Skin And Lymph

Robby Besner PSc.D.

Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the “Healing from Lyme Naturally Summit” and other chronic ailments. Today, we have an amazing interview with a really very dynamic person named Lauren Vogt, and her company is called Lumvi, and basically, it’s a skincare company. So you may want to ask that question right now because it was the first question I asked, “What does skincare have to do with Lyme disease?” Well, it’s really interesting, because she partnered up with one of the top leading naturopathic doctors in the industry. It’s actually the co-host of the Lyme summit that we’re running. And so there’s a whole medical spin, and what Dr. Schaffner has done for Lumvi is that she’s put in a lot of the ingredients in many of the formulations that Lumvi puts out and the way that you apply it, of the systems involved in utilizing the various different formulations is critical for the result. And one of them is so important to our daily functioning detox systems in our body. And so we’re here today talking to Lauren, basically, to kind of talk about the formulations, how she got started, and how it applies to the Lyme community at large to really kind of dial up your health and wellness experience. So Lauren, welcome to the summit. How are you today? 

Lauren Vogt

I’m good, thanks so much for having me.

Robby Besner PSc.D.

Our pleasure, really. Really, I love what you’re doing and I love the body of work. So let’s just back up a little bit, and just kind of talk to us a little bit about how you kind of got started, why you’re focusing on this, and then we can kind of dive a little bit deeper into where we’re at today.

Lauren Vogt

So I think it’s, let’s start with my love of products. I loved products since I was a little girl. I’m just, you know, fascinated with how they work and how they can change your life. And, you know, so I’m very passionate about bringing great products to people that give them great results. I would say that that has transitioned over into the wellness space, you know, as I’ve gotten older and become more conscientious and interested in wellness. And in terms of, you know, how products can really affect our health and how, you know, clean products are so very important. So, you know, I have a storied background in tech, product marketing, small business operations, I’ve done a lot of different things, but I met Dr. Schaffner about 14 years ago, actually met her through her now husband ’cause we worked in tech together, and we just connected on many levels, but Christine, Dr. Schaffner, has a love of products and all things spa, as well. 

And I would really credit her to turning me on to clean beauty and helping me convert and realizing that there are excellent products out there that are also good for you, not toxic, and can assist you with your overall health. So that’s how we merged together, really, is through friendship, and, you know, through all the things that happen in life, we decided that we wanted to start a product company together, and that is how Lumvi was born. You know, she’s the doctor, the formulator, and, you know, the visionary behind a lot of the brand, and then I am the marketing business person. You know, of course I put a lot into the different products in the line as well. So we just have a great marriage of our skillsets that makes for a wonderful business partnership.

Robby Besner PSc.D.

Well, that’s so fascinating, but let’s just talk about skin, because there’s one side that’s beauty, and certainly, you know, when you look good or this device or product makes you look good, then some of that actually, like they say, “Beauty is only skin deep,” but it actually makes you feel good, and many of the people listening today, they don’t feel so good. And so just using the side of your product line that actually makes you look a little good also can make you feel a little good. But what I want to dial in mostly is on the therapeutic side, because there are some formulations that you guys have come up with that really make a difference. And the skin is your largest organ. We keep forgetting it, because we kind of gloss over and think, “Well, you know, I’ve got a problem with my kidney or my liver, or I’m not feeling so great today,” but we don’t understand how skin is such an important barometer to show us exactly what’s going on on the inside of our bodies. The chemical on the biochemical changes that the body goes through often is expressed in your skin.

Lauren Vogt

Skin can be a very healing agent. You know, as you said, it’s our largest organ, it’s the largest path of absorption and elimination. So it really should not be ignored as part of any kind of, not only healing process, but just general wellness in general. So that’s really something that’s important to us as a mission for our business is to impart that information and remind people of that. You know, your skin, like you just said, it’s really, it’s a window into your health. And when you look into the mirror and you see dull, tired, puffy, then it’s often a reflection of what’s going on inside. And you know, as much as it’s important to treat what’s going on inside, there is a lot you can do topically to help. It’s really the combination of both that creates, you know, the ultimate picture of health inside and out.

Robby Besner PSc.D.

Yeah, and you took the words right out of my mouth, ’cause it is that way, inside out. There is actually a interplay between both of those. And we, in my body of work, we actually use the skin as a detox pathway to help get toxins out. But it’s also a delivery system to get nutrients in. Besides like, let’s take oxygen for instance, your skin, once it gets, well, it gets maximized when you’re actually hydrated. So when, let’s say, you’re in a sauna and you start perspiring, now your skin becomes a breathing organ, and it can bring things directly into your bloodstream almost more efficiently than your nose or your mouth, which is the primary way we get oxygen into your body. 

Well, what about the largest organ, using your skin as a breathing organ to get things in? Well here, you’ve got formulations that use that same delivery system, the skin, to get things into and change your biochemistry. And that’s where I believe the community, the Lyme community, really has a great bunch of things to learn from you and your company. And so, which formulations do you think would be the most appropriate from a healing point of view on your list of formulations that you guys have come up with that you think would be appropriate for today to talk about?

Lauren Vogt

We have a couple of products. They actually have the same name. We started with the Lympha-Gem Lymph Oil. It’s a roller ball that you can apply underneath your jawline and your clavicle, and this is something you can do if you really can’t even move at all, and you will feel the active ingredients working to help move your lymph. And as you may or may not know, your lymph system, lymphatic system, does not have its own pump like the circulatory system, so we have to help it move in order for it to help us detox. And so we created this product to help with  that. Obviously, for your skin on your face, because if you aren’t moving your lymph, you might see things like puffiness, dullness, you know, sagging, et cetera, but it also helps with your overall health. So the product is multifunctional, if you will. That product was so popular that we decided to put it into the body oil format so that it can be used all over your entire body. I would say that this is just slightly more concentrated because it’s a smaller container. 

My background’s a little funny there, but that’s fun, but this can be used all over your body. So what we like to say is you access the lymph through the dermis, it goes through the dermis and then into the interstitium, so you’re accessing it topically through this formulation, which has things like, I’ll read the ingredients right to you, red root, calendula, nettles, cleavers, red clover, and then an essential oil blend, helichrysum, frankincense, and calendula. So this formulation is known to help move lymph, and this is something that actually Dr Schaffner created so it’s our proprietary blend, and people have loved it. It’s actually helping people feel better in their body, and then also, they’re noticing the results in their skin, as well. So it helps with detox, obviously, by moving the lymph and just, you know, overall hydration, et cetera.

Robby Besner PSc.D.

Well, you’ve said some really important things. because the lymph by itself doesn’t really have its own pump. The lymph node actually resides inside your muscles, and so you need movement, body movement, physical movement of your muscle in order for that lymph node to be kind of squished, and then that squishing moves the lymph from one node to another. And so that’s a problem for us out there listening today because many of the Lyme patients, they’re not feeling so great, sometimes they’re bedridden for weeks on end and they don’t move. And so their lymph does not move. 

And so that’s kind of what we call, in the medical term called stagnation, when things aren’t moving that much. And so that’s why using supplements like your systems, for instance, actually can, when lymph doesn’t move, lymph is a very viscous material, meaning it’s pretty thick. So when you’re stagnated, then there’s no movement, it gets thicker, and that’s why there are lymphatic drainages and lymphatic massages and so forth to kind of loosen things up a little bit, to get that system working.

Lauren Vogt

Exactly.

Robby Besner PSc.D.

But you’ve got your own system that actually comes into play that could supplement that lymphatic massage, where people can do this at home. And that’s what we’re looking for with you and your company is real solutions that people can do tomorrow that’s gonna make a difference. And I love the fact that you’re doing this, and I also love you’ve got a little device that moves it along, too, that I’d love for you to talk about, if you would.

Lauren Vogt

Yes, absolutely. And, you know, I’d just like to say, too, obviously, moving lymph, you know, movement is great, drinking water is great, but for those of us that are in a position where we can’t move, these are things that you can, get up and move, these are things you can do literally from your bed. So we like to use a tool that’s called a Gua Sha. So this is a tool that’s used in ancient Chinese massage technique, if you will, and so this just helps helps the products work better, I think. And it’s something that you can literally do while you’re just sitting here, you know, starting with your neck and moving down, then accessing, you know, the back of your neck as well, super important. 

You always want to start moving down towards the heart to activate the lymph. And you can do it over your clothes or after a bath or whatever. Just literally sitting here, you know, you can apply, we recommend applying the lymph oil first, get things activated, and then using the tool. And you can use this just on the face, upper body area, everywhere. So if you really wanted to go for it, and you were able to, you would, you know, massage the oil all over your body and then, you know, utilize the tool and move your lymph this way, right?

Robby Besner PSc.D.

Yeah.

Lauren Vogt

Everywhere. And I was gonna say, too, you know, if you wanted to bathe or go into an infrared sauna before doing this, then you’re really gonna get great results.

Robby Besner PSc.D.

Okay, ’cause you absorb the formulation a little bit faster when your body is primed.

Lauren Vogt

Exactly, when it’s warm and your pores are opened up, et cetera. And it’s just that that’s really just the ultimate detox. And that’s really what we’re trying to do by moving, by getting things, you know, making them less stagnant. That’s how we’re healing.

Robby Besner PSc.D.

Well, you know, for years, and I’m talking 20 years, every year for 20 years, I would go to Asia and spend better part of four to almost six weeks in China and various different regions and some countries around developing devices and stuff like that for our body of work. Obviously, it’s a lot more limited now because you can’t travel, but I’ve had the opportunity to have cupping done, which is another kind of Chinese medicine, and I’ve also had Gua Sha done, what you’re talking about. And for people that are just tuning in, there’s this tool that she was showing us, Lauren was showing us, that actually, they use it to sculpt and it’s almost like scraping it along your skin and you can apply different shaped tools to different areas, and you also can manually, either keep it relatively shallow or you can do very deep massage, in a sense, and what you’re doing there by doing that is you’re stimulating circulation, circulatory system of all the micro vessels, the little, tiny vessels that’s right under your skin, which are also the ones that bring the oxygen and materials on your skin, like your formulations, directly into your bloodstream. 

So this is so simple. I mean, look at that. It’s a little device that you hold in your hand and you can do this yourself, and you can bring it to the areas that you feel just, you know, intuitively, you need a little bit more love and attention to, and who’s better to do that than yourself on yourself if you can, or recruit a family member. So I love the answer you’re offering to a big problem, because you need to move the lymph. The lymphatic system is one of the top five detox pathways. And unfortunately, when you have a chronic ailment like Lyme or you’re riddled with mold, or with some of the co-infections that follow the family of Lyme, you know, you need to be able to help yourself, and you need to come up with solutions that are economical, and also that you can bring in your family and people that support you, and you’ve got the answer, and you’ve got the delivery system, and I love that. 

So, what other things can using your formulations, can it help you relax? Does it help you with sleep? Because people out there that, you know, we’re all anxious now anyway, in general, because of the pandemic and challenges and the dynamic that’s happened in the country these days, but that’s what we call being sympathetic dominant or fight and flight, always being anxious. So it’s really important to find tools or systems that will actually help us calm down so that we can kind of live life a little bit, the way we used to live it, you know? A little bit more in balance and so forth. And so-

Lauren Vogt

Yeah, I would say 100% this can be helpful, you know, especially if you’re unable to get out, don’t want to go out for whatever reason, you know, exercise is difficult for you, this is a great routine ritual to have before bed. And I like to tell people, I just got off a few consultations and told people to put this right in their bath, just a few drops. It helps with relaxation, it’s hydrating, you know, it’s prolongs the life of your product. Then you can get out and you can certainly add more and, you know, rub it all over your skin. 

But I like to use the tool before bed because it calms and relaxes me and it just kind of dispels any energy that needs to move, right? I think it helps with that, as well. So in addition to, you know, detox, I feel like it’s helpful in moving energy. You know, if you enjoy massage as a way of detox and relaxation, this is just sort of a little slice of that that you can do for yourself. And I think it feels great on your skin. And I am not personally, not a big dry brush person, because of, you know, it’s not for me. A lot of people love it, and that’s great too. I just think this is a little more, should I call it, comfortable?

Robby Besner PSc.D.

Plus when you do it, you kind of administer it yourself.

Lauren Vogt

You could do both, too.

Robby Besner PSc.D.

Yeah, I’m going to run down a list of things, and you’re gonna tell me if it works or it doesn’t work for us, okay? So how does your system and your formulations, can it help with oxygen flow?

Lauren Vogt

Absolutely.

Robby Besner PSc.D.

Okay, so we’re stimulating circulation, and as we all know, for people just tuning in, bacteria, parasites, molds, they’re basically anaerobic, so they don’t like oxygen. So if we could self-administer a therapy that relaxes us, helps us sleep, improves our lymphatic system, and also improves oxygen flow, these are all great things for us and our body, and guess what? The little bugs, the bad boys, they aren’t gonna like it. They’re not going to be too happy. And so we want that scenario. So we help with oxygen. How about, we know that it relaxes us, and you use it before bed, so it obviously relaxes and helps you sleep. That’s also a challenge by many people. How about on your energy, the other side. Like, can this system, can your formulations, can it help energize you?

Lauren Vogt

100%, I mean, if you think about just the fact that you’re just getting things moving. You know, if I don’t feel like exercising in the morning, I tend to do it anyways, because I feel so much better after I do it. The same thing is true with this routine. Maybe you’re not really feeling it, but if you do it, you’re gonna feel better, because you’re giving it that little push to get things moving.

Robby Besner PSc.D.

All right. Okay, how about digestion? I’m just throwing it out there.

Lauren Vogt

Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely.

Robby Besner PSc.D.

How does skincare help digestion, Lauren? Come on, lay it on me.

Lauren Vogt

So I would say that more what you’re helping with here is if you’re doing the Gua Sha massage on the abdomen and utilizing this formula, that obviously helps with lymphatic drainage by accessing through the skin, then you’re helping the digestion. If you’re rubbing it on your arms, you’re probably not totally helping your digestion, but if you’re utilizing it in that way, you know, to help actually move things in the abdomen, and as, you know, if you are sitting there and you can’t go exercise or go for a walk or whatever, you could do this, and that would help you.

Robby Besner PSc.D.

The other kind of stagnation when you’re not moving your digestive tract, it’s another kind of stagnation.

Lauren Vogt

Absolutely. Nobody likes that.

Robby Besner PSc.D.

Yeah, and this is sort of another important thing, because we’re also experiencing some of that, problems and challenges with digestion and the whole digestive tract, so I think it’s important to know that you can use some of the same systems that you might be using on your lymphatic, for lymphatic drainage, also to stimulate better digestion. I think that that’s important. Okay, now there’s a layer of fat cells that’s just under your skin. And that’s usually the front line for grabbing all these environmental toxins, like things that we take in through air, water, and food, right? ‘Cause when we bathe, there could be fluorides or chlorines or contaminants in the water we’re bathing in that comes in through the skin and it stores in the fat cell. Well, now you’re taking this Gua Sha tool and you’re scraping and stimulating those fat cells and that circulation, so at the same time, you’re also liberating a lot of the poisons and toxins that your body is holding, right?

Lauren Vogt

Exactly.

Robby Besner PSc.D.

So here we are, we have one system feeding the other system because we’re liberating these and mobilizing these toxins, and then we’re stimulating your lymphatic system to grab those toxins and get them out of your body. That’s such an important discussion for Lyme people to understand. Again, we can do this ourselves, we can do it at home or bring in a family member. And your formulations are definitely affordable and accessible. So I noticed when I sort of read the ingredients that you guys are really looking at things or formulas in your formulations that are organic and are what’s called “high vibrational.” So can you comment a little bit about that part, like, why you feel that that’s important? And why is a high vibrational formulation important to the body?

Lauren Vogt

Well, so all of our formulas are all organic. The plants are from the highest sources. The extract in the Lympha-Gem body oil in the roller actually sits for about three weeks before we actually put it into the bottle. So it’s, you know, they’re made with intention and come from the best sources, and we find that that’s very important, you know, for our products to work well. And it’s part of our intention as a business to bring that to people. We’re not just, you know, dumping things into a vat and having it be full of a bunch of filler. So it helps aid in its actual delivery and effectiveness, yes.

Robby Besner PSc.D.

Yeah, that’s good. The efficacy, or what we call it is the potentiating, which is your body’s ability to absorb a nutrient, have it work for you, and get the most out of it. So that’s the key, because like you just mentioned, many formulations have excipients, like a pill has a glue that keeps the pill its shape, gives it its shape, but it doesn’t add any value from a nutritional point of view. It’s just something that’s sort of almost mechanical. And what you guys avoid all of that because you’re using high vibrational, organic materials that all kind of work together in a synergy to give a delivery that’s much greater than any of them separated, you know, just sitting on a shelf, separated.

Lauren Vogt

Well, it’s all part of the energetic field that we’re all moving about in all the time, right? And so we think about the things that we use and eat and all of that in conjunction with the information that we digest, all of it is conjoined. And so we feel that it’s important that your skincare, if you’re interested in living that way and looking at life that way, it has the same components. ‘Cause it’s a very big part of your day. Not only, obviously, to aid in healing, but just an overall approach to wellness.

Robby Besner PSc.D.

Nice, I love that. And you know, frankly, we are vibrational beings.

Lauren Vogt

Exactly.

Robby Besner PSc.D.

And so when you can get a high vibrational supplement, whether it be an oil or a formulation of sort that matches the vibration of the body, then you’re gonna get a much greater result, no matter how you look at it. And I think that’s the difference between organic and non-organic foods and GMOs and all that stuff. I think that the synthetic pharmaceutical industry, under a microscope, it looks just like the organic compound, but it acts very differently with the body because a synthetic, a pharmaceutical, is lacking that energy, that high vibration that the body, that happens in nature. And so the pharmaceutical industry likes to mimic nature, but it’s not nature. What you’re doing is you’re actually putting natural ingredients in that are high vibrational, so when your body comes in contact with it, it goes, “Oh yeah, I remember that, I love that. I want more of that.”

Lauren Vogt

Exactly.

Robby Besner PSc.D.

And then you get more potentiating or more utilization from your money, and the results, you get better results. Awesome, really awesome. Everything you do is plant-based. How do people get ahold of you, Lauren? It’s so important, the things that you’re doing. So, do you have a website? Do you have a 800 number?

Lauren Vogt

We do, we have a website. It’s lumviskincare.com, and then we have an Instagram, which is @lumviskin, L-U-M-V-I skin. And then of course you can email us. One other thing that I’m doing is I’m offering consultations to our customers.

Robby Besner PSc.D.

I see.

Lauren Vogt

I can’t do them all day, every day, but I can’t tell you how much people appreciate that. And it’s wonderful to connect with people and understand the results that they’re getting and, you know, help them utilize the products better, et cetera. So we’re doing that, as well. If people really wanted to have a one-on-one with me, then they can schedule that. And then Dr. Schaffner and I are gonna, you know, put together some webinars in 2022 where we’ll have some great topics and question and answer periods, so that’s another fun thing that’s coming. But yeah, you can buy our products online that way. We’re not in a lot of stores at this point, but we might be expanding.

Robby Besner PSc.D.

So that would be Lumvi, L-U-M-V-I,

Lauren Vogt

Skincare.

Robby Besner PSc.D.

Skincare.com. That’s where they would get that. And what email can I use, if any, to get to you?

Lauren Vogt

You could use [email protected].

Robby Besner PSc.D.

Perfect, perfect. Wow, revolutionary. This is amazing. What you’re doing is amazing. I love the whole process. I love your system, the simplicity, yet how deep it goes in terms of touching one of the root important systems to augment in order for you to maintain the integrity of your health. And everybody listening today is gonna get something from that, and they can do it tomorrow. And you know what else? We’re living in an impersonal world, and the idea that you are taking out the time to touch all of your customers on a personal level, to make sure that they’re getting the most out of their money and certainly their time in utilizing your technology in order for it to help them help themselves feel better is super important. So I love the fact that you guys are doing that. Well, thank you so much for joining us today. We only have-

Lauren Vogt

Thank you for having me.

Robby Besner PSc.D.

Yeah, we only have a few minutes left, so I don’t know if I’ve covered everything, if there’s something else you want to leave us with, but I just want to give you the opportunity if there’s a few more things you want to say before we have to move on today.

Lauren Vogt

I would just say that, you know, the skin, like we mentioned at the beginning, is our largest organ, it is not to be overlooked. It is an agent for detox and it is an agent for healing. It is often a window into our health. So aside from just the sheer beauty perspective of wanting to, you know, keep up appearances and look good, there’s a lot of other things going on with our skin in terms of our overall health and wellness and to not neglect the skin. So, you know, I think it’s just, it is as important a part of our day to, you know, take care of our skin as it is to make sure that we’re putting good things in our body. So just, I think that’s something sometimes we can overlook and not think about, and it’s so, so important.

Robby Besner PSc.D.

Well, if you guys tuning in today want to feel good inside and out, then you need to find Lauren Vogt and Lumvi. They are amazing what they’re doing, and thank you so much for joining us today. You really are an asset to the summit.

Lauren Vogt

Oh, thanks so much for having me.

Robby Besner PSc.D.

Hey, everybody, it’s Robby Besner. Thanks so much for joining us today. Please share this content with anyone that you think might benefit from it, and we’re looking forward to having you with us tomorrow for another great interview.