Did you know that your period is like a monthly report card? 

I know many people dread “that time of the month” mainly because it might be painful, heavy, uncomfortable - and literally can negatively impact your day to day life. 

A way to flip that around is to make notes of what is happening during your “monthlys” to track what is going on and create your monthly report card.

Tracking things like: 

• How often your periods come (early, late, never…)

• Heaviness of the bleed 

• Clotting in blood 

• Bleeding between periods 

• Pain levels 

• Cervical mucus / vaginal discharge 

• Premenstrual symptoms such as irritability, headaches, acne, or food cravings
  
  
  

TIP:
Using an app like P-Tracker or Flo can be useful to track symptoms rather than trying to remember. We have so many other things going on in our lives these days that remembering every little details about our cycles can be exhausting. 

Now what do all of these tracking symptoms actually mean? 

Check out the list below to start putting some puzzle pieces together! 

Period Report Card Tracker

• No periods at all

  • Possibly: Pregnancy, menopause, stress, illness, thyroid disease, celiac disease, PCOS, low body weight, functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA), high prolactin.

• Early periods

  • Possibly: Anovulatory cycle, short follicular phase, short luteal phase, low progesterone, PCOS, perimenopause, stress.
    
    
    
    

• Late periods

  • Possibly: Anovulatory cycle, long follicular phase, stress, illness, thyroid disease, PCOS, functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA), high prolactin.

• Heavy periods

  • Possibly: Perimenopause, adolescence, anovulatory cycle, oestrogen excess, low progesterone, PCOS, copper IUD, thyroid disease, fibroids, endometriosis, adenomyosis, coagulation disorders, anaemia, low B12.

• Prolonged bleeding

  • Possibly: Anovulatory cycle, PCOS, fibroids. 

• Menstrual clots

  • Possibly: Heavy menstrual bleeding, low progesterone, perimenopause, thyroid disease, endometriosis, fibroids, anaemia. 

• Light periods

  • Possibly: Anovulatory cycle, oestrogen deficiency, PCOS, thyroid disease, excess phytoestrogens, perimenopause .

• Period pain

  • Possibly: Inflammation, zinc deficiency, oestrogen excess, low progesterone, copper IUD, endometriosis, adenomyosis, infection.
    
    
    
    

• Pain before periods

  • Possibly: Endometriosis, adenomyosis, ovarian cysts, fibroids, infection.

• Pain during sex

  • Possibly: Insufficiency arousal causing lack of lubrication, oestrogen deficiency, infection, fibroids, endometriosis, adenomyosis, perimenopause/menopause.

• Pain from infection

  • Possibly: Sexually transmitted disease, yeast infection, bacterial vaginosis.

• Mid-cycle ovarian pain

  • Possibly: Normal ovulation pain (mittelschmerz), temporarily worsened ovulation pain (during first few cycles off the pill), PCOS, infection, endometriosis, ovarian cysts.

• No fertile mucus

  • Possibly: No ovulation, oestrogen deficiency, yeast infection, bacterial vaginosis, perimenopause.

• Abnormal timing of fertile mucus

  • Possibly: Anovulatory cycle, long follicular phase, low progesterone.

• Yeast infections or bacterial vaginosis

  • Possibly: Birth control pill, problem with the gut microbiome, antibiotic use, excess sugar intake.

• Mid-cycle bleeding

  • Possibly: Normal ovulation spotting, anovulatory cycle, endometriosis, adenomyosis, uterine polyp, ovarian cysts, infection.

• Premenstrual bleeding

  • Possible significance: Anovulatory cycle, low progesterone, endometriosis, thyroid disease.

• Bleeding after sex

  • Possible significance: Inflammation of cervix, infection, endometriosis, fibroids.

• Premenstrual symptoms (PMS)

  • Possibly: Oestrogen excess, low progesterone, inflammation, stress.

• Post-menstrual symptoms

  • Possible significance: Anovulatory cycle, PCOS.

Remember - period problems can be COMMON but they are not NORMAL. 

There are many other options for treatment rather than just going on the pill or IUD etc. 

When to get further help for your periods: 

• No period or bleeding at all

• Cycles shorter than 21 days or longer than 35 days

• Bleeding for more than seven days

• Losing more than 80 mL of menstrual fluid in one period

• Period pain so bad that you cannot do your normal activities

• Pain between periods, especially if it is severe

• Bad-smelling vaginal discharge

• Bleeding between periods that is not ovulation spotting

Check out my other blogs for more information on hormones, acne, and things you can implement everyday for hormone treatment.

Do you have unexplained symptoms that just don’t seem to fit into a standard box? 

Have you had past exposure to chemicals or find you are very sensitive to chemicals? 

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Heavy metals are naturally found in many areas of our environment, but when we as humans are exposed to them for long periods of time they can accumulate in our bodies and cause issues. 

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Minerals in the body need to be balanced - picture them all on either ends of a big see-saw. 

If one mineral becomes too high the one on the other end gets depleted. So no matter how much you try to supplement a mineral that is depleted - if there is a mineral that is in huge excess, the supplement will rarely be of benefit. I see this in classic pictures when clients are trying to see benefits from taking iron, zinc, selenium, iodine etc but are not seeing the numbers go up in their pathology results. If you have toxic mineral overload, it’s going to be very hard to increase these good nutrients without addressing the underlying cause of the deficiency in the first place. 

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Common symptoms of heavy metal exposure can include: 

• Fatigue 

• Headache / migraine 

• Sensitivity to smells, light and sound 

• Insomnia 

• Brain fog / confusion / memory issues 

• Muscle weakness 

• Unexplained gut issues 

• Metallic taste in the mouth 

• Tremors 

• Dizziness

• Tingling in hands and feet 

• Burning mouth / tongue 

• Specifically with amalgam fillings: Bleeding gums, bald patch on tongue, mouth ulcers, burning tongue. 
  
  

Heavy metals in the body can include: 

• Mercury 

• Lead 

• Copper 

• Aluminium

• Cadmium 

• Arsenic

• Nickel 

• Silver 

• Tin
  
  

Ways these minerals can enter the body can include: 

• Amalgam fillings 

• Lead based paint 

• Cookware 

• Smoking

• Pesticides/Fungicides/Herbicides 

• Hair colouring 

• Cosmetics 

• Water contamination 

• Pipes in houses 

• Air pollution 

• Copper IUD use 

• Contaminated fish and other poor quality farmed seafood

• Exposure in careers such as: mining, electricians, painters, farming, hairdressers, jewellers. 

When the body has too many toxic minerals floating around it stores it to try and “put it somewhere”. This is usually stored in the hair which is why I test my patients for heavy metals with a hair test. 

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A hair mineral test is the best way to assess this situation. There are many beautiful herbs and nutrients that I use in clinic to treat heavy metal overload in my chelation protocols. 

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It is essential to chelate heavy metals in the appropriate way. This usually means at least 3 months of treatment to do it properly and carefully. Mercury has a half life of 2 months in the body so this really shows how careful and slowly chelation and detoxification needs to be done. 

Amalgam filling removal is also essential to the process if they are present. As amalgam fillings get older they start to wear down and can start to leach mercury into the body.

Seeing a holistic dentist is vital for this process to be seamless. There is so much room for exposure to mercury to happen during amalgam removal. Finding the right holistic dentist is one of the best things you can do alongside a proper heavy metal chelation protocol. 

To order the heavy metal test kit and chelation protocol please contact me to organise. 

The word vagus means "wandering" in Latin

DO YOU WANT TO LEARN ABOUT YOUR VAGUS NERVE AND HOW TO ACTIVATE IT?

As a Naturopath, the vagus nerve is something I teach my clients about everyday.
Here I have designed a Vagus Nerve worksheet for you to download.

Simple click the button just below to get it right away

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE VAGUS NERVE WORKSHEET

Vagus Nerve Free Worksheet

The vagus nerve is unique in the body because it provides sensory and motor functions.

Sensory functions include: somatic and visceral sensation of the ear, larynx, oesophagus, lungs, trachea, heart and most of the digestive tract.

Motor functions include: stimulation of the muscles in the pharynx, larynx, soft palate, heart - to help lower resting heart rate, involuntary contractions in digestive tract to move food through.

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VAGUS NERVE + STRESS

When your fight or flight response is dominant and pouring out cortisol and adrenaline, the vagus nerve is responsible for telling the body to chill out by releasing acetylcholine. The vagus nerve extends out to many organs and also helps to release enzymes and proteins like prolactin and oxytocin which calm you down.

Treatments that target the vagus nerve increase the vagal tone and inhibit cytokine production. Both are important mechanism of resiliency.

i.e. people with a weaker vagus nerve response may have a higher level of difficulty in stressful situations that others.

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GUT BRAIN CONNECTION

The vagus nerve is like the highway between your gut and brain. Anxious stomach cramps, reflux, nausea, unexplained digestive issues, poor nutrient absorption - all are examples of vagus nerve and gut function miscommunication. Your "gut feelings" are actually a real thing!

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ANTI-INFLAMMATORY VAGUS NERVE

The inflammatory reflex is a physiological mechanism through which the vagus nerve regulates immune function and inhibits excessive pro-inflammatory cytokine production. 

A certain amount of inflammation after injury or illness can be normal. Although inflammation that the body cannot down regulate can be linked to many diseases and conditions - particularly autoimmune conditions. When the vagus nerve notices the presence of cytokines or a substance called tumor necrosis factor (TNF)—it alerts the brain and draws out anti-inflammatory neurotransmitters that regulate the body’s immune response. 

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ACTIVATING THE VAGUS NERVE

1. Auricular branch of the vagus nerve stimulation - pinch the cymba conchae (see X in photo above) between thumb and forefinger. rub your thumb gently back and forth over this area. When you get the right spot and pressure the relief of anxiety, tension or discomfort can be almost instant.

2. Abdominal massage - on empty stomach start at sternum and move down toward lower left quadrant using fingertips to make small circular motions, progressively getting deeper and firmer.

3. Yoga pose - Supta Matsyendrasana

4. Humming - Humming, gargling, singing and chanting

5. Meditation - just 15 mins per day has been shown to activate the vagus nerve

6. Chiropractic adjustments

There are many reasons why the vagus nerve may lose tone, if you need to investigate this further feel free to contact me.

References: 

Breit, S., Kupferberg, A., Rogler, G. and Hasler, G., 2018. Vagus Nerve as Modulator of the Brain–Gut Axis in Psychiatric and Inflammatory Disorders. Frontiers in Psychiatry, [online] 9. Available at: <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5859128/> 

Howland, R., 2014. Vagus Nerve Stimulation. Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports, [online] 1(2), pp.64-73. Available at: <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4017164/> 

Pavlov, V. and Tracey, K., 2012. The vagus nerve and the inflammatory reflex—linking immunity and metabolism. Nature Reviews Endocrinology, [online] 8(12), pp.743-754. Available at: <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4082307/> 

Pavlov, V., Wang, H., Czura, C., Friedman, S. and Tracey, K., 2003. The Cholinergic Anti-inflammatory Pathway: A Missing Link in Neuroimmunomodulation. Molecular Medicine, [online] 9(5-8), pp.125-134. Available at: <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1430829/>.

Tracey, K., 2007. Physiology and immunology of the cholinergic antiinflammatory pathway. Journal of Clinical Investigation, [online] 117(2), pp.289-296. Available at: <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1783813/> 

My body is filled with healing energy 

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My body, mind and soul are at peace 

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I am patient and kind to myself 

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My mind is filled with positive thoughts 

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I am healing more and more everyday 

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I have the passion to be the happiest, healthiest version of myself 

I put myself first and am not apologising for it 

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Today I will go with the flow of life and trust the process 

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I focus on loving myself rather than relying on others to love me

I am fearless in the pursuit for what sets my soul on fire regardless of what others think 

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My beautiful day begins with my beautiful mindset 

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I am empowered to live my highest purpose 

Oestrogen dominance is a common term used in the health industry but let us dissect that a little more to understand better. 

Oestrogen is often demonised but you actually need good levels of oestrogen to have a healthy hormonal cycle, healthy bones and good quality sleep! 

Oestrogen dominance should actually be described as high oestrogen compared to progesterone. 

Oestrogen and progesterone surge at different times of the month, but if progesterone is not produced at the right amount, this can cause oestrogen to become the more “dominant” hormone in the body.

New Zealand

High oestrogen and low progesterone can cause symptoms such as: 

• PMS

• Premenstrual spotting 

• Heavy bleeding 

• Pain before bleeds 

• Acne 

• High testosterone 

• Weight gain around the middle (from high testosterone)

• Sugar cravings + insulin imbalance

• Low mood / depression 

• Poor sleep 

Interestingly, there are actually three different types of oestrogen in the body plus other forms of oestrogen as well: 

• Estrone (E1) 

• Estradiol (E2)

• Estriol (E3)

• Oestrogen metabolites from gut bacteria

• Xenoestrogens or endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC’s) which are environmental toxins that act like oestrogen in the body but can cause toxic overload. 

PSA: The oestrogen in the oral contraceptive pill (ethinylestradiol) is a xenoestrogen

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Causes of oestrogen excess 

1. Hormonal Birth Control 

   The synthetic oestrogen ‘ethinylestradiol’ in the pill is stronger on the gut bacteria and detoxification pathways than our body’s natural oestrogen so therefore can cause damage. Hormonal birth control also shuts off ovulation. Ovulation is the main event of your menstrual cycle and you will not naturally make progesterone if ovulation does not happen.
   See my blog “Understand Birth Control to Understand Your Hormones” for more detail on this.

2. Poor Oestrogen Detoxification 

   The liver and bowel are primarily responsible for removing oestrogen from the body. 

   Step 1+2 happens in the liver which is where other toxins such as refined sugars, bad fats, environmental toxins and alcohol gets processed. Depending on how much of these toxins are present, this can put stress on the liver and can therefore cause a backlog and impair oestrogen clearance - because oestrogen is also metabolised by the liver. Nutrients required here are Magnesium, B-vitamins, selenium and glycine. Deficiencies in any of these nutrients can also impair oestrogen clearance. 

   Step 3 occurs in the bowel, where all of the good bacteria should be. If there are non-beneficial bacteria present in the gut in high amounts, this can cause issues with oestrogen metabolism and can cause recirculation and recycling of oestrogens. This can cause a high level of beta-glucuronidase enzyme which is a great marker to look for in stool testing to assess oestrogen balance.
   

3. Perimenopause

   Perimenopuase can cause a rollercoaster of oestrogen levels and oestrogen can actually increase in the years leading up to menopause. This is what may cause hot flushes, insomnia, breast pain and irritable moods that can go along with perimenopause. 

4. Insulin resistance

   Insulin resistance or sensitivity can be common in Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and can have a direct impact on high oestrogen and low progesterone levels. Improving insulin levels can assist with the balance of oestrogen and progesterone in the body. 

5. Histamine

   Histamine can play into the excess oestrogen cycle. This is because oestrogen can stimulate the production of more histamine and it also downregulates the production of DAO enzyme which is what is used in the body to actually break down histamine and clear it from the body. 
   Therefore: Oestrogen → Histamine → Oestrogen → Histamine 

How to balance oestrogen and progesterone in the body: 

• Support your liver: reduce alcohol and refined sugars 

• Support your liver by increasing consumption of brassica vegetables 

• Maintain healthy blood sugar levels to manage insulin sensitivity - cinnamon and licorice root tea is amazing for this 

• Do not take hormonal birth control - this is essentially putting synthetic oestrogen (xenoestrogens) into your body every single day.

• Avoid cow’s dairy - non negotiable if you want to manage your hormones. Will help to manage histamine as well. 

• Reduce exposure to xenoestrogens such as pesticides, plastics and environmental toxins 

• Vitex agnus-castus is an amazing herb to promote ovulation and therefore can enhance progesterone, but only if your body is first fully nourished

• Take a good quality zinc and activated B6 - both of these help with ovulation

Always consult your health care practitioner before taking herbs and nutrients.

For more information around understanding how hormonal birth control works in your body click here to read my blog on “Understand Birth Control to Understand Your Hormones”

Obtaining good quality sleep is one of the most important factors in overall health. 

Sleep is when we do a lot of our healing - mentally, physically and emotionally. 

Having a good sleep routine may be easier said that done especially for people who work shift work, have young children or have snoring partners in their bed. 

Sleep hygiene means having both a bedroom environment and daily routines that promote consistent, uninterrupted sleep. Improving sleep hygiene has little cost and virtually no risk - just a bit of motivation and changes of habits. 

Light & Your Circadian Rhythm

Light is a very powerful guide for your body. The connection between our eyes and brain’s timekeeper is an integral part of our circadian rhythm. Light rays hit cells in our eyes and send signals to our brain to tell us if it is day or night. 

Thinking about this via evolution, as humans we used to spend a lot of time outside, where we would wake with the sunrise and wind down for sleep with sunset. If we were awake at night time, we would receive light via fire which is a different type of light (red light) than you get in the middle of the day. Who else feels super relaxed and has the best sleep when you go camping?

So even though our daily lives have changed and we are inside more with synthetic “junk” lights in our faces all the time our body is still supposed to be regulated by the sun. 

Blue light is everywhere - it comes from the sun, electronic devices, and fluorescent and LED lights. Blue light can be a good thing, exposure during the day wakes you up and makes you more alert, and can even improve your mood. Lack of blue light can cause Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). 

The issue now though is that newer artificial lights like LED and fluoro light bulbs don’t contain most of the infrared, violet, and red light that is found in sunlight and therefore instead increase the intensity of blue light to a level that our bodies don’t handle too well all the time. This is known as “junk light”.

You are bombarded by this light at work un fluoro lights, on your phone, on your computer, in front of your TV, and all of this blue light is affecting your melatonin production and in turn affecting your sleep. 

Normally, the pineal gland in your brain releases melatonin a couple of hours before you normally go to bed. Although blue light can mess with this process and therefore make you feel less sleepy - so then you go on your phone scrolling for longer and getting less sleepy. 

My top tips for getting an amazing night sleep

1. Reduce “Junk” Blue Light 

   Blue light after the sun has gone down tells the brain that it’s still the middle of the day. This causes your melatonin (sleep hormone) to not be produced and therefore disrupts your sleep cycle. 

   Blue “Junk” light can come from:

   Mobile phones, ipads, tablets, laptops, desktops, TV’s, fluro lights, e-readers. 

   The best way to reduce exposure to blue light at night time is to not use these devices after the sun goes down. Or at least 2 hours before bed time. 

   Try reading a book, playing board games, doing a puzzle, art, yoga - it creates space to find new hobbies as most of us spend way too much time on our screens anyway!

2. Use Blue Blocker glasses 

   To reduce the exposure to the blue light off screens at night time you can opt to use some blue blocker glasses. This will block the blue light but the stimulation of being on screens can still affect the sleep cycle regardless. You can also use red light filters on all of your devices.

   My favourite brands: 

   Gunner & Baxter Blues. You can also get blue blockers put onto prescription lenses at some optometrists now as well.
   
   

3. Watch the Sunrise & Sunset 

   To wake up with more energy and to sleep better - red light therapy is an amazing way to achieve this. 

   The red light you get from the sunrise and sunset - especially getting it direct on your face and in your eyes can help your circadian rhythm significantly. The sunlight needs to be directly from the sun and not going through glass (not through windows or glasses) to get the most benefit. 

   Watching the sunrise and sunset helps your body clock and is also a beautiful daily ritual. 

   If you are a shift worker, getting sunlight on your face and in your eyes is essential when you wake up to start your day - no matter what time that may be. It tells your brain that now we are awake and functioning.

   Also another hack if you are a shift worker is that you can buy a red light to bask in when you wake up to trigger the same response that morning light does. Something like these Infraredi ones are amazing. 

4. Black out your bedroom 

   Reducing light in your bedroom is essential to have a good nights sleep. 

   For shift workers this is even more essential as you may be sleeping during the day when our body is thinking it should be awake. 

   Using an eye mask and black out blinds in the bedroom is a great start. 

   I love the Princess & Pea Silk eye masks as they are low tox and have a nice pressure on the band.

   Interestingly, pressure on the temples with the eye mask & using ear plugs has be shown to increase sleep quality & melatonin production.
   
   

5. Meditation

   Meditation has so many health benefits but one main one is overall sleep improvement. There are many research articles supporting this, but overall meditation has been shown to: 

   • Regulate the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) Axis and thereby the cortisol and catecholamine levels

   • Increase melatonin levels

   • Enhance quality of life & reduce blood pressure 

   I could post so many research articles with relation to meditation and its health benefits but if you need help learning how to meditate please use an app like Insight Timer, Headspace or Calm. 
   
   

6. Use Calming Nutrients:
   You need certain nutrients and cofactors to make enough hormones like melatonin, GABA and dopamine which all help your sleep and wake cycle. Assisting that can help your sleep quality.

   • B6 

   • Zinc 

   • Magnesium

Pathway of melatonin synthesis, nutrient influences on pathway enzymes, and proposed actions of melatonin in the body. Adapted from Peuhkuri K, Sihvola N, Korpela R. Dietary factors and fluctuating levels of melatonin. Food & Nutrition Research. 2012;56

7. Nasal breathing 

Disturbed breathing and disturbed sleep go hand in hand. It’s actually difficult to snore when you are breathing through the nose slowly and gently. As the air moves faster through the airways, more turbulent airflow happens and there is a drop in air pressure. Snoring can be the first alarm of obstructive sleep apnoea and research suggests that snoring is one of the factors of sleep depravation. Snoring can be reduced when someone can learn to breathe more gently and smoothly while awake which leads to a habitual change in breathing patterns during wakefulness and during sleep. 

Did you know that our nose was perfectly designed for breathing (not our mouths). Our noses are perfect filtration and humidifying systems, and you cannot “over-breathe” through the nose like you can through the mouth. Our nose is a perfect regulator of oxygen. 

Signs and Symptoms of disordered breathing, mouth breathing and a sleep disorders include: 

• Dry mouth through the day and on waking 

• Thirst overnight 

• Excessive yawning 

• fast/heavy breathing 

• Erratic or irregular breathing 

• restlessness/muscle cramps at night / restless leg syndrome 

• Waking unrefreshed 

• Brain fog 

• Frequent sighing 

• Tendency to fall asleep in meetings & in front of the TV 

• Snoring / sleep apnoeas of between 10 seconds and 2 mins 

• Excessive breathlessness when exercising 
  
  

My recommendations for all of the above: Buteyko Breathing Method

The Buteyko Institute Method of breathing retraining addresses dysfunctional breathing habits by using breath training exercises, education, awareness of posture, sleep positions and lifestyle behaviours that affect breathing. This method teaches people how to recognise their incorrect breathing patterns and habits and helps to improve breathing - one of our body’s most important tasks.

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Breathing is the foundation of our mental and physical fitness

So why not do it properly

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As always, for doses or specific recommendations, always consult your health care practitioner.

Did you know that you can utilise different stages of your cycle to help optimise your training and in turn help you feel better through your cycle? 

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A lot of my clients are often shocked when I explain how your strength and fitness levels can fluctuate during your menstrual cycle and that you can actually adapt your training during your menstrual cycle to support your body better.

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Do you ever feel like you just want to become a couch potato while you're on your period? 

And then other stages of your cycle you are bouncing out of your skin with energy?

Now don’t be worried if this is all super new to you, a lot of women are only learning about their womanly cycles for the first time when they are well into their 30’s or 40’s. Although do note that your female cycle is very important and unfortunately many women have been made to feel that it is “too hard to understand”, “taboo to talk about” or have just simply been on contraception for their whole life so don’t really know what their normal cycle is. 

Does this sound like you?

Now let’s learn about your cycle and what types of training is best for each phase.

Working out with your cycle: When to rest, when to train

This is based on a 28 day cycle, so please adjust if your cycle is shorter or longer. 
FYI normal cycle lengths can range from 26-34 days. 

Day 1-3: 

Day 1 of your cycle is day 1 of your period. 

This is a time to rest and replenish.

A lot of women can feel tired and a bit sluggish on these days so it is a great time to have some rest or opt for rejuvenating movement. Gentle yoga or stretching is best. Definitely no inversions and always try to keep your body warm with infrared saunas and Chinese medicine suggest to have socks on your feet to protect your kidneys. In Ayurveda, a woman should be resting her body in this time of bleeding.

Day 4-14: 

This is your follicular phase. 

Superwoman phase. 

This is when your follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) rises and causes egg follicles to start developing. These follicles produce oestrogen, which is the hormone that rises in the first half of your cycle and is the dominant hormone here. Egg release happens around day 14 - this can be different for every woman. You can track your basal body temperature to find out exactly when you ovulate. 

Overall this is your time to enjoy strength training and bubbly outgoing energy. 

By day 4 of your cycle you should be feeling strong and ready for the gym. Strength workouts are best here, aim for heavier sets and more volume. Days 7-14 should be your heaviest and hardest week of training in the month. Studies have found that strength training during this phase of your cycle resulted in higher increases in muscle strength compared to training in the luteal phase.

Ie. never skip leg day before ovulation.

This is a great time to enhance your training with cold water therapy - 4 min cold showers first thing in the morning are amazing for your energy and muscle recovery.

Here you may also notice your appetite is good, energy high and your sex drive goes up due to coming into your ovulation and the spikes of testosterone.

Day 15-28: 

This is your luteal phase - coming out of your follicular and ovulation. 

Time to welcome your beautiful progesterone - our fat burning, calming hormone.

As oestrogen drops and progesterone rises you may find that your strength feels less than the first half of your cycle. For women who lift weights, now is a good time to focus on technique and lift at lower intensity/volume. Now is a great time to swap out heavier weights for HIIT workouts, easy cardio or active recovery type fitness. This is also the best time to take rest days and get into nature for some grounding.

Interestingly, higher progesterone increases the laxity (stretchiness) of ligaments and tendons, therefore you may want to avoid lifting heavy weights in the few days leading up to your period.

Fluid retention can happen more commonly in this time of your cycle due to the overall increase in body temperature and reduced sweat rate. This is a great time to support your lymphatic system with dry skin brushing every morning, increasing electrolytes through lots of vegetables and using epsom salts or magnesium flakes in your evening bath.

Overall, this is a great time to go easy on the high weights and opt for more rejuvenating training. 

First and foremost, women are cyclic creatures and the sooner we can start listening to our bodies and learning, the better we will be able to feel. Start by tracking your period, tracking your basal body temperature and pay attention to start connecting the dots for your own unique cycle. 

Above all, remember that there is nothing wrong with experiencing fluctuations in strength, endurance, body weight, cravings, sex drive or energy during the average menstrual cycle. Even if your hormones are 100% on track and balanced, it is very normal to have these fluctuations due to the cyclic nature of the female body. 

Learning to work with your body and menstrual cycle can improve overall health and wellness and help you to feel more comfortable in your training. 

Note: This post is to provide general advice and rationale for exercise and your menstrual cycle. It may not be applicable to all - eg if you are on contraception (The Pill, Mirena, rod etc) - and if you’re having ongoing hormonal difficulties, please seek professional treatment from your healthcare practitioner.

Another age old remedy - Castor oil!

Did you know that Castor oil has been used for literally thousands of years - first documented in Ayurvedic and Chinese medical texts, Greek philosophers, Hippocrates (aka “the Father of medicine”) and tales tell that even Cleopatra used it back in the day in her beauty routine for her eyebrows and eyelashes. Some philosophers even reported the use of castor oil to raise the “consciousness” of patients to prepare them to heal. 

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Castor seed plant is native to India and the castor oil comes from the castor seed, Ricinus communis, and is a triglyceride, comprised of fatty acids, 90% ricinoleic acid. 

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Castor oil packs have been shown to make a significant improvement with period pain and other inflammatory conditions. This is because when applied topically to the abdomen, the oil is absorbed through the skin into the tissue and when used with heat this can help absorption into deeper layers. Due to the small particles, castor oil is one of the only oils that can penetrate through the upper layer of the skin (stratum corneum) and absorb into the dermis which is where there is an abundance of blood vessels and lymph connections to allow the castor oil to flow into visceral parts of the body.

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Castor oil increases lymphocyte production and increases the circulation of the lymphatic system.

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How can Castor oil help?

The lymphatic system is like the sewer system of the body. Toxins, metals, dead cells, infections and debris from all over the body are collected by the lymphatic system and bought to the liver for filtering and emptying out of the colon. Assisting with lymphatic clearance can help avoid toxin build up in the body which may help with your immune function, efficient bowel movements and reducing inflammation. 

Studies published have shown castor oil packs: 

• They exert remarkable analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects

•  the increase of T11 cells (immune cells) hours after castor oil pack treatment

• promote contractility and peristalsis of the digestive system (assists with constipation) via stimulation of PGE3 receptors on smooth muscle

• Provides omega-3 & omega-9 fatty acids and vitamin E

• Switches the body into the parasympathetic state (calming) & increases oxytocin (happy hormone).

I use castor oil packs for my clients with the following conditions:

• menstrual irregularities

• fibroids,

• endometriosis

• ovarian cysts

• Constipation

• Period pain

• Clots in menstrual blood

• Hair loss or thinning

• Thyroid conditions

• Anxiety & sleep issues

• Poor detoxification
  

  It is important to understand that you do need to use castor oil consistently 4 days per week to see improvements - not just a once off. 

How to use a castor oil pack: 

TIPS:

• Use for 1hr minimum or all through the night 

• You can use everyday safely - aim for 3-4 days per week - using once per month will not make much of a difference 

• Areas:  lower abdo for GIT issues, lower down for menstrual cramps, upper right quadrant of abdo for liver health & detoxification. You can move it around each time you do a castor oil pack.

• Use a pressured Castor oil pack for the pressure benefits like this one:

  • FOR USA: click here

  • For Aus: click here

• Your castor oil should always be organic, cold-pressed and extra virgin, as well as hexane-free, 100% pure and ALWAYS packaged in a glass bottle.

• Not to be used in pregnancy

Method for Castor oil pack:

• Pour 2 tablespoons of castor oil on a flannel cloth (OR you can use the above similar flannel pack)

• Place the flannel cloth over affected area of body - lower abdo, liver, thyroid, breasts.

• Cover flannel cloth with another cloth that you don’t mind getting messy but can protect the oil from soaking through - castor oil is very sticky and thick (use the flannel pack above to avoid stickiness)

• Place hot water bottle or heat pack over the top of the castor oil pack to help with absorption.

• Rest while the pack is in place - you can keep on overnight 

• After removal, cleanse the area with water

• The castor oil pack can be reused

Castor oil for Eyebrows & Eyelashes

As castor oil is a triglyceride fatty acid & high in omega 3’s and vitamin E with many other beneficial minerals for hair growth I have found it to be amazing for eyelash and eyebrow growth. 

How to use: 

• Before use, patch test the oil on the inside of your arm to make sure you to not react to it (any redness, itching, swelling please do not continue use). 

• Clean your eyebrow and eyelashes free of makeup

• At night time, use a clean mascara wand or cotton swab (cutip) and wipe a small amount of castor oil over the eyebrows and eyelashes 

• Gently massage into the eyebrows

• Carefully do not let Castor oil come into contact with the eyes, if it does, wash it out immediately. 

• Place a cotton night mask over your eyes and eyebrows to protect your pillowcase and sheets. 

• Wash off gently in the morning with warm water 

Pressure at the temples with the eye mask and castor oil has also been shown to increase melatonin and improve deep sleep.

There is honestly so much more about castor oil that has been used thousands of years ago and all the research that is being done now to support those traditional uses to go along with it.

Enjoy your castor oil journey

Poor lil cholesterol has sadly got a bad wrap over the past few decades and I would love to explain here why I absolutely love healthy cholesterol and why to not be scared of it!

Cholesterol has 3 main functions in the body:

1. Forms the lining of cell membranes

2. Creates bile acids in the gut

3. Is the building blocks of steroid hormones
   

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Did you know that there is very little clinical evidence that cholesterol increases cardiovascular disease?

There is now more clinical evidence that a low carbohydrate diet decreases blood cholesterol levels compared to a low fat diet which does not have any clinical evidence to reduce cholesterol levels.

Firstly, cholesterol is important for lining the cell membranes and creating a myelin sheath along nerve endings. This is the first reason why having LOW cholesterol is actually not advisable. Cholesterol is useful in so many ways. This first action of cholesterol leads me to discuss how cholesterol lowering medications has a direct impact with brain health. Cholesterol lowering medications can impact the myelin sheaths and may cause issues such as neurological issues and also impact the levels of CoQ10 (an essential enzyme in the body) which can cause mitochondrial dysfunction.

Secondly, cholesterol creates bile acids in the gut. Cholesterol helps to create bile acids in the gut to assist with the absorption of many vitamins and minerals from our food. Bile acid is essential for breaking down fats and protein and is essential to absorption nutrients such as calcium and potassium.

Thirdly, and my favourite function of cholesterol - Cholesterol is the building blocks of steroids hormones. Steroid hormones include hormones like oestrogen, testosterone, DHEA and cortisol. If cholesterol is too low, this will inhibit these hormones to be made properly in the body.

All of these hormones regulate: -

• Sleep cycles

• Energy

• Moods

• Libido

• Monthly cycles (for females)

• Hair, skin and nail health

Where does Cholesterol come from?

Hormones are made by cholesterol which is why having good amount of healthy cholesterol is so important.

Only a small amount of cholesterol we get from our food and the rest we actually make with our liver.

Good sources of fats to make healthy cholesterol include: -

• Fish

• Avocado

• Oils - EVOO, Extra virgin coconut oil, flaxseed oil

• Butter & ghee

• Nuts and seeds

• Eggs

• Grass-fed / organic meats

The next step for healthy cholesterol levels is to support the liver. Your liver is your main detoxifier of the body, so when supported with the right nutrients it is able to process toxins much more effectively and essentially not have excess cholesterol built up. Liver support nutrients include: -

• Methionine

• Choline

• Vitamin D

• B vitamins (B12, B6, B2)

• Magnesium

• 5MTHF (active folate)

Liver support foods which contain all of these above nutrients include: -

• Green leafy vegetables

• Garlic

• Turmeric

• Brassica vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts)

• Artichoke

• Beetroot

• Celery

• Dandelion root tea

• Green tea

• Berries

Overall, cholesterol is important for many functions in the body and we need to learn why and how to love our healthy cholesterol and embrace the beautiful work it does for our brain, gut and hormones.

Jaisalmer Fort - Rajasthan - 2019

INDIA

The crazy and confronting country where people ride on the roofs of trains and buses, street kids and dogs all around and where people are on the phone for 12 hours straight on a sleeper train that was 6 hours late.

The country where literally anything can happen.

The country of the ever confusing head wobble that can mean anything you want it to.

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“You are absolutely never ready for India. But the good thing is, India is always ready for you.”

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Monsoon Palace monkey - Udaipur

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Monsoon Palace - Udaipur

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Bedla - Rajasthan

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No matter what you expect from your first trip to India, you’ll never be quite right.

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Smoggy Delhi

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Hawa Mahal - Jaipur - Rajasthan

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Wali - Rajasthan

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I recalled India’s golden rule: do the opposite of what would be normal anywhere else.

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Amber Fort - Rajasthan

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Yoga in Goa

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Sari shopping

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To me, India has always represented ‘everything’; it represents ‘all.’
Everything is here.
You can stay here forever, and you’ll never feel like you’ve missed out on life.

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Lake Pichola - UDAIPUR

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Badi Lake - UDAIPUR

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Wali - Rajasthan

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In India an explanation is often more confusing than what prompted it.

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Volunteers on Lake Pichola - UDAIPUR

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Volunteers at Fateh Sagar - Udaipur

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There are three trips you take to India: the one you think you’re going to have – that you plan for;
the one you actually have; and the one you live through once you go back home.

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Rajasthani woman - Wali

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Udaipur - Fateh Sagar

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Jaipur

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You never change your life until you step out of your comfort zone

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Ellen xx

How many people have been told to take the Oral Contraceptive pill or get a Mirena or rod inserted to “balance your hormones” ?

If I had a dollar for every girl that has said that to me…

Of course I celebrate the fact that female contraception was a huge move for women’s rights and empowerment. I also understand that it can be used well as a medicine for severe debilitating conditions such as endometriosis and heavy bleeding.

But what I really don’t enjoy is the mixed and untrue messages that are thrown around to girls and women right from puberty.

Untrue messages such as:

• Hormonal birth control is the only contraception

• Hormonal birth control balances your hormones

• Hormonal birth control helps all hormonal symptoms by balancing your hormones

• Hormonal birth control has no side effects
  
  

How hormonal birth control actually works

Birth control like the Oral Contraceptive Pill switches off ovulation and therefore switches off oestrogen and progesterone production in our bodies. It induces a “chemical menopause” and then replaces hormones with synthetic hormones as a type of “hormone replacement.” This may be ok if contraceptive drugs were beneficial like our natural hormones but because they are synthetic there is a plethora of negative side effects.

Contraceptive drugs are molecules such as ethinylestradiol, levonorgestrel, and drospirenone which are very different to our natural hormones so therefore do not provide the same benefits.

For example:

• Our beautiful natural hormone progesterone help to promote hair growth, helps us to feel cool, calm and collected and a great hormone for helping us have quality sleep. Levonorgestrel is used in many oral contraceptives, implants, Mirena IUD, and the morning-after pill.
  It has a very similar molecular structure to testosterone which is why long term use can lead to high blood pressure, acne, hair loss, anxiety, depression and increased risk of breast cancer.

• Estradiol (oestrogen) improves insulin sensitivity. The drug equivalent ethinylestradiol may cause insulin resistance. Therefore, it actually makes the pill an inappropriate treatment for PCOS which is a very common prescription to the condition known to be driven by insulin resistance.

• Ovulation time is where women are boosted with beautiful hormones to make you feel sexy, happy and relaxed - unfortunately on the pill the opposite can happen.

I acknowledge that contraception drugs do have a place for conditions such as endometriosis and heavy bleeding and can sometimes assist with acne. The main point I would like to make that this is just a temporary ‘band-aid’ fix and usually once someone is to come off hormonal contraception, these issues are usually still underlying.

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Contraception drugs cannot “regulate periods” because bleeding on the pill is a drug withdrawal bleed, not a real period or cycle.

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Contraceptive drugs are not the only birth control

When I ask clients what birth control they use I hear time and time again people saying “Oh we don’t use birth control, we use condoms.”

This really shows how so many people think that hormonal birth control is the only option.

Did you know that the pill actually only has a 91% efficacy rate? Technically it is higher “on paper” but combined with human error (forgetfulness), the true efficacy is 91% which means that if we were to survey 100 women on the pill, 9 of them would become pregnant on the pill.

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Imagine this world where we would routinely switch off the hormones of teenage boys and men:

“We are just going to switch off your testosterone and replace it with a synthetic psuedo-testosterone. It might cause weight gain, depression and low libido but don’t worry, lots of other boys take it!”

I have a feeling this might not fly too well for too long.

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On a side note - it blows me away still that so many women take hormonal birth control so that they can prevent pregnancy but then have such low libidos that they rarely want to have sex anyway.

Loss of libido is one of the most common hormonal symptoms I hear of in clinic across all age groups.

If I was to make the effort to pay for and remember to take hormonal birth control I would at least want to feel sexy and WANT to have sex during that time yeah?

Daysy fertility device

Natural Contraception Options

Did you know that your basal body temperature changes dramatically at ovulation? For some women tracking this may be too complex or too much room for human error which is why I love this hormonal tech device - the Daysy. It is 99.3% effective at preventing pregnancy and all this little device requires is for you to take your temperature under your tongue each morning and it does the rest! Check out more about it here.

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I hope this helps you to understand more about your hormones, options on contraception and that just because it may seem like the norm to be on hormonal contraception - there are many other options to save your sanity, hair and keep you healthy and happy.

Ellen xx

Detoxification is essential to the human body and there are many organs in the body that help us with this process including the liver, gut, kidneys and skin. There are things that can help our detoxification system in our body and things that can slow it down. When our detoxification wheels are going too slow, this can cause many problems in the body but first and foremost can affect our hormones significantly.

Up to 800 chemicals in our everyday life have been shown to have an affect on our hormonal system by interfering with hormone receptors, hormone conversion and hormone synthesis. These problems can then be linked to thyroid disease, diabetes, endometriosis, obesity and more.

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Ha Long Bay - Vietnam

Your Genes May Guide Your Detoxification Capability

Every year we are exposed to new chemicals that have been put into our environment, food, water, personal care. with this, our bodies detoxification abilities are constantly being put to the test but the main issue is that some people have genes that affect their bodies stamina to keep up with this demand.

Genes passed down from your parents can tell us if you are good at eliminating certain toxins or if you may have trouble processing things like heavy metals, pesticides, herbicide, and organic pollutants which can cause accumulation of toxins in the body.

For example, the gene variants GSTT1 and GSTM1 are linked with the production of an antioxidant Glutathione. This is the most potent antioxidant in the body and one of it’s most important jobs is to eliminate manmade chemicals from the body. If you have a variant in the above genes it may mean that your body’s capability to process toxins might be less than the next person who does not have these gene variants.

Endocrine Disruptors

The main category of chemicals that are bring referred to are called endocrine disruptors and greatly affect the communications between certain hormones and may lead to problems associated with:

• Hypothyroidism / Hashimoto’s / Graves disease

• High oestrogen diseases such as endometriosis and fibroids

• Blood sugar disregulation which can lead to an increased risk of diabetes

• Weight and obesity

Chemicals that may affect your hormones:

• Bisphenol A (BPA)

  • Found in plastics such as plastic water bottles, plastic food containers, inside lining of takeaway coffee cups and tinned food, plastic utensils, thermal receipt paper, phone cases, children’s toys. Also anything heated in plastic leaches more BPA.

• Brominated and organophosphate flame retardants (volatile compounds):

  • Found in rugs, foam furniture, carpets, floor polish, nail polish

• Pthalates

  • Found in cosmetics, perfumes, shampoo, conditioner, soap, body lotions, hair spray, floor and wall coverings, food packaging, children’s toys, detergents

• Pesticides/Insecticides

  • Found in most non-organic certified fruit, vegetables, grains, food in general. Also found in bug spray cans, termite control, lawn and garden treatments, head lice treatment.

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Five Steps You Can Take to Protect Yourself from Toxic Overload

It is important in this day and age to reduce your toxic overload to protect your hormones, prevent chronic disease and to improve your overall health.

1. Reduce Plastic Use & BPA exposure

   BPA found in plastics is essential to avoid when looking after your hormones.

   One of the largest exposures to BPA is drinking water from plastic water bottles. Unfortunately even BPA free water bottles and plastic containers still contain other types of Bisphenol substitutes that have similar hormonal impact as BPA.

   Heating plastic releases even more BPA into the product, so please stop reheating your food in plastic containers asap.

   Switch to stainless steel or glass water bottles, switch to glass food containers for storage. Start keeping all the glass jars you buy food in and use this for storage. Switch to using a glass or stainless steel reusable coffee cup if getting takeaway, use wooden kitchen utensils and ask for receipts to be emailed to you or just put in your reusable shopping bag instead of touching it straight away while still hot.
   
   

2. Reduce Pesticide exposure by choosing organic produce

   Choosing organic produce just for 1 week has been shown to reduce urinary pesticide levels by nearly 90%. Check out the dirty dozen and clean 15 to help you prioritise what is most heavily sprayed and therefore the most important to buy organic.
   
   

3. Switch to 100% Natural Personal Care Products

   Swapping all personal care over gradually to 100% natural is essential for hormone health.

   Remember that your skin is your largest organ and absorbs over 70% of what we put on it.

   This includes products such as shampoo, conditioner, body wash, soap, moisturisers, toner, cleansers, facial scrubs, self tanners, deodorant, makeup, aftershave lotion, lip balm.

   Some great brands you can swap to for all of the above include Dr Bronners, Sukin, Thursday Plantation, Eco Tan, Schmidts, Inika, Zuii, Mukti.
   
   

4. Surround Yourself with Plants to Filter Indoor Air

   Incorporating potted plants into your environment has been shown to reduce indoor air pollution significantly within just 24hours.

   These can include a reduction in VOCs (volatile organic compounds) such as formaldehyde, xylene/toluene, benzene, ammonia and acetone.
   Common plants that have been studied to reduce VOCs include spider plant, peace lily, snake plant, and devil’s ivy.
   
   

5. Use foods and herbs to support your liver detoxification process

   Food is medicine. Using food and herbs to support your liver detoxification pathways can be very powerful.

   Foods such as broccoli, cauliflower, beetroot, brussel sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, bok choy, pak choy, silverbeet, and silverbeet are all very nourishing for the liver and helps to speed up the pathways to clear toxins more efficiently.
   Using herbs such as garlic, turmeric, dandelion root, St Mary’s Thistle, globe artichoke, tulsi, Schisandra, and reishi… just to name a few amazing ones.

   Also remember to make sure that the majority of these above foods are sourced organically to get the full effects of them.

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Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food
- Hippocrates

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The main take away here is there are many different ways that environmental toxins can take form in our lives and although it may seem overwhelming to begin with, gradually changing over to a clean lifestyle is a number one priority in supporting your hormones.

Ellen x

*Always consult with your health care practitioner before taking herbal medicine.

Have you been on the Pill for the past 5-10 years or more and too scared to come off because every time you do you get huge breakouts?

Or maybe you have already come off and getting acne breakouts even though you’re an adult.

Post-pill acne is one of the most common causes of hormonal acne that I see in clinic and can be so frustrating for the patient because it can seem that no matter what you eat or put on your face, it just doesn’t seem to help.

Well theres a reason for this and here you will learn why and how to fix it or prevent it from happening before you come off the pill.

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New Zealand

Quick run down on the Pill:
The Pill uses synthetic hormones to stop ovulation and the production of many of our natural hormones.

These synthetic hormones do not have the same effect on the body as our natural ones.

This is why side effects of the pill can cause: depression, weight gain, low libido, migraines, mood changes… just to name a few.

Also a “period” on the Pill is not actually a real period and I prefer to refer to it as a “withdrawal bleed”. Because it is actually just your body having withdrawals to the synthetic hormones when you take the sugar pills. This is why a lot of women believe that “the Pill fixes their period” but it is actually just a massive bandaid covering up the underlying issues.

Now this is where the Post-pill acne can happen. Once you stop taking the Pill, your body bounces back and has to start making hormones that it hasn’t had to for however long you have been taking the pill for! This may be a couple of years for some people but other it may be 15+ years.

The reason certain Oral Contraceptive Pills are prescribed for acne is because they reduce and suppress sebum (oils in the skin) back to levels we had as a child. So after you stop taking the Pill, your body will naturally have to up-regulate the amount of skin oil it produces and this can continue for months after you stop the pill. We can see Post-pill acne persisting regularly for 3-6 months after ceasing the Pill.

Another contributor to Post-pill acne happens when your androgens (male hormones) increase after stopping the Pill. This specifically includes testosterone which can cause acne flare ups on the jawline, back and chest.

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Ginkgo Leaf - Japan

Post-pill acne natural treatment:
For best results, starting the below treatment a couple of months before you stop the Pill is ideal. That way your skin will be in a better space to be less reactive to the withdrawal of the medication.

• Zinc

  • Nourishes ovarian follicles (eggs) and therefore promotes ovulation

  • Reduces inflammation

  • Blocks excess androgens (testosterone) - but also does not reduce testosterone below normal levels. We still need testosterone for energy and libido.

  • Increases collagen production in connective tissue

  • A large portion of people are zinc deficient and you are especially at risk if you are vegetarian or vegan

  • Other reasons for low zinc include alcohol consumption, stomach acid/reflux medications (PPI’s) and the Pill also reduces zinc levels.

  • You can get zinc checked in a blood test

• Cod Liver Oil

  • After having your skin oils suppressed while on the Pill, replacing them before coming off the pill is a good idea.

  • A good quality Cod Liver Oil also contains natural Vitamin A and D which are vtial for skin and hormones.

  • Taking a good quality Cod Liver Oil is important. This is because some cheap and nasty versions can be full of heavy metals and oxidised oils.

  • I highly recommend Nordic Naturals Arctic-D Cod Liver Oil.

• Remove dairy & sugar

  • Cows dairy has been shown to have a very strong link with acne because it contains A1 casein which is an inflammatory protein that stimulates the production of histamine and mast cells.

  • Avoid dairy yoghurt, cheese, ice cream, milk coffees.

  • Butter and ghee are fine to still have as they do not contain casein and are cultured. Usually goats and sheep dairy does not affect acne either.

  • Sugar and dairy can spike IGF-1 (Insulin-like growth factor) which has a direct link with hormonal acne.

• Support your gut

  • 40% of acne sufferers have low stomach acid.

  • This means you are not able to break down and digest your food and nutrients as well as you should.

  • You digestive tract is where you assimilate all of your nutrients from the beautiful food you eat.

  • Using apple cider vinegar, zinc, gentian, ginger and hydrochloride (HCL) can be useful.

• Support your liver

  • Your liver is a main detox pathway in the body so to remove toxins from the body we have to make sure all your little liver wheels are spinning nicely otherwise things can get backed up and recycled which can lead to high oestrogen

  • Your liver LOVES: broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, turmeric, garlic, spinach, rocket, alfalfa sprouts, cabbage and beetroot.

How long until it gets better?

Starting all of the above treatment a few months before coming off the Pill will give you a head start but it can take a good 3-6 months to see real, lasting changes to your skin.

Ellen xx

*Always consult with your practitioner for the correct dosing of nutrients and herbs.

Women’s Health in India is a very interesting and complex topic.
My main curiosity came from the womens health project I first volunteered on with an NGO named JJVS. Mainly because there are so many aspects that play into womens health in India including culture, religion, taboos, education level, social issues, nutrition, financial state and much more. 

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Health Camp in Bedla - Rajasthan

This has become a huge passion of mine to understand all of the above to be able to assist these amazing but vulnerable women as much as possible.

The JJVS Women’s Health pilot study is covering approximately 11,000 women in villages surrounding Vali in Rajasthan. JJVS aim to close the gap in knowledge about menstruation and hygienic practices among women and girls. Women’s Menstrual Health is still a very taboo topic in India with many reasons surrounding this.

The key issues in India surrounding menstrual health include:

• Lack of education and awareness 

• Lack of access to menstrual health products 

• Cultural taboos and social issues 

• Lack of support from government

Firstly let’s discuss education.

Only 20% of rural village women in Rajasthan are literate compared to 80% of men. This rate is mainly due to girls not going to school. This can be for a few different reasons such as financial situations and family and cultural values that the women should stay home to look after the home and younger siblings. A poor statistic is that only 40% of girls are still in school by 12 years old in North India.

The next thing to understand is the religious and cultural views towards menstruation.

It is known in India that menstrual blood is impure and even though this is an old wives tale it is still very much believed. It is known that when you are menstruating you should not visit the temple and you should not enter the kitchen or cook for the family. Some temples that I have visited actually have signs at the entrance advising menstruating women should not enter. It is hard to imagine what growing up with these values taught to you would feel like. A lot of women feel disempowered and definitely feel that having a menstrual bleed is not a good thing.

Menstrual health is a very taboo topic in India so when a girl gets her first period, there is very rarely any education around it or guidance about what is normal and what is not. No one talks about it so it is made to feel like a very private and embarrassing topic for girls.

Many girls and women do not have access to menstrual hygiene products nor would they know how to use them and nor can they usually afford them. As most general stores or corner stores are run by men it would be highly embarrassing to go and buy pads even if someone were to have enough money to.

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Health camp in Vali - Rajasthan

Did you know that most village women in India have never seen a sanitary pad before and usually use old cloths / dirt/ leaves / mud to soak up their menstrual blood.

The next issue stemming from this is that because menstrual health being so taboo, women are not to dry their menstrual cloths in the open view of others therefore have to dry them inside or underneath other clothes. This means the cloth does not get sanitised properly and this is where infections and health issues can start from.

The lack of education, awareness, support and access to menstrual hygiene products mean many issues arise such as:

• Bacterial vaginosis (60% of women in rural Rajasthan experience)

• Thrush

• Heavy bleeds

• Uterine prolapse

• Anaemia (51% of girls and women in rural Rajasthan)

These health issues then mean girls and women cannot go to school or work.

Periods often end a schooling education for girls due to lack of awareness, support and menstrual hygiene products.

The next issue is that these menstrual health problems can just get worse due to high birth rates. If you are constantly pregnant or breastfeeding this can make infections and anaemia much much worse.

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Womens Menstrual Health Workshop - Vali - Rajasthan

Through the NGO’s I have been working with we have been assisting on a couple of projects.

First project is with JJVS where we worked with the change makers who run workshops to village women and have funded many pad making machines for the women to actually work in and then sell the pads door to door to women to earn income.

This project has reached approximately 11,000 women.

This is an amazing project due to enabling women to learn a new skill and earn an income to contribute to the family without having to do daily labour work and travelling very far. It also cuts out the middle man by allowing women to purchase menstrual pads at a very low amount of money and not having to leave their house to purchase them. It’s a win win and the project is running very well.

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Learning about how to use menstrual pads - Vali - Rajasthan

The second project I have worked on and helped to create from scratch is with the NGO Helping Hands Society.

Here we run health camps at the local Anganwadi’s (child care centres) to assist pregnant women and children.

We analyse the foods fed to the children at the Anganwadi and help make changes to better the nutrition accordingly.

The health camps are essential to keep the immune system and hormonal health well for the women and babies.

We are running a pilot study currently with the girls and women of this village after we have distributed reusable menstrual hygiene pads.
We have provided workshops and education sessions to the girls and women around hormones, hygiene, and the importance of using pads during this time.

The reusable pads of course is a much better option for the environment given the state of the pollution in India already.

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If you are interested to learn more there is a documentary on Netflix “Period. End of sentence”.
This documentary explains all about the man who saw his new wedded wife struggling with the issues of having a menstrual cycle and not having access to menstrual pads.

Another great movie is “Pad Man” - if you are more of a masala person and want some Bollywood action.

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This is a huge passion of mine and I am very happy to share with you the information I have learnt along the way and the projects I am currently working on.

Ellen xx

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Health camp - Shivpuri - Rajasthan

Who else opens their pantry and thinks to themselves that they wish they had one of those “picturesque pinterest pantries” with everything labelled in beautiful matching jars? 

While minimalist jar life might not be for everyone, there are so many ways to have a healthy pantry to help you live more holistically.

No matter where you are in your health journey, It is so important to look at your food in your life and assess if it is best for you and your loved ones.

First thing: If you fail to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
Might sound super obvious, but a really good place to start is to understand that healthy eating is easier when you have healthy food in your house.

Sabji market - Jaipur, The Pink City

Tips for making a healthier pantry: 

REMOVE 

1. Packaged foods // JERF - Just Eat Real Food.
Nuff said. Say NO to packaged foods.
Anything in a packet usually has other rubbish things in it. Who wants to eat something that is a “food-like product”? 

2. Preservatives and numbers
Again - the majority of these additives are not real food. Side effects of reactions to preservatives and numbers can be things like: brain fog, fatigue, hyperactivity, headaches, asthma, rashes, digestive upsets, insomnia. 

A quick run down on the numbering system is that numbers between 100-180 are colours; 200-290 are preservatives; 300-320 are antioxidants; 322 to 494 are emulsifiers; and 905 to 907 are mineral hydrocarbons. 

Colourings are only used for cosmetic and appearance of the food and serve no purpose for taste or preservation. 

Many organisations such as The Hyperactive Children’s Support Group and National Asthma Council Australia have put out warnings to parents to avoid many numbers all across the board due to the effects on various different conditions
.
A great way to know what you are eating is to check out The Chemical Maze book or app is really handy resource. 

Most additives do serve a purpose in the packaged foods but if you choose to eat a natural wholefoods diet you will be able to remove any exposure to those numbers.

3. Plastics
Plastics have been shown to disrupt hormones, are neurotoxic and disrupt good bacteria in our gut.
A few of my favourite and easy swaps to begin with include:
Beeswax wraps instead of cling wrap
Jars and glass containers instead of plastic storage items
Wooden stirring spoons instead of plastic ones
Loose leaf tea instead of tea bags (tea bags contain plastic)
Especially do not heat plastic as this just speeds up the process of the plastic chemicals leaching into the food.


4. Remove the non stick pans.
The best cookware is stainless steel or specific brands like Neoflam for example.
Do you notice how after a little white the non stick bits starts to scratch off the pan? Where do you think that goes - yep in your food that you’ve eaten. 

5. De clutter!
Detach from random bobs and bibs in the kitchen. Do you really need 5 different ladles  or 10 different sized mixing bowls? Donate some to charity or a friend in need to decrease clutter. A clear pantry = a clear mind! 
Also if you haven’t used something in your pantry or fridge within the last 4 weeks - get rid of it, you probably won’t use it in the next 4 weeks or 4 months. Old jars of pesto and off pickles at the back of the fridge I’m looking at you….

Colourful Hanoi, Vietnam

Things TO DO: 

1. Buy in Bulk - Save money + save the earth.
Buying your flour, nuts and seeds, muesli, cacao powder, rice and pasta from a Bulk Food store will save you money and also save packaging and plastic going to landfill.
PSA: No waste life is game changing. Try The Source Bulk Foods - they have everything you could need and you can even take your own jars or containers with you to just fill up right then and there! 

2. Spices
Include lots of herbs and spices for flavouring dishes. Think turmeric, basil, himalayan salt, ginger, garlic, thyme, coriander, cumin, black pepper etc. Spice racks can be a great idea for storage and look super cute in the kitchen too. Including herbs and spices in your diet adds a lot of phytonutrients and of course brings your food to life in flavour and colour.


3. Fresh Produce
Fill your fridge and pantry with lots of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, fermented foods and berries!
Shopping at farmers markets is a great way to save money, get fresh produce and connect with the growers. Did you know that some vegetables in big supermarkets have actually be frozen & sprayed and some vegetables like pumpkins, potato and sweet potato have been tested to be over 1 year old.
Prepping foods in your fridge can be handy. For example you can cut things up like carrot and celery sticks, pineapple, strawberries, melons, prep a basic salad and pop them in glass containers in the fridge for easy access and snacks. 

4. Store your fruits and vegetables correctly to ensure they last.
Did you know the average Australian family throws away 1/3 of their weekly shopping? Storing your produce better is a great way to make it last longer. for example, beeswax wrap to cover open avocados and citrus fruit, wrap cauli and broccoli with a damp cloth to store for longer. Cut up carrots and celery and place in a jar with water (keep them crunchy and easier to eat)

5. Buy seasonally with fruits and vegetables.
Pesticides are used to make non-seasonal fruit grow better so you want to avoid this as much as possible.
Farmer’s markets are a great way to source organic fruits and vegetables and not spend your months wage on it.  

Indian Masala box

I used to be the person who would book 3 different non-connecting flights through random cheap airlines stopping in tiny bad airports for hours on end, re-checking my bags back in, transits of 2948402 hours at a time just to save a bit of money… student life I guess. But you can imagine how this kind of travelling can cause extreme jet lag. Now I try to fly a little more relaxed to say the least. Although, no matter how seasoned a traveller you are, jet lag can be a very common problem. 

The worst case of jet lag I had was when I was flying from Bali to London in the month of December. It was super hot in Bali - I got really bad sunburn, then had 2 stops in random countries before flying into freezing London trying to catch the tube to my hostel dorm covered in my backpacks in peak hour with heatstroke and jet lag. Not a great combo. 

I am someone who likes to get right into the thick of it and explore as soon as landing in a new city so jet lag is something I always do my best to avoid. 

So firstly, what exactly is jet lag and what does it do to you?

Jet lag is your body clock’s inability to adjust to the new time zone. As humans we didn’t exactly evolve to be flown across 8 timezones in the space of 24 hours.

It’s just not natural to us. Plus the more timezones you cross the worse your jet lag can be. Some things our body will use to call out to us are symptoms like insomnia, fatigue, headaches, nausea, diarrhoea, etc etc. Fun times! 

Aside from knowing that there is no scientific cure for jet lag, I’ve put together my favourite ways to do your best at avoiding jet lag with a little Naturopathic spin on things as well. Some of them may seem a little over the top - but trust me - It will help you avoid having to google “jet lag remedies” at 4am from your hotel room. 

Tips Below!

My Jet lagged face after landing in London

Bali - before the sunburn

My top 10 Naturopathic tips for avoiding Jet lag

1. Fasting / Pack your own food

I usually fast on plane trips and drink plenty of water. If it’s a super long haul flight I will usually take some snacks on the plane myself. Easy snack ideas for the plane include: 

• Boiled eggs 

• Popcorn 

• Protein balls 

• Dark chocolate 

• Bone broth powder - to use with hot water from tea/coffee trolley 

Of course the nutritional panel of plane food is not amazing and it’s all packed full of preservatives and salt. Another thing to note is that most travellers have had a horror story of having to sit on the tarmac for 3 hours before the plane takes off so having your own snacks in those times is perfect as well. 

2. Drink lots of water on the plane and in transit.

The plane’s sterile air conditioning is super dehydrating for the body because it’s not humidified so it’s even more important than usual to drink extra water. I always take my own empty water bottle on the plane and ask the flight attendants nicely to fill it up.
If anyone is interested, the absolute bain of my existence is that you cannot take water through security at the airport. Some airports even confiscate water bottles!! Anyway, do your best, if you are on long haul flights. I just ask to have the entire bottle of water they are filling up everyone’s tiny 100mL plastic cups with (the plastic consumption on planes is also another reason why I don’t eat plane food and will need a separate article dedicated to the issue). Bringing your own large water bottle also helps to not have to bother the flight attendants constantly for more water and you can stay well hydrated.

3. Get as comfy as possible for sleep. 

Essentials that I pack for long haul flights are:

• Memory foam neck pillow - not those horrible tiny ball neck pillows

• Eye mask - even though the plane lights get turned off I find the screens of people in front quite distracting and if the lights come on for food/drinks you can keep sleeping quite soundly.

• Ear plugs - hundreds of people (babies & snorers included) in a confined space, ‘nuff said.

• Comfy headphones - a chilled music playlist can be nice to put you off to sleep. Also bringing your own headphones saves plastic waste of using the airline ones.

• Jumper, cosy socks & sarong. Planes are usually quite cold so bring things to snuggle up in - temperature has a massive influence on sleep quality. Also I love having a sarong to wrap myself up in.

Flying out of Kolkata, India

4. Window seat

I know this is a massive debate!! My reasoning for preferring a window seat is because you have something to lean up next to. The aisle seat you are constantly getting knocked and disturbed by people going past & the drinks trolley - and the middle seat is just a no go zone IMO. I always select my seats when I check in online, that way I know I have a window seat and I’m not anywhere near the toilet! Being near the toilet means people lining up, walking, touching your TV screen, banging of the toilet door, toilet light going on and off - I had a very bad 12 hour flight on the aisle and right next to the toilet - it’s made me super diligent to always select my seats before. Sometimes airlines will charge you extra to select the seats but in my opinion it’s worth it. Plus - Views!

5. Passionflower.

The beautiful herb Passionflower has been researched to assist with restful sleep, works as a nervine to nourish your nervous system and assists with GABA production (relaxation hormone). I have found passionflower to be a lifesaver for jet lag. I use liquid extracts of passionflower and use drop dosing usually. Always consult your Naturopath before using passionflower as it is contraindicated with some medications.

6. Avoid alcohol, coffee & carbonated drinks

Both alcohol and coffee are dehydrating for the body. Also be aware that alcohol has greater effects on your body at higher altitudes so may not make you feel very well. Fizzy drinks and the tiny bubbles in them can expand rapidly when the air pressure of the cabin changes which can mean lots of bloating mid and post flight.

7. Light exposure

Sunlight is a powerful tool to reset your internal body clock. When you reach your destination after flying, if it is daytime make sure to keep natural sunlight in your room, go for a walk in the sun and get direct sunlight on your face (no sunglasses or hat) for a good 15-30 mins.
If it is night time make sure to keep the light low to help your body adjust, lights off, screens/laptop/tablets off - no artificial light.

8. Blue Blocker glasses

Did you know that blue light from screens and fluro lights etc can delay the production of melatonin in your body. So when you are on a plane you are usually either eating and being blinded by the fluro lights in the cabin or watching a thousand movies on the screen super close to your face that is full of blue light. I use Blue Blockers on planes to help to decrease the effects of the blue lights. There are a few different brands you can get: Baxter Blues, BluBlox, Gunner.

9. Exercise

On the day you are flying, and on the day you land.
After sitting on a plane for 12+ hours it is a great idea to do some movement. Fluid retention and sluggish digestion is so common after long haul flights. I usually do a bit of stretching on the plane in the open space near the toilets every couple of hours. Then on arrival, moving your body by going for a brisk 30 min walk, hire a bike for a quick cycle or a weights workout in hotel gym is a great option to get the blood flowing. Just be careful not to get lost in your new city!
Also side note: for exercise while travelling I always pack resistance bands if I am staying in guest houses or hostels. I learnt from a great friend about amazing hotel room workouts.

10. Grounding/ Earthing

Biohacker Dave Asprey of Bulletproof explains: ““When you go up in an aeroplane, you build up a static charge in your body that slows the mitochondrial function. In other words, the battery in your body doesn’t hold a charge as well because you were disconnected from the earth.”
Grounding is a bit of a woo woo technique that I use often for stress management but it can work really well for jet lag as well. Get your shoes off & feet in the grass, sand, snow, dirt - whatever you can find!

Snow in Wales

If you can try to do as many of these points above you will have a better chance at bouncing back after a flight

More from me soon xxx

Disclaimer: The information provided in this post is not to diagnose any condition or disease or prescribing any herbs or nutrients as treatment. All the information is purely information only and for use to maintain and promote healthy lifestyles. Always consult your health care practitioner before making any changes to your current health and lifestyle to make sure it is the right thing for you.