Ode to my thongs (and to my mum)

You might remember the movie, ‘Top Gun’? The part, in particular, when Maverick (Tom Cruise) says to Goose in the midst of a very tense bit of air-combat, “Switching to Guns“.

This classic 80’s movie proved surprisingly inspirational on my recent hiking trip when, finally thwarted by raging blisters and bruised toes, I gave up on my boots.

“Switching to Thongs“, I announced. Aloud. To only myself, who promptly cracked up laughing.

Yep. To my blue, Hawaiian Havianas, a present on my last birthday from Mum. Packed at the last-minute as an afterthought. Made all the more fetching by teaming them with my white, woollen, hiking socks. This smart look carried me the final 61.3km of my hike on the Northern Bibbulmun, although I did have to remove said thongs as I reached the steep, slippery granite summit of Mt Cooke (my feet kept sliding out of them on the sharp gradient).

In the hiking community, its all about the shoes. In-depth analysis of the pros & cons of different footwear is undertaken: low-cut or hi-cut? Boots or trainers? Waterproofness? Sturdiness? Support-vs-flexibility? The good shoes are all $250-plus.

I don’t think anyone has ever analysed the thong as a hiking shoe. They will now.

Never again will I not buy myself the ‘expensive’ ($40) thong in favour of the cheap ($5 from Target) option whilst waiting for birthday time to come round. The wisest investment is often the one we didn’t value at the time. As is the unremarkable gift, even the one from someone that loves us best.

My humble thongs’ true glory was revealed as the one thing that got me over some (very) tough bits.

Thanks, Mum. x

Looking After Yourself

One of the biggest issues we have to address when it comes to improving our health is actually making space to take care of ourselves. Real care that is ongoing, not a fleeting 48 hours of eating right and going for a run, then falling back to old habits. We women are the worst, prioritising everything else in their life except themselves. 

The woman who feeds her family and forgets to feed herself, the woman who goes to a drive-through for lunch at 3.30pm whilst dropping the kids off to sport, the woman who has 6 coffees a day without thinking, the woman who pours herself half a bottle of wine each evening just so she can hold it together through dinnertime.  

The body is our greatest barometer; it lets us know when something is awry way before our mind recognises it. Fatigue, anxiety, low libido, IBS, feeling frumpy… these are all ways the body has to let us know all is not well.  

Start Close In. It’s the little things count.  

1. Eat real food. At least 2-3 times a day. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just honest. When you’re serving dinner, put another serve straight into a lunchbox for tomorrow.  

• Eggs (keep a few hard boiled ones in the fridge for a quick breakfast or snack) 

• Vegetables- the pre-chopped salad mixes are great. So are avocados, left-over roast veggies, celery sticks, baby cucumbers… 

• Good fat- this keeps your hormones happy & your skin (& other important bits) moist. Raw olive oil drizzled on meals, butter (yep), avocado, macadamias, sardines 

• Eat some carbs. Women on low-carb diets feel great for the first couple of weeks, then rapidly fall in a heap. The right carbs are gentle & nourishing, especially at dinner time: white potato (Yes!), brown rice, quinoa, spelt pasta. 

2. Drink water. 2 litres of it every day. The single easiest step you can take to get your cells healthy. 

3. Move your body. Do what you love (dance, run, yoga, squash). Or, if you don’t love anything, just walk. Preferably with a friend. I wish I’d never gone for that walk, said no one. Ever.   

4. Meditate. Make 10 minutes in your day to simply be still with yourself. The more we gently guide our minds into quiet places, the easier it is to find peace. There are some beautiful apps around that guide you if you prefer; I like Insight Timer & Smiling Minds, but there are plenty of others 

The Healing Power of Nature

Recently I’ve found myself going back to the real basics of Naturopathic medicine. The principles First, Do No Harm and The Healing Power of Nature have been incredibly important and have stood me (and those patients I’ve work with) in good stead.

In a month of complex cases, patients have presented with myriad symptoms that seem to have little common thread. The lady with fatigue, fluid retention, headaches and random rashes appearing seemingly out of nowhere. Her blood results are perfect. Or the man with horrible gut pain, headaches and attacks of vomiting whose scans are all clear and nothing shows up in his blood tests either. It is situations like these that often prompt people to show up to a Naturopath in the first place, when their GP doesn’t have any obvious answers for them.

I don’t mind, in fact I love that I can be the one to de-complicate things for them and, instead, guide them to understand what their body may be trying to tell them.

First, Do No Harm. Aside from the obvious, this principle really means that illness has a purpose, the symptoms of which are the body trying to heal itself. Therefore, we do not want to suppress the symptoms without removing the underlying cause(s).

The Healing Power of Nature. Each body has a profound ability to heal itself. Our job is to simply create the right environment for it to do so. This means:

1. Removing obstacles that get in the way of healing:

• Poor diet: refined/processed foods devoid of any nutritional value, sugar, deep fried foods, lack of fruit and vegetables

• High-burden substances: alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, food colourings and preservatives

• Lack of water

• Toxins: Our world is full of them (PCBs, exhaust fumes, xeno-oestrogens, pesticides, etc.) but we can certainly minimise them through wise choices around cleaning products, make up, organic veggies

1. Supplying lots of the stuff it needs:

• An abundance of richly coloured vegetables and fruits

• Good quality proteins

• Plenty of water

In an ever-more-complicated world, it’s a relief to keep it simple. For both these patients, where the underlying cause was just not obvious, all we did was to RESET the body. A couple of weeks just eating veggies and meat and fish and eggs and drinking loads of water. No sugar, no grains, no alcohol no coffee. They felt pretty ghastly for the first few days, but then it’s as if a light turned on. The body, having been unburdened of all that stuff that was getting in its way, and given the right environment in which it can do what it’s designed to do, starts the process of healing.

Rocket science? – No.

A little bit magic? – Maybe.

Fertility Support

Having a baby is not always easy. One’s fertility is, essentially, a reflection of their overall health and wellbeing. Making a healthy baby requires optimal health of both partners and many factors may impact their fertility. The good news, however, is that often the smallest of changes in diet and lifestyle can have a great influence on fertility.

Preconception care

The total process of producing a sperm or an egg takes over 100 days! This means there is a long period of time during which these are at risk of suffering genetically from nutritional deficiency or toxic exposure (i.e. alcohol, cigarettes, heavy metals, radiation, etc.) It is really important that couples spend time preparing their bodies before conceiving. Charlotte can guide you through this process, and recommend the appropriate wellness diet, detoxification program and nutrient supplementation for both of you.

Female fertility

There are many factors that affect female fertility, including:

• Thyroid disorders

• Obesity

• PCOS

• Stress

• Impaired detoxification pathways

• Age

• Nutrient deficiencies

At your initial consultation, Charlotte will take a thorough clinical assessment to determine which underlying factors may be impacting upon your fertility. She then creates an optimal dietary program for you, and prescribes a combination of herbal medicines and nutrients to promote optimal hormonal health. These work to ensure a healthy ovulation, and encourage a beautifully rich endometrium ready for implantation. The treatments can also be used alongside assisted reproductive techniques, such as IVF.

Male fertility

The male is often the forgotten factor in fertility issues. Sperm are particularly vulnerable to oxidative damage caused by poor diet, tobacco, alcohol & environmental toxins. Charlotte will tailor a nutritional and supplemental program for you to maximise your production of supremely healthy, virile sperm.

Diabetes & Obesity

Type II Diabetes in Australia is reaching epidemic proportions. The number of people diagnosed with Diabetes closely correlates with the number of people who suffer from Obesity. Indeed, the two are intricately connected. And herein lies the key: to treat diabetes, you must tackle weight loss. But, wait a minute, the opposite is also true: to lose weight, you must tackle diabetes. It’s a bit like the “chicken & egg” scenario…which one comes first? And, more importantly, which one do we treat first? Well, the simple answer is BOTH! They happen together, and you can’t treat one without also treating the other.

When we look back at any early human culture, it is obvious that there was very little obesity. In fact most humans were surprisingly lean. So what has changed? PLENTY! It’s only relatively recently that we have had constant access to vast amounts of food. Previously, we had to work hard to find food and, when we did, we would generally feast. The next meal might be a long way off, so it would have been very common to then go into a fasting mode. This pattern of feast and fast is important; for when we are fasting, the body uses its fat stores for fuel. By regularly fasting, we stayed lean.

The type of food we ate was also vastly different. Meals typically consisted of meats (especially the fat), fish, berries, nuts & seeds. Containing mostly fats & proteins, these foods digested slowly and promoted a low, steady blood sugar level. We could easily go for many hours (or even a day or two!) without excessive hunger. In contrast, we now eat a largely carbohydrate-based diet (breads, cereals, refined sugars). This spikes high blood sugar and insulin levels, which is, essentially, a diagnosis of Type II Diabetes. It is also a path to constant hunger, fatigue, and becoming a fat-storing machine.

Reversing Obesity & Diabetes

Yes, you can to both of these things! Charlotte’s specialised Metabolic Program involves comprehensive information on what and when to eat, as well as specific Nutritional & Herbal Medicines that support healthy blood sugar levels, energy production & cleansing. You can expect to:

• eat real food

• feel little hunger (except when its time to eat)

• have more energy than you’ve felt in years, and

• experience real, sustainable (& maintainable!) fat loss

Thyroid Disease

A staggering number of people (mostly women) in Australia suffer thyroid disorders: Hashimoto’s, Graves, Hypothyroidism & Hyperthyroidism. Hypothyroidism, which is an under-functioning of the thyroid gland, is the most common of the thyroid disorders. In the early stages, the symptoms of fatigue, weight gain & depression are often mistaken for something else, or else put down to just getting old. Many people suffer from without knowing it. If left untreated however, over time these symptoms become more serious: high cholesterol, infertility, joint pains, headaches & obesity.
The good news is that Naturopathic Medicine can help to identify thyroid dysfunction in its’ earliest (subclinical) stages.

Causes of thyroid dysfunction:

• Nutritional: deficiencies in key nutrients such as zinc, selenium, iodine & Vitamin D greatly affect the functioning of the thyroid gland

• Environmental toxicity: copper, halides (chlorine, bromine & fluorine), mercury & plastics all have a negative effect on thyroid function

• Stress: elevated cortisol levels suppress thyroid hormones

• Auto immune disease: Many thyroid issues are related to immune dysfunction, whereby the immune cells literally start attacking the thyroid gland itself. The reason for this is unclear, although evidence is emerging that the health of the gut, and sensitivity to gluten in particular, is a key factor.

Approach to treatment

First up, we will look at the big picture of you as an individual. Then the appropriate pathology tests will be ordered. This often includes an Iodine Loading Test, Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis, reverse T3 as well as the standard TFT (thyroid function test). We then design a comprehensive treatment care program for you, incorporating nutritional & herbal medicines and a health-building diet. You will be re-tested at intervals along the way, and your treatment program modified until your results are normal & you feel fantastic.

This approach is thorough & evidence-based, and can be incorporated alongside any thyroid medication you may currently be prescribed. You’ll be on your way to having a healthy thyroid, stable weight and great energy levels.

Mental Health

Depression, anxiety, behavioural disorders (ADD, ADHD) and autism have a profound affect on our selves, our family & our society. There are a multitude of factors at play that may lead to the development of these disorders, thus requiring a broad-spectrum approach to their treatment. Psychiatric medications have served an important place in the treatment of metal Illness, but they are not a cure-all. It is definitely time to consider alternative approaches, and Natural medicine is emerging with some highly successful treatments.

Biochemical Individuality

We all carry innate factors that determine many of our physiological & personality traits. It is now clear that many people are born with nutrient imbalances that play a role in many diseases, including mental illness. It all comes down to our brain chemistry and our epigenetics (how are genes are expressed). Having a healthy brain chemistry requires a complex balance of nutrients that can produce healthy levels of neurotransmitters -serotonin, dopamine, GABA & norepinephrine- these are the chemical messengers in our brain that give us our baseline level of happiness & calmness.
Various mental disorders are associated with certain biochemical imbalances. The underlying aim behind treating these disorders, therefore, lies in correcting the individual biochemical imbalance.

Common biochemical imbalances

• Vitamin B6 deficiency: B6 is found in the brain at 100 times the concentration of the blood. It is required for the synthesis of dopamine, serotonin & GABA and low levels are associated with irritability, depression, poor memory, sleep disorders, ADHD & psychosis.

• Zinc deficiency: this is the most commonly observed imbalance in mental health patients. Adequate Zinc status is crucial as it is involved in many aspects of brain function as well as in immune function, growth, hormone balance & antioxidant function. Many mental illnesses are associated with high levels of oxidative stress, requiring vast supplies of antioxidants to overcome this.

• Copper overload: copper is important in the formation of neurotransmitters. Some individuals, however, are biochemically unable to regulate their copper levels and it can become toxic. Copper overload may be of significance in postnatal depression, autism, ADHD, bipolar disorder & violence.

• Methylation imbalance: Up to 40% of us carry a defect on the MTHFR gene that controls the methylation cycle. Nutrient therapy to normalise folate & methyl levels can be very successful in alleviating depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses.

• Pyrrole disorder: some individuals have genetically-acquired high pyrrole levels which results in significant deficiencies of zinc & B6. Classic symptoms include morning nausea, poor recall of dreams, anger, mood swings, high anxiety & many white spots on the nails.

• Glucose dysregulation: low blood sugar levels can be the trigger for many symptoms of mental disorders

• • Toxic overload: high levels of toxic metals, pesticides & organic chemicals are found in many patients with mental health issues. Elevated levels of lead, mercury & cadmium are especially common.

Approach to treatment

We take a detailed look at the big picture of you. You will be asked to complete a comprehensive questionnaire detailing your history, symptoms & lifestyle. We’ll likely order a serious of blood, hair & urine tests that pinpoint what your biochemical imbalance may be. From here, a treatment program will be developed for you focussing on specific nutrients that will help to rebalance your brain biochemistry and assist the removal of toxins from the body. Regular monitoring is required, with nutrient dosages continually being modified according to your response to the treatments.