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Author: Kathryn Messenger

Whole Naturopathy / Articles posted by Kathryn Messenger
adrenal fatigue

If you had a day to yourself, would you spend it in bed?

People often come into my clinic for fatigue, and this is one of the questions I ask, as it tells me some important information: if you had a day to yourself, would you spend it in bed? Fatigue can present in so many different ways, and understanding the nature of it is the start of understanding exactly what is going on in your body. Some people start their day with fatigue, and it improves as the day goes on. Others start fine, but can hardly stay awake after lunch, and others get progressively more exhausted as the day goes on. For these people, when It’s bad enough, their ideal day is a day in bed, as they are just too tired to enjoy other activities. Adrenal fatigue If...

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Should we eat butter and saturated fats?

Saturated fats – friend or foe?

To watch this as a video, click here. When I was young, the messaging was that butter hardens your arteries, leading to cardiovascular disease, and it also makes you fat. I found an interesting research article that explains where that information came from and why it’s faulty. If you’ve been around a while, like me, you will remember the song from the ‘Life be in it’ TV ads, “Eat more breads and cereals…” At time where we were told to fill up on the carbs, and to limit our fat intake. Interestingly since then, we have seen an increase in cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity. The 2014 research article titled " The Questionable Benefits of Exchanging Saturated Fat With Polyunsaturated Fat” explains where much of this...

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Targeting acne where it starts

Targeting acne where it starts

Your skin is not just the shell to your body, it’s actually an organ, and whilst topical creams, lotions and balms all have their place, if the issue is due to the relationship between your skin and other organs, the topical treatment will likely fall short. Whilst hormones are usually the first place most people look, I actually find looking to the liver can be most helpful. The relationship between the liver and the skin is strong as the major role of the liver is in detoxification, and if the liver is unable to preform this task well, it’s often the skin that suffers as the body attempts to detoxify via the skin. But detoxification is not the only role of the liver, it also metabolises hormones....

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How to look after your liver

How to look after your liver

To watch this as a video, click here. Your liver is one of the major detoxification organs in your body. But not only does it work in detoxification, it also plays an important role in hormone regulation and blood glucose metabolism. It’s commonly known that too much alcohol is bad for your liver. But did you know that overeating, too much sugar or white flour products, as well as prescription medications (and recreational drugs) can increase the detoxification load of the liver? Some common signs of reduced liver function: Fatigue (especially after lunch or mid-afternoon) Brain fog Headaches Nausea Irritability, frustration, or anger Dry skin The good news is that the liver is an organ that can repair itself (at least at this point), and there are lots of...

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molasses to reduce sugar cravings

A by-product of sugar can reduce sugar cravings

To watch this as a video, click here I find it so interesting that one of the minerals that is removed from the sugar cane as it is processed is the same mineral that helps prevent sugar cravings, which is just another reminder that we should be eating foods in their natural form. When sugar is made When white sugar us made, the juice from the sugar cane is stripped of all its nutrients so that we're left with just the simple carbohydrate. Raw sugar has a tiny bit added back in and brown sugar a little bit more. The problem here is that if the nutrients were never removed, we wouldn't be constantly craving the sugar, so let’s look at adding them back into our diet. Molasses Blackstrap molasses,...

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Lose weight with intermittent fasting

Lose weight with intermittent fasting

To watch this as a video, click here. Intermittent fasting is where you use fasting for part of the day, rather than a longer term fast. It’s actually something we do each day, we finish eating at the end of the day and then we don’t eat again until breakfast (when we ‘break’ the ‘fast’). With the exception of small babies who need to eat around the clock, your body stores energy to keep you going through the night without any food. Digestion time It takes 5 hours to digest a meal, sometimes longer if it was a large meal, so what we generally do is space our meals that far apart to ensure we have a regular supply of energy throughout the day. Then overnight, your body...

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What drives your dietary choices?

If weight loss is a simple formula, why do we struggle?

To watch this as a video, click here. Part of it is due to poor diet advice. To some extent it is because sugar is highly addictive, as well as the fact that eating can be strongly driven my emotions. We’re all basically wired to avoid pain and seek pleasure. After all, to some degree, it keeps us alive. If we’re used to short-term gratification, then why wouldn’t we go for chips and donuts rather than kale and hemp seeds (Ok, so I don’t eat kale or hemp seeds all that often 😊). Rather than first focusing on your diet failure, let’s look at what’s going on at a deeper level. Are you stressed and your brain is looking for quick fuel? Are you sad and memories of...

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The importance of diet in controlling diabetes and insulin resistance

3 foods to avoid for diabetes

To watch this as a video, click here. Did you know that some foods can be keeping your blood sugars in the diabetic range, and contributing to the disease, whilst there are others that can help to balance your blood sugar? Here is an explanation of what each of the foods are and why they make a difference to your diabetes. The principles here are aimed at type 2 diabetes, but should also be helpful in type 1, gestational diabetes, and insulin resistance (or prediabetes). Before I get into the details, make sure that your diabetes is being monitored by a doctor and if you do make changes to your diet, be sure to monitor your glucose levels, so that your blood sugars stay within the safe range. Firstly,...

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herbs researched for anxiety

10 herbs that have been researched for anxiety

To watch this as a video click here Anxiety disorders are often felt with symptoms such as worry, reduced concentration as well as with physical symptoms like insomnia, muscle tension, or digestive upsets. Pharmaceutical medications for anxiety usually target Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, but these medications can have significant side effects. A scientific study found 10 herbs to be effective in treating anxiety by regulating GABA, and I’ll break these herbs down into different categories so that they’re easier to understand.* Just a quick warning about self-prescribing herbs at a therapeutic level. Usually, the amount you would have in a tea is a low enough dose that it is unlikely to cause any problems. Some herbs are not meant to be taken...

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nutrition for anxiety

Natural medicine for anxiety

To watch this as a video click here Whilst anxiety is part of life, and in some cases it’s even helpful (like when you know your 2-year-old could run onto the road at any moment!). There are many times it can stop you in your tracks and prevent you from normal functioning. Anxiety disorders form the most common mental health disorders in Australia, effecting 14% of us each year, and 25% of us at some stage of life. These disorders range from generalised anxiety which is an everyday uncontrollable worry, to social anxiety, panic disorders, phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Symptoms For some people their anxiety is obvious: they may feel fear, panic, or dread, whilst others sometimes notice digestive symptoms, dizziness, shortness of...

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