Meet Dr. Renee Thomason
My name is Dr. Renee Thomason, and my purpose is to uplift women who suffer from chronic skin conditions. I established the Mind-Gut Skin Academy with the intention of assisting women in achieving optimal gut and skin wellness. By providing customized guidance, utilizing holistic approaches, and offering empathetic assistance, my goal is to motivate and lead you towards harnessing the healing capabilities of your gut microbiome. This process involves nourishing your body internally and reclaiming the inherent glow of your skin. Together, we can embark on a transformative journey towards enduring wellness, where the vitality of your skin and inner balance harmoniously intertwine.
Let Me Tell You My Story
If you’re struggling with your skin health, I know firsthand what you’re going through. In fact, I’ve been through it myself.
I was diagnosed with alopecia areata at the tender age of 8 years old. AA is an autoimmune condition where my body attacks my hair follicles and causes hair loss. My condition has many “treatments”, but there is no cure.
Being diagnosed with alopecia as a youth was hard. I describe my journey with alopecia as an “emotional roller coaster” full of ups and downs because I never knew if I would wake up with a new patch of hair loss or when my hair would grow back. When my hair started falling out, the only thing I wanted to do was hide it. All the way through my teen years and into young adulthood, I wore wigs every day in order to cover up my hair loss. I was constantly terrified that people would learn the truth about my condition and that they’d reject me because of it. I couldn’t even stand to look at myself in a mirror without a wig on.
The shame about my body led me into a downward spiral. I started overeating as an emotional comfort technique. I went up and down in my weight (yo-yo dieting)– I’d crash diet and lose some of the extra weight, then binge eat and gain it all back. My health slowly deteriorated. I developed prediabetes and high cholesterol due to destructive habits and underlying inflammation, even though I was only in my 20s. I even started having stomach problems.
My Life Changed...
As a doctor, I’ve seen how common this type of situation is when people feel shame about their bodies. The anxiety leads them to respond in unhealthy ways, which makes their health situation even worse, especially if they are living with a chronic skin condition. Maybe you’ve experienced this yourself. It’s easy to feel trapped in a cycle and to feel as if there is no way out.
That’s how I felt in my early 20s, but then something happened that changed my life. My son was born. I looked at myself through his eyes and I knew that this wasn’t the type of life I wanted him to experience. I wanted to see him become vibrant and confident, ready to show the world his true authentic self, but that wasn’t the example I was setting at all. I was trapped in shame and slowly killing myself through bad habits, chronic inflammation, and a poor mindset.
The thought of being the best I can be for him was the push I needed to change my life. I set out to learn everything I could about health and wellness, especially about skin health and autoimmunity. As I learned more, I started to make changes in my life. My health started to improve, which helped me to feel better – and when I felt better, I could make better choices. I was now on an upward spiral instead of a downward one. I stopped hiding and started to show my true self proudly to the world, hair loss and all. Far from being the nightmare I had feared, showing my authenticity was an empowering experience. Rather than being rejected, I got a lot of positive feedback from others.
I Want to Help Other Women
I went to medical school to learn more about health. I wanted to know everything I could about the human body, and I also wanted to help people like me who felt trapped in a cycle of shame (proud to become the first doctor in my family). Although I gained a lot of very useful knowledge about the body and how it works, I also saw firsthand the shortcomings of the current medical system. Doctors very commonly ignored crucial factors, like nutrition, sleep, and mindset. I’d seen the scientific evidence proving the importance of these factors for skin health and had experienced just how powerful they could be in my own life. For some reason, traditional medicine was just completely leaving those important factors out of the equation.
The transformation that I’d experienced in my life was profound; I wanted others to have the same experience. I wanted to help other women with skin conditions learn about all of the ways they could support their own health to regain their vitality and feel great in their bodies again. I went on a mission to support other women with skin conditions through their own transformational journeys.
If you’re suffering from a chronic inflammatory skin condition, feeling stuck and like there’s no way out, I want you to know that you’re not alone. I felt exactly the same way, but fortunately, I found a way to transform my skin health and my life! I’d love to offer you a roadmap to help you experience the profound transformation that I know is possible for you too.
Let's Get to Know Each Other
My consultations aim to educate and empower you in managing your chronic skin condition holistically. Each consultation lasts approximately 30 minutes, allowing ample time for a thorough discussion of symptoms, concerns, and personalized recommendations. Please note that these consultations are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.