Herbal medicine Archives • Alison Mitchell Naturopath

Carissa is Back from Maternity Leave

Alison — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 04:10:08 +0000

I am thrilled to welcome Carissa back from maternity leave! After spending precious time with her beautiful baby girl, Poppy, Carissa is returning to practice and will be available for online consultations on Thursdays. In addition, she will be the primary practitioner handling email consults, making it easier than ever to get expert naturopathic support from the comfort of your home.

Get to Know Carissa

What’s your favourite thing about being a naturopath?

My favourite thing about being a naturopath is based on one of the naturopathic principles “the healing power of nature.” It truly amazes me just how interconnected we are with the planet; how herbs and nutrients can support the body in restoring balance. It’s really rewarding working with nature to guide my clients toward better health with the tools we can find in our backyard!

What’s your latest obsession?

Right now, my latest obsession is kids’ nutrition, especially since my little girl has just started solids. I couldn’t resist diving deep into it! I’m loving the book Boob to Food—it’s been a great resource for creating healthy, nutritious meals for my bub (and hub). I find myself reading it weekly and picking up new tips every time.

Current herb obsession and why?

If I had to choose a favorite herb, it would definitely be the beautiful dandelion! It’s such a versatile plant—supporting everything from digestion to detoxification. Plus, it makes such a delicious tea. It’s hands down one of the herbs I use most in my formulas, and I’m always amazed by its benefits.

Favourite meal?

My favourite meal would be grilled salmon with sautéed greens (especially broccolini, kale and Brussels sprouts) with roasted pumpkin or sweet potato—yum! I could eat this every day.

Favourite conditions to work with?

Some of my favourite conditions to work with are skin issues like eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis. I can really relate to these conditions, as I was that typical eczema kid growing up—constantly battling flare-ups due to a poor diet. It wasn’t until I discovered naturopathy that I started to find real relief, and now I’m passionate about helping others do the same.

What is something that you’ve learnt about pregnancy and motherhood since becoming a Mum?

Wow, where do I start? Since becoming a mum, what I’ve learned more than anything is just how incredibly adaptable the female body is, especially during pregnancy and motherhood. Our hormonal system is so complex, and it’s fascinating how it shifts and changes to support us through every stage—from conception to birth and beyond! What strikes me the most is the way our bodies respond to the demands of motherhood, from breastfeeding to the emotional rollercoaster we experience, and how everything is interconnected. As a naturopath, I’m in awe of how our bodies are designed to nurture and care for our little ones while keeping us balanced, even through all the changes we go through.

Carissa has a special interest in working with children’s health, pregnancy, and all aspects of skin health. Whether you’re looking for support with your little one’s health, navigating pregnancy and postpartum wellness, or addressing skin concerns naturally, Carissa brings her expertise and compassionate approach to every consult. Of course, as a fully trained naturopath, she is well-equipped to work with a wide range of health conditions, offering tailored, holistic solutions to support your well-being.

One unique aspect of working with Carissa is the incorporation of iridology into her consultations. Iridology is the study of the iris (the colored part of the eye) as a reflection of overall health and genetic predispositions. By analyzing patterns, colors, and markings in the iris, Carissa can gain valuable insights into your constitution, organ function, and potential areas of imbalance. For online consults, we make this process simple: before your appointment, we will send you instructions on how to take a clear photo of your iris and email it to Carissa. This allows her to integrate this valuable tool into your consultation, providing a deeper level of understanding and personalized recommendations.

Carissa also utilizes drop dose herbal prescribing, a method that involves using highly concentrated herbal extracts in small doses to create profound therapeutic effects. This gentle yet powerful approach allows for precise, individualized treatment, making it particularly effective for sensitive individuals, children, and those with complex health conditions.

Carissa is excited to reconnect with both new and existing clients and support you on your health journey. Whether through a video consult or an email consultation, she is here to help you feel your best with evidence-based naturopathic care.

The post Carissa is Back from Maternity Leave appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.

Be In Balance This Spring

Alison — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 02:47:20 +0000

Spring into Health: Supporting Your Liver with Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda

When asked about their favorite season, many people enthusiastically choose Spring. With flowers in bloom, trees budding with fresh leaves, and warmer temperatures, it’s a time of renewal and rejuvenation. However, for some, the arrival of spring brings challenges like allergies and sluggish energy. If you find spring isn’t as smooth for you, it may be time to explore Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda to help your body adapt to the changing seasons.Missed my previous article on adapting to the seasons? Read it here.

Spring: The Season of Liver Renewal

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, spring is the season of the liver and gallbladder. This makes it the perfect time to support and repair liver function. Many people instinctively reduce their intake of fatty foods and alcohol during spring, while others opt for a detox program. This aligns perfectly with TCM principles, which suggest that spring is a natural time for cleansing and renewal.

Your liver plays a crucial role in detoxifying the body, processing everything you eat and come into contact with. It’s also a key player in fat metabolism, helping you burn energy more efficiently. In TCM, the liver stores blood and is closely connected to the eyes, nails, and ligaments. Symptoms like blurred vision or floaters can be signs of liver congestion. Additionally, many people with liver imbalances experience hay fever and seasonal allergies during spring. Continuing with practices like nasal irrigation (which you may have started in winter) can be highly beneficial for managing these symptoms.

Herbal Support for Spring Allergies and Liver Health

Supporting the liver with herbal medicine can significantly reduce the severity of springtime allergies and other conditions. The emotion associated with the liver is anger and frustration, which tend to surface more during this time of year. Spending time outdoors, engaging in physical activity, and enjoying life can help balance these emotions.

Consider integrating liver-supportive herbs such as:

Dandelion Root
St. Mary’s Thistle
Schisandra
Globe Artichoke

Consult with a Naturopath or Herbalist for personalized recommendations on herbal support to optimize your liver health.

Spring Cleaning for Your Body, Mind, and Home

Spring isn’t just about cleaning your physical body – it’s a great time to refresh your entire environment. Take this opportunity to:

Declutter your home and wardrobe
Cleanse your mind by attending a retreat, practicing meditation, or taking up mindfulness
Organize and renew your surroundings to align with the energy of the season

Spring Diet: Nourishing Your Liver

As you transition into spring, start to reduce salty and heavy foods. Instead, incorporate more sour, sweet, and pungent flavors into your meals. These foods are particularly nourishing for liver function and help boost your energy and metabolism. Try including:

Sour foods: Lemon, chicken, tomatoes
Sweet and pungent foods: Honey, dates, ginger, onions

Additionally, focus on consuming green, leafy vegetables, especially those rich in chlorophyll, which supports liver regeneration. Examples include:

Wheatgrass
Barley grass
Spirulina

Cooking Tips for Spring

After a winter filled with slow-cooked stews and roasts, spring calls for lighter, faster cooking methods. Aim to cook your vegetables al dente, preserving their nutrients and crunch. Try steaming, simmering, or sautéing your vegetables rather than stewing or roasting them.

Key Takeaways:

Support liver function with diet and herbs (consult a Naturopath or Herbalist for tailored advice).
Examples of liver-supporting herbs: Dandelion Root, St. Mary’s Thistle, Schisandra, Globe Artichoke
Cook vegetables lightly and introduce more sweet, sour, and pungent foods.
Increase your intake of green leafy vegetables to support liver regeneration.

By adapting your lifestyle and diet to the energy of spring, you’ll be well on your way to optimizing your liver health and boosting your overall vitality this season.

The post Be In Balance This Spring appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.

A Naturopath’s Deep Dive Into Acne

Alison — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 00:31:07 +0000

Acne is such a common issue that people ask a naturopath to help with. It can really affect your self esteem, and in some instances can be painful and uncomfortable.

There’s no magic, quick fix for acne whether you see a naturopath or try the conventional medicine route, and sometimes you have to try a few different approaches before finding what works best for you. Typical timelines are often small improvements within two weeks, and more visible results around 3 months. When treating the underlying causes of acne naturopathically, this can sometimes take even longer, however the benefits of treating these underlying causes are often wide reaching.

As with most naturopathic approaches to health issues, it’s about finding out what the underlying cause of the issue is.

In the case of acne, it’s important to consider that skin is connected to other body systems – in particular the nervous system, the endocrine system (that’s hormones) and the digestive system. Imbalances in one or more of these systems will very commonly cause skin problems.

I’ll talk in more detail about these systems later, how to tell whether they’re the issue for you, and what you can do to help them.

Listen to the audio of this article here

Guts and Girl Bits · A Naturopath’s Deep Dive Into Acne – 54

It’s been a hot minute since my last episode of Guts and Girl Bits, I have been occupied with my busy home clinic and I have also been writing some e-courses, which I will talk a bit about later. Of course, I have also been spending time with family, would you believe my youngest Lara is now in Kindergarten? How time flies!

It was almost a year ago I started planning this podcast episode but I got rather distracted by everything else. However I’ve had some spare time to sit down and record, and I am hoping to stay on this momentum and release some more podcasts in the next few months. Please get in touch if you enjoy these podcasts, and if you have any questions or requests for future episodes I’d love to hear from you.

Sorting out your skin issues can be sooo frustrating when you’re doing it by yourself – do I need to go on medication? Does my diet make a difference? Are my hormones out of balance? Maybe this skin product will help? No, maybe this one, no, this one, no this one. Maybe I need a skin peel? Maybe I need laser? Maybe I need to go vegan? Maybe paleo? Do I need to detox? AUUUGH!

Rest assured you’re not alone, soo many women (and I do treat men occasionally to) come to me at their wits end with their acne.

Naturopathic approaches to any type of health condition always stem from one of the core naturopathic philosophies: treat the cause.

What the cause of acne is may vary from person to person, and that’s where a naturopaths consultation questions come in handy – delving into the different body systems like gut health, nervous system health and hormones, and sometimes using functional testing to get to the bottom of it. I’m going to try and give you some clues about it later so you can get a bit of an idea for yourself, and I will also discuss some of my favourite treatment options.

Emunctories

When it comes to root cause medicine, the way that the body is able to eliminate waste is an important consideration for any skin concern.

Naturopathic medicine is built around a set of philosophies, and one of these is the theory of emunctories.

The term emunctories is a bit of a funny word, but it refers to an organ or duct that removes or carries waste from the body.

Traditional naturopaths often consider the theory of emunctories when establishing a treatment plan, they may not use the term emunctories (I do, I think it’s a fun word to say, can you tell, I’m saying it a lot) but we always want the body to be eliminating waste efficiently, and to minimise the burden on our elimination systems. If our eliminatory system is unable to handle the load that is placed onto it, this will cause symptoms to express.

The emunctory system exists in tiers. These tiers will prioritise the primary emunctories, and if that system is overloaded it will progress downwards.

Primary emunctories are the main channels of elimination of the body that we want to be carrying the majority of our waste burden.

The primary emunctories are:

Sweat
Through the liver and intestines, passing bowel motions
Through the kidneys and bladder, urination
Through our breath

We can support our primary emunctories by drinking adequate water, eating lots of fibre and supporting our gut microbiome, breathing exercises, sweating through exercise or saunas.

The secondary emunctories include the skin and the mucous membranes of the urogenital tract, the respiratory tract, the digestive system. If our primary emunctories are overloaded or not working effectively, then toxins can be excreted through the secondary emunctories. This often shows itself as skin conditions, phlegm, diarrhoea (usually this may be a bit more mucousy).

What can commonly occur is that symptoms that express on this level are treated with suppressants, for example cortisone based creams, decongestants or cough suppressants.

If the secondary emunctories are suppressed or unable to cope, symptoms may start to appear in other areas such as in menstruation, emotions, swollen lymphatic glands, fevers and other irritations of mucous membranes.

So if we were to look at treating acne in keeping with this philosophy of emunctories it would look like this:

Making sure you’re eliminating properly through your bowels, by working on your diet and using herbal medicines that support this
Using herbs that are classed as ‘depuratives’ – these are herbs such as burdock and clivers, and they help to improve the elimination of the primary emunctories
Drinking plenty of water to support kidney function
Encouraging good lymphatic flow with lymphatic drainage techniques and exercise
Making sure you’re getting your sweat on – exercise or saunas

The importance of the gut

So let’s talk a bit about the digestive system how does that affect acne. It’s no secret that the health of your gut will impact on almost every system of the body, so of course it affects skin. There’s a few ways in which it can do this.

Think back to what we talked about with the concept of emunctories and how important that is. An overburdened digestive system will overburden the emunctories, leading to skin congestion and inflammation. Your skin is like a looking glass to your gut health.

Gut health impacts on hormonal health. Oestrogen has to be metabolised through the liver and bowels, and if that’s not eliminating effectively than oestrogen doesn’t get fully eliminated, instead it gets recycled in a more active form, and too much oestrogen will have a proliferative effect on your acne.

Intestinal permeability, or leaky gut, can cause inflammation, often via histamine excess. Histamine and inflammation will often show up as redness and acne. Histamine will also be driven up by oestrogen, which is why acne may be worse at certain times in your cycle.

One of the subtypes of acne which is caused by a fungal overgrowth often goes hand in hand with an altered gut microbiome.

Gut issues are linked to other types of skin condition as well such as eczema psoriasis and rosacea.

Clues that your gut may a problem for your skin health:

You experience gut symptoms like bloating, altered bowel motions, IBS, gas.
You experience fungal infections such as thrush or tinea.
Your acne flares up after eating certain foods
Your acne is mostly around forehead, mouth and cheeks.

Improving gut health

The main things that we want to be focusing on when improving your gut function is

making sure that you’re digesting food appropriately with good levels of digestive acids and enzymes
ensuring that you have the right balance of gut bacteria, and that you are absorbing your nutrients effectively as well
supporting the lining of the gut health with herbs and nutrients
avoiding highly inflammatory foods and any foods that you might be intolerant to as these will aggravate inflammation worsening any type of skin condition.

The nervous system

Does stress cause health issues? I’ve heard this concept dismissed a lot, but I am a firm believer that yes, stress can cause physical symptoms, especially things to do with the skin.

When we’re going through high periods of stress we will experience impacts on our inflammation levels due to an increase in our cortisol and histamine levels, and our reproductive hormones can be affected which increases sebum and keratin production, and increased hormone sensitivity in your skin.

Stress will also impact on our gut health, which will contribute towards skin inflammation and increased chance of skin infections.

Signs your nervous system could be a player with your skin health:

Feeling like you’re constantly on edge
Oversensitivity to sensory stimulation e.g. noise
Brain fog, difficulty thinking clearly
Poor quality sleep
You’ve been living off coffee and stimulants
Feeling out of balance emotionally, anxious or depressed
Fatigue
Low libido

How to support your nervous system

Make sure you’re doing fun things and laughing, as these are great ways to burn off your stress hormones
Try to reduce sources of stress, if that’s at all possible – maybe that might be asking for help with something that is putting a burden on your shoulders.
Make sure you’re eating enough – low calorie, and nutrient poor diets can be a source of stress to the body. Similarly for those who are in need of nervous system nourishment, focus more on weight training and low intensity exercise rather than high intensity exercise.
Get plenty of sleep
Practice screen boundaries
Practice mindfulness exercises each day
Get someone to talk to, perhaps a psychologist or a counsellor.

Stress can have such a big role on our health that I consider it to be one of the most important things to address. I have created an online group Naturopathic program that provides individualised care in a group setting, focusing on the pivotal factors for a healthy nervous system and adrenal gland health. If you are feeling like your nervous system needs some nourishment, I’d love for you to join me in my program Beat Burnout.

Hormone Balance

One of the most well known hormones that cause acne is testosterone. Testosterone and it’s family of hormones, androgens, cause acne by binding to receptors in the skin, increasing oil and keratin production, resulting in oilier skin with a potential for blocked pores. The bacteria (and sometimes fungi) which causes inflammation in our skin loves to feed on this, so extra fuel for the bacteria means the bugs grow, triggering an immune response in the area, resulting in more acne.

If you have a irregular periods, hirsutism (excess hair growth, such as chin hair) or have been diagnosed with PCOS there’s a good chance that high testosterone levels are a driver for your acne.

If your acne tends to get worse around the time that you are ovulating as well as when you are about to get your periods but then gets better when you start your period that’s a sign that the fluctuating levels of oestrogen are playing a role.

We need oestrogen, it can be our best friend but if we’re not metabolising or excreting it properly then it can elevate histamine, causing inflammation. Oestrogen needs to get metabolised and excreted through the gut to be in a good balance, otherwise it can be too proliferative.

Oestrogen and histamine work closely together when oestrogen is at its highest histamine will follow suit and if you have issues with high histamine that can also cause oestrogen to be high as well.

If you are not ovulating regularly or well, you may not have enough progesterone to counter oestrogen, and lack of progesterone doesn’t help skin health either.

Signs you may have hormonal acne

Your acne worsens around ovulation or premenstrually
Acne is located on the chin, jawline, back and chest
Your period is irregular or painful
You may also experience PMS symptoms
You have oilier skin than normal
You have thicker, coarser or more hair than normal for your genetics

How to assess your hormones

There are several ways to get an insight into your hormones

I am a big fan of using the DUTCH test, which is performed using urine sample to measure hormone metabolites. It can give you insight into not just the overall level of your hormones, but also the quality of metabolism of your hormones, whether they are being metabolised down the friendly or the angry pathways.

Blood tests don’t look at metabolites but they are very useful to get insight into your overall hormone balance. It’s vital to test on specific times in your cycle to be able to make use of these results.

Testing at day 2 or 3 of your cycle (the 2^nd or 3^rd day of your bleed) will give a baseline of low levels. Test FSH, LH and Oestradiol at this time.

After you ovulate, your hormones will start to raise, and usually peaks 7 days after ovulation, so at this time you want to do another test, measuring progesterone and oestradiol.

At either of these tests you will want to also measure testosterone profile (SHBG, androstenedione, testosterone, DHEA, free testosterone), prolactin, thyroid profile and fasting insulin.

If you are on the OCP, the female reproductive tests will not be reliable by thyroid function and insulin can be measured.

Does your diet make a difference to acne?

Yes, it does.

Your diet can affect your skin in different ways but one of the big drivers of acne we know is inflammation and then another big driver for acne as well is your hormone balance.

It makes sense that if we’re eating foods that are inflammatory then that’s going to make your gut health and acne worse. Inflammatory foods may be foods that you are intolerant to, or it may be foods which are generally considered to be inflammatory.

Some of the big ones for that is wheat and dairy. I often recommend cutting out dairy as a first step when you try to address acne because it reduces inflammation and so you could swap that for almond milk or oat milk or rice milk whatever your preference is. Lactose free milk isn’t really going to make that much of a difference because a lot of the inflammation comes from the protein. Some people find that A2 milk can be helpful for them but initially I recommend cutting it out altogether to get an insight.

After inflammatory foods, bad guy #2 is sugar. Sugar, in particular refined sugar and highly processed foods are an issue because it can increase the production of a substance called insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). This acts to increase the hormones known as androgens in our body such as testosterone and what these can do is make our skin produce more oil and keratin. Rewind back to the section on hormones if you need a refresher on this.

Insulin is an important hormone but when we’re eating a high GI diet it’s often going to be making acne worse so aiming for a low GI diet is going to make a big difference there. Imbalances in blood sugar levels can also trigger cortisol and histamine imbalance so you really want to be keeping your blood sugar levels nice and stable.

If you have a blood test that shows up high levels of insulin then this can actually be a marker that you do have a bit of insulin resistance which is a sign that you really need to get your blood sugar levels back under control. Insulin resistance is a leading cause of high testosterone and PCOS.

Now don’t get me wrong sugar is not all bad I am a big fan of fruit and potato but what we want to avoid is foods that have a lot of sugar and have a lot of refined carbohydrates and not much else and so that might look like ice creams, jams, juices, packaged foods, excessive amounts of white breads and pasta, sauces with added sugar, soft drinks, lollies, cakes and other sweets.

The other important dietary consideration is your fibre and water intake. Because one of the goals when supporting skin health is improving elimination through the gut and supporting our emunctories, you want to ensure that you’re getting plenty of water and fibre.

Fungal acne

Let’s talk about fungal acne.

For some people, the cause of their acne is actually fungul.

Some people experience a little bit of a different type of acne that can be more stubborn and doesn’t respond to the typical types of treatments. One of the reasons that this is so stubborn is that because a lot of skin products that are recommended for conventional acne will feed this fungus.

Fungal acne is also known by the term pityrosporum folliculitis – an infection with a type of yeast called Malassezia which lives in the hair follicles and eats our natural oils and any oil that you happen to apply onto it. This type of acne tends to express itself more on your forehead, and may also show up on your back, chest, shoulders and along the hairline and in the T zone.

When tackling this type of acne the treatment goals are to support your immune system, gut microbiome and balance hormonal health.

If you suspect that you have fungal acne, you may like to try an anti-fungal shampoo or cream which, if beneficial will provide insight into your acne cause.

Q&A Transcript

I did a shout out for some questions when planning this podcast:

One of the submitted questions was how to prevent acne coming off the pill and this is such a fantastic question because it’s a really common thing that people consult with me about. If you had acne before you went on the pill there’s a pretty good chance that you’re going to experience some acne when you come off the pill again. Unfortunately taking the oral contraceptive pill doesn’t always fix any underlying issues that might have caused the acne to be there in the first place but what it does a fantastic job of is reducing the oil production in the skin which means that you’re going to have very little acne if any. When you come off the pill this oil production is going to increase and it gets a little bit confused because you haven’t really been making any oil for however long so it’s like hang on how do I do this how much oil do I have to make again and so it goes a bit crazy and usually it’s going to be crazy for around six months or so then it starts to settle down but there are things that we can do to help reduce the intensiveness intensity of the crazy.

So what can you do if you’re about to come off the pill? I recommend starting with cutting down inflammatory foods and for most people I recommend supplementing with zinc. I typically don’t prescribe hormonal regulating herbs for three months after coming off the pill because I want the body to try and set up that communication through that HPO axis itself but what I do like to do is encourage emunctory support with herbs, support liver function to improve the clearance of the contraceptive and to make sure your lymphatic system and your immune system is happy.

Question 2 – How long does it take to fix acne?

How long remedies may take to fix acne will depend on what the underlying cause is.

In my experience the redness and inflammation will settle down within a few weeks, and then the frequency and severity of breakouts reduces, and healing time improves.
It’s different with everyone, and as much as I wish everyone had great results there are some people who take a bit longer to see changes, and some people who get occasional relapses.

On the whole I find 6-12 months a typical length of time until someone is able to ease off the herbs and supplements, they’re feeling good about their skin at this point. If there’s a lot of scarring this then needs to get sorted with a beautician, especially one who does laser treatments for scarring.

Question 3 – Are probiotics helpful for acne?

Yes, I usually do have a focus on gut health when treating acne, especially if it’s on the cheeks. But probiotics can be helpful.

A general reminder with probiotics is that you want to be strain specific. The code at the end of the probiotic name tells you which species it is, and therefore you understand which role it plays.

Some of the strains I look at using are Lactobacillus salivaris ls-03, lactobacillus rhamonsus LL, lactobacillus casei lc03, and some Bifidobacterium such as the breve br03, or the animalis ssp.

Question 4 – My teenager has acne, I don’t want her to go on harsh medications, is there anything that can be done?

Yes of course! Treating teen acne is not too dissimilar to treating adult acne. We want to be balancing blood sugar levels to reduce it’s impact on hormones, and reducing inflammation by cutting down on inflammatory foods such as dairy, and potentially high histamine foods. Supplements can be handy, for instance zinc, vitamin B5, inositol and or berberine rich herbs.

A summary of my favourite treatments for acne:

A probiotic specific for acne health
Balancing mineral health – typically this may be zinc, but in some cases copper may be needed. You can use a HTMA to assess mineral levels
Support gut function with gut healing nutrients and diet
Lower inflammation by eating a low dairy, or low histamine diet
If hormones are out of balance you can address this. Here is where it gets a bit more individual. Ensuring good ovulation is an important first step. Some common nutrients I provide for this is inositol which supports blood sugar level balance and ovulation. Zinc has an anti-androgen effect and can be helpful.
Balancing omega- fatty acids through diet, and potentially supplements.
Herbal medicine to support emunctories, stress levels and hormone balance, as well as reduce infection and support immune health. Some common herbs I opt for are Coptis, which is rich in berberine, Chaste tree, if indicated for ovulation, Withania for stress support, burdock as an emunctory support.

Thank you for listening, if you have enjoyed this episode please leave a review, subscribe if you haven’t already and as always feel free to get in touch.

The post A Naturopath’s Deep Dive Into Acne appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.

Herbs for Fertility

Alison — Mon, 13 May 2019 07:48:56 +0000

Health & Wellbeing Podcast #36

In this podcast episode I chat with herbalist Kyra Howearth about how plant medicine can be of help in couples trying to conceive.

We talk about tips for boosting sperm health and egg health, a little about herbs during IVF, and the importance of preconception care.

The Podcast

Click here to listen on Soundcloud, or via the embedded player below.

iPhone Stitcher Youtube Soundcloud

About Kyra

Kyra works with couples trying to conceive in her clinic in Tamworth and she also helps couples through her online preconception programs. She has 4 children of her own, although she had fertility issues along the way.

Get in touch

http://kyrahowearth.com.au/

Email: hello@kyrahowearth.com.au

Phone: 0423 043 908

The post Herbs for Fertility appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.

Book review: The Garden Apothecary

Alison — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 00:48:58 +0000

Book review: The Garden Apothecary by Reece Carter

What a beautiful book Reece has created.

The wonder that is herbal medicine is available to everyone, but just how to make use of the beautiful gift from Mother Nature when you haven’t been trained in herbal medicine can be a little daunting. This book makes herbal medicine doable for everyone, and the collection of home remedies will also hopefully help you to improve yours and your families health.

There is a wide range of remedies – creams, teas, tinctures, foods, gummies, addressing many issues such as colds and ‘flu, stress, sleep issues, skin issues, digestion and more.

Most people think of home remedy books as those faded books stored in our grandmothers bookshelf or in the second hand bookshelf, but this book is a modern take on those classics that you will find yourself returning to again and again.

And the herbalist that delivers this information is a different picture to the traditional herbalist stereotype – not a gypsy-esque woman wearing shawls and beads, but a charming muscular man (Reece is a model in his spare time) who sweetly dedicated this book to his Mum.

There’s plenty of eye candy in this book, and not just the pages with the tight shirts. Beautiful pictures of amber bottles, raw herbs, spices and luscious gardens are the pages I dwell on the most.

I am so excited to see this type of information being shared into the world. The remedies are gentle but effective, the recipes are easy to follow and achieavable.

There are so many brilliant recipes in this book I can’t list all of my favourites, but some include the herbal tea blends pg 120-121, the skin repair body cream pg 68 and lemon balm ointment for cold sores pg 73 (I love these herbs!) and the ‘Forget-Me-Not’ Salsa Verde pg 104 (I love herbs used in food).

There’s guides on how to grow you own herbs, where to source them, and information about what the herbs are useful fore.

If you want to start growing your own herbs or making your own recipes, check this book out. It is something you’ll keep coming back to, not just for the recipes but the scattering of health tips and naturopathic wisdom as well.

The Garden Apothecary by Reece Carter

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Mastitis – How Naturopathy and Physiotherapy can help with Prevention and Treatment

Alison — Sat, 08 Dec 2018 00:04:52 +0000

Health & Wellbeing Podcast #33

This episode I’m joined again with the lovely Brooke Hile – women’s health physiotherapist. She joined us previously to talk about hypertonicity of the pelvic floor muscles (aka when the muscles in your vagina are too tight) and is back to talk about our lady bits again, but this time it’s the boobs. We are chatting about mastitis, and how physiotherapy can be helpful to reduce the occurence of it and how it can help with treatment. We also talk about how to prevent it with proper feeding techniques, probiotics for mastitis, herbs for mastitis, and what to eat to prevent mastitis.

Have a listen at Soundcloud here on on the embedded player below, then check out the pretty diagrams showing how you can do some self drainage at the bottom of this post.

Podcast Breakdown

0:00 Intro

1:50 What is mastitis?

2:25 Why you should learn about mastitis whether you plan to breastfeed or not

3:08 What are the symptoms of mastitis?

4:08 Abscess in mastitis

5:00 Benefits of breastfeeding

6:00 Conventional and common treatments for mastitis, and the wrong way to massage your breast if you have mastitis

9:37 When should antibiotics be considered for mastitis?

10:17 Antibiotic resistance

11:32 The golden key with mastitis: drain the breast. Some tips on how to feed on the affected side with mastitis

13:12 Ultrasound treatment of mastitis

14:26 Reasons why women can get mastitis

16:00 Breastfeeding isn’t easy

18:45 the natural treatment for mastitis including diet and herbal medicine

19:48 Echinacea, Calendula and lymphatic herbs for mastitis

21:45 How stress affects the milk ejection reflex, and how herbs can help this

23:50 Probiotics for prevention

24:25 Prevention tips

24:45 Posture when feeding

26:50 More on probiotics

27:50 Gut health and biofilms

28:30 Looking after your immune system with nutrition, dealing with stress and the importance of a village

30:50 How recurrent mastatitis is associated with some common vitamin and mineral deficiencies

32:00 How an incorrect latch and tongue tie may affect drainage

Self-Drainage for Mastitis

These exercises can be practised daily to encourage good lymphatic drainage and help prevent mastitis, but they can also be done to help with a current infection.

Thanks to Brooke for the guidance with these exercises. Drawings are by Caitlin Duckett.

Effleurage

Encouraging the flow from the breast to the lymph system for clearance, gently sweep under the breast up towards the armpit

“The Pec Wobble”

Pull the pec muscle off the chest wall and give it a wobble, this is as aggressive as you will get – not it is not the breast tissue you are moving but the muscle.

“The Lift and Twist”

Gently cup the breast and lift it upwards, maintain the lift and gently rotate the breast back and forth.

“The Lift and Bob”

Gently cup the breast and lift upwards, maintain the lift and bob up towards the collar bone and underarm

Get in Contact with Brooke:

Instagram @thingsdownthere
Brooke’s booking page: https://auappts.gensolve.com/p360/clinician/details/brooke_hile

Want to subscribe to get podcasts automatically? You can do that here:

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Caring for Mama Podcast

Self Care for New Mothers

The amazing benefits of breastfeeding

Why You Should Choose Chemical-Free Products For You & Your Baby

Filling Your Own Cup First

Naturopathic support in pregnancy

How to manage reflux in babies

Why Gut Health is Critical to Your Wellbeing

The post Mastitis – How Naturopathy and Physiotherapy can help with Prevention and Treatment appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.

Heavy Periods

Alison — Sun, 29 Jul 2018 20:33:47 +0000

Do you have heavy periods? It can be a sign of a deeper imbalance.

Whatever a woman is seeing me for as a naturopath, whether it’s anxiety and stress, tummy issues, weight loss or skin health, I always ask her about what her periods are/were like. That’s because just like the digestive system, the subtle variations of your period and cycle can reveal a lot about your hormonal status and this can have a big effect on overall health.

For instance: Did you know that your balance of progesterone and oestrogen can affect your immune system? And your sleep, your mood, and your digestion? It makes sense when you realise how much your hormones do in your body, that having imbalances in your hormone levels or not ovulating properly (such as in PCOS, amenorrhoea or when using hormonal contraception like the Pill) can have a big flow on effect to the rest of your health.

So if your period is not regular, goes for too long, or is too heavy, clotted or painful, this can be a sign that something is out of balance. Many women don’t realise that their heavy periods are not something they need to ‘put up with’, and that help is available to them. I have seen herbal medicine and nutrition work well with heavy periods, usually causing a big effect within the space of a few months. In some cases, there may be something more complicated going on (such as a clotting disorder, severe endometriosis or fibroids) which can benefit from conventional medicine alongside natural medicine.

What is a normal flow

Anything greater than 80mL of blood lost in a period (which equates to roughly 16 or more soaked pads or tampons) or a period longer than 7-8 days is considered to be a heavy flow. If you are using a menstrual cup, you can use the markings within this to count how much blood you are losing during your period, however if you are using pads and tampons you can count how many you are filling up. Many women with a heavy flow are put off from the idea of using a menstrual cup because they will have to change it during the day, or are worried about leaking, however this can be backed up with liners or absorbent underwear such as those from Modibodi. I have written about this before here.

If you experience any of these signs, you may have a heavy flow:

Having to change a pad or tampon every hour or less.
Filling 16 or more pads or tampons each period.
Leaking while wearing pads/tampons, despite using a high absorbency.
Bleeding for more than 7-8 days
Regularly passing clots that are larger than a 50c coin.
Needing to change your overnight pad once or more during the night, or leaking through onto the bedsheets.

If you need to back up your menstrual cup or tampon with a pad, consider using period absorbing underwear. They are designed with technology that helps to wick moisture and smell, and can be a much more comfortable option for women who dislike wearing pads. They’re also environmentally friendly!

Got Clots?

Naturopaths may view clots during the period as a sign that you would benefit from herbs that work as ‘blood movers’ and ‘liver tonics’. Essentially, clots are a sign that the endometrium (the lining of the uteris) isn’t shedding properly. You need to take this into consideration if you have clots, as the quantity and the size of the clots adds to the total of how much blood is lost.

Why so heavy?

There are several reasons why a period can be too heavy. Nutritional deficiencies, hormone imbalances or clotting disorders are some of the most common reasons which will be discussed below.

Iron deficiency

Heavy bleeding or prolonged bleeding can cause you to lose iron resulting in low iron stores (low ferritin), but frustratingly, low iron can cause heavy periods. You need to think about what caused the iron deficiency in the first place? Was it another issue worsening the heavy periods, bleeding elsewhere in the body (most commonly in the digestive system), or an issue with absorption of iron such as coeliac disease or a parasite infection. Identifying the problem and treating it, while correcting iron levels at the same time is key.

Oestrogen dominance

While oestrogen is usually a beneficial hormone that helps to support mood, reproductive function, bone and tissue health (to name but a few) for some women there can be too much of a ‘bad’ type of oestrogen. There are several variations that the oestrogen hormone can be formed as in the body and for some women the majority of their oestrogen is in a metabolite form that is not beneficial. This may be due to exposure to chemical oestrogens (xeno-oestrogen) from their environment or it may be due to poor detoxification systems. This imbalance can contribute towards heavy bleeding for some women. For other women, oestrogen level imbalances and their heavy periods may be caused by thyroid imbalances or stress.

Treatment typically involves addressing the detoxification pathways of oestrogen with herbs and nutrients such as DIM, calcium d-glucarate and broccoli sprouts.

Clotting disorders

Some clotting disorders can cause a women to experience very heavy periods. If your periods are heavy from menarche (when you first got your periods) it is a clue you may have a genetic clotting disorder, for example von Willebrand’s disease. If you have a family history of this condition or you have had heavy periods from a teenager, it’s a good idea to get yourself screened by your doctor for this condition, as specific medication may be required.

Fibroids

Schematic drawing of various types of uterine fibroids: a=subserosal fibroids, b=intramural fibroids, c=submucosal fibroid, d=pedunculated submucosal fibroid, e=fibroid in statu nascendi, f=fibroid of the broad ligament

Fibroids are a non cancerous growth within or attached to the outside of the uterus that can range in size anywhere from the size of a pea to the size of a melon.
They are not fully understood but often will respond to hormonal treatment that reduces oestrogen excess, along with herbs that target the excess tissue growth.
Depending on the size and location of the fibroids they may need to be surgically removed, for instance if they are in a position that blocks the cervix affecting fertility. A lot of the time fibroids will not cause any significant problems and may not need treatment.

Menopause

All women experience menopause differently, and for some they may find that their periods become very heavy in the early stages of menopause. This may respond to uterine astringent herbs in addition to herbs to support the menopausal transition (commonly this may be herbs to help with stress and oestrogen balance).

What to do about it

Address the cause

It’s always a good idea to rule out serious issues first, so see your doctor for a pap smear, and potentially further testing such as an ultrasound and a blood test that can look for clotting issues, iron deficiency or other causes of heavy bleeding. Having identified the cause, you can begin to fix the problem with natural, and/or conventional medicine.

For some people the bleeding is SO heavy that an endometrial ablation may be necessary. This is when the lining of the uterus is destroyed and removed, so that a the periods are much lighter or absent. This is not ideal if you are wishing to have children, have had a caesarean section, or cancer of the uterus, cervix or endometrium.

Herbal medicine

CC BY-SA 2.5, Link

If you want to reduce your heavy periods without surgery or going on the pill, you can consider using herbal medicine. It’s best if you can see a herbalist or naturopath who can guide you through the process of addressing the cause of the heavy bleeding and can make a herbal formula specific to you. There are herbs that can help heavy periods such as Shepherd’s Purse, Beth Root, Tienchi Ginseng and Squaw Vine, can be helpful to reduce the heaviness of the bleed.

How long will treatment take

I find that heavy periods will typically respond to herbal medicine within the first cycle with a slight reduction of flow, however it may take a few months to achieve a more “normal” flow. This may be longer if the bleeding is caused by a condition such as endometriosis or fibroids.

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How to find a good Naturopath

Alison — Fri, 10 Jun 2016 02:36:22 +0000

Natural therapies have a lot to offer, and if prescribed by a properly trained practitioner can be effective and safe.

In Australia, Naturopathy is still an unregistered profession. This means that anyone can put up a shingle and call themselves a Naturopath, whether they’ve done a four year university course, a bargain one week online course or nothing at all. It’s a scary thought, because this means the public is left unprotected.

Many Naturopaths are fighting for registration, however until this happens there are some ways that you can protect yourself.

Associations

So how do you know whether the Naturopath you are considering seeing is properly educated? Associations such as NHAA, ATMS, and ANTA have a minimum education and strict criteria for the courses they accept graduates from , so check whether your practitioner is registered with at least one association.

Association membership requires up to date first aid, for the practitioner to be insured and for them to accrue a certain amount of CPE (continuing professional education) points each year.

Some associations cover more than one modality so it’s also worthwhile checking that they are actually covered for what they say.

If you have a disability, you may consult your NDIS support coordination provider to connect you to the nearest Naturopath in their network. They will also help check whether your NDIS fund could cover the cost of consultations and other expenses.

Keeping you safe

A properly trained Naturopath is taught certain skills and behaviours that distinguish them from the self-taught therapists.

They should know how to analyse research and put it in context of other learnings in order to decide whether and how to apply it to their practice.
They are experienced enough to discern diet fads from genuine diet wisdom, and not to be sucked in to flashy product marketing.
They know their scope of practice – referring to other health care practitioners when necessary and not over promising on their abilities.
They will be willing to communicate with your other health care practitioners.
They know how to check for interactions between what they prescribe and what you are already taking.

Tools of the Trade

Many naturopaths will use herbal medicine and nutrition as the core of their treatment, along with lifestyle advice. There can be a bit of a difference between the style of their practice, some using drop dose herbal medicine, and some using larger doses; some practice other types of modalities such as homoeopathy, bush/bach flowers, massage, reiki or iridology. It’s your choice as to what you feel you will respond to best, so ask your practitioner what they practice or check their website where they may already describe what they do.

If you were wondering, I use herbal medicine with British Herbal Pharmacopoeia doses, nutrition (based around wholefoods and mindful eating) and massage.

Condition focus

Some practitioners have conditions that they are more experienced and interested in treating, so it is worthwhile looking for a practitioner that focuses on the condition that you are experiencing (if possible). Alternatively, ask the practitioner about their experience and knowledge of your condition/health concern.

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Taking Liquid Herbs

Alison — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 07:27:05 +0000

If you’ve ever been to see me in clinic chances are I’ve given you a bottle of herbs to take. I just love herbs, they can be individualised, they work amazingly well but oh boy do they taste funky. And I’m not talking about the taste of coriander type funky. Herbal medicines are made from a big range of various plants, usually from the bark, stems, roots, leaves or flowers (depending on what part of the plant has the action we’re trying to utilise). The funky I’m talking about has been described by my patients as ‘mud’, ‘swamp water’, or as one of my colleagues loves to joke, ‘witches brew’. But don’t let me put you off before you try it, because for the majority of my patients the taste grows on you, perhaps as your body starts to recognise that the herbs are doing it good, or perhaps because you just get used to it. And in addition to that, it’s just a small dose (taken as a shot usually).

But despite the fact the taste gets much more tolerable over time, there are a few ways you can make taking herbs a bit easier. In this guest post by Laura from Burton Health, she shares some tips to help make the experience a bit smoother.

Guest post by Laura Burton

I love using liquid herbal medicines in my clinic because they are individually designed on a client by client basis and there is the potential to work on a few conditions with one bottle of herbs which keeps patient costs down and also means less supplements to take each day.

The one and only down side to liquid herbs is the taste! Ohh man can it be bad! Even I have to psych myself up to take some of my mixes and the really yucky ones will be taken followed by a lot of complaining and face pulling!

The feral taste of liquid herbs is the main complaint I hear in my clinic (others include the size of the tablets and the taste of the powders). The great thing is that my clients persevere and continue to take their herbs despite the taste. Why? Because they work! Plain and simple, no other explanation needed.

Liquid herbs are cost-effective, quickly and easily absorbed and really work so for this reason I will often tell my clients to just ‘suck it up’ and take their herbs. Really, it’s a moment of displeasure for a big gain and, if you have ever done a tequila or sambuca shot, I’m sure you can take liquid herbs!

And the good news is, the longer you take them the easier it gets! Often a big part of what we don’t like in liquid herbs is the ‘bitter’ flavour. This is because the western diet is greatly deficient in bitter foods so we are not used to the taste. Once we wake up the bitter taste buds the herbs are quite easy to take.

Other tips for taking your herbs

1. Take them as a shot
Don’t pour your dose of herbs into a 200ml glass of water and force yourself to scull the whole thing! I advise my clients to measure out their herbs and then fill the rest of the measuring cup with water and get it down quick, like a shot.

2. Use warm water
One of my clients told me that this makes them a whole lot easier to swallow.

3. Use pineapple juice
I don’t like mixing my herbs with juice because it just makes the juice taste bad. But some people find them easier to take this way.

4. Wash them down with a glass of water with lemon juice
This will help to get the aftertaste out of your mouth

There are other options like glycerine and special flavour mixes that can be purchased from the herb wholesalers to add to the formula but I don’t believe in using these so I don’t stock them in my clinic. I know, I’m a big meanie!
Certain herbs, like those used to improve digestive function, actually need to be tasted. The bitter taste is what gets your digestion started so there is nothing gained by covering the taste up. Plus I don’t want to waste space in the formula with a flavour improver instead of using a valuable herb. And, I hate it when people try to mask an unpleasant flavour. I can always taste the real flavour underneath and it just makes the whole experience a lot worse. So I believe that the flavour of liquid herbs should be embraced!

Now, I don’t want to totally turn you off using liquid herbs. Some people actually like the taste and I have to admit that I will sometimes take a mix and find myself saying “ohh yummy” afterwards! To me, Liquorice is delicious and cramp bark is pretty good too! I always tell my new clients how bad their herbs are going to taste and really make them sound like the worst thing ever and I am often pleasantly surprised when they come to their next appointment and say “the herbs were fine, I don’t mind taking them at all”.

So I guess the message is, we’re all different and our taste buds are different too but if you persevere with your herbs, you should get used to the taste.
And if not, whinge enough and your naturopath will probably give in and order you tablets instead but remember, this will probably be more expensive as you’ll more than likely need a few different tablets to cover the different actions of the liquid herbs.

Alison: In addition to Laura’s suggestions, I sometimes recommend to keep your bottle of herbs in the fridge. My theory is that it works along the same principle of making a not so great bottle of red wine taste more appealing. I also suggest to hold your nose (if you can’t smell it, you won’t taste it as much). And follow with food to get the taste out of your mouth!

Do you have any secret tips for taking liquid herbs? Please share them with us in the comments box below

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Getting Exam Ready

Alison — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 07:51:36 +0000

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It’s getting close to exam time, and stressed out students (and teachers and parents) are making more of an appearance in my clinic this last month.

The good news is that the stress and anxiety of the looming HSC doesn’t have to take over your health. So what can be done?

Boosting your brain health

There are a few key strategies I recommend when it comes to making sure your brain is in tip top shape.

Eat well

Teenagers have a very high requirement for nutrients, and this is second only to during pregnancy and lactation. The best way for teenagers to make sure they’re getting all of these nutrients is to eat a diverse diet high in different coloured fruits and vegetables, whole grains (such as brown rice, quinoa, barley, and millet), nuts and seeds, legumes and beans, seafood, moderate amount of meats (or alternatives) and dairy (or alternatives if intolerant/allergic).

The NHANES and NHANES III (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) both concluded that:

“The highest prevalence of unsatisfactory nutritional status occurs in the adolescent age group”

They found that teens were most likely to be deficient in:

Calcium
Iron
Riboflavin (vitamin B2)
Thiamine (vitamin B1)
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Zinc

Calcium

Teen girls aren’t likely to be thinking about their risk for osteoporosis, but maybe they should be. Peak bone density is reached for most women in their early 20s, and what they are eating in their teen years has an enormous impact on the health of their bones later in life.

While calcium is most well known for it’s role in bone and teeth health, it’s also important for muscle and nerve function, cell health and involved in blood clotting. Dairy is the most well known source of calcium, but it’s not always the most ideal source as many people experience intolerances and/or allergies to dairy. Some good sources are fish with bones (such as tinned salmon and sardines), seaweeds, broccoli, leafy greens, almonds and black strap molasses.

Calcium requirements vary based on need – and the need increases during times of growth, such as during teen growth spurts.

Before rushing off and supplementing with calcium, keep in mind that calcium works best when accompanied by it’s co-factors, in particular vitamin K2, magnesium, boron and vitamin D.

Zinc

Zinc is a really common deficiency, especially in teenagers. It’s important for hormone health, immune health, mood health, hair and skin, growth and development, and in the formation of the reproductive organs.

Deficiency of zinc often shows first in a reduced sense of taste and appetite. It’s very common for this to happen in girls. Skin problems, frequent infections, poor wound healing and mood imbalances are some other common deficiency signs in teens. Fussy eaters are often low in zinc, as deficiency alters taste and appetite.

The best sources of zinc are meat, liver, eggs and seafood (especially oysters), but it’s also found in nuts, legumes, mushrooms, green beans and pumpkin and sunflower seeds.

Iron

Iron is another common deficiency. It’s a mineral that exists mostly within our red blood cells, helping to carry oxygen molecules around the body. When you’re low in iron it can cause feelings of fatigue and difficulty thinking clearly. Iron deficiency can affect thyroid function, and it can also cause the immune system to weaken.

A common sign of iron deficiency is pale nail beds, pale lower eyelids and brittle hair. In severe iron deficiency cases the nails take on a spooned shape.

Iron is found in meat, organ meat and seafood, as well as in nuts, legumes, some fruit and dried fruit and some vegies including beetroot and spinach.

Calorie and nutrient requirements

	Calories	Water	Protein	Carbohydrates	Omega -3 fatty acids
Girls 9-13	1800-2200	2.1L	0.95/kg34g	130g	1.0g
Girls 14-18	1800-2400	2.4L	0.85/kg46g	130g	1.1g
Boys 9-13	1800-2600	2.4L	0.95/kg34g	130g	1.2g
Boys 14-18	2200-3200	3.3L	0.85/kg52g	130g	1.6g

	Vitamin B1	Vitamin B2	Vitamin B3	Vitamin B5	Vitamin B6	Vitamin B9 (folate)	Vitamin B7 (Biotin)	Vitamin B12
Girls 9-13	0.9mg	0.9mg	12mg	4mcg	1.0mg	600mcg	20mcg	1.5mcg
Girls 14-18	1.0mg	1.0mg	14mg	4mcg	1.2mg	800mcg	25mcg	2.4mcg
Boys 9-13	0.9mg	0.9mg	12mg	5mcg	1.0mg	600mcg	20mcg	1.5mcg
Boys 14-18	1.2mg	1.3mg	16mg	6mcg	1.3mg	800mcg	30mcg	2.4mcg
	Vitamin A	Vitamin C	Vitamin D	Iron	Calcium	Magnesium	Zinc	Iodine
Girls 9-13	600mcg	40mg	5mcg	8mg	1300-1500mg	240mg	6mg	120mcg
Girls 14-18	700mcg	40mg	5mcg	15mg	1300-1500mg	360mg	7mg	150mcg
Boys 9-13	600mcg	40mg	5mcg	8mg	1300-1500mg	240mg	6mg	120mcg
Boys 14-18	900mcg	40mg	5mcg	11mg	1300-1500mg	410mg	13mg	150mcg

The best way to keep the hunger at a reasonable level and reduce the urge to splurge on junk food is to eat regularly, and to keep a varied, low GI diet.
Ensure there’s plenty of good fats such as coconut oil, butter, nuts and seeds, olive oil and avocado. Nut butter and almond butter are a great snack idea and really help to satisfy hunger.
Beans, legumes and brown rice are a cheap way to add in some extra fibre, complex carbs and calories. Have a side of these with your main meals, and make dips with beans for some extra sustenance throughout the day. To reduce the gas you can experience with them, use dried beans, soak them overnight then cook on the stove for a few hours, rather than buying the tinned. You can keep them in the fridge for about a week.
Aim for 2 to 3 pieces of fruit a day, and at least 5 serves of vegetables a day. Starchy veg like sweet potato, potatoes and pumpkin are a great source of calories and have plenty of fibre.
If you choose, you can use Meat, chicken and fish for additional protein.
Whether you choose to include grains and dairy in the diet depends on the individual, but if there’s no intolerance than yoghurt and cheese are a good addition, and melted cheese can help make a lot of veg more palatable for fussy teens.

Snack ideas:

Apple slices with nut butter
Vegie sticks with dip
Popcorn
Full-fat yoghurt (avoid brands with added sugar and thickeners)
Fruit
Baked corn chips with bean dip
Hard boiled egg and a piece of fruit
Trail mix
Muesli bar
Protein/bliss balls
Roasted chickpeas with seasoning
Edamame beans

Get a good night sleep

Most teens get 7.5 hrs a night, but they actually need about 9 hours. This lack of sleep builds up what is known as sleep debt making them feel pretty lousy in the mornings.

For most teens, sleep is a low priority. They stay up late, often because they’re busy doing things, but it can also be because they have trouble falling asleep.

Normally our bodies work to a biological clock and this helps us to feel tired when it’s time to go to bed and then wakes us up at a regular time, but this clock isn’t working properly in teenagers.

There’s been several studies which have found that teens who get better sleep often perform better in academic and skill tests. Getting a good night sleep can give you a bigger advantage than anything else you can do. One study showed that when teens got a better night sleep, they improved their test scores by roughly 40% compared to when they slept poorly. That’s a pretty huge amount and goes to show the value of good sleep.

Keeping stress under control

It seems that now more than ever teenagers are susceptible to experiencing stress, and this can result in feelings of anxiety, anger, depression as well as sleep disturbances, hormone imbalances and immune problems.

Helpful methods of managing stress don’t vary too greatly to those for adults, but the key point is that teenagers need to be taught how to deal with stress. If at all possible, start the lessons of mindfulness and stress management early (from primary school). Teens who don’t know how to cope with their stress are more likely to release the stress in the form of anger, behavioural issues or substance abuse, and often are unaware that these actions are a result of the stress they are feeling, and are often unaware of the impact stress is having on their mental and physical health.

Take up an enjoyable hobby – this can be anything from art, music, reading or going to the movies.
Get physical – sport, particularly that with a social element to it can be a great way to burn off stress.
Talk it out – a trusted teacher, a family member, a friend, a counsellor. Anyone who will make them feel listened to, and allow them to express how they are feeling. Many teenagers report feeling unheard
Mindfulness, meditation, relaxation – there are several smartphone apps that could be helpful, one of my favourites is Headspace
Journalling – getting the thoughts out of your head and onto paper is a great way to reduce stress
Herbal and nutritional medicine – If the above stress management techniques aren’t helping it may suggest that stress has been going on for too long, depleting vitamins and minerals that are essential for stress management. The worse the deficiency the more stress has an impact – a catch 22 situation. If this is the case, see a practitioner who can help to break the cycle with the correct supplements.

Herbal medicine

My favourite herb to help boost brain function, in particular in preparation for exam time is Bacopa (Bacopa monnieri). Also known as Brahmi, this herb has been used traditionally in Ayurvedic medicine as a ‘nerve’, and taken up more readily by western herbalists in the last decade or so to help with memory, mood and brain health.

The Ayurvedic common name ‘Brahmi’ derives from the Sanskrit ‘Brahman’, which denotes the (divine) intelligence behind creation and, from that, is associated with all aspects of general intelligence, such as cognition, reasoning and memory.

Bacopa has been studied in both adults and children and found that it helps to boost cognitive function, at best when taken consistently for 3-4 months. There were no major side effects reported. These studies were performed using a specific extract of Bacopa known as BacoMind^®.

Another extract of Bacopa, KeenMind (CDRI 08) has also been found in several studies to promote memory and concentration, as well as reducing the anxiety felt when under pressure when needing to multitask.

It is thought that some of the other mechanisms of Bacopa aid in it’s affect on cognitive function. Bacopa has been shown to reduce anxiety, reduce oxidation, reduce digestive spasm and promote healing of gastric mucosa, support thyroid function, and possibly aid in the treatment of epilepsy

While Bacopa is usually the staple for my exam readying, brain boosting herbal protocol I will often include other herbs which may be indicated, however this is usually based on the individual.

A student who experiences a lot of anxiety with digestive issues at the same time may be given some herbs with dual action for the nervous system and the stomach such as Lemon Balm, Manuka or Chamomile. A student who feels overwhelmed by stress and tired as a result may be given some adaptogens (herbs that enhance the bodies stress ability to deal with stress) such as Withania, Rhodiola or Siberian ginseng. Students whose sleep suffers may be given some herbs that help them deal with stress during the day, but a separate sleep formula for the evening. Sometimes there’s a combination of situations, and that’s where herbal medicine is so wonderful, as it can be individualised for each scenario.

If you are interested in seeking support for yourself, or perhaps you’d like an appointment for your son or daughter then please do not hesitate to contact me to organise an appointment. If you’re unable to make it into the clinic, skype consults are now available. Use the form on the contact page, or call the clinic directly on 02 45776215 to make a booking.

Works cited.

Annette Morgan and John Stevens. Does Bacopa monnieri Improve Memory Performance in Older Persons? Results of a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Trial The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. July 2010, 16(7): 753-759. doi:10.1089/acm.2009.0342.

P.D. Usha, P. Wasim , J.A. Joshua , P. Geetharani , B. Murali , A.S. Mayachari , K. Venkateshwarlu , V.S. Saxena , M. Deepak and A. Amit , 2008. BacoMind^®: A Cognitive Enhancer in Children Requiring Individual Education Programme. Journal of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 3: 302-310.

Gohil KJ, Patel JA. A review on Bacopa monniera: Current research and future prospects. Int J Green Pharm 2010;4:1-9

Dave UP, et al. An open-label study to elucidate the effects of standardized Bacopa monnieri extract in the management of symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children. Advances in mind-body medicine. Spring 2014; 28(2): 10-5.

Benson S, et al. An acute, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over study of 320 mg and 640 mg doses of Bacopa monnieri (CDRI 08) on multitasking stress reactivity and mood. Phytotherapy research: PTR. April 2014; 28(4):551-9.

Stough C et al. The chronic effects of an extract of Bacopa monniera (Brahmi) on cognitive function in healthy human subjects. Psychopharmacology. Aug 2001;156 (4): 481-484.

Downey LA et al. An acute, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study of 320 mg and 640 mg doses of a special extract of Bacopa monnieri (CDRI 08™) on sustained cognitive performance. Phytotherapy research: PTR. Sep 2013;27(9):1407-13.

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Herbal medicine Archives • Alison Mitchell Naturopath

Carissa is Back from Maternity Leave

Get to Know Carissa

Be In Balance This Spring

Spring into Health: Supporting Your Liver with Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda

Spring: The Season of Liver Renewal

Herbal Support for Spring Allergies and Liver Health

Spring Cleaning for Your Body, Mind, and Home

Spring Diet: Nourishing Your Liver

Cooking Tips for Spring

Key Takeaways:

A Naturopath’s Deep Dive Into Acne

Emunctories

The importance of the gut

Improving gut health

The nervous system

Hormone Balance

Signs you may have hormonal acne

How to assess your hormones

Does your diet make a difference to acne?

Fungal acne

Q&A Transcript

Herbs for Fertility

Health & Wellbeing Podcast #36

The Podcast

About Kyra

Get in touch

Book review: The Garden Apothecary

Book review: The Garden Apothecary by Reece Carter

Mastitis – How Naturopathy and Physiotherapy can help with Prevention and Treatment

Health & Wellbeing Podcast #33

Podcast Breakdown

Self-Drainage for Mastitis

Effleurage

“The Pec Wobble”

“The Lift and Twist”

“The Lift and Bob”

Get in Contact with Brooke:

Related

Heavy Periods

What is a normal flow

Got Clots?

Why so heavy?

Iron deficiency

Oestrogen dominance

Clotting disorders

Fibroids

Menopause

What to do about it

Address the cause

Herbal medicine

How long will treatment take

How to find a good Naturopath

Associations

Keeping you safe

Tools of the Trade

Condition focus

Taking Liquid Herbs

Guest post by Laura Burton

Getting Exam Ready

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Boosting your brain health

Eat well

Calcium

Zinc

Iron

Calorie and nutrient requirements

Calories

Water

Protein

Carbohydrates

Omega -3 fatty acids

Vitamin B1

Vitamin B2

Vitamin B3

Vitamin B5

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B9 (folate)

Vitamin B7 (Biotin)

Vitamin B12