For our week 8 meeting, SIM had an exciting conversation with Shanah Gavia, PA-C, MPAS! Shanah is a Physician Assistant specializing in dermatology. In treating her patients’ skin, she likes to examine their lifestyles as well. In particular, she endorses yoga, meditation, and a healthy diet, as lifestyle is likely to play a role in maintaining healthy skin. She is a pioneer of incorporating integrative medicine into dermatology.
First, we talked about guasha. Guasha is an ancient practice used in East Asian cultures that involves using a special tool with a flat surface to scrape the body in downward stroking motions. It is used to treat pain and inflammation, and it improves stress, circulation, and drains the lymphatic system. Shanah gave some suggestions, such as always using with guashua with oil. She also said that while strokes should be downward on the body, they should be upward when working on the face. And while guasha might be a trending solution for facial aging, she is hesitant to confirm it actually works for that purpose.
We also talked about acne, a condition she often treats for her patients. There are two main types of acne: inflammatory and non-inflammatory. Non-infammatory acne results when sebum, an oil secreted by the skin, clogs your hair follicles, or pores. Inflammatory acne occurs when bacteria infects the pore and leads to inflammation. For treatment, Shanah will incorporate both pharmaceuticals and non-pharmaceuticals. However, she is not a big fan of antibiotics because they can kill good bacteria in your body, and it can lead to antibiotic tolerance. Instead, she tries to treat the root cause of acne, which is the microbiome. Some examples of non-pharmaceutical treatments include tea tree oil, zin sulphate, blue light, and of course, lifestyle changes.
Eczema is another common condition, though it is unfortunately a complex disease. Eczema presents itself with a lot of burning and itching, and it is a result of the skin barrier not functioning properly. This makes your skin more sensitive to things like allergens and other irritants. It is treated by reducing inflammation, and some treatments she recommends are sunflower seed oil, B12, lukewarm showers (as opposed to hot ones), and seeing an herbalist.
Shanah also briefly talked about skin cancer–not a fun topic but a necessary one. Her most important message is to get your skin checked. Skin cancer is more common in fair skin, though it is important for everyone to get checks, as skin cancer can be very dangerous if left untreated.
Finally, Shanah imparted us with some wisdom regarding leading a healthy lifestyle. The four cornerstones of a healthy lifestyle are sleep, stress/spirit, nutrition, and movement. One should get 7-9 hours of sleep a night, eat a healthy diet with plenty of fiber and vegetables, and get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week. As for stress and spirit, Shanah emphasized living in the moment and being less in our heads, which can stress us out and lead to adverse health effects. She left us with a quote: “Life is a balance of holding on and letting go.”
You can find Shanah on Instagram @naturaldermpa, and her email is Naturaldermpa@gmail.com.
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