Rachel's Blogs
More FODMAP Fails
Last week, yet another patient with refractory diarrhoea, up to 10 stools a day, Bristol type 5-7, for 3 decades following a diagnosis of Crohn's at 16 years old. A range of specialists have thrown everything at 'it' - single & combination immunosuppressants, TNF...
Where Is That??!!!
Ever been guilty of having a 'man's look' for something? I have. Particularly when it comes to the online omniverse! I can be a bit flaky at finding things right there on the page...allegedly! So for those of you who have a similar experience with my website &...
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The Year For Iron & Gin
A few things really took up a disproportionate amount of our time & attention in 2020: Zoom, Mask Fashion & Gin based hand sanitiser. On a personal note I need to confess another: Iron. So while my one true (mineral) love remains zinc, iron answer hunting has...
Priming Your Practice For Mental Health
28 years ago I was in the midst of my own mental health crisis 24 years ago I graduated 20 years ago I dipped my toe into first year uni psychology units 18 years ago I worked in psychoactive medicines with a pharmaceutical company 16 years ago I began combining all...
The Pathology Path
Well, obviously(!)...this has been a year heavy on pathology interpretation for me and the huge number of practitioners who've just spent the last 6 months taking that learning journey with me. I celebrate and congratulate them all for their commitment to their own...
What’s A Little Flesh Between Friends?
I talk so much about iron, I feel like I'm cheating on my life partner (Zinc)...but these two are arguably the main mineral deficiencies we encounter most consistently in our patients and, don't tell Zn, but quite frankly, in terms of who's more well recognised out...
Finding Your Path For 2021
In addition to all the lessons we learn from our patients there is an abundance of professional development on offer to facilitate your growth as a clinician. We offer several (Group Programs, Self-directed Learning Packages, a live MasterCourse &Alumni, Clinic...
IV Iron To The Rescue?
When I deliver foundational nutrition training to GPs I talk tough. It's a tough field, right? Compared with the relative certainty of pharmaceuticals, their established pharmacokinetics, their sophisticated delivery systems to ensure high bioavailability...trying...
Boundary Breaches
Well that got tongues talking! We've cried, and we've laughed, hearing from practitioners about their 'over-delivering donkey experiences' for 2020. We've heard many memorable & relatable tales of either failures to set the best boundaries or even, in instances...
Countdown is on for 2021 Group Mentoring
We are getting ready to launch our new look Group Mentoring for 2021! We are now counting down the weeks days (gULp!!) until we open up applications for Group Mentoring next year. We're keeping everything our practitioners have told us they love, over the past 8...
Over-Delivering Donkey
Shhhhhhhh(eesh)! I am confessing my sins. As part of our mentoring discussions we try to keep one another honest & in-check with, what seems to be, integrative health professionals' innate flair for over-delivering. Name someone right now from another health...
Where To Now?
As a health practitioner, you are always actively building: your reputation, your practice and your knowledge. There's theoretical ...and then there's applied. Some of the biggest leaps we take forward as practitioners come with being shown how (rather than told)...
The Clinical Knack of the NAC Break
I feel a bit Trumpy...because whenever someone says 'N-acetyl cysteine', I want to reply, "Big fan, I'm a big fan". And yes that's an uncomfortable awareness. But unlike he who shall not be mentioned, I can qualify my statement and provide supportive evidence, both...
Can You Hear Creatine Coming?!!
If you're like me, Creatine as a therapeutic option for psychiatric & neurological disorders, has been stalking you for years. Lurking in the shadows, only showing its face occasionally to say, 'Hey, I'm not all about body building and sports you know, you should...
The last last LAST! Word On Worms
I've been trying to wriggle my way out of perpetually presenting on this topic. I guess, like the poor patients afflicted by them, theses stories and my preoccupation with how to help, has kept me awake many a night and once apparently 'resolved',...
The Underrated Art of Ancient Mastication
No, mastication. I've touched on this before but I believe we need regular reminders. Or maybe that's just me? I am a fan of chewing. I don't profess to be good at it (I am a wolfer of food tbh) but I see the enormous therapeutic benefits it has to offer. ...
In Need Of Some Fuel Reduction?
We've been talking all about the dangers of excess fuel in our blood recently. You know, just like nature...too much fuel underfoot creates a fire hazard. So too in the bloods of our patients. The key fuels I am referring to, of course, are lipids (triglycerides...
A Simple…
My how the time just flies when you're chasing answers from private pathology companies! As Brisbane based naturopath, Sandi Cooper, can attest to having recently been down the seemingly eternal email trail with a pathology company trying to ascertain if their...
White Australia Pathology?
Here's a newsflash for absolutely no one, we're all practising healthcare in racially diverse communities, right? Take Australia for example. At last count, at least 1 in 4 were not born here and of those who were, 3% are indigenous and many many more come from...
Creatine Supplements: Brain Over Brawn
I think I'm finally able to put my 'late-90s-Creatine-frontline-trauma' behind me. Back then, like many good nats in training, I was working the trenches of the health food stores and was faced on a daily basis with two types of men with two types of Creatine...
To All The Believers…You Might Want to Read This
I didn't catch that Zonulin wave that hit Australian integrative health practitioners a few years back. I think it might have been after Dr. Frassano himself, made an appearance at one of our big conferences. Like the true bloody sceptic I am, I stayed dry on...
TSI* – Not the Car Kind!
No doubt you've heard me refer to the thyroid Abs by their nicknames, TRAb is one I mention often, or Thyroid Receptor Antibody, as its mum calls it, when it's in trouble. And it's always in trouble! But TRAb is actually the collective name for several flavours of...
Why Iron? Why Us???
Did I mention my mentees ask the meanest (!) & most meaningful questions? Especially those early career practitioners engaged in our New Grads program! And it's been almost a whole month minute since I've talked about iron, so I wanted to share this gem from...