Candace Borg Allied Health - Your dedicated health professionals

Why is vitamin D so important during pregnancy?

Vitamin D plays a role in calcium absorption, regulating innate and adaptive immune system, protecting brain and nerves. It is critical for people with all ages, but in particular, pregnant mums!

Here’s why.
vitamin D may reduce risk of different conditions that are common in pregnancy, such as pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes and severe postpartum haemorrhage(6,8). Lower levels might be associated with miscarriage, abortion, emergency Caesarian and complications of low or high amniotic fluid(5,7)

Vitamin D is also beneficial for preventing low birth weight and encouraging postnatal growth(3,5)

Lower vitamin D levels in gestational, neonatal and childhood might be related to ASD (1,2).Vitamin D protects against oxidative stress in the brain and low serum levels in neonates might increase risk of schizophrenia(4).

The list goes on..

It is always important to check your blood test consult your practitioner before supplementing vitamin D.

There are many more nutrients to support healthy pregnancy and beyond. Book an appointment with Candace to get some help with pregnancy nutrition🌿🥗
References in comment.

Food to support immune system🌿✨

What do you eat when you’re sick? There are so many food and herbs that supports the immune system.

I have picked 5 food that are easy to include in your daily meals🥣
1. Fermented food(probiotics)
2. Prebiotics
3. Mushroom
4. Ginger
5. Garlic

You can book in with Candace today to support your immune system with herbs and nutrients🧡

Reminder to stay warm🧦

Winter is just around the corner. It is as simple as dress warmly, have a hot drink and take a warm bath.

Staying warm can improve blood circulation, reduce muscle stiffness, enhance immune system and increase your energy.
Especially when you’re on your period, warm the body internally and externally can improve the period pain.

Tips
- have a warm socks, scurf and inner wear.
- drink warm tea and herbs. Ginger will be a great addition for winter tea.
- move your body a little more. Yoga or walking will be a great for increasing your blood circulation.
- have a warm breakfast. Instead of smoothie, you can have a warm soup or porriage🥣

We also have herbs that are warming in nature🌿
Book an appointment with Candace for personalised remedies for you✨

Feeling stressed?

Meet “Adaptogen”✨a whole body tonic

Adaptogen is the herbal action that enhances the resistance to physical, emotional, environmental and biological stressors.

It also restores ordinal physiological function to the body.

Adaptogen is often used to treat emotional distress, fatigue, chronic immune dysregulagion as well as supporting convalescence🌱

If you want to improve your stress, Book an appointment with Candace or Monique.

Booking with Monique can be made through our website.
Candace is offering phone consultations on Fridays 3-7pm. - to book, email her directly at Candace@northcotenaturaltheraies

Candace is offering phone consultations on Fridays between 3-7pm ~ to book email her directly at [email protected] 🤍

Some sad news for a lot of you who had the pleasure of meeting Candace’s Tilly ~ she will be missed deeply 💗

Tilly you walked into our lives on the 14th of Jul 2014 at about 9pm as a 3/3.5yr old foster and walked out of our lives on the 18th Oct 2023 at 6.45pm
as the greatest gift, and best thing we've ever 'failed' at!
The pain we are feeling is absolutely unbearable but we have solace in knowing you fought for as long and as hard as you could and you told us quickly and indisputably that your time had come to an end.
You never let your cancer journey get in the way of being a bundle of joy and energy! I don't know how many times recently you showed us your puppy side in between chemo, operations, medications and too many vet visits. You never complained. Your faith, love and trust in us was unlike any other.
Thank you for being the best gift we could have ever dreamed of.
Although we've had countless memories together, and there are a billion photos I could share, these photos were captured within the hour of vour arrival and your departure into our lives.
Thank you Tils for bringing joy EVERYDAY! Our lives are that much more enriched for having you in them.
And the craziest thing is, if you were here, I know your little head would be on my lap, comforting me through this inconceivable pain I'm feeling knowing I'll never cuddle you again.
Thank you for choosing us to be your family Tilly. We love you 💞

Roasted carrot hummus 🧡🥕

A quick easy dish that’s a great source of beta carotene, fibre, and protein and tastes delicious ! Plus so much cheaper than store bought dips and without the preservatives and additives 🤍

Ingredients -

3 large carrots chopped
1/4 cup almonds
1 can of chickpeas drained 
2 cloves garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp paprika
2 1/2 tbsp olive oil plus extra for roasting 
Salt and cracked black pepper
Fresh coriander and sesame seeds to serve

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Drizzle the chopped carrots with the extra olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until browned and cooked through.
2. Once the carrots are cooked add the the garlic and almonds and roast for 5 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes
3. Put the carrots, almonds, garlic (squeezed out of the skin), chickpeas, paprika, olive oil and lemon juice in a food processor. Blend until you reach your desired consistency - less time for chunkier or more time for a smoother dip. Add extra lemon/olive oil if needed to teach this.
4. Transfer to a serving dish and top with fresh coriander and sesame seeds to serve 🧡

Herbal teas and what they’re useful for supporting 🤍🌷

Love tea ? Join Monique for her herbal tea workshop this Saturday where you can create your own blend with herbs relevant for what you’re needing support for 🩷 Book via our bio - we’d love to see you there !

Box breathing 🤍🤍🤍

Benefits ~
- Helps to bring you back to the present moment
- Can support in distracting you from any unhelpful thoughts
- Relaxes your mind and body
- Brings you back to your parasympathetic “rest and digest” nervous system
- Slows your heart beat, relaxes your muscles and can lower your blood pressure

Try it out now - try do 4-10 cycles and see how you feel 🧘🏽‍♀️🫁😌

For Melbourne, spring is on its way ~ more sunshine, the cherry blossoms and magnolias are blossoming and warmer days are slowly returning. however for lots of us this means the return of allergy symptoms. Swipe for a few dietary tips to help reduce your allergic response this spring 🌸🌸🌸

Book in a consult with Candace or Monique to get on top of your immunity and allergies before spring is here 💛

Women's Circle this Saturday 🌸


Our women's circles are for anyone who loves to connect with their feminine energy. They are for those who want to connect with other like-minded people in a safe and nurturing environment. This is a space where you will be heard, supported and empowered.

Come join Candace and Rachel this Saturday for a reflective practice with other like-minded souls 🌸

Tickets via the link in our bio!

This circle will only run if there is a minimum of 6 participants (including the facilitators Rachel and Candace).

Struggling to sleep ?

Employing some of these tips may help sleep to come easier. If not book in a consult with Candace or Monique for herbal and nutritional sleep support 💤🌙

- Avoid blue light by turning on an automatic shift on your phone or laptop to a warmer tone after sunset. Try using warm or red lights at night as well
- Enjoy herbal teas such as chamomile, passionflower, lemon balm, valerian or lavender before bed. Drop in store to grab some blends
- Avoid exercising close to bed time to avoid stimulation which may keep you awake
- Aim to sleep and wake at similar times each day
- Keep your bedroom dark but ensure adequate light enters in the morning to assist the circadian rhythm
- Diffuse essential oils to help you feel relaxed and calm
- Create a routine that helps you wind down for the day, maybe reading, a cup of tea, mindfulness, journaling, candles, a bath etc
- Avoid caffeine after 2/3pm as this may interfere with your neurotransmitters responsible for aiding sleep such as adenosine and GABA
- Aim to add in exercise throughout your day as this can help expend energy and help you relax and wind down
- Try listening to meditation or mindfulness podcasts or sleep music playlists. I listen to one called floating through space on Spotify. The apps slumber and smiling minds also have some free options for meditations and stories before bed
- Stretch and practice deep breathing before bedtime
- Avoid eating late at night or close to your sleep time

💛

Positive thought swap ✨

Our thoughts and mindsets substantially influence our lives, relationships and mental health. It can be really easy to fall into negative patterns which can then become how you start to think all the time. Make sure you’re surrounding yourself with people who don’t fuel the thoughts on the left side of the table.

It can be really hard to switch from years of negative thinking to starting to try be more positive 🤍

Try writing these down, repeating them over and over, or sticking them up around your house!

Quick + easy noodle salad 🥗🥑🍝

This is something I like to throw together when I’m short on time but want a healthy, balanced meal with a variety of different veggies and colours!

Simply prepare your noodles of choice as per the packet - I boiled rice vermicelli noodles until ready. In the last few minutes I added in frozen edamame beans and chopped broccoli for some extra protein, phytoestrogens and fibre.

Whilst the noodles are cooking cut up all your veggies you want to include - I used capsicum, spinach, carrot, celery and avocado.

When the noodles, edamame beans and broccoli are ready serve with your veggies and top with kimchi (the spicy one is my current favourite), miso, tamari, sesame seeds, rice vinegar and peanut/almond butter 🍜🍙

Thyroid health 🩺

A few contributing factors thag can influence the health of your thyroid, as well as some of the roles the thyroid has in maintaining our bodies every day functioning.

Nutrition and herbal medicine can be supportive of thyroid health ~ reach out if you have any questions or concerns 💛

Prebiotics vs probiotics 🥑🍎🌱🍋🥝🥗🥦🍄

Support your microbiome and include a wide variety of these foods plus plenty of fruits and veggies to improve your health 💛

Book in with Monique or Candace for further dietary and nutritional support 🍋

Echinacea 🌸

An anti-inflammatory, immune enhancing, immune modulating herb that also helps in supporting your lymphatic and elimination systems. Echinacea is able to reduce your viral load and research has found that it can reduce the risk of viral respiratory track infections.

Wanting some immune support? Book in Monique’s $99 health package for a 15minute consult and 2 week supply of liquid herbs which may include echinacea to help boost your health this winter 🌨️❄️

Image via ~ Ian Barker https://www.landscape.net.au/echinacea-purpurea-purple-coneflower/

SALE STARTING THURSDAY !!! 🎉

Drop past between Thursday the 29th and Sunday the 2nd to take advantage of our discounts available 💛 We’re open 11am - 4pm each day.

~ 30% off retail items (excludes bulk buy and discounted items)

~ 10% off supplements

~ 30% off your initial and second naturopathy consults with Monique (book your time by Sunday 2nd July but you have until August 31st 2023 to have your appointment)

~ Sarah has a special offer of 3 sessions for $340 or 5 sessions for $500! Massive savings

We can’t wait to see you in store ! ☺️💛🎉

Bliss balls - High in protein, vegan, gluten-free, no need for a blender, date-free and delicious!

Ingredients:
- 1 cup of oat meal - or oats blended into a flour
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/3 cup rice malt syrup or maple syrup
- 1 tbsp cacao powder
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 2 scoops of protein powder (unflavoured or chocolate)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted 

Method:
1. Mix all all ingredients together until well combined. If the mixture is feeling a little dry add in more coconut oil and syrup. Continue to mix together until it forms a dough and can easily hold together.
2. Take a small amount of the mixture and using your hands roll into balls. Place balls on a lined tray or plate.
3. Store in the fridge - Eat and enjoy!

Stress, hormones, diet, sexual partners and practices, personal hygiene, medications, and gut health can all impact your vaginal microbiome and may be contributing to thrush or bacterial vaginosis 🤎

Book in with Monique or Candace for targeted nutritional and herbal support - we can also look into microbiome testing if you're wanting more answers 💞

The benefits of natural morning light exposure ~ 🌞🌅🌖

Light can be extremely powerful in influencing your mood, sleep and energy levels. Light can modulate the availability of serotonin (our happy neurotransmitter) available for mood regulation, supporting in reducing feelings of sadness. Light can also help to stabilise your circadian rhythm to support you in feeling more alert during the day, and sleepier at night by modulating the release of cortisol in the morning and melatonin at night.

In modern society we are exposed to artificial light at all times of the day. This can disrupt your natural circadian rhythm and result in poor sleep, fatigue and exhaustion. Being on your phone or laptop late at night or having bright lights on can push your bedtime back later, preventing you from falling asleep at a reasonable time.

Try having warm, soft, dim lights in your room and avoid any screens later in the evening. Try out some blue light blocking glasses also if you have work to do later into the evening.

To support in balancing your circadian rhythm and keeping you more alert during the day, and sleepier at night, aim to get outside or open your curtains in the morning to receive the benefits. Even if you simply eat your breakfast outside, do 5 minutes of breath work, some stretching or go for walk in the morning this can support in balancing your circadian rhythm naturally 💛🌖

Green leafy vegetables + their benefits!

Try adding in a different leafy green veggie this week to your meals 🥬 🥗

Rosmarinus officinalis❣️

*nootropic ~ enhances memory and cognition
*circulatory stimulant ~ improves blood flow around the body to assist in transporting nutrients and blood to our organs whilst assisting in removing wastes
*antioxidant - reduces inflammation and oxidative stress in the body which contribute to various disease states
*hepatoprotective ~ aids liver functioning and detoxification, and reduces damage
*carminative ~ useful in dyspepsia and digestive complaints
*spasmolytic ~ useful for managing cramps and headaches via reducing spasms
*antibacterial topically to support skin and wound healing

Try adding more rosemary into your meals, using the essential oil or even a herbal tea or oil infusion for cooking with 🌱🐝

Herbal PMS Support 💗

Swipe for a few useful herbs in PMS - there are so many more amazing herbs so book in a consult if you’re experiencing pre menstrual symptoms 💗

Experiencing PMS symptoms ? Feeling moody, irritable, and bloated before your period and experiencing more breakouts ? Try including some more of these foods each day 🥑🥗

Book in a consult with Candace or Monique for further support ~ there are so many amazing herbs and products we can utilise as naturopaths to make your cycle more manageable 💗

Rehmannia glutinosa - a nourishing, tonifying herb 💗

Rehmannia has many useful actions in the body including acting as an:

- Adrenal tonic
- Adaptogen
- Neuroexhaustive
- Gentle Laxative
- Anti-inflammatory
- Neuroprotective

Rehmannia is useful in cases of adrenal fatigue, stress, anxiety, low energy, poor concentration, menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, low mood, diabetes-induced osteoporosis, and for supporting states of depletion.

See one of our naturopaths, Candace or Monique, for a consult to see if this herb is right for you 💗

Image via https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:331898-2/images

Bliss ball recipe ✨

Try out these bliss balls packed with good fats, protein, fibre, magnesium and calcium 💛