This webinar synthesizes the current peer-reviewed evidence linking environmental toxic metal exposure, infant gut microbiome dysbiosis, and the pathogenesis of pediatric eczema into a clinically actionable framework. Designed for functional and integrative clinicians already working with HTMA and stool microbiome testing, the session moves beyond foundational concepts to deepen the evidence base, clarify mechanisms, and walk through the assessment and protocol architecture used in real pediatric cases. You will leave with a defensible clinical reasoning model for why mineral repletion is therapeutic at multiple steps in the metal-microbiome-skin cascade, and a multi-modality workflow that uses HTMA appropriately alongside stool testing and confirmatory biomarkers.
- Current epidemiology of pediatric eczema with primary citations from JAMA Dermatology, Pediatrics, and JACI: In Practice
- Prospective cohort evidence on infant microbiome composition that precedes eczema onset, including findings on Bacteroides, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Ruminococcus gnavus, and Akkermansia muciniphila
- Documented microbiome effects of five toxic metals — arsenic, mercury, lead, cadmium, and aluminum — with primary studies and review citations from 2015–2025
- Mechanism-forward review of mineral–metal antagonism at shared transporters, active sites, and detoxification pathways (no metaphors, just biochemistry)
- Two de-identified pediatric cases with HTMA, GI-MAP, assessment, plan, and outcome
- An honest framing of HTMA validity
- A four-phase protocol architecture for pediatric eczema with mineral repletion as the through-line
Best suited for: naturopathic doctors, functional medicine physicians, nutritional therapy practitioners, integrative dietitians, and licensed clinicians with foundational familiarity with HTMA and stool microbiome testing who work with pediatric clients in their practice.
Speaker: Nina-Marie Rueda, ND
