The Natal Naturopath

In this week's episode I swapped seats and was the guest on The Science Of Motherhood podcast with Dr Renee White.

In this episode, Dr Renee White from 'The Science Of Motherhood' interviews me about tips to address iron deficiency. We discuss the importance of early detection and prevention, highlighting the negative outcomes associated with anemia during pregnancy, such as postpartum depression, low birth weight, and placental complications.

Learn more about Dr Renee White and Fill Your Cup Postpartum Doulas:
Want to be nurtured and nourished after the birth of your baby? Have a...

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a severe, and disabling extension of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). It is NOT the same condition. Although PMS and PMDD both have physical and emotional symptoms, PMDD causes extreme mood shifts that can disrupt daily life and damage your relationships. 

PMS tends to have more physical symptoms while PMDD has more mood symptoms. These have very specific windows of flaring up, usually around ovulation, and/or before menstruation.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PMS AND PMDD IS SEVERITY, FREQUENCY, AND DURATION.

PMDD causes are thought to be; genetics, hormonal fluctuations, increased i...

PMS (premenstrual syndrome) refers to a collection of physical, emotional, and behavioural symptoms that occur in the days or weeks preceding menstruation in many women. These symptoms are generally mild to moderate in intensity and do not significantly impair daily functioning.

There are 5 subcategories of PMS

I go through each subcategory, the main symptoms and pathways that drive those symptoms. Each one has its own treatment plan too!

If you are wanting a practitioner to guide your PMS treatment, we are your ladies.

Are we insta friends...

In this episode I go through why I don't believe TSH is enough when we are considering someone's thyroid function, what TSH is, what it does, how there have been calls to lower the upper TSH limit, why we need to see T4 and T3 levels to understand your thyroid, and how the meds even came up with the TSH reference range.

Here is my 'Underactive Thyroid Webinar' that I mention in this episode; it's so comprehensive and you'll walk away with a clear picture of how to treat your thyroid and the exact supplement and lifestyle...

In this episode I go through a week in the life of our family, day by day what our routine and schedule looks like. 

We have an 8 year old, and 4 year old twins, my husband is a full time shift worker and I run a more-than-full time business - and here is how we have set up our week so that we can navigate and thrive within the busyness of our growing family! 

I mentioned tried tips and tricks on how I have gotten our mornings and nights to run more smoothly with less stress, an...

A hormone you may never have thought to check in on - Prolactin. 

In this episode I outline what prolactin does in the body, what it does to oestrogen, and how it can play a role in infertility or menstrual irregularities.

I outline what are the causes of high prolactin, and what is considered high anyway? It’s not enough to know your prolactin is high. It’s necessary to find out what is DRIVING it.

Now, if you have PCOS come on over and join me for my PCOS webinar that is co...

In this episode, I discuss the main differences between the Mirena and the copper IUD - and what exactly both is doing within your body. 

Topics mentioned:

There are four different types of PCOS, with different characteristics and symptoms, and different treatment approaches. I go through each one - Insulin Resistant PCOS, Post Pill PCOS, Adrenal PCOS and Inflammatory PCOS - and as a naturopath, how I treat them.

Mentioned:
- the testing you need to diagnose the different types of PCOS
- causes and symptoms of each type of PCOS
- what your hormonal blood tests are telling you


Interested in our upcoming PCOS webinar? Join me here. This webinar is for women like you who want...

Male fertility matters, just as equally as females. And stressfully, following current projections, sperm counts are set to reach zero in 2045!

After all, they are 50% of the baby. So infertility does not solely rest on the woman’s shoulders, nor does miscarriage or recurrent miscarriage. Sperm quality impacts early pregnancy loss odds significantly.

Falling sperm counts in the last few decades are “threatening human survival” and leading to a fertility crisis. About 40 percent of infertility cases can be traced to male factors, such as sperm count, quality.

Sperm are easily damaged from lifestyle factor...

In this episode I interview Laura Power, the founder of The Vertigo Co. Laura Power is a Vestibular Physiotherapist. She has worked within the field of Neurological Physiotherapy with a special interest in Vestibular Disorders such as Dizziness, Vertigo and Balance Impairment

Topics discussed;

...

If you are someone who is taking an iron supplement, but finding after months of diligently taking it, your ferritin has barely increased - this is the episode for you.

There is almost always an answer as to why you ferritin isn't increasing, and you just need to figure out which one it is (or we can for you within an appointment). 

Mentioned:

Melanie interviews Steven Judge, clinical naturopath in Sydney (NSW, Australia) specialising in chronic digestive disorders and mental health. 

After 8 years in private practice working alongside medical practitioners as a director at the first integrative and holistic medical centre in Australia, Steven has gained a vast amount of knowledge and experience in empowering his clients to understand the underlying causes of their symptoms, and how to engage as an active participant in their healing journey as they learn to thrive and trust the inherent wisdom of their body. He evaluates the interactions among genetic, environmental, biochemical, e...

I get asked a lot over on Instagram, “what do you think of iron infusions, should I be getting one?” and it’s a lengthy topic with many things to consider - so here is an episode entirely dedicated to the topic! 
The purpose of this episode is to help arm you with information so you can make your own informed decisions that feel right for you. 

In this episode, I go over..

In 2018 was the year of my growing and birthing my twins - identical girls Hunter and River, and what a wild and tough pregnancy it was. I carried them to 36 weeks, 6 days - and they were huuuuuge healthy babies at 3.15kg and 3.69kgs. They both had their own placentas, and were still identical which is quite rare!

In this episode I go through the entire pregnancy from start to finish, what struggles I had, what I did for my health, what health concerns I had, how labour started, what supplements I took, and what things I couldn't...

This episode is the one that fitness guru's on instagram won't want you to be listening to, and they certainly aren't talking about. 

I’m really sick of seeing weight loss experts reporting weight loss is simply
LESS CALORIES + MORE EXERCISE. It perpetuates the entire toxic diet culture.

This is setting people up for complete disappointment, not to mention feeling likewhilst you are starving yourself and running yourself into the ground with exercise!

Yes for some, it really can come down to over-eating or not moving their body enough, but for so man...

Scott and I are getting married in a few weeks, soooo excited! But also, deep within the budgeting and finances of organising a wedding. 

Luckily, we were on the same page from the start about our budget which is considerably lower than what the average Australian wedding costs in 2023. 

I go through all the things I would rather the spend the money on, when/if we have a baby together, as that's what we agreed would be a more important place for US to put all that money. 

This may help highlight a few...

Recurrent miscarrying is traumatic, devastating and almost always, preventable. If someone has had two miscarriages in a row, I believe it's time to dig a bit deeper starting with very thorough blood tests and a trained set of eyes.

Recurrent miscarrying is a sign that something deeper is going on. More often than not, something comes up that can be worked on.⁠ 

In this episode, I go through all of the most common causes of recurrent miscarriages so that you are informed and able to investigate whether if any are relevant to you. 

If y...

Are you exhausted with a dash of overwhelm? Is your mind always racing? Going to bed wired but tired, and waking up exhausted? A constant mental load that never lessens? Go-go-go all day long? If a handful of these are true for you - there's no doubt you are sick of feeling like this.

In this first episode of the new season, I go through why I paused the podcast last year, and how I was teetering on the edge of burnout. I also needed to reassess why I was always so goddamn busy. Like who is...

The episode that EVERY soon to be conceiving, or pregnant mama should be listening to.
What exactly are the differences between folic acid and methyl-folate?
What does your body have to do to both of them?
Why do some supplements use folic acid, and others methyl-folate?
And why methyl-folate comes out as Queen in this debate, each and every time.

Remember to give my podcast a 5-star review if you are loving it and share it with a friend of family member who is looking to get pregnant, or is currently...

Post-pill acne is the flare-up of acne about 3-6 months after stopping the pill. It is the result of a temporary surge in androgens (testosterone). And it's bloody frustrating. 

In this episode, Melanie discusses post-pill acne, post-pill PCOS, why pills like Yasmin are the hardest to come off, how does coming off the pill often cause acne, why establishing regular ovulation is key, and natural treatments such as zinc, inositol and the connection to dairy. 

"I'm not falling pregnant and I don't know why. I don't have any obvious health conditions or problems. My cycle comes once a month. But it's just not happening."

This is really common. 
So here's my top simple practical and implementable tips to follow if you're in this situation. I personally don't agree with "try for a baby for twelve months and then we will investigate what is happening." Twelve months of infertility is a loooong time and wasted precious treatment time. 
So let's begin to check off some really important things off ou...

What is an ovulation "off" switch, and could it be happening to you? If you have been trying for a baby, and it just isn't happening, this might be something to consider - whether you are eating enough to fall pregnant? Are you possibly in an under-eating/over-exercising cycle? Is your body fat % too low to conceive?

I discuss how your hypothalamus can limit or shut down ovulation, otherwise known as hypothalamic amenorrhea, if it perceives the body under physical stress in order to conserve energy.  

And most importantly, what blood tests would be needed, a...

Could it be time to give your body a break from the pill? Why should we ovulate monthly, even if we aren't interesting in having a baby? In this episode I break down exactly what the pill is doing to your hormones, and it is NOT regulating them. 
This is the information I wish all menstruating women could hear - that ovulation is important. And not just to make a baby. And the pill doesn't allow you to ovulate. 

When the pill stops us ovulating, we aren't producing progesterone... but what does this mean for you?

Stop putting off those medical tests. 

Those niggling things that get pushed to the back of your mind because you’ve got better things to worry about. Niggling things can eventually become louder knocks, and then something that rams through the entire door. 

My own health issues lately led me down some investigations but god I’m glad I did because imagine if it was something that needed attention, how would I feel in one years time. 

You are a priority, think of the people that rely on you. And that niggling thing may ver...

Over the years I've learnt a lot about certain toxins, chemicals and nasties that can be found in the home. There are plenty, and the research behind these toxins can look frightening. In an effort to cut down our toxic exposure, here are my top four non-negotiables in our home that I won't be going backwards on. 

Are we insta friends? If not, come over and say hi @thenatalnaturopath

Thank you for listening! I would loveeeee if you could give my podcast a rating and a review. It's important as it helps get this podcast i...

Chances are, if you’ve been told your iron levels are low by your doctor, you went straight to the chemist to get an iron supplement. There probably wasn’t much thought on the form of iron, whether your gut will absorb it, how much to take, what not to take your iron with, how long it will take to get your iron levels up and what the differences are between all the iron supplements. And more often than not, women take iron for months without minimal improvement on their iron levels. Let's all become iron-literate, so we know what...

Welcome to The Natal Naturopath podcast! Just a quick first episode to let you know what this podcast will be all about.