Biochemistry

Hormone Testing; Serum, Saliva, or Urine?
Blood Testing (Serum) This is the most frequently used hormone testing in the Medical arena and has been the standard method for many years. It is reasonably accurate for testing the ‘peptide hormones’ of the body: FSH, LH, Prolactin, and Fasting Insulin. The only steroid hormone which is deliberately measured as the FREE component only, is Free Testosterone. So, if you are after testosterone levels only, blood testing would be fine. For our steroid hormones, it is another story altogether, as the blood level of these hormones can not differentiate between bound and free/usable hormones. To give …

Food + Exercise + Mindset = Happiness
At the risk of sounding like the Sheldon Cooper of the Naturopathic world, today I want to talk a little about the Chemistry of our emotions and mood… (One of my absolute favorite topics, so forgive me when I keep on talking… lol.) Mental health is by far one of the largest “issues” I see in the clinic, yet I still feel like most of us are only scratching the surface on how to correct it. The current medical model of “antidepressant” medications is dying a fast death, with the next …

Know anybody who hates Bright lights? Loud Noises? Cold weather?
Do you know anybody who will shy away from bright lights or loud noises? Do you have a child who, when you start to ask them a question, you can get their attention initially.. but if you take too long they appear to wander or even worse, simply shut down and ignore you? Usually, these people are not too good with heat or extreme cold either… and may have already been labeled as anxious, ADHD, a ‘daydreamer’, or even plain rude and arrogant. If this reminds you of somebody you know… …
18Jun

Hormesis; the way nature intended
So today I wanted to have a quick ramble about a thing called Hormesis.  Hormesis revolves around the concept that certain systems of the body will adapt to, and even thrive from different types of shock, volatility, and stressors. Hormesis is responsible for the adaption you experience after things like exercise, intermittent fasting, vaccinations, and homeopathic remedies. All of these contain various “stressors” which challenge the body and in turn strengthen its’ adaptive response. This particularly holds for our immune systems, which need to be challenged continuously in order to …

Pyrroles is not a condition; It is a symptom
Hi everyone… I hope you’re all keeping warm and enjoying the school holidays.Today I wanted to take a few moments to talk to you about this condition that everyone seems to be talking about at the moment, Pyrroles.Pyrroles is not a new thing in my clinic, and but I do find it interesting that it seems to be the latest “buzzword” in the industry along with “methylation”, “genomics”, and “leaky gut”. Sigh… Whilst all of these are very helpful tests and tools to shine a light along the path to recovery, …

Yeast, mould and fungal infections. The hidden culprit?
Yeasts and Moulds. Two things we may relate to are decomposing foods or dark bathrooms, yet both yeasts and moulds are common infections within the human body. Really, yeasts and moulds are almost the same things. They both belong to the Fungus part of the plant kingdom, however, yeasts are single-celled organisms, where moulds are microorganisms. So for the sake of this article, I’m going to group them together and call them “fungus”. We all have colonies of fungus within our digestive tracts from the day we are born, particularly if we …

How chemicals affect your hormones
One of the most frequently asked questions in clinic, is about SOY and its effects on the hormones, in particular estrogen. The “SOY debate” is a very well-published one, and it frequently divides a room with opinions… Most of the research you hear about is VERY out of date. Soy isoflavones (the active phytoestrogen in Soy), are now being used to effectively MODULATE the Estrogenic load in the body. It will raise low Estrogen levels, and bring down high ones… but more on that another time. What I want to …

Pain. What is it trying to tell you?
Today i want to talk about pain.  After that nice long weekend we’ve had, some of you might be noticing that your headaches, or general aches and pains have subsided a little?Or, if you’re anything like me, maybe youve acquired a few more pains after trapsing through swordgrass and forests wearing shorts? lol ( good idea at the time….) Take a moment and reflect a little.. are you experiencing any pain right now? If so, where?  How long has it been there?  When did it originate and why?Regardless of the …

Reasons you might have low Vitamin D
The Vitamin D debate is still a very hot topic at the moment. What most people understand is that your body can manufacture Vitamin D after exposure to the sun.  Then, if you do not get enough sun, you can take a supplement and top up your levels. The truth is, there are MANY factors which go into Vitamin D absorption.  Today I thought I would share with you a few of them, just for your information… 1. The latitude where you live. At higher latitudes, the amount of vitamin D–producing …

Too much is just as bad as too little.
As one of the great founders of Nature-based Medicine, Hippocrates,  once said “Dosis Facit Venemon”.  Translated, this literally means ‘The Dosage is the Poison’… Yes.. too much of anything (or too little) will kill you. I know this might seem like a no-brainer comment to most of you, but one of the most common things I come across in clinic, is the notion that if you take an extra vitamin pill  here or there, then you get an ‘extra’ result.  With the massive influx of over-the-counter supplements available, combined with …

Oral contraceptives to curb teenage acne- bad idea.
Hi everyone.. Today I wanted to write about something I am seeing more and more frequently in the clinic- The long term outcome of young girls and women being put onto the Oral Contraceptive Pill in a push to try and reduce their teenage acne outbreak.  I use this as an example, because this is the one I see most frequently. However young teenage girls can be put onto the Pill for a myriad of reasons aside from contraception- mood stabilising, heavy or painful periods, or even irregular periods. Quite often these …
18Jun

Hair mineral analysis. This missing puzzle piece?
Here at the Natural Body Lab we are always striving to keep up to date with the latest science and investigative methods, and Hair Mineral Analysis is possibly one of the most broad spectrum tools we can use to asses a person at the deepest possible level- the elements which they are made up of! Interpreted correctly, hair analysis results can give solid indications of mineral imbalances, deficiencies and excesses of many essential and toxic heavy metals.  When certain minerals are looked at in ratios, it can even indicate things …
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