About Bexi('s)
Dr. Bexi (Rebecca) Lobo, PhD: nutritional biologist and biochemist
living with Sjögren's (SHOW-grins) & dysautonomia (dis’-oughta-know’-me-uh)
I have really dry, sensitive skin and used to have eczema. From childhood, buying and using personal care products was like negotiating a minefield; I never knew what would cause a flare-up. The condition of my skin dictated my lifestyle; no makeup, no wool or acrylic clothing, limited social outings, no camping or athletic events. The questions would always be, "Will my skin be OK with this?" and "Do I want to deal with the concerned questions and gawking stares from people?"
Drugs provided temporary relief. Commercially available skincare products, such as Aquaphor, Vaseline and Eucerin, just made my skin oily, sticky and itchy, and worse, caused breakouts. Other products from Aveeno, Neutrogena, Mary Kay and Alba Botanica left my skin dry and itchy. Natural solutions suggested by doctors, such as oatmeal and saltwater baths and butter scrubs, were ineffective.
In graduate school I formally learned that metabolic pathways are complex and interconnected. I discovered that even slight modifications to nutrient structure very often have totally unpredictable, long-term effects on the body as a whole.
In science, we reduce and simplify metabolic pathways in order to understand them and, in so doing, we risk seeing only a part or parts of the picture, instead of the whole. I realised that our knowledge of the world around us is only as good as the technology and tools we use to analyse it; what we know is mainly determined by what we can detect and measure, which, when it comes to metabolism, is not that much. We are limited by the technology we are able to develop to detect biology and chemistry in action.
In 2018 I was diagnosed with Sjögren's Disease, a common, but rarely studied or diagnosed, systemic autoimmune condition. Left untreated, Sjogren's is severely debilitating and can be fatal. My dry, sensitive skin was one of the biggest symptoms of my Sjogren's. It took me 10 years to piece together the seemingly disparate symptoms and then diagnose myself. My doctors were focused on a microscopic view of whatever my current symptom happened to be, rather than taking a holistic, macroscopic approach affording a more accurate diagnosis.
I combined my knowledge and passions, pouring my energy into formulating scientific skin care products for exactly what my skin needed. Most importantly, as I paid more attention to my body, I developed a deeper connection with it.
I founded Bexi's Bespoke Revitalisation to share this different approach to skin care with you. Unlike conventional skincare products, my product line is made from high quality, nutrient-dense whole foods that relieve the allostatic load on your body and support your health. Bexi's skin care is dynamic and requires your active participation. Together, we identify what changes need to be made to revitalise your skin. Then we revitalise your skin by implementing those changes, some of which are resource intense. The revitalisation phase, though resource intense, is temporary, and once your skin is revitalised you will move into maintenance phase, which requires far fewer resources. So, rather than spending $50 a month on the same cream to address the same concern that never goes away, or spending hundreds of dollars and trying all kinds of products and making your skin worse, consider Bexi's, bespoke, revitalising, sustainable and economical...A different approach to skin care.
Schedule a free 15-minute skin care consultation with me.
BEXI('S) IN THE PRESS
CBS 13 - Northern California doctor creates directory to connect people living with hidden disabilities
Sacramento Valley SBDC - Dr. Bexi Lobo's new directory showcases businesses owned by people living with hidden disabilities
Bold Journey - Bexi's Bold Journey
Autoimmune Registry - I Have Sjogren's
CBS 13 - Davis woman looks to help other patients after struggling to find Sjogren's diagnosis
Davis Enterprise - Bexi's Blog contains all my monthly Davis Enterprise columns
American Chemistry Society (ACS) - Industry Matters, Innovation Zone Feature,
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VOLUNTEER & COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Editor, Designer, & Guest Blogger, Sjögren's Advocate - 2019-Present
Member, Sjögren's Foundation Walk for Sjögren's Fundraising Committee - 2020-2024
Vice President, Goa Sudharop, in collaboration with greenlight for girls - Hosted Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) workshops - 2016-2018
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RELEVANT SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS
Lobo RC, et al. Glucose Uptake and Intracellular pH in a Mouse Model of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) Suggests Metabolic Heterogeneity. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology 4 (6 Pt 1) - August, 2016
Lobo RC. One-carbon and glucose metabolism in human breast and mouse mammary cancers.
PhD Thesis, University of California, Davis - February, 2014
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RELEVANT SCIENTIFIC PRESENTATIONS
Lobo RC, et al. The Yin-Yang of Folate Supplementation and Cancer Risk: Testing a Biochemical Hypothesis in Breast Cancer Cells. Annual Graduate Group in Nutritional Biology Symposium, University of California, Davis - May, 2013
Lobo RC, et al. Development of stably transduced tetracycline inducible breast cancer cell lines for the study of one-carbon metabolism. Junior Investigators Mini-Symposium 2012, UC Davis Cancer Center, Sacramento, California - July, 2012
Lobo RC, et al. A Biochemical Hypothesis for the Effects of Folate Supplementation and Cancer Risk. Medical Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Retreat, University of California, Davis - September, 2012
Lobo RC, et al. Preliminary findings of a study of intracellular pH measurements in pre-cancer and cancer cells from a mouse mammary pre-cancer model of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS). Medical Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Retreat, University of California, Davis - September, 2012
Lobo RC, et al. Epigenetic mechanisms of folate nutrition in breast cancer. Era of Hope 2011, Orlando, Florida - August, 2011
Lobo RC, et al. Inhibition of DNMT1 with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine induces expression of tumor antigens (GAGE, MAGE, PAGE, and CT45) in MCF7 cells. FASEB J - 2009