THE CURIOUS MINDS CLUB 
Tenacity (adj.) the quality of being very determined, persistent, and unwilling to give up, even when facing difficult challenges, setbacks, or opposition. Sounds admirable right? You might think unworthy of a 'toxic' title. Might even think, here we go, here's her...
Just in case you were worried I'd forgotten our April episode...never!!! I've been busy, and for some time now, mulling over the medicine we offer our patients that is beyond the bottle...in the form of our capacity to communicate their Mattering, increase their...
After running a deeply rewarding Group Mentoring program for over a decade it is indeed time for change. I've witnessed first-hand the exceptional growth of thousands of practitioners, and in turn they have guaranteed and forged my own. It's provided me, & my...
Ever feel like the universe has been preparing you just for this moment? Me neither really…but in this one weird way – yes! So hear me out. Thyroid disease as a result of a viral infection was first described in 1902 by Dr Fritz De Quervain and of course he and his...
I shared this recently on socials but for those of us that don't hang around that 'hood I am sharing again here because it is just too important. While we're busy updating our knowledge regarding reproductive health for women (soooo many huge headlines of...
Just last week the sickest patient I've encountered this year (& for perhaps some time) asked me, if I ever see really sick people. This 60 something-year-old farmer has a great sense of humour, so I immediately thought he was joking but as soon as I looked up...
The debasing of BMI as a stand-alone assessment of weight is long overdue given its significant limitations and lack of meaningfulness with respect to overall health. This coincides with a bigger societal and cultural shift towards inclusivity which...
The builder responsible for my reno arrived one day with a frown. When I asked him what was wrong - he said he'd just had his second high PSA result and now the doctor wants him to see a specialist. It was apparent that he felt this was a real cause for concern. Talk...
Heck yeah. It's going to take a lot more than 1 push-back post to turn this ship around! Likewise, I was only getting started with my recent Update in Under 30 episode, 'What's Hiding Behind Histamine' 🤓😂 & part 2 has just been released where we...
Never done a MasterCourse in Diagnostics with me? Is that because you're scared of... a) investing that...
Have you had a book that is so compelling & transporting you can't put it down? In the last year or so I've rewritten my own little book of sorts, on thyroid physiology and results interpretation and during that process I came across a paper that referred to...
I can barely bring myself to write the word given how overused it has been of late 🤐🙄😯😕🙃 But I gotta say something! If we have found ourselves currently in a place where every second (or indeed single!) patient has a 'histamine issue' then I am afraid that it is we,...
The case of a slim 41YOF under very high stress due to marriage separation & the care of 2 young kids was presented in mentoring this month. Her a.m. Cortisol was 710 nmol/L - Rachel asked the group to identify 3 results in her routine labs that are consistent...
I am just back from the NHAA Symposium - all informationed-up and raring to share!! LOL I learned some great stuff about Black Pepper and that made me think about a case from mentoring last month🤓 One of the presentations was from Jason Hawrelak during which we 'went...
What level of Serum Ferritin represents 'empty'? As in complete depletion of iron stores? Is it any value below the minimum of the reference range? e.g. < 30 mcg/L Or does the bottom of the reference range allow for a buffer and 'empty' is substantially lower than...
Practitioner: I haven't yet done the MasterCourse II in Thyroid & Adrenal Diagnostics but I want to better understand the HPA of that patient we discussed with significant sleep disorders. Waking blood? Saliva? Urine? Which one? Rachel: Well, you've heard me say...
Rachel: And sometimes emails from practitioners provide me with both the question and their own answer to their question even! Cameron Barker's (Ex-student long-term learner & mentee) email arrives titled: Unexpected Source of Iodine in Placenta Caps?! A 32 yo...
Just as optimal integration of lab results into our patient work-ups makes 'the invisible visible' we thought we might make visible some of the everyday Q & A that we engage in with wonderful practitioners who are fast becoming Diagnostic Divas & Divos....
Just as optimal integration of lab results into our patient work-ups makes 'the invisible visible' we thought we might make visible some of the everyday Q & A that we engage in with wonderful practitioners who are fast becoming Diagnostic Divas & Divos....
There's a bit of a backstory - play along at home if you want - by ticking off the steps in this journey we have travelled together! 😂 14 years ago I was first asked to contribute to ACNEM’s thyroid training module 9 years ago I put together a little...
Just as optimal integration of lab results into our patient work-ups makes 'the invisible visible' we thought we might make visible some of the everyday Q & A that we engage in with wonderful practitioners who are fast becoming Diagnostic Divas & Divos....
When it comes to the recognition of Nickel as the number one metal allergen worldwide, affecting up to 30% of adults and with a particular predilection for women, it seems like Australian health professionals really do come from the 'land down under', with many of us...
Ever met a set of thyroid results you didn't like? Because you couldn't work them out? Because they defied your expectations, & therefore your understanding, of how they should look in this patient given their weight, nutrition, meds, diagnoses? Yeah - me too. In...