Rachel's Blogs

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Low T3 Syndrome & The Hibernation Effect

Apologies for having a one-track mind currently but yes I’m still banging on about the thyroid this week.  You see, this year in my own clinic I connected up some dots I hadn’t connected before via a series of young female patients.  Each of these women presented with...

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T3 resistance?

Just been speaking on the thyroid at ACNEM last week and am finding that practitioners across the board are getting more and more curly thyroid cases.  One scenario that we increasingly see is something that might be described as 'T3 resistance', when your patient's...

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Where’s the Fire??

I learned to drive more than 20 years ago in a mustard yellow VW beetle with my ageing father beside me playing the dual role of instructor and slightly hysterical passenger.  The one catch-cry that he screamed over and over again was, “Where’s the fire?  Where’s the...

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What have you learned in 2014?

I’ve learned a lot (!) and as always that learning has principally driven by my clients – their pathology, the diagnostic investigations we’ve employed to better understand the drivers behind their conditions, their response to various treatment approaches & of...

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Knowing your (Se) Numbers in Thyroid Patients

I’ve been re-reading lots of studies for a talk I’m delivering at ACNEM in Melbourne, investigating the relationship between selenium and a myriad of thyroid pathologies: from hypo- to hyperthyroidism and from subclinical thyroiditis to cancer.  The sheer number of...

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Roaccutane, depression & nutrition – the links

We’re all aware of the reported link between Isotretinoin (aka Roaccutane, Accure, Oratane), originally listed by the FDA in 1982 for the treatment of severe treatment refractory cystic acne, and depression & suicidality in some individuals.  Any suggestion of...

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When I grow up

When I grow up I’d like to be a few different things, forget any ballerina or astronaut aspirations, my list includes a clinical psychologist, an integrative psychiatrist and last but by no means least, an endocrinologist.  I’m fascinated by hormones, their regulation...

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Less is….well, less

When I started studying naturopathy I quickly became full to over-flowing with inspiration that everyone could achieve wellness simply by making better choices with their diet, their lifestyle, activity levels and perhaps some slippery elm thrown in.  As a senior...

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But doctor, what about nutrition?

But doctor, what about nutrition?

Just this week Medscape featured an article arguing there's a need for all doctors (GPs & specialists) to undergo nutritional training.  It follows on from a commentary in the September issue of the American Journal of Medicine which criticised the deficiency of...

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You’ve got mail!

I’ve received so much lovely feedback (fan mail!) recently I just had to share some with you (note I look much more excited than Meg does when I get mine!). It’s so exciting to be a part of our burgeoning naturopathic & integrative network.  From Alyssa Tait a...

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I’m coming to Sydney!

So far this year I’ve been doing most of my presenting online which has been fantastic because we can all be in our PJs and no one’s the wiser (except now!!) but I do miss the face to face seminars where sometimes the real magic happens thanks to the two-way dynamic...

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Let’s talk about sex…

In spite of several advantages of salivary hormone assessment, one important piece of information you miss out on when you do this rather than blood assays, is the SHBG result. Sex hormone binding globulin is a protein produced in the liver that, as the name suggests,...

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Get the Knack of NAC!

There are few complementary medicines that come onto the market with such a bang, opening up genuinely new therapeutic options for the effective management of such a broad range of health complaints.  N-acetyl cysteine stands out for this reason and has changed the...

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A Guide to Globulins

Globulins…ever thought much about them?  Me neither really unless they were clearly below range which made me consider immune impairment but recently Dr. Michael Hayter, who I am co-presenting the Diagnostics Master Class (Health Masters Live) with, inspired me to...

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Getting to know Billy Rubin!

I often say that if my surname was Rubin I wouldn’t be able to resist calling my son Billy. I am sure the joke would be lost on 90% of people & certainly on my poor child who might never forgive me but never on me – I get a giggle every time 🙂  Recently, I’ve...

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Something on my MINDD

I briefly mentioned in a previous post Dr. Robyn Cosford’s inspiring opening speech at this year’s MINDD conference.   A key point she made was the growing gap between what’s regarded as normal and what is actually healthy.  Having worked in general practice for...

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P5P V Pyridoxine supplements – when and why?

I’ve been curious about the push towards using so-called ‘active forms’ of B vitamins over the last 10 years in nutritional medicine – particularly with regard to B6 (pyridoxal-5-phosphate) and B2 (riboflavin 5’-phospate aka FMN) in light of substantial research...

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MINDD moments 2014

MINDD moments 2014

I was honoured to speak at the MINDD conference again this year.  MINDD is an organisation that really sets itself apart by providing incredible hands on support for parents, carers and practitioners in the area of integrative mental health management and one of the...

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Picking up Parasites?

Many of you would now be aware of the shift from culture (stool MCS) to gene-based stool testing (stool PCR) which has now become available under Medicare subsidy. While this has been an exciting development that promised greater accuracy for the detection of...

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