BGC, Philippines– We’ve always heard and read about it– how stress is the root cause of all kinds of illnesses. And yet we are still quite uninformed on how to manage stress in our lives, so we  can then at least improve our overall health and wellness, have a better relationship with ourselves, and start a path toward genuine healing.

“The  traditional Western medicine orientation that we’ve come to depend on for ages always offers symptom-based solutions only, so generally medical doctors are trained to give oral medication to address the patients’ concerns solely based on the obvious symptoms. And sometimes, that’s just it,” Dr. Nikita Kyla Talens, medical doctor, dermatologist and founder of Skin Philosophie Medical Aesthetic & Lifestyle Solutions, shared in an interview with STYLISH. 

“There’s nothing wrong with that, of course. However even if I studied and practiced medicine as a profession for years, I can say that in some cases, this approach could be just a band-aid solution. That’s why I dedicated my commitment to further educate myself about integrative and functional medicine, which can further complement my expertise in traditional Western medicine. This helps me treat my patients to greater extent through getting to the root cause of the problem.”

Having had her studies and training in Doctor in Medicine at the University of the Philippines- Philippine General Hospital in Manila from 2002 to 2008, Dr. Kyla then studied “Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice” and “Energy Advanced Practice“ at the Institute for Functional Medicine in Washington, USA. She believes many illnesses should not be addressed by simply providing oral medication or surgeries alone, but to also complement such with in-depth history-taking and holistic treatments through integrative approach in medicine.

“I came across this talk on Functional Medicine years ago, and then I studied about it in Washington, USA. Instead of looking only at the symptoms, Functional Medicine focuses on all the aspects of the health of the patient– be it mental, emotional, physical, social, occupational, and even spiritual health. With this kind of approach, there’s a lot of lifestyle changes that can entail, that we then teach or recommend to the patients. So it is not about just giving medicine prescriptions and then that’s it, and we’re done. With Functional Medicine, we truly get to the root cause of everything, and how we can treat and solve the problem from within so we can provide healing with long-term results.”  

Before taking up Medicine, Dr. Kyla first studied Bachelor of Science Major in Psychology as her pre-med at the University of the Philippines Diliman, wherein she finished as cum laude. She’s always been interested in the human mind and emotions, and empowering oneself. This may be the reason why after medical school, she decided to focus on aesthetic dermatology as her specialization. To acquire focused expertise in the field, she studied Diploma in Clinical Dermatology and Master of Science in Clinical Dermatology at Cardiff University in the United Kingdom from 2009 to 2011. She then took up Fellowship in Dermatologic Laser Surgery at Mahidol University- Ramathibodi Hospital in Thailand in 2011. After all, medical aesthetic and dermatology cover treatments that can bring out the best in one’s physical attributes, that can then elevate one’s self-image and self-esteem, which in a lot of ways, can lead to healing.

In 2012, she opened her very own clinic called Skin Philosophie Medical Aesthetic & Lifestyle Solutions. 

“ I put more heart into my practice by truly addressing the root cause of whatever concern my client shares with me– be it acne or hair loss. My approach is integrative medicine, which serves as a complementary approach to traditional Western medicine. This means I also focus on the complete lifestyle change from a mental, emotional, spiritual, occupational, social, and physical health standpoint. Our bodies are dynamic, and not just about the physical aspect. In my medical practice, we do a series of in-depth interviews so we can really understand everything we need to know about the mental, emotional, spiritual, occupational, social, and physical health of the patient. Because if treating our patients will always be just symptom-based only, then the patients may not experience long-term healing results, which I believe should stem from within.”

Dr. Nikita Kyla Talens, medical doctor, dermatologist and founder of Skin Philosophie Medical Aesthetic & Lifestyle Solutions

Skin Philosophie Medical Aesthetic & Lifestyle Solutions has allowed her to apply her advocacy on self-love, passion in psychology, and expertise in medicine under an enterprise. 

She hopes to tackle these same passions and fields of expertise on self-love and holistic healing, backed up by her wide experience in medicine, in her new podcast show titled “Evolving Pathways.”

“I want to discuss about how we can explore the pathways of the heart and mind, finding joy from within, transformation through inner alchemy, and shifting realities through inner self-work in our podcast show,” she said. “We are going to talk about our collection of useful wisdom that we picked up from different fields of knowledge. Inner self-love can be about shifting your reality by finding your own truth, and not just based on what the society expects of us.”

Dr. Kyla understands the journey, hardships and milestones of exploring the path to real self-love, as she herself suffered from insecurities and self-doubt, caused by having been diagnosed with dysthymia– also known as persistent depressive disorder.

“The biggest killer of the century is stress. And all sorts of illnesses, especially chronic diseases, come from stress. That’s why I believe that treating my patients should be about addressing what’s really bothering them from within– be it mental, emotional, social and more.”

“Because of my experiences with my clients at Skin Philosophie, I went back to my initial calling of an integrative type of dermatology and medicine. I’ve realized that it also went back to my own self-image and mental health struggles, whether dealing with my depression, or insecurities from acne. By healing other people, I am healing parts of myself.”

Advocating for inner healing and expansive treatment beyond the traditional medicine, Dr. Kyla also took up “Certification in HypnoTherapy” from Paul McKenna of Mind Valley.

From this study was when she met her podcast co-host, Ken-ken Somera, a certified hypnotherapist, neuro linguistic programming (NLP) Coach and sales and persuasion trainer.

Together, Dr. Kyla and NLP coach  Ken-ken will guide their listeners toward the path to real self-love backed up by various fields of sciences and studies in their podcast show.  

“To start your journey to self-love, it should start with recognition that you are not okay. It could be a physical symptom, a mental issue or an emotional imbalance– regardless of the red flag sign– it starts with awareness,” Dr. Kyla shared.

“It is okay to be vulnerable, when you know there is something going on inside of you. Just keep an open heart and mind to multiple possible solutions. Once you do your inner self-work, the higher self in you will lead you to the right path, and you will hear that voice when you learn to silence your mind, which I call our internal GPS.”

“Along the way, you should teach yourself to have self-compassion, and self-forgiveness, because that’s when it becomes easier to take the next steps toward self-love, and it is a process. It is important to know and accept that it could be a long process.” 

“Self-love is a long journey to self-healing, and it is a process of keeping focus on your objectives, which is to heal yourself and to forgive yourself. When you forgive yourself, you get to trace when and where there is a misstep or a delay of the outcome of your desire or journey. It will get easier to address that, and get to your destination,” she concluded.

The “Evolving Pathways” podcast show is on Spotify. You may also listen to it via YouTube at Soul Doctor Kyla channel.

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