Rachel's Blogs
How Long Do You Give The ‘How’?
I've been ruffling feathers over here while speaking at AIMA in Auckland. While I am pretty familiar and comfortable with that role (& responsibility?) - this topic ruffled my own, arguably the most. In fact, I kicked off the presentation with, 'What I'm going to...
An Obese Individual Walks Into Your Clinic
This is not about body shaming nor body positivity. I understand the crudeness of the body mass index, as a measure of (un)healthy weight - let alone (un)healthy muscle mass, so I don't use this as a stand-alone assessment of weight, nor rigidly adhere to the...
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One Bite At A Time
The standout gift I got this year for Christmas without a doubt was my very own copy of Sarah Lantz & Tabitha McIntosh's, One Bite at a Time - Reduce Toxic Exposure & Eat the World You Want. Every time I walk past it on the table a strange force compels me...
I Am Quitting
I've decided to resign, to quit, to call it a day. It's a big decision and it may come as a surprise to some of you but it's a timely one. You see, it's actually good business practice to figuratively or literally quit your job at the same time each year. Schedule...
Are You Ready For Lift-Off in 2017?
It's officially official! The Rachel Arthur Mentorship Program for 2017 is in the loading dock ready to launch & we kick off with our first session on January 30. We are soooooooooooo excited & we have just a few spots left. If you haven't heard as yet we...
One News Item I Just Had to Share
I think of you most mornings. You see I'm totally in the habit of checking abc online news when I wake and frequently expel several 'Oh my goodnesses', before even getting out of bed. Here's one that made me want to jump out of bed and instantly share them with...
Taking Care Down There
Often we assume our patients know at least the basics about health - especially about things soooo seemingly basic...that we fear mentioning them would offend and make us look like someone trying to teach grandma anything! But there are some instances where I've...
Somewhere Over the Teenage Rainbow
The other night my 16yo daughter was reading through bits of reading matter that had made it home from the recent ASLM conference - one in particular was all about contrasting dietary guidelines of key western countries and comparing these using a more naturopathic...
Prolactin – But Wait There’s More!
As an add on to my recent blog, I thought you might find this other detail about prolactin levels (PRL) interesting. Several studies including a one published in 2009, have demonstrated a positive correlation between PRL and increased CVD risk in both men and...
Are Hormones Driving the Autoimmune Bus?
Back a few weeks ago I had the pleasure of presenting at the Integria Symposium and the even greater pleasure of listening to some of the fabulous speakers ...you see I've heard my stuff before! 😉 The 'Mosaic of Autoimmunity' was delivered by the very funny and...
Our Door Is Open – But Closing Soon!
While I am a sponge for new information I do have my moments... delusional moments when I think, ‘I am done learning’. These are usually very short lived, maybe an hour, half a day? Inevitably, patients and the practitioners I have the honour of mentoring snap me out...
Exploding Brain Juice
Does your brain feel like it's going to explode, spilling brain-juice everywhere, when you do 2 weekend conferences in a row? Or is that just me? I have returned to my desk after the Integria Symposium and then the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine...
Your Burning Zinc Questions Answered
Most practitioners are pretty knowledgeable about Zinc and are quick to recognise a deficiency and the opportunities for zinc supplementation as an effective therapy and those same practitioners are often plagued by nagging questions that come up, in spite of loads of...
Stillness with the Filtered Water Tap (in lieu of a Japanese water feature!)
Probably not news to anyone but I tend towards busy then bust! If I lived in the pages of a Vogue Living magazine, I would of course have a stunning Japanese water feature located somewhere centrally in my work space & abode to antidote this very Western madness...
The Year for Inaugural Innovative Integration?
While the positive ripple effect of the ANS is still being felt (and - yes the video package is just about to be released, so prepare for another big ripple!!), there is another inaugural education event trailing hot on its heels! Hopefully you've already...
Mental Health Assessment for the Integrative Practitioner
I became interested in working in mental health not entirely of my own free will. I guess you could say, it had made it's way into my world via family members and friends as well as my own problems when I was younger. So when I was at uni and I came across any...
Finding Your Why
As an organiser of the Australian Naturopathic Summit I wasn't immune to the content. In fact, like so many other practitioners we keep hearing from, I think I am forever changed...and that's not just my adrenals talking!! All the speakers' insights continue...
Uncovering Unhealthy Bones Earlier
Recently, while I was touring around the country talking all things Acid Base (!), I spent a bit of time talking to practitioners about the limitations of our current protocols and assessment tools for detecting 'Bad Bones'. I was surrounded by a sea of nodding heads...
My Masterchef-free Kitchen
Anyone who knows me will tell you that unlike many praccies, I don't double as Food Diva. I cook yes...in abundance and I have been told on may occasions my food is 'delish' and no one leaves hungry but I focus my energy on preparing food that is super easy, highly...
Don’t Focus on Solving Your Problems
The structure of the recent, wonderfully received, Australian Naturopathic Summit came to me when I was riding my bike along one of the beautiful back roads of Mullumbimby, freewheeling downhill in the glorious sunshine. Like the cartoons, the format of the...
Are You Questioning CoQ10?
I like to fancy myself as a bit of Supplement Sleuth! I love working with herbs, nutrients and nutraceuticals but I am not blinded to the fact that manufacturers and suppliers, whatever their form of medicine, are large competitive businesses that ultimately need to...
Buckets of Busy Mums
I know my busy mum patients think I am probably not to be taken literally when I say, 'Cook buckets of extras every time you step foot inside the kitchen', but I am. My slow cooker and my 'buckets' are two of my favourite kitchen resources I couldn't live without....
Are We Setting Patients Up to Fail?
Fresh faced students, new graduates and seasoned practitioners alike, are forever reminding me of the challenge we experience as practitioners when it comes to instigating real change in our patients health related behaviours ... the change we KNOW will make a...