Health Podcast: Winter Sunscreen; Smiling is Contagious; Vegan Hair Loss

In this episode we feature:

An interview with dermatologist Dr. Stacy Chimento.

The Light Emotion Connection

Tai Chi: The balance miracle

You are not washing your hands long enough!

And more ways you can improve your health today!

Stream the John Tesh Sports Album now. Available on all platforms.

For more information, and to sign up for our private coaching, visit tesh.com

Our Hosts:
John Tesh: Instagram: @johntesh_ifyl facebook.com/JohnTesh
Gib Gerard: Instagram: @GibGerard facebook.com/GibGerard X: @GibGerard

Episode Transcript

Unknown (00:00):
Gib. Hello and welcome to another episode of the

(00:10):
podcast. I'm Gib Gerard herewith another special
intelligence for your healthedition of the podcast, Connie's
guest this week isdermatologist Dr Stacy shemento.
She'll explain why it'simportant to wear sunscreen even
in the winter. So stay tuned forthat here, of course, without
further ado, is intelligence foryour health. With Connie Celica,
science has proven that smilesare contagious. According to the

(00:34):
Journal of BehavioralNeuroscience, the amount we
smile during a conversation issignificantly influenced by how
much the other person smiles.
For the study, participants hadface to face conversations,
while researchers used softwareto figure out the amount of
smiling during theconversations, and they found

(00:56):
that when listeners smiled more,the people speaking tended to
smile more too. The study alsofound that the more a person
smiled, the friendlier they werethought to be, and the more both
people enjoyed the conversation.
So if you want someone to smile,smile yourself, do you have to
keep a fan on at night to helpyou sleep? Or a noise machine? A

(01:16):
lot of people say they'readdicted to white noise for good
sleep. Well, according todoctors and sleep experts, there
are a few reasons we may neednoise to sleep, and it's not
necessarily a bad thing. It canhelp with anxiety, because
silence can make a person's mindrace. So having some background
noise can be calming, leaving afan on or a noise machine can

(01:39):
help people with ADHD. That'sbecause people with ADHD often
find that steady sounds helpthem focus and relax, and a
little noise at night can helppeople feel less alone. It can
be helpful for people who havelost their partner, are living
on their own for the first time,or are extroverted and just like
having other people around, ifyou want to eliminate disease

(02:03):
causing germs on your hands,especially after using the
bathroom or a gas pump, you mustwash up for a minimum of 15 to
20 seconds. But most of us washfor only about six seconds. A
lot of us don't even bother touse soap. It's no wonder that
improper hand washingcontributes to half of all cases
of foodborne illness. Again, ifyou want to be germ free, wash

(02:26):
your hands for a minimum of 15to 20 seconds with soap. More
younger people between the agesof 20 and 50 are complaining
about memory problems fromlosing their train of thought to
struggling to retain newinformation. Dr Gary small is
the chair of psychiatry atHackensack University Medical

(02:48):
Center in New Jersey. He thinksthat memory problems have grown
due to increased stress andexploding technology use,
because these days we have toremember all kinds of random
things like web addresses,usernames, passwords, security
codes and pins, and our memorydidn't evolve to hang on to

(03:08):
seemingly random informationlike that. Elizabeth Kessinger
is a psychology professor whostudies memory at Boston
College. She agrees she doesn'tthink that our memory skills
have declined. Instead, shethinks we're inundated with
mental junk like social mediaand emails, and that mental
clutter makes our brains workharder to keep track of things

(03:31):
that are actually important. Sohow can we stay sharp with so
much mental junk to siftthrough, aside from exercising
and getting enough sleep controlyour stress. In experiments,
when people were injected withthe stress hormone, their
memories were immediatelyimpaired, but the effect is
temporary, so find ways tocontrol your stress and your

(03:53):
memory will likely improve.
Okay, listen to this if you havetrouble reaching your goals,
write them down, like lose fivepounds, then date it and put it
on your fridge or bathroommirror. Researchers from the
University of Scranton inPennsylvania found making a
pledge, even if we're the onlyone who sees it, makes us feel

(04:16):
more committed, and that gets usfrom the thinking about it,
stage to the taking actionstage, and makes us 10 times
more likely to reach our goal.
So to reach a goal, write itdown, date it and put it
somewhere. You'll see it all thetime. Today, our guest is board
certified dermatologist, DrStacy shemento. She says about
one in five North Americans willdevelop skin cancer at some

(04:40):
point, which is why we're alwaystold to wear sunscreen any time
we go out in the sun. It's oneof the easiest ways to prevent
skin cancer, but most peoplethink that rule only applies in
the summer, when we're mostlikely to be outside. So I asked
Dr chimento Why it's alsoimportant to wear sunscreen
when. When the weather getscold,

(05:01):
it's very funny. Kind of you saythat? Because I get this
question all the time, becauseeven though I live in sunny
Miami, where it's always hot,but a lot of my snowbirds, you
know, they ask me this question,and I'll tell you the real
reason why is, number one, theozone layer is so much thinner
when it's cold, so that's whyyou actually have less
protection from the sun. So eventhough the winter outside is

(05:24):
colder, your skin may actuallybe absorbing more of those
ultraviolet rays. So you know itis definitely necessary at all
times when you're outdoors,regardless of the time again,
whether you're in a warm weatheror really cold weather,
sunscreen is absolutelynecessary.
Today we're talking toDermatologist, Dr Stacy

(05:45):
shemento, and since we alwayshear that wearing sunscreen is
the most effective way toprevent skin cancer, one might
assume that cancer cells onlyform in areas that have direct
exposure to UV rays from thesun. But the reality is, skin
cancer can crop up anywhere onthe body. So I asked Dr chimento
Why it's possible to get skincancers even in areas that never

(06:08):
see sunlight.
So just a quick little brief youknow, there's three types of
skin cancers. You have, basalcell carcinoma, squamous cell
carcinoma and melanoma. We allknow that melanoma is pretty
much and that is the deadly formof skin cancer that you really
should worry about. However,with basal cells and squamous
cells, sometimes with squamouscell carcinoma, you can find it

(06:29):
in places that you would neverthink. Some people that are more
predisposed to this could begenetics. Whether your mom and
dad had a history of having alot of skin cancers, you're more
prone to them if you have hadmultiple blistering sunburns,
you know, less than 18 yearsold, you're also more prone to
that. And we do know that withtanning bed history, which is

(06:49):
pretty much was very common backin the 90s, and two, you know,
new decade that you know, we'reseeing a higher incidence of
melanoma. But for instance, withsquamous cell patients that have
had extensive burn history orradiation from cancer. Patients
also that are predisposed orimmunocompromised or

(07:09):
immunosuppressed, they're moreprone to developing certain skin
cancers, again, areas that couldbe very not exposed to sun, in
places like the short area. Manypatients are getting skin
cancers there.
The light in the room can affectyour mood. The brighter the
light, the stronger youremotions will be. That's

(07:30):
according to research from theUniversity of Toronto. So keep
the lights bright if you want totell your partner how much you
love them, but dim the lights ifyou're arguing. Today's medical
term cervical radiculopathy,that's a fancy way of describing
a pinched nerve. Pinched nervescan occur anywhere in the body.
When something puts too muchpressure on one of your nerves,

(07:53):
most often it's the surroundingbones, muscles or tendons, that
do the pinching, like whenyou've been sitting in one
position for too long, thatcauses your gluteal muscles to
compress the sciatic nervesrunning down the back of your
legs. And as you probably know,when nerves get pinched, it
almost always triggers pain or atingling pins and needles

(08:15):
sensation. And the longer thepinch lasts, the higher your
risk for permanent nerve damage.
It's one reason why the MayoClinic recommends seeing a
doctor about any unexplainedsymptoms of a pinched nerve that
do not resolve quickly, becausethat tingling or pain you feel
could be the result of aninternal injury, arthritis or
even an early warning sign ofdiabetes, because high sugar

(08:37):
levels in your blood are knownto increase the risk for nerve
damage, and that's today'smedical term cervical
radiculopathy, also known as apinched nerve to boost your
immune system. Take up drumming.
Neurologist Dr Barry Bittmanfound that drummers have higher

(08:57):
levels of immune system,boosting T cells, higher levels
of endorphins and lower bloodpressure, which are linked to
better health and well being.
That's because it triggers socalled hemispheric
synchronization, where bothsides of the brain work at the
same time, and that allowspeople to feel two opposite
emotions simultaneously,energized and relaxed. So if

(09:18):
you're looking to feel good andboost your immunity, bang a
drum. If you de stress byspending time with your dog, you
are onto something. A new studyfrom the University of
Saskatchewan finds thatinteracting with dogs can
strengthen your brain, givingyou increased energy and
positive emotions and a lowerrisk for memory loss, depending

(09:39):
on the type of interaction youhave. For the study, people
interacted with dogs in severaldifferent ways while having
their brains monitored. Theyplayed, fed, massaged, brushed,
photographed, hugged and walkeddogs and different activities
had different effects on.

(10:00):
Participants brain waves,playing and walking with a dog,
increased alpha brain waves,which has been linked with
improved memory, grooming andfeeding a dog, was linked with
beta brain waves, which isassociated with heightened
attention and concentration. Andhugging a dog activated a
relaxation response.
Participants also feltsignificantly less depressed,

(10:21):
stressed and fatigued. Thismeans that you can select pet
related activities to help youachieve a desired brain state,
whether that's relaxation,increased attention and
concentration, or less stress.
Okay, listen to this. If you'reprone to dizziness or vertigo,
take up Tai Chi. The New YorkEye and Ear Infirmary says

(10:44):
patients who practiced tai chifor two months had improved
symptoms. It works through acombination of improved balance,
cardiovascular function and morestable walking and even if you
don't have problems withdizziness, Tai Chi is
recommended by the NationalInstitutes of Health for
everyone from cancer survivorsto patients battling

(11:05):
Fibromyalgia to people withchronic heart failure and
depression, because it improvesmuscle tone balance and reduces
pain back with more healthintelligence from board
certified dermatologist, DrStacey chimento, and if you Want
the healthiest possible skin.
She says a growing body ofresearch shows it helps to have
a healthier diet, particularlyone that's low in sugar. So I

(11:27):
asked Dr chimento To explain whysugary diets tend to be bad for
our skin.
We now know that sugar in excessis never a good thing. I mean,
even for people that you candevelop diabetes or blood
pressure, but we now know from adermatological and esthetic
perspective that sugar is not agood thing. A high glycemic

(11:51):
diet, we know can lead to thingssuch as acne, so you can get
more breakouts, but we do knowthat it causes a very
significant inflammatoryresponse in the body, and not
just in the body, but it doesshow in the skin itself. So when
you increase this inflammation,then you can start seeing those
pesky things that we hate, suchas redness, dark circles under

(12:13):
the eyes. It definitely withbaggy eyes, is highly associated
with dehydration and also thesagging skin can basically come
from sugar working on thereceptors and certain components
within the actual dermis of theskin. And then you get damaged
elastin, which is that snap backin the skin. So then you're
creating more wrinkles than youever had before,

(12:35):
more health intelligence fromDermatologist, Dr Stacy
shemento, and when it comes todo it yourself. Treatments,
something that's been making acomeback in recent years is
people trying to get rid oftheir under eye bags by applying
Preparation H. Is something youmay have heard about on social
media, and I asked Dr chimentoWhy people are doing this.

(12:57):
The reason why is because whenyou apply preparation age. It
does help to decrease theinflammation, and because that's
what it is, it's basically a 1%hydrocortisone cream, which is a
steroid cream that's really usedto, you know, to improve the
itching or pain or inflammationassociated with hemorrhoids. But
people have taken another beautystep, and they're applying it

(13:19):
under the eyes. Yes, it could bea great quick fix, because it
constricts the blood vessels sothe eye looks less red. You see
less lymphatic buildup, lessinflammation, so you get a
temporary fix the problem or theside effects. Could, you know,
really outweigh the risk ofusing this even temporarily,

(13:41):
things like steroids can surelythin out the skin and over
repeated usage, then you lookactually worse than you've ever
did, because it's going todecrease that collagen
production and elastin, soyou're more prone to getting
wrinkles and not to mention longterm usage can lead to things
like glaucoma and cataracts,which could be very devastating.
Okay, we don't want to berubbing steroids under our eyes

(14:04):
and potentially hurting ourvision. What do you recommend
for treating under eye bags?
Well, I mean, some of the easythings we can do, you know,
putting a little cool compress.
There's nothing wrong withgetting a little nice, little
beauty ice pack and kind ofputting it on the eye and kind
of let it sit for about five or10 minutes at a time, that will
constrict those blood vessels soit's going to improve the
redness and also kind of flushout all those toxins and

(14:27):
lymphatics and inflammation. Andthat's very easy to do, but
rather than go with some ofthese, I say Tiktok hacks, or do
it yourself hacks, I think thebetter approach is to maybe
invest in a very nice eye creamthat can also help to reduce
inflammation in a more naturaland safe manner, and give you
the extra benefit of improvingthe eye for fine lines and

(14:48):
wrinkles, lymphatics and darkcircles as well.
If you have 60 seconds, you canimprove your health just do a
plank. Dr Sherry pigado is. Aprofessor of medicine at the
University of MassachusettsMedical School, she says, planks
target your abs and your lowerback, strengthening your core

(15:09):
and making your spine morestable. That will help you avoid
injuries and pain if you can'thold a plank for a minute at
first try 20 seconds, and workyour way up more intelligence
for your health fromdermatologist Dr Stacy chimento.
And according to the latestdata, about one in eight people
worldwide already follow avegetarian or vegan diet, and

(15:31):
half of us say we've consideredmaking the switch at some point.
Of course, there are many healthbenefits to eating only plant
based foods, but Dr schimentosays one potential drawback is
that you may start experiencingsignificant hair loss.
Having a vegan diet, it's notgoing to directly cause hair
loss, but a lot of patients willcome in complaining of a lot of

(15:53):
hair shedding, which we calltelogen effluvium. You know, the
hair is so sensitive, and I doput that is in the actual
category of the skin itself,because, again, the hair is
meant to be a protection for ourscalp. So you know, a lot of
times when you're vegan, yourdiet is actually lacking to
specific nutrients. Your bodyneeds protein, it needs iron, it

(16:17):
needs zinc. So a lot of timeswith vegan diets. These are the
three components that we seethat they're having a
deficiency. So whether you do asupplementation for that to
augment your current diet,that's always advisable. And you
know, a lot of times whenpatients start adding in these
supplements back into the diet,they will see that the hair

(16:37):
shedding itself will alsolessen. Obviously, you know,
patients that don't have thesespecific nutrients, you know,
the skin, again, needs aminoacids and needs very good
nutrients in order for it tobasically be healthy and to
thrive. So it's okay to have youknow, of course, it's okay to be
vegan, but again, it's just tomake sure that you're getting

(17:00):
the proper nutrition that yourskin and your hair needs
if you have a problem and you'renot sure what to do about it,
climb some stairs. According tothe journal Scientific Reports,
climbing just three flights ofstairs improves creative
thinking, and it enables peopleto come up with 60% more
solutions. That's becausecarefully placing your feet on

(17:21):
the next step activates thebrain's prefrontal cortex.
That's the brain region involvedin planning and problem solving.
So you'll come up with moreimaginative ideas and be more
able to switch between them morequickly. Here's an email I
received at Connie atintelligence for your health.com
It comes from Gabrielle Perez,who writes, do you have a home

(17:43):
remedy for a stuffy nose? Oh, Ido. Gabrielle, try eucalyptus
oil. Researchers at the ClaytonCollege of Natural Health say
eucalyptus oil fights stuffynoses and sore throats because
it's a natural anti inflammatoryand expectorant, which means it
loosens phlegm and soothes apainful sore throat. So try this

(18:05):
warm a damp washcloth in themicrowave for a few seconds,
then squeeze on a drop ofeucalyptus oil, which you can
get at a health food store,bring it to your face and
inhale. You can do that dailywhen you're fighting a cold or
allergies. Thank you for youremail. Gabrielle, I hope this
helps. Okay, listen to this.
Anytime is a good time toexercise, but if you find it

(18:25):
hard to exercise consistently,plan your workouts for the
morning, because a new study inthe journal exercise and sports
sciences reviews found morningworkouts are the most likely to
become a regular habit thatboosts fitness and weight loss.
When scientists reviewed data on1000s of overweight adults, they
found those who exercised in themorning were the least likely to

(18:49):
get sidetracked and cancel aworkout, say because something
came up or they just felt tired.
The latest research is clear, ifwe want to add years to our
lives, then we should be doingmore activities that tap into
our artistic and creative side,that includes writing,
scrapbooking, doodling andtaking pictures. University of

(19:12):
Rochester researchers say one ofthe things people who live the
longest have in common is takingopportunities to be creative
human development professor DrNicholas turiano says creativity
uses a variety of neuralpathways in the brain, which is
why it keeps us sharp. On top ofthat, creative people are also
better at handling stressbecause they have an outlet for

(19:35):
it. Being creative is a greatway to sidestep our stressors
and re channel our energy in aproductive way. More
intelligence for your healthfrom Dermatologist, Dr Stacy
shemento. If you'd like to knowmore about her, you can follow
her on Instagram. Her handlethere is Dr Stacy shemento,
underscore, CP, and her lastname is spelled C, H, I, M, E N,

(19:59):
T. CEO, and in the past year,the American Society of Plastic
Surgeons reported nearly 5million cosmetic procedures
involving injectables likeBotox. And Nowadays it seems
like you can get Botox anywhere,including at the dentist or a
day spa. So I asked Dr chimentofor some guidance on the safest

(20:19):
people to turn to if you areconsidering getting an
injectable.
That's actually a very greatquestion. Connie and I mean,
obviously I'm biased, becauseI'm a dermatologist, but I
always say, I always think it'sbest to actually seek a board
certified dermatologist or evena board certified plastic
surgeon for more invasiveprocedures, particularly if

(20:42):
you're doing things to yourface. So things such as
neurotoxins or injectablefillers, should be sought out by
professionals that have hadextensive training in these
subjects. As dermatologists, wehave had, you know, five plus
years training on all of thesevarious injectables. And we know

(21:02):
the skin better than anyoneelse. What I always say, you
know, there's a lot of greatinjectors with the surge and
esthetic world. There's a lot ofmedi spas and other providers
that are doing injectables. Andthere's some great, you know,
injectors. The issue that itcomes down to is that when you
do these injectables, and you doenough of them, you will have a

(21:23):
complication. Everyone will havea complication at some point.
And so it's important to go witha provider that can manage the
complication quickly and theyknow what to do. And a lot of
these providers are notextensively trained in this, nor
are they extensively trained infacial anatomy or body anatomy,
particularly with bodycontouring. So it's important to

(21:45):
really, you know, vet yourprovider, find out what they're
capable of, get theircertification, and just to make
sure that if there's acomplication, you're in good
hands.
That's it for our show today,our special intelligence for
your health with Connie Selig.
Edition of the podcast, I'm GibGerard. Don't forget to rate
comment and subscribe on Applepodcast. Spotify, wherever you
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(22:05):
reach out to us on social media.
All of our links are listed downin the show notes. We try to
respond to every DM, everymention of the show, because
ultimately, we do the show foryou guys. So thank you so much
for listening. You.