Psycle. in Hawthorn East, Victoria | Medical and health

Psycle.

Locality: Hawthorn East, Victoria

Phone: +61 414 774 893

Address: 12 Cato Street, Hawthorn East, Victoria. 3123 Hawthorn East, VIC, Australia

Website: http://psycle.net.au

Likes: 202

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

25.01.2022 I recently gave a presentation on the Gut and Brain connection. Attached is a very recent presentation on the Gut and Brain Connection from Melbourne University. This is a great watch and captures a lot of the information I talk about in my presentations. Amy Loughman reinforces a message I give to all - the gut and brain relationship is bidirectional. Although research is increasingly discovering that by addressing our gut through our nutrition we can improve mental health (and likely gut microbiota), one needs to address their mind (brain) to address mental health, its a two way street.

25.01.2022 There's a good belly laugh right here! .....

25.01.2022 The impact on chronic stress on your brain and body can have a profound impact on your wellbeing, but also can change the size and functioning of your brain. In addition, as a parent, your nurturing style may also impact on your child’s mental health. Not only may your capacity to cope with life stresses impact on your own body, but it may be passed down to your children. Please watch this nice little summary in the video attached. Stay tuned; as I’ll be running some introductory seminars on these topics in a couple of months, leading into a mindfulness based cognitive behavioural therapy program :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuyPuH9ojCE

25.01.2022 For all those parents blending veggies to hide in the kids dinner, it's worth the effort!

24.01.2022 Fantastic Gut-brain-microbiome and fermentation workshop last night! I'm already excited to run the next one! Thank you to Sharon Flynn from The Fermentary for collaborating with me at Psycle. to bring this science evidence based workshop to the public thanks to some of my buddies who came along too!

24.01.2022 An important learning about persistent pain and how managing it is multifaceted through lifestyle. Nutrition is an important part of this process.

24.01.2022 Integrating meditation and mindfulness into exposure therapy to reduce anxiety and fear of pain. This is very much in line mindfulness integrated cognitive behavioural therapy. Learning these tools simultaneously can be very effective methods to change ones experience of pain. https://news.harvard.edu//mindfulness-meditation-study-sh/

22.01.2022 I have the Melbourne Marathon coming up in just a few weeks. Are you training hard for your next event? Here's some good advice on anti-inflammatory foods, which may help towards managing exercise related inflammation.

21.01.2022 Is red meat really going to kill you? No doubt you’ve heard the latest media crazy (and various opinions) about a link between red meat and cancer. This has stemmed from the recent conclusions made by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which report that your bowel cancer risk increases by 18% when consuming 50 grams of processed meat per day (such as ham, sausage, salami, bacon, etc). Although considered a lower risk than processed meat, a probable risk has also been sug...gested between fresh red meat and bowel cancer. The cancer links are dose dependant relationships. Hence, the more you eat, the greater the risk and visa versa. Moderation is key when consuming fresh red meat. If you’re eating a lot of red meat, then replace a couple of meals per week with chicken and/or fish, or vegie meals. Focus on filling your plate with mostly vegetables, wholegrains & legumes, and don’t make the meat the main feature of your meals. IMPORTANTLY, if you eat processed meats regularly, they just might literally bite you in the behind and will significantly increase your risk of colorectal cancer. Take a look at the picture below, to see how little processed meat (50g of ham) you require per day to put yourself at a significantly increased risk. If you want some extra reading: as always the conversation nails it for a balanced, well rounded article: https://theconversation.com/not-everything-gives-you-cancer Here is another good read: http://examine.com//scientists-just-found-that-red-meat-c/

21.01.2022 Is overweight really unhealthy? Perhaps it’s time to re-think what a healthy body weight is? Please read this interesting article by some health professionals in the same headspace. It talks about body image, counterproductive weight cycling and the importance of choosing healthy lifestyle behaviours as measures of health and that weight is not always the best measure. Non-diet approaches, helping to improve our overall health and wellbeing, require us to shift our perception about weight and how to manage it.

21.01.2022 Tips on how to manage EVERY DAY STRESS, delivered in 1 minute of chirpiness! I’m even thinking I might just have to move my piano into my office and play this little chirpy tune as patients walk in ;) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKY6YrKamqM

21.01.2022 A very important piece of preliminary research, suggesting the benefits of a Mediterranean diet on the prevention of breast cancer. A diet consisting primarily of plant-based foods (veggies & fruit), whole grains, legumes and healthy fats: such as nuts, avocado, olive oil, eat fish and poultry, but limit red meat. Research has already shown the benefits on cardiovascular disease (heart health) with this lifestyle, some emerging evidence also with mental health and cancer :) ....To brush up on your skills.....an excuse for another European holiday on the Mediterranean.... ;)

20.01.2022 Do you have chronic pain? It is estimated that in 15 years chronic pain will have risen to 30.2% of the population. But here's some exciting news...it can be unlearn't! It's time to change the way we think about pain. I work in a team of medical and allied health professionals that manage chronic pain in a new light. There is so much new exciting research in this area. It's time to think about chronic pain differently. This goes for IBS & visceral pain too!

20.01.2022 The Mind and body in a nutshell - a highly complex integrated system. Psychology & nutrition are both important in the management of ones mental health.

19.01.2022 Do you feel butterflies in your stomach when you're nervous? Do you sometimes get a 'gut feeling' about something? Here's some fascinating facts about our gut-brain connection, explaining why our gut is our second brain, and why nutrition and food is very important for our mental health: 1) 90% of serotonin, a neurotransmitter implicated in depression, is produced in the intestine (gut), and less than 10% is actually produced in the brain; 2) The brain has 100 billion neu...rons and the gut produces 100 million; 3) 90% of the cells in the human body are bacterial, while only 10% of cells are actually human; 4) Gut bacteria have significant implications on mental health, behaviour, obesity and chronic disease, hence eating pre-biotics to support and maintain healthy gut bacteria is crucial for both gut and mental health! Managing your mental health through psychological intervention is very important, but can you imagine how powerful your health changes could be if you also worked on nutrition :) Watch the ted talk attached for a great overview on the gut-brain connection. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awtmTJW9ic8

18.01.2022 What’s wrong with the term CLEAN EATING? I get a little twitch in my lip when I hear people using this term. I’m all for eating wholefoods, healthy foods, minimal processed foods etc. BUT the concept of ‘clean eating’ is perpetuating the idea that you are doing something wrong every time you have occasional treats/dare I say it, ‘dirty’ foods. Our tendency to obsess too much with ‘clean eating’ rather than developing a ‘healthy relationship’ with food, can lead to Ortho...rexia nervosa: an exaggerated focus on healthy eating. Restricting your food intake to follow a diet that you perceive as healthy, particularly if it’s causing you some level of distress, is not great fun, and unlikely to be sustainable. If you think you might be teetering on the edge of obsessive healthy eating, talk to someone, and consider a mental health professional. Here’s some more info on Orthorexia: https://theconversation.com/orthorexia-nervosa-when-righteo

17.01.2022 Weight gain and sleep - another reason to reflect on your lifestyle when considering your weight and chronic health risks. Much like chronic stress disrupts your endocrine system leading to a cascade of events in the body, so does chronic sleep deprivation. Obesity, hypertension, stroke, chronic inflammation and insulin resistance may all be long term consequences. Poor mood and cognition (namely learning, memory and processing speed) also become impaired. In considering your weight and chronic disease management, consider the non-dieting lifestyle changes you can make, including a good night zzzzzz

17.01.2022 This week is Mental Health Week. The 10th October is World Mental Health Day. Almost half (45%) of Australian adults will experience a mental health disorder in their lifetime (Aust. Bureau of Statistics). In particular, depression has been predicted to account for the highest level of global disability by 2030 (World Health Organisation). There are important lifestyle changes we can make to reduce the impact, severity or to help us cope better with mental health challeng...es in our lives; exercise, healthy eating, mindfulness, good sleep & lots of social connections. There are great resources out there for those who need to talk (www.beyondblue.org.au). The bonus is, that improving all these lifestyle factors will also lower your risk of metabolic disease, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and dementia. Win win, right? Here is something I can relate to in the past six months of study. although I think mine is a mixture of 'the brain' and a '3 year old child' . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=712972KcqUc

16.01.2022 Are you sedentary? Want to get up and move more? Below, is great explanation for why movement alone is so great for you, independent of diet! Although I advocate for getting a healthy 'balance' across all lifestyle variables, (nutrition, exercise, relationships, sleep and stress) this research shows the power of exercise on our microbiota function irrespective of other lifestyle variables. Specifically, a super important short chain fatty acid, Butyrate, produced by bacter...ia in our gut increases with exercise. It not only has the capacity to program cell death of dodgy cells in our intestine (potentially cancerous), reduce inflammation, but it also impacts on brain function, both from a mental health and neurodegenerative perspective. We can reduce anxiety and ward off dementia. We have known for a while that we can shift our microbiota and increase Butyrate production with high fibre diets (in particular with pre-biotic and resistant starch foods), but exciting to know that exercise alone can also raise these fabulous fatty acids in our body! See more

16.01.2022 Semester 2 is almost complete. Like me, are you coming into exam period? Do you want to make new information stick in your noggin? Did you know challenging mental stimulation when coupled with aerobic exercise enhances your cognitive capacity? Well, now you do. This brilliant process is called, neurogenesis (formation of new neurons or brain cells) in the hippocampus (a part of the brain very important in memory and new learning). You may be able to promote a large inc...rease in new hippocampul neurons and help them to stick around for longer with these lifestyle study tweaks! Perhaps not advisable while bike riding or training for a marathon, and unless you can juggle both, leave the dog at home, and take your study notes out for a walk this week. You might just manage to squish a little more information into your newly formed neurons and they may just stick around for longer! For those needing a more in depth review read the follow the link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3445739/

15.01.2022 Don't get caught up in the 'Superfood' hype peeps! ‘Real food’ is your Superfood. Focusing on fancy single nutrients over whole foods is not the best way to go. You do not get more nutritional value from eating goji berries or a shot of wheatgrass, than real veggies/fruit - a piece of broccoli, an orange and/or apple. There is much to be said for the effectiveness of marketing and media providing misleading information. Have a quick read of the attached article, containing contributions from one of my favourite and well respected nutrition/dietitian lecturers at Deakin University, telling us how it really is :) http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au//f141f3edd1bc21e6ea4b1

15.01.2022 ...and this is why, despite how pricey they can be at times, I eat blueberries with my breakfast most days :))

14.01.2022 Mindfulness explained in simple terms - see this 10 min ted talk! Mindfulness practice has been shown to be beneficial in both the prevention and management of chronic health issues: such as stress, depression, anxiety, pain management, chronic illness & eating behaviours .... just to name a few! Take some time out of your daily schedule to learn how to be mindful. It has been shown to take as little as 8 weeks to start making changes in your life :) https://www.ted.com//andy_puddicombe_all_it_takes_is_10_mi

13.01.2022 Take a moment and read this simple message: * Eat well *Get some zzzz *Move your booty *Connect with your mates *Be mindful. Create your own Blue Zone and get the most out of your body, brain and life :)

12.01.2022 Fire up those brain cells people! Dementia is on the rise with our ageing population. In addition to stress management, good sleep, quality nutrition, exercise and social interaction, keeping our brains stimulated with new learning is important in reducing your chances of cognitive decline. I am often asked by both my ageing clients and those post brain injury, if there is any benefit in using commercial cognitive retraining programs to improve cognition. Attached is a re...view of a recent meta-analysis evaluating these training programs. The meta-analysis identified it's top picks contributing towards healthy brain ageing to be: 'BrainHQ' and 'Cognifit'. If computer programs aren't for you, some powerful lifestyle based cognitive challenges to consider are: learning a new language, learning a musical instrument, learning new dance moves, and travelling new places. You're never too old to start something new. See more

12.01.2022 Our friendships influence our lifestyles, and subsequently, our health, mood and body weight. You’re more likely to be physically and mentally healthy, if your mates are :) If you’re stuck in a rut, and thinking you would like to make some lifestyle changes, consider broadening your social networks to people who engage in healthy lifestyles. Here’s a great little article about how friends affect your health.. https://theconversation.com/how-your-friends-affect-your-he

12.01.2022 Do you suffer from low mood and/or depression? Although this won't apply to all people with depression or depressive symptoms, and it certainly doesn't rule out the necessity for medication where needed, but a recent Australian study through Deakin University has demonstrated the positive impact of dietary changes on mental health. Full article attached. Food for thought :)

12.01.2022 Are you struggling to loose weight? In a lot of cases, poor diet and sedentary lifestyles are the biggest factors for weight gain. But for some, perhaps the question is not what you’re eating, but how you are managing chronic stress. Chronic stress is known to disrupt the normal regulation of our stress hormones, disturbing multiple organs and systems in our body: brain, gut, blood vessels, and visceral fat (fat around our organs). The cascade of chemical processes that o...ccur in our body due to chronic stress, can lead to disruptions in our digestion and gut bacteria. It can lead to weight gain, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, chronic inflammation and insulin resistance. Stress management and a other NON-DIET approaches to weight loss, might be the key you are missing to managing your weight. Life stressors are unavoidable, but learning effective management strategies are likely to help you curb the impact that LIFE has on your body! Please watch this 4 minute video. It very nicely summarises the body’s response to chronic stress and the consequences. http://ed.ted.com//how-stress-affects-your-body-sharon-hor

11.01.2022 I love Michael Mosley! It's great to see the importance of our gut microbiome and fermentation becoming more main stream. Great dietary advice Mr Mosley :)

10.01.2022 Wow! ...... this was a fantastic ted talk. Are you stressed? Silly question perhaps!? How stressed? Do you think stress is bad for your health? The research would suggest that stress is good for you, as long as you think it is! Your perception matters. Equally, human connection, compassion, seeking and providing emotional support with others during stressful times is an important protective factor for your health. Please spare 15mins to watch this, if you're a stress head, it may just save your life

10.01.2022 Well, I can't do much about my insanely wild twenties now, but have made very significant lifestyle changes in my 30's which I'm hopeful will reduce my chances of cancer and many other health conditions. I went into my Masters of Human Nutrition hoping to learn the right tools to educate others, I didn't realise the profound impact it would have on my own eating behaviour! This is one quote from the article below that sits with me.... "It states if Australian adults consumed less than 65 grams of red and processed meat per day, around 800 fewer cases of bowel cancer would have been diagnosed in 2010".

10.01.2022 Don't wait until you break peeps! You don't need mental health difficulties to see a psychologist. We can help with strategies to maintain good mental health and manage stress - primary prevention.

10.01.2022 Ever wondered why you get food cravings? Well, to be fair, the following answer to this question may only be relevant if you're a type of fruit fly, Drosophila Melanogaster! The article attached suggests that gut bacteria were able to suppress or increase food cravings, influencing eating behaviour in the fruit fly. I suspect this is a little more complex in humans! Cravings or no cravings, in considering the human microbiota, feeding the good bugs with pre-biotic foods is very important for our long term mental and physical health. Here are some every-day high fibre foods with pre-biotic effects to consider adding to your cooking: onions, garlic, asparagus, green peas, lentils, barley, oats, wheat bran, nectarines white peaches and cashews .....just to name a few :)

10.01.2022 Poop pills to treat Obesity? There’s a whole new exciting world out there of faecal transplants and poop pills! Our intestinal microflora (gut bugs) not only impact on obesity and immune function, but due to the guts connectedness with our brain, these little critters also have implications for our mental health. Of course, eating functional foods including: foods high in probiotics (such as, yogurt and sauerkraut) which contain healthy microflora, and prebiotics (such as, bananas, onions, wholegrains) which feed the healthy microflora, could help facilitate a healthier microbiome while you patiently await your poop pill! http://www.iflscience.com//poop-pills-investigated-obesity

09.01.2022 Chronic pain? 3 WEEKS TO GO! until the Pain Revolution Ride. ...And I need your help... For those unfamiliar with the Pain Revolution, I’m about to volunteer my time cycling 700km across Tasmania with 25 other pain health professionals, providing an outreach program to rural communities. This annual event aims to give people methods to re-train their systems to be free of chronic pain. There is no more common reason for early retirement from the workforce than persiste...nt pain. In terms of disability and economic cost, there is no health condition that places a greater burden on our society. Persistent pain is a major risk factor for depression, suicide, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke, so you are also, in a way, helping us prevent that stuff too! Please support my ride, follow the link, make a donation and help me contribute towards the latest pain neuroscience research and education! painrevolution2019.everydayhero.com/au/pain-revolution-ride

09.01.2022 Have you felt pain? No doubt you have! We have all felt pain, and at least 1 in 5 of us have endured persistent pain or continue to endure ongoing pain of some form. Pain is a fabulous survival mechanism, which keeps us safe, however sometimes our fear response can learn to overprotect our bodies, and the pain overstays it's welcome and can be disabling - physically and mentally. The great news is, with the appropriate education and management, pain doesn't have to endure! I'...m hoping while people are in the 'giving' Christmas spirit I can encourage some fundraising for my Pain Revolution ride! I've got my cycling training kicked off, I'm ticking over the weekly kms and climbs. But I need to kick off the fundraising too! I'm required to raise $3000 over the next couple of months which goes towards persistent pain neuroscience research. Myself and a team of likeminded health professionals and scientists will be cycling across Tasmania in March 2019 and stopping off to rural communities where we will provide the latest evidence based education on persistent pain and how to retrain your brain to unlearn pain! We are up against many challenges and misinformation, so whatever you can contribute will be amazing. If you have any questions please message me, and please feel free to share around xx See more

08.01.2022 Thinking about your New Years Resolution? Here's an important message peeps! ....Although I'm going to focus not so much on what to quit, but what positive to add to my life. I'm going to be kinder to myself, less judgement, more compassion, and have more realistic expectations :)

08.01.2022 Don't be afraid to fail peeps! ... as long as you choose to grow :)

07.01.2022 Nurture your friendships peeps and be open to new ones... it will improve your brain function, mental health and may just help you live a longer life :)

07.01.2022 Metabolism and weight gain. 10 ways metabolism can affect your weight - content assisted by one of my favourite lecturers at Deakin Uni, Tim Crowe.

07.01.2022 Half of all mental illnesses begin by the age of 14 and three-quarters by mid-20s (World Health Organisation). This raises the importance of teaching young children good emotional management strategies to build their resilience early in life. Parents, carers, teachers and guardians all play a crucial role in teaching these skills. But quiet often, adults need to learn these skills too! For a very simplistic starting point, I would recommend a practical book called Sitt...ing still like a frog which has some simple introductory mindfulness and relaxation strategies, targeted at young children. Although it is designed for children, parents can (and are encouraged to) join in too. Like any behavioural change, the key to its success is regular practice and consistently.... and importantly making it fun! https://books.google.com.au//Sitting_Still_Like_a_Frog.htm See more

05.01.2022 Are you confused with all the diets out there? If you simply want to eat for good health and disease prevention, listen to this very important message peeps! There's no magic or fad diets, just real food.

05.01.2022 I'm big on hugging! Hug much more people .... at least 5 a day keeps the psychologist away This is a great article of the neuroscience behind feeling good

04.01.2022 Coffee lovers, addicts, & athletic users, listen up... great article attached on the facts and science of coffee. It’s a great succinct read. But to sum it up, to get the maximum benefits from coffee, "less is more". Even just one coffee per day is enough to increase your tolerance and not reap the euphoric rewards of this marvelous stimulant. If you only drink 2 cups per week, you’re more likely to get a good kick out of your cuppa.

04.01.2022 Interesting read. What a shift in thinking about our appendix: importance in immune function and good gut-bacteria.

04.01.2022 Eating for good mental health: A great review on nutrients and food that benefit our mental health. This is pretty much what lead me into combining nutrition into my neuropsychology base :)

04.01.2022 Promising stuff :) I've always been slightly disappointed with the brain, in that adult neurogenesis (growth of new brain cells) predominantly occurs subcortically (deep parts of the brain). If this treatment gets to clinical trial with great outcomes, us brain injury rehab neuropsychs may be facing redundancy for a very great reason!

04.01.2022 Hey Facebook friendly's .....I would LOVE for you to 'like' and please 'share' with your friends my new Facebook page for my business, Psycle. It's all about mental health, nutrition, lifestyle management, and staying healthy! I will endeavour to bring you evidence-based information from my profession, to encourage you to stay sane and healthy ;) xx

04.01.2022 I'm often asked why I combined becoming a nutritionist and a neuropsychologist. The gut and brain are connected. Nutrition can impact on our brain development, function, and subsequently, cognition and mental health. Gut bacteria in particular, are rather fascinating little creatures :)

04.01.2022 Giggle for the day!

03.01.2022 The pressures on! I'm giving brief talks in mid April on the usefulness of mindfulness for managing stress and how this impacts on weight management, pre-post natal mothers, and managing disruption to the gut/brain connection and subsequent bowel conditions (for example Irritable Bowel Syndrome). It will be targeted at potential clients who may be interested in continuing on with my program for Mindfulness integrated Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Feel free to ask questions, express interest and forward this information on to people who may be interested.

02.01.2022 Spare yourself 10mins and listen to this great interview by an expert in the field of gut microbiota and mental health. Our gut-brain connection can have a significant impact on our lives.

01.01.2022 An important message for parents regarding the brain development of their children. Love, Play & Nutrition, starting from a young age can have significant implications for a child's brain development and prospects into adulthood. But bear in mind it's never to late to start!