Keira Barr, MD - More Than Skin Deep: The Brain-Body Connection, Fatigue & Finding Calm - D2

Your skin and your nervous system are, in Dr. Keira Barr's words, embryologic twins: they grow from the same tissue and talk to each other your whole life. In this conversation with Dr. Kara Wada, the double board-certified dermatologist reframes Sjögren's skin symptoms (dryness, rashes, itch) as more than surface problems: they are a window into what the nervous system is carrying, and a doorway into calming it. Together they trace how stress shows up on the skin, why the skin has its own stress-response machinery capable of producing cortisol and inflammatory signals locally, and how itch, poor sleep, and quick-fix coping loops feed each other. Dr. Barr also brings the conversation to what nervous-system regulation actually means (it is capacity, not calm), why touch is the fastest safety signal we have, and how self-compassion and even grief belong in chronic-illness care. What you will take away The skin is both a target and a source of the stress response: it runs its own version of the HPA axis, so calming the system can calm the skin. Sleep is the biggest needle-mover for skin and hair health: melatonin is one of the body's most potent antioxidants, and poor sleep measurably raises the risk of stress-related hair loss. Regulation is not about staying zen. It is having the capacity to meet the moment, and a hand on your chest is a fast, free way to send your system a safety cue. The cycles that keep us stuck (itch, lost sleep, sugar, scrolling) are intelligent coping strategies, and they change through small one-degree shifts, not overnight overhauls. About Dr. Barr Dr. Keira Barr is a double board-certified dermatologist and dermatopathologist and the founder of the Center for Mind Skin Medicine. After twenty years of conventional practice and her own health unraveling, she developed the Somatic Skincare method, teaching women to read what their skin is signaling and move their bodies out of the stress states that keep it inflamed. She is the bestselling author of The Skin Whisperer and has been featured in Vogue and Oprah Magazine. Not registered yet? If you want to join the conversation live, July 16 to 18, 2026, register for the free Virtual Sjögren's Summit: https://sjogrenssummit.com Connect with Dr. Barr Website: https://drkeirabarr.com Instagram:   / drkeirabarr   LinkedIn:   / keirabarr   Facebook:   / drkeirabarr   Chapters 0:00 Welcome: skin and nervous system, embryologic twins 4:07 What Sjögren's skin symptoms reveal 8:07 Itch, hives, sleep, and quality of life 12:11 Stress, sleep, and hair loss 16:11 Co-regulation and the attuned other 20:11 Ventral vagal: rest and digest 24:11 The body as protector and ally 32:13 Touch: the first safety signal 36:13 Movement as medicine 40:18 Self-compassion and kindness 44:19 Grief in chronic illness 48:20 Learning new patterns 52:22 Practical tools and one-degree shifts This session is educational and does not take the place of individual medical advice. Please bring what resonates to the care team who helps you manage your health.