Your fertility hormones estrogen and progesterone are actually great for skin, and this is why your skin may be clear and beautiful in the middle of your cycle but break out when those hormones drop off before your period. Here are three things you can try to lower inflammation and reduce period acne.
It's common knowledge that throughout modern history women have had a bad rap for being hysterical and hormonal. Unable to reason or or have valid opinions as we are at the mercy of our monthly cycles (eye roll).
A lot of the feminist activism of the last 150 years or so has been aimed at squashing these rumours. Of deleting any differences between men and women.
Although there is no scientific fact behind the hysterical female stereotype, emerging science demonstrates that there are differences between the sexes and these are brilliant and should be celebrated.
I personally notice my hormones have a major influence on my feelings and decisions, strongly linked to survival. Like the time I was 40 wks pregnant on my due date and going for a long walk along the rocky oceanside hoping to induce labour. I instinctually had a need to find a cave and settle in to give birth. Of course I was to be birthing in a hospital, but still, my instinct, my lizard brain, was telling me to find private shelter.
Or as a breastfeeding mother, I sensed if anyone messed with me or my baby I was ready to viciously go for the jugular. This is the mama bear response, well documented to be associated with the oxytocin that breastfeeding produces. Luckily it never came to that.
But back to present day.
I had been clucky for a pup, cooing over other peoples dogs for months. The prospect of a pup had been out of the question. I wasn't sure where to find one. We had been in a rental while we renovated with no pets allowed. Andy and I had a very special border collie named Jim who had passed of old age in 2018, when our kids were still babies. I wrote about him and the grief of losing him here. It hadn't been practical to get a dog.
And then, out of nowhere one Sunday morning, I pulled an oracle card; Animal Soul Friends. My oracle readings are always spot on, but this one threw me a bit. I read the message and completed the attached healing process, all the while with a question at the back of my mind, what did this have to do with my life? I then pulled another card. Angel Raphael, healer of hearts.
It was hours later that it occurred to me that right now was the perfect time for a new pup. I've been living in Yallingup these last couple of months and working from home. We were about to start summer holidays and it was looking like I'd be staying here until March or April rather than January/February like originally planned. Now is the perfect time for me to get a puppy.
I started looking. My husband wasn't keen on the idea so I put it out of my head, but I could not stop looking. I mean obsessively looking. I would sit at my computer with a few tasks in mind and end up looking for dogs. Researching what breed would suit us best, our backyard is much smaller now after extending our house, the pup needed to be small. I contacted breeders with poodles, lhasa apso dogs and maltese crosses. Being in a country area, they were all hours drive away and difficult to check out. After a day or two of this I decided a Miniature Schnauzer would be a good fit. I found a breeder who had a 4 - 6 month waitlist. That's ok, I told her, and went back to my work. But still that niggling feeling, I found myself searching still. And then found a website that is purely for registered breeders, and found two miniature schnauzer pups just 9 weeks old and ready to go in Busselton, just 25 minutes up the road. The only dogs available close by and the exact breed I was looking for.
I rang and asked to come check them out with the kids after pick up. Sure, no problem.
'We're just looking at the puppies' I told the kids. At the time I was telling myself I would not be buying a dog. I was just looking, because my need to be near a puppy was just so great at the time.
There were two sweet little pups. One with a green ribbon around his neck and the other with a pink. The pink was very laid back and independent and didn't seem much interested in the kids or playing with her brothers and sisters. The green one was curious and playful and he followed the breeder around with his head adorably cocked to the side.
We left. The breeder wanted me to take him straight away but I did not. I wasn't ready, I had no equipment. He needed a crate and food. I was only supposed to be looking. I needed to think about this.
I woke up yearning for that little green-ribboned puppy in my heart. Feeling it deeply like an ache. John John, My 5 yr old, climbed into my bed for a cuddle like he does every morning, "Mummy" he said “I really want a puppy.” He was yearning too.
Me too, sweetheart. All the guidance and signs were telling me to take the plunge and get the pup.
It was arranged. He was a divine disruption. It caused drama, my mother in law was not too happy about a pup being in her holiday house, my husband was worried about his mother and the ongoing responsibility of a dog. I knew everyone would come around. This house has had puppies before.
The puppy was ridiculously precious and cute, asleep in my lap. I named him Raphy after Archangel Raphael. The green ribbon, Raphaels colour, and the oracle card immediately following the Animal Soul friends card, seemed like it was meant to be. I felt I was following divine instruction. But I started to doubt myself. Had i made the right decision? He is a major responsibility. Am I a drama addict? Are my family drama addicts? Everything had been going so well and then I went and threw a bitey chewy little puppy into the mix. Everything worthwhile is hard work, I told my husband...and myself.
And then I ovulated. I had been coming up to ovulation the week of obsessively searching for and procuring a baby. A baby dog. Was this decision hormonal? Now my youngest is 5 (about to be 6) but I am still of childrearing years, did I just need a baby in my arms? A baby to care for? You can treat dogs like babies for their entire lives. Especially small, very cute ones. Was this dog my baby replacement? Yes. Yes he was.
The dust has settled now. It needed to settle. It took a month, but everyone is happy. Especially me, with my dog, I am overflowing with love and gratitude for this sweet little fur angel. I can't believe how lucky I am.
The decision to have...I mean ... adopt... this puppy may well have been hormonally influenced but it is a decision that brings colossal love and joy for my family and for him, for Raphy. That sweet animal benefits so much from our love. My children will grow up with him as their companion. Heading out for walks with the kids and the dog feels so right, and so relaxing. I've met many friendly faces in the neighbourhood because we have him in our lives. He is a connector, a healer, a lover and a very cuddly little comedian.
Our hormones evolved to enhance our lives and ensure our survival. Hormones bring love into our lives in the form of children and connection....and puppies. Being influenced by healthy hormones is not a bad thing.
On the other hand...Hormones that are not so balanced, or not so healthy and are wrecking havoc .... well that's all too common and can feel like a very bad thing. It's also a whole lot of other blogs. Naturopathic medicine has the tools to bring you back into your glorious radiant self, so please make an appointment with me to welcome in a better functioning version of you.
Ovulatory infertility accounts for about 25% of all infertility cases. This is when ovulation fails to occur or occurs irregularly and is most common in women experiencing Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome aka PCOS. A 2008 study* that followed 18555 women over 8 years found that the more meat in the diet, the greater the incidence of ovulatory infertility. And further, women who ate mainly vegetarian sources of protein where half as likely to have fertility issues as their meat eating counterparts. The authors concluded that focusing on mainly vegetarian sources of protein may enhance fertility.
I don’t think we should use this as a basis to completely toss all animal meats during preconception for most people. Organic, grass fed meat is an excellent source of essential minerals and fats that you need when making a baby, and traditional chinese medicine recommends building the blood with animal meats when wanting to conceive - albeit meat was much rarer for most of the world’s population in the past due to expense and availability, and so wasn’t consumed every day and at most meals, like it commonly is nowadays. Everybody would do well to have a couple of vegetarian days per week.
Conversely if you would like to continue your preconception and pregnancy journey as a vegetarian, all the power to you, you can absolutely do this with excellent nutrition and health.
There’s a few issues that may have impacted the results of this study. People with vegetarian diets tend to eat a wider variety of plant foods overall and therefore tend to enjoy better health. Those that eat a lot of meat are not only consuming less vegetables, but are perhaps more likely to be consuming fast and convenience foods such as from the local takeout, rich in unhealthy fats that contribute to inflammation and your glycemic index. The diet data was collected via survey four years prior to the study’s conclusion, so there’s plenty of time for individual diet choices to change and more rigorous and thorough study is required to clarify the results.
However, the association with meat eating and ovulatory infertility was significant so it’s worth considering. It was found that high intakes of chicken and turkey had the biggest association with ovulatory infertility, and red meat to a lesser extent. Eggs and fish didn’t have a negative effect. Consuming foods rich in vegetable protein had a slightly positive effect however. Vegetarians who ate more carbohydrates and less vegetarian protein also had higher incidence of ovulatory infertility. The consumption of good quality vegetarian protein seemed to be the ticket. And importantly, the positive effects of eating vegetable protein and negative effects of eating animal protein was more prominent in women over the age of 32. For younger women the types of protein didn’t seem to have an effect.
As always, moderation is key. This study is saying that with women who exhibit problems with ovulation - which was only 20% of the entire 18555 person study, meat eating tends to make it worse. It’s not saying that meat makes everyone infertile. If you are planning on a pregnancy and are otherwise in excellent health, 1 – 4 serves of red or white meat a week is completely fine and nothing to stress about.
If you would like support on your preconception journey you can book in for a discovery call here. If you have been diagnosed as PCOS or see to have irregular periods, there is so much naturopathy can do to relieve your symptoms so please seek assistance.
*Chavarro, J. E. et al. (2008) ‘Protein intake and ovulatory infertility’, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 198(2). doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2007.06.057.
The second day of my cycle and my womb was angry this morning. Usually my period greets me with a hardly bothersome twinge in my womb space that lasts about an hour and then is gone.
BUT with christmas, two plane trips alone with two kids under 3.5. And then ALL the dysfunction of my family in between. The past cycle has been particularly stressful. My health habits were wanting, a side effect of being back amongst my bloodline amidst the festive season. More grog, more crappy foods, less exercise.
Experience has told me that ALL OF THIS leads to a crampy sad uterus come the dark moon.
The craving for chocolate, or Cacao in its raw form, is more than just pleasurable desire at this time of the month. Cacao is a good source of magnesium, a mineral that helps muscles relax as well as about 160 other actions in your body. Therefore it’s wonderful for helping your uterus calm the fuck down. I love the berries for boosting my energy and my insides as well.
Anyway
1 cup of raspberries
1 cup of mixed berries
2 cups of water
1 banana
2 tsp of cacao
1 tablespoon of hazelnut cacao butter
2 tsp of maple syrup/honey or to taste
Blend Blend Blend, sprinkle granola on top. Those granola carbs at bleeding time are delicious.
Other tricks that helped tame the angry womb this morning: Laying in a hip opening yoga pose while I listened to a guided meditation by Dannielle Laporte that placed me deep, deep, deep in a green rainforest of creation. I nodded off towards the end and woke cured.
Naturopath and Shiatsu Massage therapist with a great wellness blog
The part of this story I am thinking about the most though, is the way my hand jumped when writing his name.
When a high-profile case like this becomes news, the language used by the media and the outspoken medical professionals is around holistic medicine being 'alternative' and not effective.
It’s extraordinary that I was present when my father passed suddenly. Mainly because we live on opposite sides of the country, and I’ve only seen my dad for a handful of days in the last 15 months. I have shared the story of our last day here.
Flowers are the fertile expression of plants, they are the nectar, they are creative manifestations of divine love and life force. Flower essences capture the subtle healing properties of flowers in a safe and affordable way. It’s incredibly easy to make your own flower essences, and you can do so safely with any flowers you have in your garden.
This is a great example of how chemicals in many household cleaning and personal care products are assumed safe until proven harmful, when perhaps they should be assumed harmful until proven safe.
Both ultra processed foods and tobacco 'are legal, easily accessible, inexpensive, lack an intoxication syndrome, and are major causes of preventable death."
Some 'to-do's' have significantly more positive impact on your life than others.
This is a really simple, nourishing and easy one pot dinner, with plenty of protein and fibre and some healthy fat.
It's the kind of soup where you know you're looking after yourself with every slurp. The spices and ginger have some wonderful anti-inflammatory properties. It's inexpensive, easy, and counts as self-care points for the day.
A shiatsu at Wild Grace is a spiritual experience. Healing occurs in both physical and spiritual planes. A shiatsu involves breathwork, massage to physically manipulate and stretch muscles, and the use of healing sound to move energy out and through. At times I may guide you through healing imagery, and you may receive guidance from your spiritual support crew.
Here are some of most medicinal foods for your immune system, chosen for the phytochemical properties:
New research with some surprising new information on preventing and treating long covid, with some tips to make it accessible at home.
I’m always on a mission to eat the healthiest foods possible. Here’s twelve of the most nutritionally dense foods in our supermarkets and tips on how to eat them.
Have you noticed that you're gaining weight but don't think you've made any change to diet and lifestyle? Or it used to be easy to drop a couple of kg by cutting out snacks and exercising a little more but now that doesn't seem to be working. In fact, your jeans just keep getting smaller.
If you have chronic disordered digestive function, irritable bowel, weight gain, inflammation, low energy, autoimmune or chronic mental illness a thorough investigation into your microbiome can provide a very solid basis upon which to build a treatment plan and resolve your symptoms.
and maybe it was a missed opportunity to role model healthy self esteem and masterful life skills.
a gentle reminder to bring mindfulness to your dinner table and as an in-depth guide to how you can nourish yourself and your family with ease and joy.
Some herbs, like licorice, can interfere with the attachment of viruses to host cells and prevent their entry into the cell, helping prevent an infection from taking place.
I woke up minus the sore throat albeit with a husky voice, and no snot has overcome me.
Shiatsu is it's a combination of lightwork and deep physical manipulation of musculature. Rhythmic breathing and meditative music means you float out of the massage room feeling like you're walking on a cloud.
We all have a dialogue in our heads with a running commentary about our lives and opportunities. Do you let that voice diminish and debase you? Or do you train that voice to be on your team?
For the sake of better health, I want you to think seriously and honestly about what habits are impacting negatively on your health and what can you can do to avoid those triggers.