THE CURIOUS MINDS CLUB 
I certainly pride myself on possessing an impressive level of endurance for an argument, as most of you surely know 😊 But the record for this is held by all practitioners of nutritional medicine. Because we've actually been debating the same 3 facets of what makes a...
Yeah nah — I’ll settle for the increasingly old me, thanks. Vanity aside (and ouch, by the way), I’m perfectly happy remaining Insta‑unsuitable. I refuse to reinvent myself in the name of naturopathy meets neoliberalism, so I’m okay with being off‑trend. Liberated by...
My current count is about 13. Lucky for some? Patient advocate, referral point, primary prescribing practitioner, behavioural change motivator, wise business counsel, good empathetic listener, fearless myth buster, researcher, head chef to a group of nats...that's the...
Following an important weekend of discussing mental health from a more balanced perspective (that's my new less provocative term for 'integrative' or dare I even mumble...holistic) in Perth for ACNEM, I remain alert but not alarmed of how much is still to be revealed...
When patients present feeling worse every time they DIY a Green Detox, as the practitioner, you're likely to be sniffing around reduced oxalate tolerance as a differential. Rightly so. But what about the patient with joint pains and disproportionate fatigue who has...
I was at the Medicinal Cannabis (MC) in Mental Health Conference run by GHI on the weekend and I have to confess, I inhaled. Seriously, deeply, inhaled. Just as I had hoped, this was a very high level of information on this important topic, delivered by outstanding...
Breaking up is hard to do (sounds like the name of a song!) but it shouldn't be! I got an email this week from one of my gorgeous long-term mentees in the vein of a ‘Dear John’ letter. She carefully, beautifully gently let me know... “I've found someone else…” “This...
Horses not Zebras. You've no doubt heard me repeat that quote which is famous in medical schools, something to the effect of, "When you hear a herd of animals outside your door, think horses not zebras"...unless of course you are practising in Africa might I suggest...
Show me a nutrient that doesn't demonstrate a U shaped curve with our health (too little produces negative effects - too much produces negative effects) and I'll go 'HE!' Go on...try it now... But the way many have been taught nutrition has lead to some erroneous...
Until it is. Following on from my frolicking in frocks made of my favourite oxalate-rich foods around the Alps, let's be clear these are great, healthy and health-promoting inclusions in ours and our patients' diets. Until they're not. Just like FODMAP avoidance is...
Beetroot & Spinach & Lovely Bright Berries Rhubarb & Buckwheat & Baked Sweet Potato Black Tea & Green Tea & All My Dark Chocolate Sins These are a few of my favourite things!! Sounds like a kitchen roll-call at my house...how about yours? And...
With the increasing weight of evidence pointing to a potent pathogenic portal between our mouths and every other part of the body, whether that be in terms of cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, appendicitis, even a growing case for Alzheimer's disease, we...
Histamine, Oxalates & Nickel...any of which may be at fault when your patient reports they experience adverse reactions from eating them. The same can be said for legumes, with a few extra contenders thrown in like oligosaccharides for those farty on FODMAPs. ...
Integrative Psychiatry is an inspiring area to work in & its evidence base, acceptance and recognition of potency is rapidly growing & offering more patients, more. Going beyond the 'neurotransmitter imbalance model' for each presenting diagnosis helps us to...
No you're right, it's not long enough to be a Hemsworth's mobile number but actually it's more sought after 😉 If you're up to date with reading & recognising all the different patterns of Iron Studies & the stories they tell, which is a daily business for...
In July I go west again (seriously any excuse...love the place!) and fly over to Perth for the ACNEM Foundations (formerly known as Primary Modules) training course that ACNEM have been rolling out this year around the country. If you haven't seen it already...
I'm calling this one early. The presentation with the most dramatic rise in incidence this year is women aged 20-50 with 'atypical' joint pain. Probably good I don't have a betting account, hey, but in all seriousness I am struck by the increasing familiarity of this...
I've been asked to speak at the Mental Health, Medicinal Cannabis & Other Nutritional Medicine Conference, on the 20th July in Melbourne, organised by the Global Health Initiative for all health professionals primarily wanting to learn more about this therapy, not...
Those 'still-believers' look away now. One of the great myths, misconceptions and misunderstandings in nutritional medicine is that supplementation with specific nutrients will produce change specifically in one system, or pathway, which just happens to be the one...
I've had a bit of 'a bee in my bonnet' this year. I heard that! Ok, arguably it extends a little further back...like my whole career! But if you've seen the topics I've been speaking on at conferences in recent months, you'll know exactly the soapbox I've climbed up...
What makes integrative health professionals stand out is that we take the time and have the attention to detail to capture the ‘whole health story’ of each patient. As a result, however, we tend to end up with vast amounts of information for every client: detailed...
Remember biochemical individuality folks? That great core underpinning principle of naturopathic & integrative nutrition. We should always keep this in front of mind, when something utterly fabulous for absolutely everyone pops its head up. Like every month or...
Do you know that saying, 'mind your Ps and Qs?' It basically means mind your manners and I heard that a lot as a kid 😉 But what we really need to hear now, as practitioners and promoters of healthy eating and wellness is really, Mind your P's and P's because a lot...