Emily The Naturopath in Northcote, Victoria | Alternative & holistic health service

Emily The Naturopath

Locality: Northcote, Victoria

Phone: +61 3 9481 3807

Address: 64 High St 3070 Northcote, VIC, Australia

Website: http://www.emilythenaturopath.com/

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• Medical and health
• Alternative & holistic health service
• Naturopath
• Nutritionist

23.01.2022 What's a great, nutritious snack for supporting breast milk supply? Lactation cookies or bliss balls are some of my faves Healthy and nutrient dense snacks are key to supporting your body through breastfeeding.... Your body has a much greater demand for all of the nutrients needed to make that liquid gold, so snack wisely and cleverly! A big batch of lactation cookies or bliss balls can be stored in the fridge/ frozen in the freezer and are super convenient for when you’re hungry and need something quick. Personally I love making bliss balls or a slice (no baking required!), but there are so many awesome lactation cookies recipes out there too. Here’s what I’ve been making: In a food processor, blend: 1 cup rolled oats cup sunflower seeds cup pumpkin seeds 1 scoop of protein powder cup shredded coconut cup coconut oil 1 tbsp. unhulled tahini honey (add more or less depending on how sweet you want it) 1 tsp cinnamon Blend all together, form into balls or press into a tin to make a slice. Add more oil or splash of milk/water if they're too dry. Refrigerate and enjoy! Note: You can add other nuts and seeds and spices depending on what you like

21.01.2022 This is how we all breastfeed yeah? Stress, hormones and breastfeeding. Milk production depends on hormone stimulation, namely prolactin and oxytocin. Stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline can get in the way of this and block the production of these milk-making hormones.... Now, of course, as a new mum you’re going to be stressed to a certain extent! But sometimes stress can be worse or increased for different reasons. Some important tools to manage your stress and the ‘physiological’ impact stress has on your body: Keep taking your pregnancy multivitamin. The B vitamins in there are wonderfully supportive of your adrenal glands- your stress response glands. Take your DHA and EPA essential fatty acids. This is important for bubs brain development, but also for your nervous system (they have a calming effect). Eating 2-3 serves of fish per week is also a great way to get these into you. Try to get as much sleep as possible (I know ‘sleep’ is a bit of a dirty word for new mums, sorry!). Yes, you will be sleep deprived, but whenever you can, take the opportunity to sleep. Sleep while bub is sleeping, let your partner watch bub for an hour so you can rest (they can feed bub with expressed milk if needed). Leave the household chores to others when you can. Don’t exhaust yourself unnecessarily with cooking and cleaning. Delegate to others or hire a cleaner once a week if you can afford it (might be a great investment for the first couple of months, especially if you don’t have much family around). Especially in those first 6-12 weeks it’s important to put yourself first as much as possible. You’ve been through a lot and your new little one, while a beautiful gift, is also a demanding one! If you’re struggling, talk to someone and ask for help. Speak to your midwife, lactation consultant, find a postpartum doula or naturopath who can assist you. Create a support network around you- this is so important

19.01.2022 The best thing you can do for your body is to be in tune with it. When it comes to hormones, tracking your period and the length of your menstrual cycles is so important! Record when you get your period, either on a phone app, a calendar or the easiest place for you.... This way you can see patterns and also begin to know your cycle and therefore what you need throughout the month, as you energy, mood and vitality will change depending on what phase of your cycle you’re in. Learning to live in sync with your menstrual cycle will improve your health, mood and help you to feel empowered and in control of your well being. Remember, Day 1 of your cycle starts on Day 1 of your period, and ends when your next period starts.

17.01.2022 Hydration and breastfeeding This seems super simple but it can really affect milk production. This liquid gold you’re feeding your bubba requires a lot of water- as does your body! So, you need to drink more! ... Boosting your water intake is really important, and you’ll probably notice that when you breastfeed you feel super thirsty. So aim to drink 3 litres of water per day- get a water bottle and keep it with you and in reach when you're sitting down to feed Herbal teas and lemon juice in water also count as hydrating liquids. Black tea and coffee do not (they actually dehydrate you more)

14.01.2022 What if you’re not ovulating? Your blood test may have shown that your progesterone was very low- indicating that you didn’t ovulate that cycle. Just because you didn’t ovulate for one cycle, doesn’t mean it’s a regular thing. Illness and stress can temporarily halt your capacity to ovulate so addressing these areas is important.... However if it’s a regular occurrence and you’re not ovulating, this is a sign of hormone imbalance- but don’t worry- there are so many things you can do to support your ovulatory capacity and most women will start to ovulate again. Reasons you may not be ovulating: - You have PCOS - You are underweight or overweight - You are over-exercising - You’re highly stressed - You’ve been quite sick or have a chronic disease - You’re deficient in certain nutrients such as zinc, iron, vitamin D and B vitamins - You have underlying inflammation that is blocking the natural hormone cascade needed to trigger ovulation There are so many reasons why you may not ovulate, so it’s about figuring out your particular trigger points and addressing them. It can be confusing and interpreting hormone tests really needs to be done by a women’s health practitioner so I encourage you to work with one to support you in this area.

14.01.2022 Underweight and your Fertility Weight is important for hormonal balance. People often equate health with being thin or slim and exercising constantly.... This is not necessarily the case though, especially when it comes to fertility- health is much more than how much you weigh on the scales, and it’s definitely not all about how you look. The ideal body fat percentage for women trying to conceive is 25%. A lot of women who excessively train and diet will fall below this body fat requirement. Now, this isn’t to say that thin women can’t get pregnant- everyone is different! And if you’re not trying to have a baby, then your health requirements are different. But if you’re having trouble trying to conceive, or your period is irregular or absent then this is something you need to consider. Are you over-exercising? Are you underweight? Both of these factors are perceived as stressors to your brain. Your brain will then tell your body it’s not an ideal time for reproduction and will shut down the hormonal cascade you need to ovulate. It might be as simple as switching from high intensity workouts to a more gentle yoga based program.

13.01.2022 Breastfeeding This week I’m sharing some info on breastfeeding and how you can support your milk supply. Breastfeeding can be a tricky business for a lot of new mums, and I encourage you to seek out a lactation consultant for some one-on-one support, especially if your baby is having difficulty latching or it’s causing you pain. ... From a naturopathic perspective, milk supply depends on a few things which I'll be covering in these next few posts. Today we’re talking ingredients- the things you need to make your milk! B vitamins: Needed for production of milk and cellular energy processes. Super important and these are the reason why ‘Brewer’s Yeast’ is included in lactation cookies- it’s full of B vitamins. I strongly recommend you continue taking your pregnancy multivitamin throughout your breastfeeding period. Your milk supply will benefit and your baby still needs a lot of important nutrients also- iodine, folate, B vitamins and choline to name a few. It will also help with your postpartum recovery! You also need to make sure you’re eating enough proteins, good fats and complex carbs. Snack wisely- boiled eggs, protein shakes, trail mix, nut bars and eat protein with each main meal. If you’re wanting to breastfeed then this is not the time to go on a restrictive diet to lose your pregnancy weight- especially in the first couple of months after birth. Your body needs nourishment, so fuel yourself with nourishing foods!

12.01.2022 Herbal medicine can be fantastic for supporting breast milk production. Here are my faves: Fennel... Fenugreek Blessed Thistle Milk Thistle Withania Apart from Withania, these herbs are known as ‘galactogogues’ which are substances that stimulate breast milk production. Withania is a fantastic tonic for new mums as it supports the adrenal glands (your stress glands) which will have been pretty taxed through pregnancy and labour and sleep deprived nights. You can find a lot of these herbs in breastfeeding/nursing teas and also in capsules at health food stores. If you’re seeing a postpartum naturopath (which you so should- I am!) you can get your own personalised herb mix made up to support your body and your specific needs- yes please!

10.01.2022 Under-eating and your fertility Just like over-exercising, under-eating and excessive dieting can cause havoc on your hormonal health. If you’re struggling to conceive, or if your period has been absent or irregular, you need to make sure you’re getting enough nutrition namely carbs.... Yep, I said carbs- often that’s a bad word in nutrition these days, but for hormonal health they are super important. Unfortunately I’m not talking about the white, fluffy, processed carbs (sorry), but complex and starchy carbohydrates such as whole grains and root veggies. Women need enough carbohydrates to support hormonal balance (and also for your thyroid). So if you’ve been drastically cutting carbs or calories and have noticed a change in your period or issues with fertility, it might be a good idea to add them in again- a small serve with every meal. NOTE: this is for women who are either underweight or a healthy weight. If you are overweight that’s a different ball game. See my next post for more info there.

09.01.2022 Overweight and fertility Just like being underweight, being overweight can really affect your hormones and your fertility. Excessive weight leads to a body-wide inflammatory state and inflammation affects hormones ... Studies show that losing just 5% of your body weight (if overweight) can have a beneficial impact on hormonal balance, ovulation and fertility. It’s not about being super skinny, it’s about achieving a healthy weight for your body type. This depends on your height and frame size, so there’s no perfect number to aim for- except for the one that suits you. If you’re unsure, speak to a health practitioner who can measure your body parameters and give you more insight here.

07.01.2022 I think it's important that all of my patients have a thorough baseline picture of their health by ensuring they get a wide range of blood tests. It’s such an easy way to get an accurate insight into your health, and therefore create an informed treatment plan. There's no point stumbling around in the dark- testing is key! Hormone testing can make me a little crazy though, because not all practitioners understand the important need for timing when testing. ... Hormones fluctuate throughout the menstrual cycle, so timing is EVERYTHING when it comes to testing. Otherwise, it's a waste of your time and money PROGESTERONE testing is what I’m talking about here. Progesterone is the hormone that let's us know if you've ovulated or not, and if you're making a sufficient amount to avoid things like PMS, hormonal acne and to support implantation and a healthy pregnancy. It’s a super helpful test, BUT you need to do this test at around day 21 of your cycle. Progesterone is only made AFTER you’ve ovulated, so if you test for it straight after your period, or any time before ovulation you won’t have any on your blood test and it will be a waste of time. Unfortunately a lot of doctors don't tell women about this, so their test results are useless So remember- day 21 for progesterone, otherwise it’s not worth doing

05.01.2022 What are you doing for yourself this week? Balancing hormones and improving your health is a holistic approach, so adding in self-care is a must. Think about doing something fun that’s just for you. Because you are the sunshine! ... My faves are: Taking a bath Going for a walk in the sunshine Making a chai or hot chocolate and snuggling up with a book Laughing with my girlfriends Watching a favourite TV show Date night with my partner (even if it’s in the house during ISO!) Drawing and painting None of these are expensive, but they all boost my mood and support my well being. What are your favourite self-care go-to's? : thanks to @melissavart

04.01.2022 I’ve been talking about breastfeeding, but now I’m going to back up a bit and talk about fertility for a while- so look out for the next few posts as well if this interests you. Ovulation is the first step if you’re trying to conceive- so how can you support this process? Track your cycles and understand the signs of ovulation. These are a change in cervical mucous and some women also get slight cramping or pain (ovulation pain). ... Having a regular cycle length is often a good indicator of ovulation too- are you cycles regular? ‘Text book’ ovulation occurs in the middle of your cycle, so if your cycle is 28 days in length, ovulation ideally occurs at day 14. This is not always the case though, so following signs such as cervical mucous changes are helpful here. Test your progesterone at day-21 of your cycle (adjust slightly for longer or shorter cycles- test roughly 7 days before your period). This won’t tell you when you ovulated, but it will tell whether or not you have. Use an ovulation test kit- you can get these from the pharmacy and they’ll help to give you an indication of your fertile window.

04.01.2022 You may have been wondering about that baby I was about to have...! I had all the best intentions of sharing his arrival sooner, but this little man has taken up all of my time and we've just been focusing on getting to know each other But here he is, little Theodore, now almost 4 weeks old! ... I've so much to share about birth and breastfeeding and what I've learnt, and also how I'm trying to take care of myself in what is known as the 'fourth trimester' or postpartum period. For now I'll say that nothing has really gone to plan, but it seems like it never really does when it comes to birth and babies and surrendering to the experience is a vital part of the process

02.01.2022 Weight loss for hormone balance? For women with PCOS or fertility issues (who are overweight- not all of you are), reducing your weight by a meagre 5% can have a positive impact on your hormones and fertility. So what's the best diet for weight loss? ... Studies show that eating a low-carb OR a low-fat diet will result in weight loss- basically, either will work- so the key is to find what works for you! Personally and with my patients, I find that a lower-carb diet for weight loss is much more satisfying and therefore more sustainable. You don’t have to go keto necessarily, but focusing on eating plenty of veggies, protein, good quality fats and a small amount of complex carbs will set you on a good path. Also remember- portion size really does matter. Sorry, it’s not fun to hear, but even over-eating with ‘healthy’ foods is going to place stress on your digestion and metabolism and potentially impede any weight loss. Combine a good diet with healthy regular movement, such as walking and weight resistance and aim to lose 0.5kg per week for healthy, sustainable weight loss. Exercise 4 times per week for 30 min, or start with what feels comfortable. While exercise is helpful for weight loss, diet really is key! Start slowly, make sustainable changes, and above all, make sure you enjoy what you’re eating and know that weight is just weight. It has nothing to do with self-worth. Yes, your weight status can affect your hormones but it doesn’t define you. Keep positive