WEBVTT - Within Reach: You Deserve to Feel Good with Reena Ruparelia 0:00:01.240 --> 0:00:05.800 Welcome to Our Skin, a personal discovery podcast. I'm your host, 0:00:05.840 --> 0:00:08.320 Holly Fry, and it is wonderful to have you here 0:00:08.360 --> 0:00:11.559 with us. Connection is what this show is all about, 0:00:12.039 --> 0:00:15.680 specifically connecting about things that we are sometimes afraid to 0:00:15.720 --> 0:00:18.520 talk about. Today, we're going to be exploring the ups 0:00:18.520 --> 0:00:22.440 and downs, past and present, personal and universal troubles we 0:00:22.520 --> 0:00:26.600 have with our skin. Our skin is our most visible organ. 0:00:26.880 --> 0:00:29.800 What happens on our skin affects the rest of our lives, 0:00:30.160 --> 0:00:33.960 especially when dealing with a chronic condition. Getting diagnosed with 0:00:34.000 --> 0:00:37.480 one of these, like psoriasis, can be overwhelming, but you're 0:00:37.520 --> 0:00:42.080 not alone. Each episode features a personal story of resilience 0:00:42.200 --> 0:00:45.239 and grace, but our personal stories are threads in a 0:00:45.320 --> 0:00:48.320 larger tapestry, and there are lessons for us in the 0:00:48.400 --> 0:00:51.120 history of how we treat our skin and the progress 0:00:51.159 --> 0:00:55.520 we've made together. Caring for our skin is caring for ourselves. 0:00:55.880 --> 0:00:59.280 Whether you're seeking inspiration for your own journey or curious 0:00:59.320 --> 0:01:03.320 about the history of our skin, you'll find empathetic, transformative 0:01:03.360 --> 0:01:09.480 conversations here on Our Skin. Today. We are joined by 0:01:09.560 --> 0:01:14.760 well being coach, mindfulness guide, and skin empowerment leader Rena Ruperelia. 0:01:14.880 --> 0:01:18.240 I am so glad to welcome her today. Rena has 0:01:18.280 --> 0:01:20.880 lived with soriasis since she was in high school, but 0:01:21.000 --> 0:01:25.400 she didn't start sharing about her experience until twenty years later. 0:01:26.120 --> 0:01:29.320 She first noticed symptoms of sriasis when she was just fourteen, 0:01:29.440 --> 0:01:32.039 and at the time, of course, as a teenager, that 0:01:32.200 --> 0:01:36.760 experience was deeply isolating, Like many people facing a chronic condition. 0:01:37.000 --> 0:01:39.240 For a while, she tried to hide what was going on, 0:01:39.400 --> 0:01:43.119 hoping that maybe someday things might change on their own. 0:01:43.280 --> 0:01:45.800 But when they did not, Rena hit a point where 0:01:45.840 --> 0:01:49.000 she couldn't get by on hope alone. Her symptoms had 0:01:49.040 --> 0:01:51.600 continued to intrude into her life for decades, and she 0:01:51.680 --> 0:01:54.360 knew it was time to find treatment. So that, of course, 0:01:54.400 --> 0:01:56.880 sounds really easy, go to a doctor, get a prescription 0:01:57.000 --> 0:01:59.920 treatment treatment, But just as a lot of syriasis is 0:02:00.080 --> 0:02:03.680 patients have experienced, the path to treatment for Rena was 0:02:03.720 --> 0:02:07.480 anything but easy. She found herself battling a reluctance to 0:02:07.520 --> 0:02:10.760 open up to her doctor and hesitancy from having used 0:02:11.000 --> 0:02:13.079 treatments in the past that just didn't work at all, 0:02:13.280 --> 0:02:17.360 or perhaps even exacerbated things. One of the sources of 0:02:17.400 --> 0:02:19.760 strength that Rena was able to draw upon during this 0:02:19.840 --> 0:02:22.760 difficult time. Was her mindfulness practice something that we're going 0:02:22.840 --> 0:02:25.760 to ask about for sure in our interview today. And 0:02:25.800 --> 0:02:28.240 she has also started sharing with others and putting her 0:02:28.320 --> 0:02:32.400 journey out there online and finding that her story empowers 0:02:32.440 --> 0:02:35.960 others as well as herself in the process. So eventually, 0:02:36.040 --> 0:02:40.160 Rena fortunately found a doctor that understood and her soriasis 0:02:40.200 --> 0:02:43.840 became more under control. So Rena had a new message 0:02:43.880 --> 0:02:47.040 to share with her followers. Open up to your doctor 0:02:47.120 --> 0:02:49.680 and you might be surprised what they're able to do 0:02:49.800 --> 0:02:53.320 to help. And your story, Rena ties in perfectly with 0:02:53.400 --> 0:02:55.360 the history that we're going to discuss today, which is 0:02:55.400 --> 0:02:58.000 going to take us on a step by step tour 0:02:58.160 --> 0:03:01.640 of the evolution of Sorias's Street from ancient times to 0:03:01.720 --> 0:03:04.919 our modern medicines. And I am so excited to talk 0:03:04.960 --> 0:03:07.920 to Rena today about her experience because there are a 0:03:07.919 --> 0:03:10.800 lot of barriers for people that seek treatment, from stigma 0:03:10.840 --> 0:03:14.519 and embarrassment to doctors who maybe aren't always that knowledgeable 0:03:14.639 --> 0:03:17.240 about skin conditions. It is a lot to take on 0:03:17.760 --> 0:03:20.760 as a patient and as a person. So Rena, welcome 0:03:20.840 --> 0:03:23.160 to our skin I'm so delighted that you're here. 0:03:23.960 --> 0:03:28.520 Thanks for that beautiful introduction, Holly, that was perfectly summarized. 0:03:29.880 --> 0:03:32.480 I'm glad. I never want a misstep. It's always that 0:03:32.520 --> 0:03:35.680 awkward thing when you're telling someone else's story while they're 0:03:35.720 --> 0:03:38.800 sitting there. So I'm glad it all vibed right. I 0:03:39.000 --> 0:03:40.840 would love it if you would take us back to 0:03:42.040 --> 0:03:45.040 your first inclinations when you were like, I might actually 0:03:45.040 --> 0:03:48.280 need to seek medical treatment for this skin condition. But 0:03:48.360 --> 0:03:51.720 first I want to ask how did your symptoms manifest initially? 0:03:52.280 --> 0:03:58.119 Yeah, they actually tie in perfectly together. So, like you mentioned, 0:03:58.320 --> 0:04:01.960 I was in high school. We were just about to 0:04:02.000 --> 0:04:04.720 go into high school. So it was like two months 0:04:04.760 --> 0:04:08.080 before the summer. I was in England seeing my family, 0:04:08.320 --> 0:04:10.560 living my best life, and all I just kept thinking 0:04:10.640 --> 0:04:12.960 about was I can't wait for the first day of 0:04:13.000 --> 0:04:13.440 grade nine. 0:04:13.440 --> 0:04:14.800 I'm going to meet all these new people. 0:04:15.040 --> 0:04:17.880 I'm so excited and thinking about all the boys and 0:04:17.920 --> 0:04:22.200 all the fun and all the things. But my skin 0:04:22.240 --> 0:04:26.200 had a different plan. So I just remember I was 0:04:26.200 --> 0:04:29.360 in England and I looked down at my stomach and 0:04:29.400 --> 0:04:31.640 I had these red dots. 0:04:31.960 --> 0:04:34.240 They look kind of like chicken pox. I didn't know 0:04:34.240 --> 0:04:34.760 what they were. 0:04:34.800 --> 0:04:37.560 I thought maybe bug bites, but as the weeks went on, 0:04:37.640 --> 0:04:40.719 the days went on, they were growing and kind of spreading, 0:04:41.240 --> 0:04:42.719 but they still look similar. 0:04:42.920 --> 0:04:43.800 So I ran to the. 0:04:43.800 --> 0:04:47.320 Doctor and I was like, you got to fix this. 0:04:47.560 --> 0:04:51.440 Like I'm about to start high school. I need to 0:04:51.440 --> 0:04:53.880 get rid of this now. So he's like, oh, you 0:04:54.000 --> 0:04:57.120 just have chicken pox. Like it's just chicken pox, right, 0:04:57.200 --> 0:04:58.880 he didn't know it kind of looked like it. 0:04:59.000 --> 0:05:01.840 I was happy. I went home, asked no questions. 0:05:01.880 --> 0:05:03.840 But again, as I mentioned, as the days went on, 0:05:03.920 --> 0:05:06.560 the weeks went on, it started growing even kind of 0:05:06.600 --> 0:05:08.960 and spreading, and the scales went from these like red 0:05:09.000 --> 0:05:13.760 dots to these silvery scales. And eventually I went back 0:05:13.800 --> 0:05:17.960 again and he said, oh, I think you may have psoriasis. 0:05:18.960 --> 0:05:19.480 I didn't know. 0:05:19.600 --> 0:05:23.120 There was no Google then, right. It sounded like a dinosaur. 0:05:23.160 --> 0:05:25.599 To be honest, I had no clue how to even 0:05:25.760 --> 0:05:28.120 spell it. I didn't know what it was, never heard 0:05:28.120 --> 0:05:30.400 of it. All I cared about was ken you get 0:05:30.520 --> 0:05:34.160 rid of it. And that's kind of I think when 0:05:34.839 --> 0:05:38.400 my life changed, especially when it comes to my skin. 0:05:38.560 --> 0:05:42.200 So that was the moment, and the line you know 0:05:42.320 --> 0:05:45.520 that I always remember is I can't confirm for sure. 0:05:45.720 --> 0:05:48.159 You know you can try this cream, and there's no cure, 0:05:48.880 --> 0:05:51.000 but we can find a way to manage it, but 0:05:51.040 --> 0:05:53.239 we have to wait for the dermatologist. 0:05:53.920 --> 0:05:55.920 That's just what a fourteen year old wants to hear too. 0:05:56.000 --> 0:05:57.880 It's like we're gonna have a lot of guesswork ahead 0:05:57.880 --> 0:06:01.880 of us, no problem. I wonder at that age, especially, 0:06:02.000 --> 0:06:04.600 kids are not sharing the things that they're embarrassed or 0:06:04.640 --> 0:06:07.359 self conscious about. Did you know anyone else that was 0:06:07.400 --> 0:06:10.160 dealing with anything similar or did you feel like the 0:06:10.200 --> 0:06:12.200 only person on earth that had this condition? 0:06:12.760 --> 0:06:15.680 Yeah, what a good question. I thought I was the 0:06:15.720 --> 0:06:19.360 only person on earth with the condition. I kept hearing 0:06:19.400 --> 0:06:21.200 this story, and I still hear it to this day. 0:06:21.720 --> 0:06:24.200 Your aunt had it on her finger. She got rid 0:06:24.240 --> 0:06:26.400 of it by wrapping it up with this, this, and this. 0:06:27.000 --> 0:06:30.239 Your grandmother rather has eggzema as well as my father. 0:06:30.800 --> 0:06:33.800 But to be honest, no one was really talking about it. 0:06:33.839 --> 0:06:35.919 There was just that story about my aunt wrapping up 0:06:35.920 --> 0:06:39.359 her hands, which I said, like, I still here to 0:06:39.480 --> 0:06:42.280 this day, and she was able to get rid of it. 0:06:42.360 --> 0:06:45.400 I have brought myself up with everything and anything, and 0:06:45.680 --> 0:06:47.080 I still had it, So it. 0:06:47.040 --> 0:06:50.440 Did a Nobody knows if that was even what she 0:06:50.560 --> 0:06:53.120 was dealing with right, like she may have had an 0:06:53.160 --> 0:06:57.160 allergic reaction to something. There's no there's no actual science 0:06:57.279 --> 0:06:58.200 data to put. 0:07:00.200 --> 0:07:03.200 But it's brutal. Yeah, it truthfully all jokes aside. I 0:07:03.279 --> 0:07:05.200 just remember just thinking like what is this? 0:07:05.360 --> 0:07:08.799 And I did feel like I was the only one, 0:07:09.400 --> 0:07:12.480 and so there was so much that went into that. Again, 0:07:12.520 --> 0:07:15.360 like you mentioned, as a fourteen year old girl, I 0:07:15.480 --> 0:07:19.200 was really worried about my image and fitting in looking 0:07:19.240 --> 0:07:23.440 like everyone else. I didn't want to have this thing 0:07:23.720 --> 0:07:26.560 or this skin that made me quote unquote different. 0:07:27.160 --> 0:07:29.800 Right, you did not think you were turning into an 0:07:29.880 --> 0:07:31.400 X man. You just thought you were. 0:07:32.800 --> 0:07:35.520 I wish that's what happened, If I'm honest. 0:07:35.920 --> 0:07:40.840 By the way, I'm mistique now just funny exactly. I'm 0:07:40.880 --> 0:07:43.760 wondering too, though you mentioned like the words that were 0:07:43.840 --> 0:07:46.440 terrifying were like, we don't really know, we're gonna try 0:07:46.480 --> 0:07:51.440 some things. What challenges were there in those initial treatment stages. 0:07:51.520 --> 0:07:54.440 I know, even just like talking to a doctor as 0:07:54.480 --> 0:07:57.360 a teenager about anything is already tough, so then to 0:07:57.400 --> 0:07:59.720 be in this loop where you're having to give feedback 0:07:59.720 --> 0:08:02.840 and time about what doesn't doesn't work and what things 0:08:02.880 --> 0:08:05.640 feel like. What was that all like probably very scary. 0:08:06.000 --> 0:08:09.680 Absolutely, And I will say, although I've gotten better with 0:08:09.720 --> 0:08:13.360 having the conversations now, it still continues to be challenging, 0:08:13.480 --> 0:08:15.640 right to figure out what's gonna work, what's not gonna work, 0:08:15.640 --> 0:08:19.320 because treatments need reevaluation and change often, which I didn't 0:08:19.360 --> 0:08:23.360 know but in the beginning stages the first Okay, so 0:08:23.440 --> 0:08:26.440 after I actually got diagnosed with SIISIS, which in itself 0:08:26.680 --> 0:08:29.960 was a horrible experience because I was feeling so vulnerable 0:08:30.400 --> 0:08:33.160 and the doctor, the dermatologists at this point, came in, 0:08:33.559 --> 0:08:35.680 took a look at my skin, didn't really talk to me. 0:08:36.360 --> 0:08:39.120 I waited three months for this appointment. Side note, like 0:08:39.200 --> 0:08:41.200 three months, you know, I'm like, he's going to cure me, 0:08:41.559 --> 0:08:42.520 or they're going to cure me. 0:08:42.760 --> 0:08:45.760 Wherever it is. This person is going to cure me. 0:08:46.280 --> 0:08:48.720 And when I went to the actual office, like I said, 0:08:48.760 --> 0:08:51.840 he took a quick look, then brought all of his 0:08:51.960 --> 0:08:53.080 students in. 0:08:53.200 --> 0:08:55.400 And they also, I guess my mom must have given 0:08:55.400 --> 0:08:55.960 them permission. 0:08:56.000 --> 0:08:58.160 And I'm just sitting there right like a specimen on 0:08:58.160 --> 0:08:59.280 the table like it was. 0:08:59.760 --> 0:09:02.559 I just remember feeling humiliated, embarrassed. 0:09:02.640 --> 0:09:04.240 I was covered at this point as well, because it 0:09:04.280 --> 0:09:06.480 was all over my legs, now spread from my stomach 0:09:06.520 --> 0:09:09.000 to my back to my arms, and they're all kind 0:09:09.040 --> 0:09:09.960 of just looking at me. 0:09:10.160 --> 0:09:12.000 And eventually he gives. 0:09:11.880 --> 0:09:15.000 Me this crude cold tar and it's exactly what it 0:09:15.040 --> 0:09:18.240 sounds like. It's like this green, kind of dark brown, 0:09:18.360 --> 0:09:22.640 slimy paste that smells like mothballs. So you slather it 0:09:22.679 --> 0:09:27.120 on at night. It stains everything and then you wake 0:09:27.200 --> 0:09:29.840 up in the morning and you wipe it off with towels. 0:09:29.840 --> 0:09:33.600 My mother had to help me, and it really smelled 0:09:33.679 --> 0:09:37.520 number one, but number two, the skin didn't really clear. 0:09:38.080 --> 0:09:40.880 I still had like so I'm you know, South Asian, 0:09:40.960 --> 0:09:43.520 so I have more melanated, darker skin. And then I 0:09:43.640 --> 0:09:46.640 ended up with these like light patches where the psoriasis 0:09:46.840 --> 0:09:51.160 was everywhere. The hyperpigmentation was brutal, but it never went away. 0:09:51.160 --> 0:09:53.600 It was still itchy all day under my clothes. All 0:09:53.640 --> 0:09:56.080 I remember is just wanting to scratch my skin off. 0:09:56.360 --> 0:09:58.840 And so the beginning parts of treatment included, you know, 0:09:58.920 --> 0:10:01.320 something like that. I went for like light treatment like 0:10:01.360 --> 0:10:04.600 a lot of people do. I did cortisone creams and 0:10:04.640 --> 0:10:08.320 it was always sticky fingerprints everywhere, you know, smelling not 0:10:08.520 --> 0:10:12.480 very good and Also I was in these clothes that 0:10:12.640 --> 0:10:15.480 just covered every part of my body, like where this 0:10:15.640 --> 0:10:18.480 risees showed, so that I didn't want to do gym class. 0:10:18.559 --> 0:10:18.760 I was. 0:10:18.920 --> 0:10:21.200 People are like, aren't you hot? Like I just remember 0:10:21.200 --> 0:10:23.160 that question, aren't you feeling hot? Like no, I'm fine, 0:10:23.280 --> 0:10:28.360 I'm fine, I'm always cold. Meanwhile, yeah, sweltery link sweltering. 0:10:28.800 --> 0:10:31.400 It was like my favorite time of day was coming 0:10:31.440 --> 0:10:34.800 home after school, taking off everything and going for like 0:10:34.800 --> 0:10:38.120 a scratch fest and like it was so bad for 0:10:38.160 --> 0:10:40.440 the skin, but I was just it was the only 0:10:40.480 --> 0:10:41.440 relief I had. 0:10:41.520 --> 0:10:43.520 So I lived a lot of that. 0:10:43.520 --> 0:10:46.920 First part of my journey with just creams and potions 0:10:47.000 --> 0:10:50.040 and anything. Nothing took it away because work for me, 0:10:50.160 --> 0:10:51.960 I guess it's different for everyone. For me, it meant 0:10:52.000 --> 0:10:54.840 clearing the skin completely and nothing was working. 0:10:55.520 --> 0:10:58.880 You have also talked before about how transformative it was 0:10:58.920 --> 0:11:02.719 when you finally found a doctor who actually understood How 0:11:02.760 --> 0:11:05.480 did you know? Because I think this is whether you're 0:11:05.520 --> 0:11:08.040 dealing with a chronic condition or not. Finding that right 0:11:08.120 --> 0:11:11.280 doctor that you click with is really really hard. How 0:11:11.320 --> 0:11:13.800 did you know when you had found the doctor that 0:11:13.880 --> 0:11:15.839 was right for you? What were the green flags where 0:11:15.840 --> 0:11:17.040 you're like this one's different. 0:11:17.240 --> 0:11:21.280 Yes, that's a really good question. It's really ideal to 0:11:21.360 --> 0:11:24.720 find the right doctor. But depending on where people live, 0:11:25.360 --> 0:11:28.840 depending on the access they have, it might not be 0:11:29.000 --> 0:11:33.320 possible to find the right doctor because there might not 0:11:33.360 --> 0:11:35.200 be a choice of people around. You know, I live 0:11:35.240 --> 0:11:38.080 in an urban center. We have dermatologists everywhere, so I 0:11:38.120 --> 0:11:41.160 do have choices. But how I knew doctor yadav is 0:11:41.200 --> 0:11:42.840 my doctor here in Toronto. 0:11:43.720 --> 0:11:45.440 She was different. 0:11:45.520 --> 0:11:48.160 She was very, very confident. So first of all we 0:11:48.240 --> 0:11:50.840 had like an offline conversation. We were like creating a 0:11:50.880 --> 0:11:54.440 piece together and then kind of when we finish the work, 0:11:54.559 --> 0:11:57.400 she said to me, you know, Rena, you don't have 0:11:57.440 --> 0:12:01.520 to live like this, Because I was like, I am 0:12:01.600 --> 0:12:04.160 happy in my skin. I am here for it. I'm 0:12:04.200 --> 0:12:06.120 taking care of myself. But if I have some risis, 0:12:06.120 --> 0:12:08.240 it's fine. But I was uncomfortable, like I didn't have 0:12:08.280 --> 0:12:10.559 a goal for clear skin. At that point, I had 0:12:10.600 --> 0:12:13.679 given up. And she when she said I can help you, 0:12:14.120 --> 0:12:17.480 something in me was like, what you can help me? 0:12:18.320 --> 0:12:19.200 What like are you? 0:12:19.400 --> 0:12:23.960 And she was so confident And that's the part of it. 0:12:24.080 --> 0:12:27.400 I think that really worked and clicked for me. There 0:12:27.520 --> 0:12:29.800 was that her ability to say like I want to 0:12:29.800 --> 0:12:33.720 help you, like we will find something that works and 0:12:33.960 --> 0:12:36.839 you don't have to feel this way, like, yes, you 0:12:37.000 --> 0:12:39.200 found a way through, and yes you feel empowered and 0:12:39.240 --> 0:12:43.800 okay with the way your skin is, but there's hope. 0:12:44.080 --> 0:12:46.440 It sounds almost like this is the first time you 0:12:46.520 --> 0:12:50.640 really felt like taken care of by a doctor. Like 0:12:50.679 --> 0:12:52.400 doctors are always there to take care of you, but 0:12:52.440 --> 0:12:54.480 it's a different thing when you're like I feel taken 0:12:54.520 --> 0:12:54.880 care of. 0:12:55.480 --> 0:12:58.559 Yes, that's like on the money. 0:12:58.559 --> 0:13:04.679 There absolutely when someone gives you that feeling of self assuredness, 0:13:05.000 --> 0:13:08.320 she really does want to make her patients feel better 0:13:08.400 --> 0:13:10.920 and give them a better quality of life. She takes 0:13:10.920 --> 0:13:13.320 that extra step, And I think that is the person 0:13:13.440 --> 0:13:17.760 I fell cared for. And yeah, scene and she understood 0:13:17.800 --> 0:13:20.280 like it was tough, like I was having a rough time. 0:13:21.120 --> 0:13:24.000 One of the things that you talk about, it's like 0:13:24.040 --> 0:13:27.120 the animating idea of all of your work is you 0:13:27.240 --> 0:13:30.320 deserve to feel good. And it's such a simple and 0:13:30.400 --> 0:13:33.920 basic concept, but I think for a lot of people 0:13:34.000 --> 0:13:37.360 that's very hard to really internalize, especially when they're dealing 0:13:37.400 --> 0:13:40.920 with a chronic condition. There's all of this weird mental 0:13:40.920 --> 0:13:44.280 and emotional baggage that comes with it. Sometimes there's whether 0:13:44.320 --> 0:13:47.280 you're conscious of it or not. People will think there's 0:13:47.320 --> 0:13:49.840 something bad or wrong about them, or that they did 0:13:49.880 --> 0:13:53.480 something wrong in their skincare or in their health care. 0:13:54.280 --> 0:13:58.320 But this idea, if they could just get it into 0:13:58.360 --> 0:14:01.240 their minds, is something to embrace, deserve to feel good. 0:14:01.960 --> 0:14:04.199 But I want to know how that has shaped your 0:14:04.400 --> 0:14:05.920 particular brand of activism. 0:14:06.840 --> 0:14:06.880 Ugh. 0:14:07.320 --> 0:14:09.439 I also found it to be such a powerful line, 0:14:09.480 --> 0:14:11.800 hence why I put it on the website, because it 0:14:11.840 --> 0:14:15.200 was something I didn't believe. I thought, because I was 0:14:15.280 --> 0:14:18.679 sick and I had this skin condition, that feeling good 0:14:18.800 --> 0:14:22.000 was beyond my reach. It was beyond what was possible 0:14:22.040 --> 0:14:24.720 for me, and that I didn't deserve it. 0:14:25.240 --> 0:14:26.640 I didn't deserve this. 0:14:26.720 --> 0:14:30.240 Feeling of peace of ease in my body, regardless of 0:14:30.240 --> 0:14:34.119 what my skin looked like. And so as I started 0:14:34.640 --> 0:14:38.080 taking care of myself and opening up more about my 0:14:38.200 --> 0:14:42.840 story online, I started to challenge what I believed what 0:14:42.920 --> 0:14:45.840 was possible for me as an individual and as a human. 0:14:46.320 --> 0:14:50.120 So it was really important for me to take care 0:14:50.360 --> 0:14:53.000 of myself and learn how to do that. 0:14:53.720 --> 0:14:54.880 Even if my skin. 0:14:54.640 --> 0:14:58.760 Was flared, I was still deserving of a massage. 0:14:58.840 --> 0:15:02.120 I was still deserving going to a beach. That was 0:15:02.160 --> 0:15:03.480 something that I wouldn't do. 0:15:03.880 --> 0:15:05.320 You know, if someone had a pool party or we 0:15:05.360 --> 0:15:08.360 went on a vacation, I would go tan on the 0:15:08.400 --> 0:15:11.480 other side of the beach because I didn't want anyone 0:15:11.520 --> 0:15:14.360 to see me. And I had to learn to tell myself, 0:15:14.720 --> 0:15:17.240 you deserve to be here, You deserve to be part 0:15:17.280 --> 0:15:19.600 of this as well. You deserve to dance, you deserve 0:15:19.640 --> 0:15:22.120 to wear these clothes like you are deserving of these 0:15:22.160 --> 0:15:25.160 things as well. Your skin doesn't make you unworthy. Your 0:15:25.200 --> 0:15:28.520 skin doesn't make you less than. What are the things 0:15:28.600 --> 0:15:31.440 that somebody who cares about themselves, who gives a damn 0:15:31.520 --> 0:15:32.680 about themselves would do? 0:15:32.880 --> 0:15:34.680 What does that look like? 0:15:35.240 --> 0:15:38.800 And so that started as me putting out these challenges 0:15:38.840 --> 0:15:41.960 when I first started my page. You know a lot 0:15:42.000 --> 0:15:44.400 of people and I don't think this is just with skin. 0:15:44.480 --> 0:15:48.080 Will say when my skin is clear, then I will 0:15:48.240 --> 0:15:51.200 dot dot dot, wear the shorts, go to the beach, 0:15:51.400 --> 0:15:54.120 go to the wedding, and sandals. These like tiny little 0:15:54.160 --> 0:15:56.320 things that maybe a lot of people don't think about. 0:15:56.640 --> 0:15:59.120 I was thinking about them all the time, and so 0:15:59.280 --> 0:16:02.480 it was starting to challenge myself. And then as I 0:16:02.520 --> 0:16:05.160 started to feel good and see that a lot of 0:16:05.200 --> 0:16:07.680 these barriers were only built up in my mind. Like 0:16:07.760 --> 0:16:10.440 most people were receiving me in a good way. This 0:16:10.720 --> 0:16:15.160 was an evolution, and so feeling good or feeling better 0:16:15.240 --> 0:16:18.520 and giving myself the opportunity to challenge what I thought 0:16:18.520 --> 0:16:22.720 I didn't deserve really helped me break into Yeah, starting 0:16:23.240 --> 0:16:26.040 to feel good and giving myself things that would help 0:16:26.080 --> 0:16:27.400 me feel whole and content. 0:16:28.160 --> 0:16:33.000 I also wonder because with any medical condition, it's for 0:16:33.040 --> 0:16:35.560 the most part, especially something like this, that can progress 0:16:35.600 --> 0:16:38.480 and shift. It's not like it all happens at once. 0:16:38.560 --> 0:16:41.400 It's something that's slowly growing over time. So your brain 0:16:41.480 --> 0:16:43.320 is sort of adjusting to you. I guess this is 0:16:43.360 --> 0:16:47.440 the new normal, and you're not really cognizant of how 0:16:47.520 --> 0:16:50.400 much you've given up until you like have one great 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:52.680 day and then you're like, what it could be like 0:16:52.680 --> 0:16:55.560 this all the time. So I think that's also important 0:16:55.600 --> 0:16:57.840 for people to remember, right, this is kind of a 0:16:57.920 --> 0:16:59.120 mantra you need to maintain. 0:17:00.160 --> 0:17:03.160 Yes, like you said, there was this feeling when I 0:17:03.240 --> 0:17:07.320 found the right treatment and my skin started to clear. 0:17:08.640 --> 0:17:12.520 I didn't know it was possible to feel this way, 0:17:12.560 --> 0:17:15.320 And I'm so grateful that for me that I was 0:17:15.359 --> 0:17:17.919 open to treatment and that I was open to trying 0:17:17.920 --> 0:17:21.960 something new, because it really has made all the difference. 0:17:22.680 --> 0:17:24.840 Rina, thank you so much for sharing your story with us. 0:17:25.000 --> 0:17:27.080 When we come back, I have some history I'm going 0:17:27.160 --> 0:17:28.879 to share with you, some of which is going to 0:17:28.960 --> 0:17:32.359 sound very familiar. After this break, we will take a 0:17:32.400 --> 0:17:36.400 look at siasis treatment throughout our history, starting with Hippocrates 0:17:36.520 --> 0:17:39.640 in ancient times, running all the way through to advanced 0:17:39.680 --> 0:18:01.640 treatments that are available today. We've covered in previous episodes. 0:18:01.720 --> 0:18:05.600 Ciriasis has always been with us. The ancient Greeks were 0:18:05.600 --> 0:18:07.600 well aware of it, although they did not call it 0:18:07.640 --> 0:18:11.520 psoriasis for quite a while. The physician Hippocrates, who lived 0:18:11.520 --> 0:18:15.040 around four sixty to three seventy BCE, is often credited 0:18:15.320 --> 0:18:17.800 with being one of the first to document treatments for 0:18:17.880 --> 0:18:22.080 skin condition that we now recognize as psoriasis. One of 0:18:22.119 --> 0:18:26.760 his go to remedies was pine tar. That's right, thick, sticky, 0:18:26.800 --> 0:18:30.160 and pungent pine tar. Pine tar has actually been used 0:18:30.160 --> 0:18:33.240 for centuries as a topical treatment because of its supposed 0:18:33.240 --> 0:18:37.760 ability to reduce inflammation and relieve itching. So over the 0:18:37.760 --> 0:18:40.800 centuries it's been applied to the scalp the trunk, the limbs, 0:18:41.600 --> 0:18:45.040 pretty much anywhere of those suffering from psoriasis, and while 0:18:45.080 --> 0:18:48.879 in some cases it actually could provide some relief, it 0:18:48.960 --> 0:18:52.680 obviously comes with some downsides. The heavy, dark substance could 0:18:52.680 --> 0:18:55.760 also irritate some people's skin, so that is the opposite 0:18:55.800 --> 0:18:59.200 of the desired effect, and there's that strong, lingering odor 0:18:59.720 --> 0:19:03.520 not super pleasant. With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, 0:19:03.800 --> 0:19:07.880 pine tar's cousin which Rina mentioned, coal tar, came into 0:19:07.920 --> 0:19:11.159 the picture, and coal tar is of course thick, heavy 0:19:11.200 --> 0:19:14.760 oil that's derived from coal. It emerged as a ciasis 0:19:14.840 --> 0:19:18.800 treatment due to its similar anti inflammatory and anti itch properties, 0:19:18.800 --> 0:19:22.200 and by the early twentieth century, coal tar had become 0:19:22.280 --> 0:19:26.120 a staple in the dermatologist toolkit. So each of these 0:19:26.119 --> 0:19:29.200 types of tars are distilled the same way from their 0:19:29.240 --> 0:19:34.320 origin substances using extreme heat. Basically, if coal or wood 0:19:34.440 --> 0:19:37.200 is burned at really really high temperatures in an absence 0:19:37.240 --> 0:19:40.000 of oxygen, the result is a tar that can be 0:19:40.040 --> 0:19:44.399 put into soaps, lotions, foams, other kinds of topical applications. 0:19:44.840 --> 0:19:49.240 And actually why tars sometimes work on poriasis is not 0:19:49.960 --> 0:19:53.600 still super well understood. But coal tar, as we know 0:19:53.640 --> 0:19:57.400 from Rena's story is still recommended today by the American 0:19:57.440 --> 0:20:00.439 Academy of Dermatologists, and the best that we can tell 0:20:01.000 --> 0:20:04.480 is that these tars slow down skin cell growth, which 0:20:04.520 --> 0:20:08.240 can reduce the severity of the plaques that often accompany pariasis. 0:20:09.160 --> 0:20:13.200 But these are, after all products that also have industrial uses, 0:20:13.240 --> 0:20:16.600 so they are not necessarily gentle. Side effects can be 0:20:16.720 --> 0:20:19.919 very serious, including in some people an increased risk of 0:20:19.960 --> 0:20:23.960 certain cancers, and some people, such as anyone who's pregnant, 0:20:24.359 --> 0:20:27.560 is not recommended to use these kinds of treatments. So Rena, 0:20:27.840 --> 0:20:29.960 I was a little bit shocked that the ancient Greeks 0:20:29.960 --> 0:20:32.600 were like, yes, let's put pine tar on people. I 0:20:32.720 --> 0:20:35.440 didn't know until working on this show that people were 0:20:35.440 --> 0:20:37.639 still using col tar, and you are an example of 0:20:37.640 --> 0:20:40.520 that today. Did you know that pine tar was in 0:20:40.560 --> 0:20:41.000 the mix? 0:20:41.680 --> 0:20:42.800 I had no clue. 0:20:42.960 --> 0:20:45.440 I am I'm shocked, but I have used pine tar, 0:20:46.040 --> 0:20:47.200 which is interesting. 0:20:47.240 --> 0:20:48.960 I feel like someone gave it to me because I 0:20:49.000 --> 0:20:51.120 did have it. You know what, people are always like, hey, 0:20:51.160 --> 0:20:52.360 if you tried, does have you tried? 0:20:52.400 --> 0:20:55.560 That's I'm shocked, like an old wives remedy that they're like, 0:20:55.600 --> 0:20:58.760 I prepared some Yeah, apparently they're going all the way 0:20:58.760 --> 0:21:03.480 back to Hippocrates. With that, you also mentioned some light 0:21:03.560 --> 0:21:06.520