without living in constant fear of the next flare.
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- Eczema and Gut Health from a Functional Medicine Prospective
- The Best Eczema-Healing Diet
- Nurturing Kids with Eczema through the Power of Digestive Enzymes
