Nicole Woodcock Naturopathy in Gisborne, Victoria | Alternative & holistic health service

Nicole Woodcock Naturopathy

Locality: Gisborne, Victoria

Phone: +61 490 881 509

Address: 43 Brantome Street 3437 Gisborne, VIC, Australia

Website: http://www.nicolewoodcock.com.au

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

25.01.2022 My mumma and I many moons ago Happy Mother’s Day to all the mums and of course our Mother Earth. Thankyou for your nourishment, love and sacrifice. For many, today can be a difficult day. A day of mixed emotions - remembering, grieving, missing someone, loss or hope. I hear you. ... Much love x

25.01.2022 Does your acne get worse before or during your period or in the middle of your menstrual cycle? Hormone imbalance, specifically an excess of the hormone androgen, a type of testosterone, causes increased oil (sebum) production which blocks hair follicles and causes cysts. Hormonal acne is often seen on the lower part of the face around the jawline and neck area. ... What causes hormone imbalance? Some factors may include age (excess androgens are more common in teens and young adults), diet (nutrient deficiencies and some foods drive acne), environmental exposures to endocrine disrupters, stress and gut and liver health. You can improve the health of your skin and hormones naturally from the inside through diet, lifestyle, specific nutritional supplements and herbal medicine. I’d love to see you at my upcoming Skin eMasterclass Inside Out on May 2 where you’ll get loads of tips (see FB event). Or if you are ready to tackle your skin and hormones head on, book in to see me for a consult Gisborne Health Essentials. We’ll dig deep to get to the bottom of your skin and hormone concerns and you’ll walk away with a personalised Treatment Plan. #skinandhormonenaturopath

24.01.2022 Trust the wait. Embrace the uncertainty. Enjoy the beauty of becoming. When nothing is certain, anything is possible - Mandy Hale This gorgeous maple is showing off in my backyard. Soon she’ll lose all her leaves and rest for the winter. But she’ll come back more beautiful and stronger than ever. Are you making time to stop and rest? ... #restandrecovery #autumnlessons

23.01.2022 Hormones are beautiful and incredibly powerful when in and out of balance. Hormones in women are beneficial for muscle gain, metabolism, energy production, sleep, mood, insulin sensitivity, brain bone and heart health, regulation of inflammation and immune function, thyroid function and breast tissue health. Hormone balance is imperative for short and long-term health. Hormones make women stronger, happier, grounded and healthier in the long and short term. ... How often do we just blame our hormones for feeling crappy. Your period doesn’t lie. It’s screaming that there is imbalance in the body. Is it time you got your hormones in balance to improve your overall health? Reach out to me. Online and face-to-face consults now available. MYTH BUSTER: the pill and other forms of contraception do not regulate or fix hormone problems. It suppresses them, we need those hormones In their absence, the long term health implications may be profound.

22.01.2022 Let’s talk PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) and bust some myths. PCOS is defined by a combination of signs and symptoms of androgen excess (a hormone) and ovarian dysfunction in the absence of other specific diagnoses (Escobar- Morreale, 2019). Investigations (blood tests and an ultrasound) should always be done to get an accurate diagnosis. Many women that have been diagnosed or told they might have PCOS are done so without any investigations. This is not okay, don’t ac...cept this. Seek out a second opinion. Many women are confused and concerned because they think they won’t be able to have babies. Yes, unmanaged PCOS can make it difficult to conceive, but it doesn’t make you infertile if it is managed. PCOS can be reversed. It is not a life sentence. Some women are told the only treatment option is the oral contraceptive pill. The pill does not cure PCOS. It suppresses your hormones so you don’t ovulate. But when you stop the pill, you may still have PCOS - nothing’s changed. In fact, there is a condition called post-pill PCOS - meaning the pill can in fact cause PCOS (Alois & Estores, 2019). Some women are told their PCOS is genetic, so they’ve just got to put up with it. Yes, PCOS can be genetic (Escobar-Morreale, 2019). We cannot change our genes but we can change the way our genes behave. A PCOS diagnosis does not need to be permanent. Our environment (diet and lifestyle) significantly influences the way our genes behave and how our body responds to hormones. PCOS is strongly influenced by environmental factors including stress, nutritional deficiency, obesity, high glycemic diet (sugar and carbs) and lack of exercise (Escore-Morreale, 2019). Therefore, diet and lifestyle modifications are critical in managing PCOS. Research has also shown herbal and nutritional supplementation to be effective in managing PCOS (Alois & Estores, 2019). And finally, some women are told not to worry about PCOS unless they are trying to have a baby - no, no, no! PCOS is associated with an increased risk of many chronic illnesses including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, endometrial cancer, depression and anxiety. #hormonenaturopath

19.01.2022 Preconception care is the ultimate in preventative medicine. It is the opportunity for both partners to optimise their health to enhance fertility and give every opportunity for healthy conception, an uncomplicated pregnancy and a healthy baby. Stress, nutrition and environmental exposure are major factors that influence both fertility and the developing foetus, making these important areas to focus on prior to conception. Preconception care should ideally begin at least 4 m...onths prior to trying to conceive. This is because it takes an egg 3 months to mature and 2 to 4 months for sperm to develop. Men are often overlooked in preconception care but their contribution to half the genetic material is extremely important. Healthy sperm requires adequate nutrition and an absence of toxins - since sperm is susceptible to oxidative damage from temperature, environmental and dietary toxins. I absolutely enjoy working with couples to optimise their health to enhance fertility. I’m so grateful and honoured to have shared the journey of parenthood with many couples and there is nothing more rewarding than seeing a healthy baby at the end. Reach out if you are planning to have a baby.

19.01.2022 Inside Out: Skin eMasterclass Need something fun to pencil in your diary while in lockdown? Skin need some love? Come to my live virtual skin workshop on Saturday May 2 at 3pm. We will talk about the underlying drivers of common skin issues and how you can make changes to your diet and lifestyle to get results from the inside out. There will be time to ask questions. I am a Naturopath with a special interest in skin health, so you can expect knowledgeable, quality, evidence ...based information. You’ll give yourself a mini in-home facial guided by the wonderful Gisborne Health Essentials Beauty Therapist Cassandra. Prior to the workshop you’ll receive a set of Inika samples to use for your facial (if you live close to Macedon Ranges - if not we can advise you what to have on hand). Get your tickets quickly so you receive your facial products and all the information you need before the workshop! For more deets and tickets see the FB event.

17.01.2022 Hello feel- good cacao-berry-banana smoothie . A powerhouse of raspberries, banana, cacao, cashew, honey, protein powder and oat milk. But, I’m not here to brag about my awesome smoothie and smoothie making skills (it was btw), I’m here to share my tips on food and anxiety. Anxiety is becoming more common at the moment with so much uncertainty and fear surrounding us. I’m finding that some people that don’t normally present with anxiety are starting to experience it, an...d anxiety is exacerbated in others. Dietary triggers for anxiety include nutritional deficiencies (B vitamins, magnesium, zinc and omega 3’s), low blood sugar, high caffeine and sugary, processed foods. It’s important to eat regular, nutritious meals with plenty of protein. Focus on a diverse, balanced whole-food diet that is supportive for anxiety Protein sources: eggs, seeds, nuts, quinoa, oats, poultry, fish, meat, legumes and lentils. Aim for a palm-sized portion in each main meal. Magnesium rich foods: green veggies - spinach, watercress, kale, chard, collards and parsley. Enjoy a handful of almonds or cashews and a square or two of dark chocolate (80% cacao). Include raw cacao powder in your snacks or meals. Foods rich in B vitamins: brown rice, whole-grains, quinoa, buckwheat, steel-cut oats, nuts, seeds, meat, leafy green veggies and eggs are good sources. Awesome foods for zinc: oysters, seafood, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and grass fed beef or chicken. Omega 3 foods: oily fish (salmon), linseeds / flaxseeds, walnuts, chia seeds and hemp seeds. Stay hydrated with plenty of water and herbal tea - try passionflower, lavender, lemon balm, turmeric or chamomile tea. Foods you are better off ditching include fried foods and take-away, sugar, alcohol, coffee, energy and soft-drinks, fruit juices, white carbohydrates (bread, pasta, pastries) and processed foods. It’s important to know that hormone imbalances, sleep, stress, gut health and liver health all play a part in anxiety. If your anxiety is getting out of control reach out. You may need additional herbal or nutritional support or further investigations. DM me

16.01.2022 How are your sugar cravings going? One week post chocolate coma’s and today’s the first day I haven’t frantically searched the house for anything resembling sugar! It was driving me nutty. Whether or not you had a little or a lot, sugar is really addictive. The more we have, the more we want. Sugar increases our brains feel-good chemical serotonin which keeps us wanting more to maintain the high. We also look for sugar when we feel tired, stressed or down. But the downsid...e is sugar can trigger anxiety and stress, impact sleep, drive inflammation and suppress our immune function. To get off the sugar merry-go-round you’ve got to try to avoid all sugar all together. It’s sneaky, so check all food packaging. Eating protein snacks helps to stabilise blood sugar levels. Things like nuts and seeds, veggie sticks or crackers with hummus, yoghurt with seeds and berries. Or chia pudding with cinnamon and fresh fruit. Cinnamon helps regulate blood-sugar levels to reduce sugar cravings. Try drinking cinnamon tea. Make sure you have protein and ‘healthy fats’ in every main meal for energy and sustenance. You are less likely to go hunting for sugar. These foods can also make us feel good. Exercising releases feel-good hormones just like chocolate (yes, it’s true) - as does eating bananas, eggs, chicken, kidney beans, watermelon and mushrooms. Stay strong! If these tips don’t work, reach out to your Naturopath, there’s loads of herbs that are effective at reducing cravings. Gisborne Health Essentials

16.01.2022 Pre-conception and pregnancy tip: many off the shelf pregnancy and pre-natal multi-vitamins may not contain the therapeutic dose of vitamins, minerals and nutrients required for optimal health of the mother and foetal development. And depending on your individual circumstances and health you may require more than a pre-natal supplement. The best investment you can make when planning to make a baby is to get advice from a Naturopath about the best therapeutic grade supplemen...ts appropriate for you. You’ll also get the best nutritional and lifestyle advice to support you on your baby-making journey. Zoom and face-to-face consults with me now available Gisborne Health Essentials

14.01.2022 Herbal hand cream for dry, sore over-sanitised and over-washed hands. Personalised, and made from scratch using nurturing, healing and soothing herbs @gisbornehealthessentials #herbalmedicine #personalisedmedicine #onesizedoesnotfitall

12.01.2022 These bright and bubbly little fellas in my garden tell me the season is changing. I’m so grateful for nature’s daily reminders . What are you grateful for today? Practicing gratitude is something I prescribe many of my clients. You see as a holistic health practitioner I focus on the whole body and the whole being, so my treatment is not limited to the symptoms or just prescription of supplements or dietary recommendations. I’m trained and qualified in prescribing herba...l and nutritional medicine as well as providing specific dietary and lifestyle advice. All of my clients walk away with practical lifestyle recommendations that are specific to improving their health. It might be sleep hygiene, stress management techniques, more self-care or exercise recommendations. I’m known to prescribe a good-book, podcast, yoga, more downtime and a massage. It’s one part of the puzzle, but lifestyle advice plays a big part in balance and healing. #holistichealthcare #lifestylemedicine

11.01.2022 The best bits about in-house exercise classes on demand (aka iso style): Not sticking to a timetable, choosing the class I feel like doing at the time I want to do it...40 minutes fits into my lunch break like a dream Bra-less and bed-hair The positive reinforcement from the coach on the sidelines (in the form of a sloppy lick ) Pausing the class mid way through for a much needed pee stop... Inhaling and exhaling (or groaning while holding plank) as loudly as I want Wearing my fave (and trusty old) iso activewear pants that should not be seen in public (let alone in a Pilates class) - due to growing hole in crutch Refining my technique...I can rewind as many times as I like to get it right...I’m coming out of iso like a pro Finding props - boy, does that take some creativity Have you tried virtual fitness classes yet? What do you love about them? Check out @changeituptraining for a great online platform. There’s an abundance of pre-recorded classes (strength, Pilates, HIIT, boxing, body weight, prop and yoga). There’s also live Zoom sessions and heaps of handy resources. You’ll love the variety and if you’re like me, you’ll find yourself getting slightly distracted admiring Kel and Lou’s awesome matching active wear.

11.01.2022 My bare feet are touching the earth. I’m looking up into the beautiful blue sky, visualising myself as a tree planted firmly into the ground, my branches reaching out towards the warm sun. I breathe deeply and consciously. I’m aware of every single breath, inwards and outwards. I’m present. Are you conscious of your breath? Are you stressed, depressed or anxious? Do you struggle to concentrate or lack energy? There is one simple, but very effective strategy that you need to ...introduce into your toolkit. I also encourage that all children should be taught mindful breathing to support them to self-regulate. Breathe. Not shallow breathing, but mindful, deep-belly, conscious breathing. Studies show that diaphragmatic breathing or deep breathing may trigger relaxation responses in the body and benefit both physical and mental heath. Deep breathing involves contraction of the diaphragm, expansion of the belly, and deepening of inhalation and exhalation, which consequently decreases respiration frequency and maximises the amount of blood gases. Research shows that this reduces cortisol, your stress hormone (and it’s effects). Deep-breathing also stimulates the flow of oxygen and blood to the brain. Human studies report that regular daily deep breathing exercises decreased anxiety, depression, stress and helped reduce the affects of other stress-related emotional disorders. Mindfulness and deep-breathing has also shown to improve cognition, concentration, alertness and reduce fatigue. In fact, studies show that relaxation prompted by peaceful breathing helped to manage inattention symptoms in children with ADHD. If you need somewhere to start, download a free mobile app like Headspace, Calm or Breethe. You can also learn how to mindfully breathe through your local Yoga or Meditation studio. If you are a Macedon Ranges local, check out @reflectionwellness in Gisborne. Of course, deep-breathing is one part of the treatment of mental health and nervous system conditions. But, you may need more tools in your kit. For more personalised advice and a structured plan, please reach out and send me a DM. Find me Gisborne Health Essentials

09.01.2022 Hormone health isn’t just related to what your period looks like or your fertility. Hormones are so important throughout the whole month for sleep, moods, energy, vitality and cognition, libido and skin health. Throughout the month you may often experience fatigue, headaches, migraines, constipation, loose bowels, allergy symptoms (associated with increased histamine), thrush, urinary tract infections, depression or low mood, anxiety, a short fuse (often described as the fee...ling I just want to kill someone), cravings or changes in appetite. You may just find you don’t deal with stress as well as you normally do or small things trigger you. Do you have difficulty losing weight no matter what you do? These may all be clues that your hormones are on a roller coaster ride. Of course the commonly known symptoms of hormone imbalance also include PMS, breast tenderness, period pain, heavy periods, spotting, hormonal acne and irregular cycles (no, these are not normal ). Do you feel like you have one good week in every four? It’s like putting the puzzle pieces together and playing detective! Track your cycles and see if there are any patterns with your cycle. Do the same symptoms happen at the same time every month? You’ll be amazed. You may just get the answers why you’ve been feeling the way you have. Reach out for professional, individualised support. Let me play detective and get you back on track. Sometimes your symptoms and signs alone give a clear picture and if not I can do functional hormone testing to provide further insight.

09.01.2022 Words Thankyou for the best snaps Bec The Urban Sparrow Photography

08.01.2022 Magical crisp winter mornings like these . While the first steps outside take my breath away and I could easily run back inside to the warmth - it’s so uplifting and grounding breathing in the crisp air, looking through the trees into the big blue sky with my feet firmly planted on the earth. As the days get colder, we are more inclined to stay inside where it’s toasty and comforting. I’m like a hibernating bear in winter so some days I have to drag myself outside - but ...I’m thankful once I do. It’s so important that you spend some time outside everyday and deeply breathe in the fresh air, connect with nature and maintain your exercise routine (add another layer ). This will get your blood and lymphatic system flowing and you’ll feel warm, energised and have so much more clarity and perspective. Deep breathing, consciously enjoying nature and moving our body has shown in research to relax the adrenals which helps with management of stress and anxiety, sleep, depression, mood, digestion and our overall health. Simple things like this can make a massive difference to your day. It’s worth making the time for. Happy Friday peeps x

08.01.2022 The first 3 years of life represent the most critical period for nutrition. This is the period when the gut bacteria, vital for health and neurodevelopment is e...stablished. Its alteration during this period has the potential to profoundly affect a childs health and development*- which, in a positive light, means we have the opportunity in their first 3 years of life, to improve what they were born with! Diverse gut bacteria is key. This means that if you are breastfeeding, its YOUR diet that needs good diversity. As tempting as it is go for the same foods every time (let's be honest, it sure takes up less brain space ) even just little changes and additional fibre options will make a HUGE difference! Nicole, not only the maker of the @naked_botanicals breastfeeding tea pictured, is also our Naturopath that will help you make positive changes to not only give your child the best start to their life, but also get you feeling better too. *https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4315782/ #happymothersday the GHE team X

07.01.2022 Over time as period problems have become more common they’ve become normalised. It can be surprising and unbelievable for many women to hear that a healthy period should come and go peacefully (yes, that is a word that can be used in the same sentence as PERIOD) without warning and symptoms. For many women, this in unimaginable. In the journey of helping my clients with their debilitating period symptoms, I just love seeing their faces when they tell me that their period... just appeared. Many say they actually thought that something was wrong when they just started bleeding - they’ve never experienced this before . Amen. I’m not going to sugar coat it, it takes time, patience and commitment to get from A to B. But, it’s worth it. We’re often working with period problems that have been happening for many, many years. We are correcting hormone imbalance and in some cases we’re working with underlying conditions like endometriosis, PCOS, fibroids, polyps, genetics or imbalance elsewhere in the body. The fact is, when we’re working on your period health, we’re improving your overall health - your period is just telling the story. If you experience period symptoms including pain, heavy bleeding, mood changes or PMS (anxiety, irritability and depression), tender and aching breasts, acne breakouts or headaches - this is NOT normal. What is a normal period you ask? Your period should come every 21 to 35 days for adults and every 21 to 45 days for teens, and last between 2 to 7 days. The blood should generally be light to bright red, and darken as the flow slows. A few clots smaller than a 5 cent piece can be normal, but larger clots are not. You shouldn’t need to change your pad or tampon more than once every two hours during the day and your blood flow should settle overnight. I help women with period problems, hormonal conditions, natural fertility and pre-conception, pregnancy, and menopause. Reach out if you need help with your hormonal health.

04.01.2022 After hours appointments are in as much demand as toilet paper and hand sanitiser at the moment So, I’ve recently extended my Saturdays to open up more appointments in the afternoon for you. My new clinic hours are:... Thursday 9am to 8pm Friday 2:30pm to 8pm Saturday 8:30am to 5pm If you are self-isolating, in a lockdown area or are feeling unwell online consults are available. Otherwise, I can’t wait to see you face-to-face at Gisborne Health Essentials (we have lots of measures in place to keep you safe and healthy). Book online via link on this page or call Gisborne Health Essentials on (03) 5428 4484. Stay healthy, happy and safe xx