Rebecca Bell Naturopath

Well it’s almost time to say goodbye to 2017, and with that I also bid farewell to Sydney! Adelaide here we come - looking forward to experiencing everything a new city has to offer 🧡
In addition to relocating, I will also be taking a year’s break from naturopathic practice to welcome another exciting new addition to the family 🤰👶👨‍👩‍👧‍👦
Wishing everyone a wonderful and happy 2018! 🎉

Yes!! Herbs + diet and lifestyle can achieve amazing results in the treatment of PCOS 👏👏👏

Natural approach offers 'hope' to women with PCOS Corrinn Russell had suffered for eight years before receiving any relief from her polycystic ovarian syndrome.

The power of the 'basics'.
There are always herbs and remedies specifically indicated for different conditions, but sometimes lack of availability, or conditions such as pregnancy, require you to strip it back.
This prescription of echinacea, vitamin c, PCIP and flower essences was acute treatment for a urinary tract infection, but could have easily been prescribed for a cold or the early stage of any rapid infection. It all comes down to quality of products and the correct dosing frequency.
The wonder of naturopathy is we can always work with what we've got to fit the patient, as no medicine from nature has only one purpose! 🌿🌱🍃

MAPLE KOMBUCHA CANDIES! 😝
I finally bought the dehydrator I have been eyeing off for a while now, and took it on an experimental maiden voyage over the weekend to make kombucha candies 🍭
(Swipe for pics!)
Step 1: take a few of the many, many kombucha scobies that have been multiplying with each batch
Step 2: chop into bite size pieces and marinate in maple syrup overnight
Step 3: dehydrate
Step 4: eat!
They are very more-ish, and the two year old is a big fan! A success ✅
Next time I will use thinner scobies cut into strips to make 'roll ups' style lollies, as the thin pieces dehydrated a lot faster and are deliciously chewy 😁

Currently fermenting on my bench (from L-R):
Cashew 'cheese'
Black bean spread
Pineapple sambal
Horseradish brussel sprouts
(Back row)
Tepache (Mexican pineapple skin soda)
Kefir
Kombucha
🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌
Oh yes please!!
Thanks for a great workshop today at
Loved it! And so do my microbes! 💚

Great episode of Insight last night, exploring the crucial importance of the gut microbiome in our health.
Take home message: a diet abundant in a variety of fibre-rich fresh fruits and vegetables, and low in processed foods, junk food and sugar, is the best way to encourage a diverse microbiome.
Highly recommend taking a look. 🌿

Insight: Gut Feeling Can changing our gut bacteria change us? Dr Michael Mosley returns to Insight for a discussion with fellow experts and ordinary Australians about how the gut can play an integral role in our overall physical and mental health. We discover that improving the wellbeing of this unglamorous organ can ha...

Just listened to a fascinating webinar on the breastmilk microbiome and glycobiome 😍

I loved learning about how human milk oligosaccharides (sugars specifically found in breastmilk) can act as decoys for pathogens by luring them away from cell receptors, and instead binding them for excretion. This includes campylobacter jejuni (major cause of diarrhoea), salmonella spp, e. coli, influenza virus, norovirus, and even HIV!

The wisdom of nature never ceases to amaze me 🌱

Borage, or starflower, in my tiny balcony garden. I just adore borage flowers. The flower is edible, but I love looking at them too much to pluck them 💙

Something I've wanted to do for so long! Relearning the old ways and foraging for mushrooms with the incomparable Diego.
Such a great way to spend a gorgeous day 💚
🍄🍁🍂🍄

At it again - talking today. My clients know how much I 💚 my herbal tincture mixes 🌱

Nutritional deficiencies, thyroid dysfunction, and stress are all common causes of long-term fatigue. However, sometimes we need to dig deeper and consider alternatives such as chronic and stealth infections, chronic inflammatory response syndrome, and exposure to biotoxins such as moulds.
So great to be armed with new knowledge to take back to clinic.

Yes! I say this a lot - five serves of veggies per day is the minimum, not the goal. Aim for ten! No supplements can ever replace eating a delicious rainbow of veggies every day 🌈

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/23/five-day-10-portions-fruit-veg-cut-early-death?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Forget five a day, eat 10 portions of fruit and veg to cut risk of early death Scientists say even just 2.5 daily portions can lower chance of heart disease, stroke, cancer and premature death

Rainy Sunday morning baking!
I haven't made these brownies in a long time, and yummo they are just so good.
I also added a couple of big spoonfuls of reishi powder, it's such an amazing superfood and will help to balance the stimulatory effects of the raw cacao in my toddler 😄

https://deliciouslyella.com/vegan-sweet-potato-brownies-gluten-free/

Sweet Potato Brownies | Deliciously Ella If asked what my favourite foods in the world were the list would be: sweet potatoes, dates, cacao, raw brownies and avocado. So it seems only natural to try and combine at least four of the five in some way to create something insanely awesomely, which is exactly what I did in these sweet potato …

For everyone interested - this is the gummie recipe I followed for my latest batch!
I also follow the I Quit Sugar recipe and play with the flavours: https://iquitsugar.com/gelatin-recipes/

Yesterday we made strawberry kombucha gummies. What a hit! Our favourite flavour combo yet 🙌🏼

Place 1 cup kombucha in a bowl and quickly whisk in 4TB Great Lakes Gelatin. Allow to sit for a few minutes.

Puree 2 cups strawberries, 4TB honey, a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt in a blender. Pour mix into a saucepan and gently heat mixture until just warm.

Add kombucha/gelatin mix and stir until gelatin has dissolved, taking care not to let it get hot.

Pour into silicon moulds or a glass container and refrigerate until firm (about 2 hours) ❤️

Obsessed with the gut healing properties of right now!
Current flavour: berries, kombucha and lime 🍓
Perfectly refreshing on this hot sunny day ☀️

Are you a new (or not so new) parent, wondering how you're supposed to be a fully functioning human on night after night of broken sleep?
I am speaking on how to cope with exhaustion at the Australian Breastfeeding Association Randwick chapter's get together next Thursday 10 November at the Randwick library (Sydney).
Message me for details!

Yes! I see this so much.
Personally, intense mood swings and gloominess were the reasons I stopped taking the pill years ago.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/03/pill-linked-depression-doctors-hormonal-contraceptives?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

The pill is linked to depression – and doctors can no longer ignore it | Holly Grigg-Spall Hormonal contraceptives are used by 3.5 million women in the UK alone. The medical establishment must stop dismissing the risks they carry

Remember to love yourself!

www.foodmatters.com

"A wet winter is set to give way to a sneezy spring in south-eastern Australia, with this hayfever season predicted to be the worst in years. Experts have warned the winter rains will have caused increased grass growth, meaning more pollen in the air in the coming months." 😱😭😖

Beautiful herbs such as eyebright, albizia, baical skullcap and echinacea can work tremendously well to reduce the frequency and severity of hayfever.

It's best to start a hayfever management plan before allergy season begins - so now's the time to get the ball rolling 🌱

http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-31/hayfever-season-worst-in-years-due-to-winter-rain-experts-say/7801528?pfmredir=sm

Hayfever sufferers warned of worst season in years A wet winter is set to give way to a sneezy spring in south-eastern Australia, with this hayfever season predicted to be the worst in years.

Love your paw paw ointment for lips, cuticles, grazes and more? 💋
There are so many options out there with higher concentrations of paw paw, and without the awful petrochemical base of that ubiquitous red tube.
Take a look!

Safer PawPaw Balms Cheat Sheet We've added even more pawpaw balms to our updated Natural PawPaw Balms Cheat Sheet. We've researched and reveiwed 25 pawpaw balms for you! There's lots of evidence to suggest that pawpaw (or papaya) has all sorts …

Did you know...
Children are not miniature adults, with a child's gastrointestinal tract finally resembling that of an adult by the age of 10-12 years old.
Differences in anatomy, metabolism and intestinal flora must all be taken into account when prescribing herbal remedies to children.
👶👦👧
Rainy day reading: Healthy Children - optimising children's health with herbs by Kerry Bone and Rob Santich 💚🌿

Many of my patients have heard me talk about the relationship between cortisol and weight gain - this is one of the reasons that weight loss is so difficult in people that are chronically stressed.
No system in the body operates in isolation, and good naturopathic care will always investigate the 'big picture' to understand how to bring you back to health 🌿

The Role Cortisol Plays in Weight Gain Did you know that cortisol, the steroid hormone produced by the adrenal gland, can cause us to heap on the kilos?

Fascinating!

Scientists, designers work to make fermented kombucha tea into a textile Queensland scientists and designers work out ways to make the slimy skin of fermented kombucha tea into a waterproof, durable textile.

Have you been wanting to start brewing kombucha at home, but can't get your hands on a SCOBY to get you started?
Simply pour about 500mL of a good quality, plain kombucha (like Remedy Original flavour) into a bowl/wide mouth jar, cover with muslin and a rubber band, and leave for 7-10 days. The strands will come together to form a thin SCOBY, and you're off! It's really that easy.
Not sure what on earth I'm talking about? The incredible Sarah from My New Roots has just written a post all about the health benefits of this amazing fermented tea, as well as a recipe for how to make your own.
I love kombucha as it is such a 'low maintenance' introduction to fermentation. And of course, it's delicious!
http://www.mynewroots.org/site/2016/07/brew-your-own-kombucha/

Brew your own Kombucha! - My New Roots

I agree! - Pilpel hommus is my go-to if I haven't had a chance to make any myself. Yum!

Which dip is worthy of your chip? 7 healthy dips taste tested! From classic hummus to the perfect guacamole, these are 7 of the best healthy dips you can buy at the supermarket.

My little girl is almost one, and we celebrated with a birthday party yesterday 🎈
Her dad is allergic to eggs, so I made egg-free vanilla and coconut spelt cupcakes by topped with coconut cream cheese frosting by 🎂
For colour I used a tiny bit of beetroot powder in the pink icing, and spirulina powder in the green icing - both beetroot and spirulina are so pigmented that you can get colour without changing the flavour of the frosting 👍🏼
She loved it!

Here's a little snapshot of some of the natural Australian skincare brands out there - these days there are so many to choose from, at a range of budgets, so going chemical free has never been easier 🌷
http://m.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/02/04/australian-organic-beauty_n_9162852.html

The Best Organic and Natural Australian Beauty Brands Not so long ago, natural skin care was a jar or box with a green leaf on the front of the packaging, collecting dust at the back of a health food shop. Though we have come a long way in a fairly