Vitamin D3 has had more attention in the last decade, with research recognising how crucial it is to good health. We’ve seen a shift from marketing calcium for bone health to focussing on vitamin D instead, recognising its important role in regulating bone mineral density. It’s not the calcium that puts itself into the bones, it’s the vitamin D which determines this! Doctors are routinely testing for vitamin D and many of us are coming up short.

During the COVID pandemic it was identified as having an impact on severity of the symptoms, as those with low levels suffered more significantly. In those crazy times it was one of the supplements that people were taking by the handful.

Research on vitamin D shows that deficiency is associated with everything from suppressed immune function to autoimmune disease, brain and muscle health - and almost everything in between. On the other hand, studies show that supplementation hasn’t demonstrated the benefits that were expected on conditions with known links to deficiency. So, what are we missing?
It’s easy to think that vitamin D made in our body from sunlight is identical to the molecule we buy in capsules, but, should we be taking vitamin D3 as a supplement? Or, is it better to make it naturally? Have we been too overcautious in protecting ourselves, and thrown the baby out with the bathwater?

This article discusses the huge variety of benefits of making vitamin D. It looks at some of the other beneficial molecules we make when our skin is exposed to sunlight, and the potential issues with taking it as a supplement.

Circadian rhythm is so much more than the sleep and wake cycle, or even when to eat. It governs every cell to optimise tasks at different times of the day. The microbiome, too, works differently depending on the time of day, and a number of aspects of digestion are timed. So, how does the body tell the time? How does circadian signalling impact digestion and the microbiome? And, how can you improve your gut health with getting your light exposure right? This post explains why circadian signalling is important for the whole body, in particular the gastrointestinal tract and all of the organs of digestion, and how to optimise your digestive health by improving your circadian rhythm.

The most important regulator of ALL health in the body is a tiny little bean-like structure contained in all of our cells. Called the mitochondria it’s commonly known as ‘the powerhouse of the cell’, and new advances in science that bring Quantum physics and biology together, shows that this powerhouse is SO much more than that. And the ways we can improve it are literally outside our front door, free, and easy.

Sleep, we all do it, in fact, we spend around a third of our life asleep.

Some of us are better at it, and some struggle to consistently get good sleep. These patterns can change in different life stages, and some people seem to survive on only a few hours each night!

This article aims to answer all the questions…What happens in sleep? How does it affect our health? Why is it important and how to get better at longer, deeper and more restful sleep for better health? And, is it really possible to get away with less than optimal sleep?

It may be called Bali Belly, the Rangoon Runs or Montezuma’s Revenge but it can happen anywhere! What is happening? Why does it happen when travelling? What are the long term consequences? And, most importantly, what can you do about it? Sometimes, it’s good to look at the local remedies for help.

A comprehensive look at the symptoms, causes, contributing factors, conventional treatments and how some of the local natural and traditional remedies can help reduce symptoms and assist in a speedier recovery from traveller’s diarrhoea.

So many women find that digestive symptoms are worse around perimenopause, experiencing uncomfortable constipation, diarrhoea, urgency, bloating, flatulence and other embarrassing symptoms.

Why is that?

More importantly, what can you do about it?

Read on to find out why this time of life can be the start or worsening of these uncomfortable and embarrassing symptoms, and how natural medicine can help you to feel normal again.

In the past treatments have focussed on improving the integrity of the tight junctions - proteins connecting cells of the digestive tract. However, if this was the only issue for people with intestinal hyperpermeability (aka leaky gut), then why are some still suffering? New evidence highlights the importance of other factors involved in the gut barrier that drive disruption of tight junctions. If you didn’t realise that the digestive system is incredibly complex, you’re in for a treat.

Oxygenation may be the new focal point for treating digestive symptoms of intestinal hyperpermeability (also known as intestinal permeability or leaky gut). Learn what the new evidence is and what can be done to optimise the health of the digestive tract. Is this your missing link?

Are you finding that you are becoming intolerant to more and more foods? Feel like something is wrong, but don’t know what is going on? Intestinal hyper-permeability otherwise known as leaky gut, can occur when the microbiome becomes disrupted, or in a variety of other ways, leading to allergies, intolerances, autoimmune conditions, and a host of other disease states.

Bloating can be uncomfortable, painful, and embarrassing. It can make fitting into your clothes unpredictable from one day to the next and can be a sign of a food intolerance, health condition or, dysbiosis of the microbiome. If you’d like to know what it is and what you can do to reduce bloating at home, read on.

How does the microbiome affect health, where does it come from and how can you look after your biome for optimal health? All these questions and more are answered in this up-to-date blog post by microbiome naturopath nerd, Julie Forrester

Meditation, what is the big deal? Tips and tricks for beginners.

What is naturopathy and how can it help me?