I have always had a passion for Naturopathic hydrotherapy, as a traditional, practical and accessible modaility to increase vitality. I have had hot-cold showers for many years through summer and winter.

If you have always been a bit resistant to cold water, now is a wonderful time to practice a gentle form of hot and cold showers because we are in the middle of summer. Changing your hot shower to finish with a cold blast in the middle of winter, can seem heroic and way out of their comfort zone, for many people. Even if they realise the benefits.

For those of us over 40 years old, several measurable markers can indicate health issues either now or on the horizon if we don’t do something about them. They can be part of our regular self-care and can help prevent major disease and much suffering and financial cost. While I am a Naturopath focusing on nutrition, herbal medicines and lifestyle, we are a complementary health modality and work well with many other types of health practitioners. Here in Australia, we have access to good GPs and many free pathology tests, which can be very useful. 

Sometimes we overlook the most fundamental basics of healing and health, in favour of more complex and expensive solutions. Water has been honoured since ancient times as essential to life, and as carrying a powerful life force, whether directly falling from the sky, or gathered in bodies of water like streams, lakes, rivers and the ocean. By paying attention to the role and place of water, we can bring more balance and awareness into our lives. 

When researching longevity, many studies look at what factors help us to live longer. However, many people live longer but have chronic health issues that can make life miserable. So I was interested to see this study which looked at how a healthy lifestyle adds on years of living without chronic disease, compared to a life with it….

Older people are particularly vulnerable to viruses during winter.

What are some ways to help support the immune system of the elderly, to keep them resilient during the cold and flu season

First, diet, and most importantly, I recommend ensuring adequate protein. Past 65yo, the digestion of protein becomes less efficient…..

Long Covid is caused by the SARS CoV-2 virus and refers to the lingering of symptoms from weeks to months to years after the initial acute infection. The malaise that can linger for many months, in fact now for some people years, is very like ME/CFS…….

Pacing is a skill that has become important to the post viral syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome communities, but it is something that many more people could benefit from learning.

Those people who find themselves fatigued easily for any reason, or suffer from grief, exhaustion, or any number of debilitating symptoms, could do well to learn to pace themselves.

It simply means….

Are you somewhere in mid or later life and getting more joint pain, muscular pain, and related fatigue? In my 40s I started to develop chronic joint and muscular pain, and so it’s been an area of personal interest for me. For clients, joint or all of body, or shifting pain are symptoms their doctor has often not been able to easily diagnose, let alone treat. So this newsletter I thought I would cover this topic and some of its causes.

Mind you, even if you do get a label from a medical professional such as fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthiritis, they may not be able to do a lot to help after that. The incidence of chronic pain diseases is increasing, but so far, not much gain in effective treatments.

Most of these conditions if not all, involve inflammation.

As you are likely aware, it is not necessarily easy to get codeine-based pain medications any more. This has had a huge impact on people who have relied on these effective medications for either chronic or occasional pain management. Doctors are also far more reluctant to prescribe these pain medications, even when the pain is debilitating.

Many people in chronic pain are not managed well by their GP’s and specialists, and are not taught the many possible ways to support themselves to manage their pain, because that tends to take more time than a GP visit can offer. There is a lot of evidence to support natural therapies for pain management…..

An article for men on how to optimise your testerosterone levels for better health

Here I present some empowering information on how to look after your breasts, how to love them and take care of them. They enjoy touch, massage, movement, healthy clean food and specific foods