Have you heard that weight loss diets don’t work, but only 95 % of the time? Its true- statistically, they actually pretty much all backfire long term.  But because they all tend to work in the short term, dieting is a perfect way to make women feel inadequate and guilty for not being strong willed enough to continue. Dieting has also caused so many women to have eating disorders that these have become normalised. Do we even remember what it is like to eat ‘normally’, as we did as kids (if we were lucky)?

Some of the preventable risk factors for disease in Australia are: 

Smoking represents 9% of the total disease burden in Australia, more than any other single risk factor. Just under 15% of Australians smoke daily, more men than women, and these rates are fortunately decreasing. Smoking is more common amongst the disadvantaged than the affluent. It is associated with several cancers and many other conditions. ………

Have you been told you have Adrenal Fatigue? The term "adrenal fatigue" is probably not an accurate way to describe the symptoms it is referring to. And this term is criticised by the medical profession and is not a medical term or diagnosis.

However, fatigue is real. The term "adrenal fatigue" usually refers to the deep exhaustion and often associated physical symptoms, after a period of stress and/or trauma. Some people just cannot function normally or are even bedridden, just from fatigue.

We have been messing with the microbiome on the planet for at least the last hundred years, with antibiotics, antiseptics, pesticides, fungicides and an attitude of annihilation. Now, relatively unknown species, once no threat, are rising as a major threat (drug resistant) because what used to hold them in check - other species of microbes - have been wiped out with powerful pesticides, fungicides & antibacterial products. ……..

Are you perhaps lonely? Loneliness is being considered an epidemic in recent studies. Sure, many people have many online connections, but there is a tendency to have fewer real life face to face regular connections, poorer solid social networks. Social media is, of course, one reason but its been heading this way for decades in western countries……

One of the things I have learned over the years is how much my body-mind loves rhythm and routine, and how calming that can be for my nervous system.

As a culture, we tend to have become quite disconnected from the rhythms of nature- ……

How close are you sitting to your WIFI router right now?

I just had a client who was sitting right next to hers all day every day for work. ………

Are you a woman n your 40s or 50s, even 60s, and struggling with perimenopause or menopausal symptoms? Do you get the sense it just shouldn't be this hard? Our female ancestors didn't seem to have it this hard, so why do we?

Two things....stress, and an overloaded liver.

What do you do when you first wake up in the morning? I notice what I do when I first get up can affect my whole day! We don't always wake up feeling great (I don't), but here are 3 easy things that I do, and suggest for first thing in the morning, that are self-caring and can help us get off on the right foot.

Feeling fatigued? Reach for water instead of coffee. Our brains need to be well hydrated for clear thinking, and our bodies need plenty of water to work optimally.

We all know that chronic stress isnt good for us, that it can lead to anxiety, depression, weight gain, heart attacks, cancer, and all sorts of physical and psychological disorders.  We tend to think that stress is a necessary part of survival in these times, with financial stresses, health stresses, business stresses, parenting stresses vying for our energy. We tend to feel that stress is a given part of modern society, a necessary survival mechanism, and we feel trapped by it, and by default, by the situations we find ourselves in that apparently cause us to stress. It is certainly normal to feel stress, but is it actually necessary? 

You may be aware that you have possibly 10X more microbes in your gut that you have cells in your body and that they can weigh up to 2 kgs. We each may have up to 170 species, but the species can vary considerably, although a few key ones tend to predominate. 

Did you know that ever single person has a unique composition of gut microbes- as unique as your fingeprint? 

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 are some tips for maintaining some simplicity, peace, calm, health and joy around this time of year. You can end 2017 feeling energised instead of exhausted because after all, it is holiday time for most of us.