I had the immense pleasure to interview the World Leading Naturopathic Doctor, Author, & supplement Queen - Dr. Nigma Talib. As a wellness and skin junkie this was one of my favorite interviews! Enjoy!

Hi Dr. Nigma, I am so happy... Hello! how are you?... I am good, thank you. 

You are also known for your face mapping, which I love; because every area of your face is so different. Please tell us what face mapping is, and how do you start with your clients when they first visit you...

Yes, the face mapping comes from traditional Chinese medicine and an Ayurvedic model, which came from India. If you think of the skin, and the health of the skin is the window to the health of the body. That is your barometer, and like the dashboard in your car; so when you are low in gas, it will tell you that you are low on gas - and I need to fill up the gas tank. Those type of things tell us what we need to do. 

So our face is the first thing that people see. If you have the darkness under the eyes, puffiness, pigmentation, or acne; again the mask that we are all wearing are contributing to these issues. Also in these areas it is also hormonal upsets, there are many different ways that you can look at people’s skin.

I do have this bad habit of walking down the street and looking at people and thinking, ‘that person eats a lot of sugar’, ‘that person eats a lot of dairy’...I have started calling them my dairy face in my mind... Ahahaha..Ahahahaha..I am like I have to stop because that is too mean. But I wish I could tell them to stop eating these foods, because these people are so beautiful - yet these foods are causing the puffiness and this inflammation.

So people focus on putting make-up on, even skin care, instead of focusing on the inside of what is actually causing that. Then you will need less of everything once you fix the inside. That is so true, I feel like Dr. Nigma if you gave them that advice they would appreciate it. Ahahaha, well I am new to the States so I am being on my best behavior. 

We know that the UV damages the skin, blue light damages the skin, so I wanted to combine ingredients that no one was using. Like vitamin F, plant stem cells, and snail peptides. It wasn't the peptides from the actual snail, we mimicked the peptides that are found in snail mucous. We took those peptides and it is synthetic, but synthetic does not always mean bad. We typically associate synthetic with - oh its bad, and we associate natural with - oh that is great. We just mimicked those peptides and put them in the serum; the hyaluronic acid; the plant stem cells; and the vitamin F. 

Then I published an article in the Journal of  Cosmetology talking about the efficacy of plant stem cells, and sunscreen. Just using sunscreen alone is not going to protect your skin, you need something else in there like plant stem cells that are going to actually protect the skin. I created this elixir serum and when you use it once you will see a huge difference. That is what I love about it, and once I got the template I knew that people would love it and if they don't there was something seriously wrong.  

Yes, I know because I am in front of my computer a lot, and if I feel a little dryness I will dab a little on around my eyes. Of course I use it at night as well. Often when I am working at my computer, when I have washed my face I slather it on. It literally works, and you do not need a lot of it to work... I also put it on my lips to plump them up. It is amazing and an immediate plumper (for the lips). Oh I will have to try that. I found it on Shani Darden’s website, and it said No.1 Serum. I was like oh I have to try this, because who doesn't want No.1?

Ahahaha...yes! No.1, or No.2, right? Yes, my favorite slogan when I created it was - I created the No.1 Serum but I talk about people going No.2 all the time. Seriously, because the first thing that I always ask someone...what do your bowel movements look like. Because that is going to tell me everything that is happening inside of their body. You have such confidence to even ask that question, and with a straight face...

Yeah! I know....the thing is people are really good, because they will say...’ I am going to pay more attention to that’. People do not pay attention to what is coming out. And the next time they see me they are like, ‘Dr. Nigma I paid attention! and this is what is coming out and now I am concerned, and I want to do something about it’.  So I think it is important to know your body and look at patterns, especially bowel movement patterns.

Well, really simple things like...chew your food slowly because your digestion starts in your mouth.  Don't eat on the run, don't grab food from your children's tray, eat it, and think that you have had a meal. Sit down, and don't eat when you're angry; because it causes an increase in the sympathetic nervous system. Which then causes mal-digestion. The other thing is that of course you want to increase those greens, but you want to steam those greens - because they can cause more bloating when they are raw. When things are warm it is easier to digest and the body can break it down. So just think anything warm is easier to digest, than something cold and raw. 

Those type of basic things, then of course the avoidance of the things that we know that we need to avoid. And we are in denial sometimes, but I have been really good lately. Except I went to a baby shower yesterday and I had a little dairy, and it was an Indian ice cream there which I could not resist. It is my favorite, so I had a couple of bites. The thing is to not restrict yourself but to empower yourself. To say ‘okay this is not good for me because this is going to cause, this and this’.

What would you say for someone that has started changing their diet, what they are eating, and still have not seen much of a difference - because we are an immediate gratification society... Yes!...  They might have hormonal acne, discoloration, etc...what would you suggest, or what would be that one stop shop... 

Well we know that gluten, sugar, dairy, and wine...those are the four culprits of imbalance microbiome, and causing hormonal issues. Whatever is happening in your gut is going to effect your hormones, that is how you need to think about it. Your hormones greatly get eliminated through your bowels, as well through urinating, and sweating it out. What is important to know is that you should start with the foundation - the gut. I have been talking about the importance of the gut health for like 20 years since I graduated from naturopathic school, so I am happy that it is now sexy to talk about gut health - poop. 

That is why I wrote the book, people have to understand that it is not like this topical thing that you can put on, it starts in our gut. Of course topical is important, but imagine you are doing your diet and using good topical - you are totally laughing!. 

So anyone listening to this at home, practice on eating foods that make you feel good. All of us know, myself included, when we eat something that is not good for us we get bloated, we get a belly, we get tired, maybe a rash, or the darkness under the eye. Or puffiness in the eyelids, these are all signs that maybe we are eating things that maybe our bodies do not like.

Then lets talk about your supplements, is it better to use them in tandem with your Serum...what do you suggest for someone that is a newbie...

Good question...we can not get all of our nutrients from our diet alone. You could say that maybe twenty years ago that we could get everything from our diet, but now - no. So now if we measure our soil we are lacking in Selenium, we are lacking in so many different nutrients that we absolutely need. 

I believe that we need nutritional supplements, and once you give them to patients you see such an immediate improvement in how they feel. Because these deficiencies can cause gut problems. They cause your skin to be dry, red, have acne issues...and vitamin A is the most least talked about, underrated vitamin. It is the main vitamin that aids the skin in not being dry. How many people do you know that have dry skin?...A lot of my friends, it is like they cannot drink enough water to not have dry skin.

Its not water, it is not water, because if you drink too much water you are going to dehydrate yourself. You need electrolytes to mix in the water. And that is why I created The Beauty Collagen Cocktail, that is one that I will talk about first, because it has electrolytes in it. When you charge and polarize water you are actually increasing the amount of absorption, fluid going into the cells. 

It is not just going right through you and you are peeing it out, and going to the toilet five to six times a day; or bloating up. I put collagen in there which is the best collagen in the world. It is from the South of France, it increases collagen synthesis, and helps with gut repair. It is incredible how it moisturizes the skin from within. Then I also put probiotics in there, which I love, it is the special DDS1 strain which survives the gastric acid in the colon in general - which means it is stable. Then I put about 15mg of COQ10, you can't even get a bottle of COQ10 for under $40.00 for 50mg of COQ10. It is incredible...I literally made the most expensive product that you could make and I priced it as low as possible. So for what it contains, and the quality of the ingredients you have priced it where it is accessible for everyone... Yes, it has AMLA in it, Cumin, it is an incredible product that I created.

I have had many people ask me why would I create such an expensive product, why not just put a little of those ingredients in the product, and then market. My response was, and is that... I have to do what I would do, and want to use; because I am really picky. So I created this Beauty Cocktail and it is amazing, and you just take one sachet a day. You can get it at Nordstrom and Saks as well. 

It was truly wonderful to speak with the Nordstrom staff about the supplements. I was in there a couple of days ago...and they said that there are women that are at Nordstrom first thing in the morning to get their supplements before they leave.

People are crazy about the supplements, and that makes me feel really great. I wanted to create a product that was really good,  that people look, and feel optimal. Collagen is such an unsung hero for anti-aging, I know that my mom looks super young, and I asked her ...and she said Collagen. She first used your Serum, then your supplements; so she was the one that turned me onto your products. And I pretty much just steal her things. And she said that it is life changing, and never runs out. I tell you listen to mom, she knows what is going on.

My last question...I know that you are super swamped with your Healthy Doc clinics, your supplements, so how do you find time to stay so zen...

I now only have a clinic in Los Angeles, I have closed my other clinics. However, I do still work with my colleague in New York, Dr. Keith Berkowitz and we consult on patients’ cases; because we are both so excited about integrative medicine. Where we integrate both professions. I manage to change my life somewhat, I don't take on new patients anymore unless they are from a doctor or another patient referral. I am learning to say no, but I will never say no to a patient so I will do anything to help a patient. I do realize that I have to put the oxygen on me first and take if off of me, so there is enough of me to take care of others.  

I know that I can take care of people better when I am at my optimal. It is about self-preservation. I feel like I am almost there. Well I think that you are on your way from your instagram where I see you eating your salad from your garden, your whole energy is just so zen... oh my gosh! if you only knew. I can be quite be manic.

I try to do about twelve  minutes a day of Kriya meditation, and it is in my book as well; because I feel that when you are taking care of people you have to take care of yourself, and your mental energy as well.

I think that it is something that you have to learn over time, and I am almost 50 years old next year. 

Well you are definitely your best advertisement, because I would have never guessed that you were going to be 50 years old... You know I think if you think young you will be young. For me I have always taken nutritional supplements, but I have gone through my time of not eating well. I would order from deliveries in London while watching movies with a girlfriend, and that is a part of living. Like when you go to Rome you have to eat the pasta, but if eighty percent of the time you can make the fuel that you are putting in your body healthy - you are wining. 

Thank you, thank you from a skin junkie I could talk to your for hours - but I thank you. Thank you. I cannot wait to stock up on everything, if you cannot do the Serum No.1, you must get the supplements. Again, I sincerely thank you....thank you, and I am so happy that we got a chance to talk.