The Live Lightly Centre

Centre Hours - Saturday, 31 August
Swing by for your fave supps or infrared sauna
Let us know if you would like us to put anything aside
The Live Lightly Centre Team

People often don’t think of naturopathic treatment for babies, kids or teens but I can’t tell you just how important it is to bring them up naturopathically if at all possible.

The number of kids on medications, I’ve even known of babies being given PPI’s (proton pump inhibitors for reflux) and the research is showing that prescribing is increasing and long term PPI use has been associated with bone fractures, acute kidney injury, allergy, asthma, and inflammatory bowel diseases in children. They are also suspected of leading to infections through pH modification or direct action on the immune system.

They are starting out in life behind the 8 ball and we can help with that!!!

Now this is absolutely NOT an indictment on people who are or choose to or had no choice BUT to medicate their kids. This is merely a post stating that there are options. Safe, effective and long term strategies to help your child either wholly naturally or alongside medication in nearly all cases.

I’ve treated kids for all sorts of things like ADD, ADHD, sleep issues, skin, allergies, constant illnesses, molluscum contagiosum, autoimmune diseases – you name it, I’ve had a dabble and mostly with great success.

Teenagers I get in for exam stress, depression, anxiety, major hormonal issues and acne, digestive issues, parasites, nutritional deficiencies and again, pretty much anything the medical system has either not been able to diagnose, or thrown back on poor ol mum basically saying you’re on your own love, we’ve done all we can.

I’ve treated ladies for infertility, pre-IVF prep, preconception, healthy pregnancies, birth, breastfeeding and beyond so I’ve done the whole cycle!

My favourite thing is when a young person now drives themselves in to see me for appointments and I remember mum bringing them in as a kid years ago. We have gone full circle and now these kids are coming to me of their own volition. I can’t tell you how much I love that!

If you’re worried that little Johnny or Janey can’t sit through a whole consult never fear, you don’t have to bring them in. You can book an appointment on their behalf, bring all their results and tests and scans etc and we can go through everything.

I can give you a naturopathic take on things and how we would deal with it, along with a few success stories of similar kids I’ve treated.

If its not an emergency, naturopathic treatment is by far and away the BEST way to bring up your kids.

As long as they are not missing out on urgent medical care, it is safe, super effective, can be used in conjunction with medical treatments and will give far better and healthier long term outcomes.

Any questions, just message. 🙏💕

Following on from my perimenopause/menopause post yesterday one of my biggest concerns is that women are medicated for the wrong things.

Because most GP’s don’t really have an in depth knowledge of either condition to be honest but especially not perimenopause it is far too easy to treat the symptom (insomnia, depression, anxiety, high cholesterol, insulin resistance, underactive thyroid) with medication than to treat the actual cause.

I have no problem that people are medicated if the symptoms are bad enough, or even if they just choose to be, I just want them to be medicated for the RIGHT THINGS!!!

Unfortunately now more than ever, YOU need to be your own best health advocate and unfortunately again, YOU need to guide your GP into the testing you need and suspicions you have based on your own personal and family history.

This is a looooong journey, perimenopause can last between 2 - 12 years, menopause strictly for one (one year without a period) and post menopause for the rest of your life.

That is a buttload of emotional and hormonal recalibrating you've got going on there, and medications just manage symptoms (which in some cases is a massive relief I get it!), the cause is still there.

This is why more and more women are turning to naturopaths for help, guidance, education and support through this period. This is where we EXCEL. 🏆

You're a long time being female. Make it a good time! 🤣🙏💕

The biggest question I get asked when I see women about their hormones is “why does nobody ever talk about this!!!” especially when we’re talking about perimenopause and menopause, although menopause has had more time in the spotlight than her precursor.

The symptoms of perimenopause can be brutal, I often think it's worse than menopause to be honest, but they are exactly that, symptoms, not a disease.

They are there to tell us that something is wrong, that we are either under nourished or over fed, highly stressed or maybe in the throes of developing a full blown autoimmune disease (usually thyroid if that’s the case!) or we are not paying attention to what our soul needs to rest and recuperate.

They are, as with nearly every ailment in the body, a warning sign that something is not quite right.

The major symptoms of perimenopause are:

Extreme fatigue

Brain fog like you’ve never known!

Lack of ability to focus, concentrate or remember anything

Erratic periods, often heavier, more clotting, spotting prior or after, worsening PMT and sore breasts prior

Mental health issues like extreme anxiety or very low mood either just before the period or throughout the whole cycle

Migraines or headaches

Itchy skin

Itchy ears and more ear wax growth (yeah I know, weird hey?)

Sleep disturbances

General lack of resilience or ability to deal with even slight stressors.

Unrelenting weight gain or inability to lose weight especially around the mid-section

Unexplained joint aches

Extreme teariness for no reason or erratic moods

Higher cholesterol, blood sugars and thyroid markers

Unexplained ANYTHING really.

It very much can be a time of turmoil and tumult!

I absolutely LOVE helping women through this time in their lives as it affects nearly every aspect from their own physical health to the self confidence or belief in their own intelligence or ability to do the job.

If you would rather avoid medication (usually HRT, antidepressants, anti-anxiety, thyroxine and/or statins) that will be prescribed around this time to treat symptomatically, then book in to see me.

Even if you want to go the medical route, I can help with side effects from the medications or absolutely educate you on what is actually going on with your body and possibly safer meds to take as well as questions to ask your doctor regarding testing and symptomatic treatment.

This is NOT a time for you to feel like you are on your own, misunderstood or just plain crazy.

You are none of those things. You are perimenopausal. 🙏💕

I read this article a while ago and basically it said that in two generations, you will be gone and forgotten bar maybe a few pics around the house or on special occasions by devoted grandchildren or if you were famous! That basically it will be like you never existed on the planet.

Oh my God it was depressing but it was also certainly very thought provoking.

Basically the gist of it was that you only get one chance at your life so you should live it your way and I agree.

For those of us who don’t believe in afterlives, religious saviours or second chances, it was quite a sobering thought. And I think if even if you do believe you’re getting a second chance with loved ones, you still want to make the best of this time in your earthly body because you don’t know when that will be!

I guess it just helps put things in perspective.

For those of us who feel we are living unfulfilled lives or not being our authentic selves, it is more of a push to find out who we are and what we really need in life.

For those of us who are fully ensconced and happy in our family roles, it is a way to think “well, I may not be remembered in a generation or so, but the beautiful people I created and helped to shape will have had their own beautiful people that THEY helped create and shape” and ad infinitum.

For those of us who have chosen not to have children or the choice was taken from us, we will have lived and loved and left our imprint in other powerful ways.

Regardless of whether anyone knows you or remembers you, there is ALWAYS a piece of you left on this planet somewhere somehow whether physical, metaphysical, spiritual, genetic or otherwise.

We have touched souls, we have taught people, we have shown kindness to someone who has needed it, we have saved animals or did our best to support an ailing planet, we have shown love tried to heal intergenerational trauma and hopefully as a result love will be shown further down the track too.

Our fingerprint will be left on the surface of this gorgeous planet somehow. Its just up to you whether it will be a positive one or a negative one.

I know others think very differently, that if I’m only here for a short time I’m gonna r**e and pillage the planet and all it has to offer, regardless of who gets hurt or what I leave behind but I’m hoping they are in the minority and people like us will soften their damaging blows just by being who we are.

Sorry for the deep post this morning, it just struck me how finite and short a time we really do have on earth and to make the very most of it every day. 🙏💕✨

I wrote a big post on supplements the other day and I want to go further into that for a bit.

As I said it was a 5 billion dollar industry in Australia and without having any reliable data or info at all, I would suggest that most of them are self-prescribed, that is, not by someone like myself or someone who has had actual herbal or nutritional training.

I have a bit of a joke that illness is not due to a lack of medication and I extend that to supplements for the most part too.

Depression is not due to your body’s lack of Lexapro or St John’s Wort for example, there is something else going on that’s caused it and these products may or may not help to relieve symptoms.

When I supplement people I am VERY wary that we get the right ones for the right jobs and then, when we think we’re good, we can come off them and see how we go.

Just like a synthetic medication can cause unpleasant and sometimes deadly up or downstream symptoms, maybe so can long term herbal or nutritional supplementation. The problem is, we just don’t know for sure so we need always to rely on caution and common sense.

As our primary edict states (same as the medicos) “first do no harm”. That should extend to “last do no harm” as well because up front, both supps and meds can be extremely helpful but for how long?

That is a question no one really knows and whilst we know for sure that every medication comes with side effects - some instant, some longer standing, some mild, some chronic and some downright deadly – we just don’t have enough information about serious long term implications of supplements. Especially ones that are bought online or through some MLM companies that may not have gone through the TGA process.

So, this is why my aim is ALWAYS to get you back onto a healthy lifestyle through diet, mindfulness, proper counselling or psych work if needed, exercise, recovery and the rest.

And if you come off the supplements and find you fall into a big heap that is telling us that we need further support so we keep going til we get it right.

If you need to be on them long term or pulsing on and off through life I would still far prefer them to medication if they are getting the job done which is why it’s a balancing act, and why you need someone like me and my colleagues in your lives if you love your health and you love your supps!

Remember when I said health shouldn’t be complicated? Well sometimes it is. 🤣

I read somewhere the other day that “comparison is the thief of joy” and I loved it!

I’m sure they were meaning comparing yourself to others who supposedly have it all going on and you wish your life were more like theirs (or your body or your job or your partner or your kids or your dog….) but I think it works the other way too, comparison is the thief of growth!

People so often compare themselves to others who may not be doing “as well” as them, whatever that “as well” may be.

They earn less money, they are in an unhappy marriage, they carry more weight, they seem more miserable, they are more unhealthy, they have a cheaper car – whatever it is that you want more of for yourself and when you don’t feel like you’re achieving it, you look to others to make yourself feel better.

Nah man, don’t do that.

Firstly its just cruel. You don’t know what’s going on in their lives that may be limiting their full potential.

Secondly, you could be just plain wrong. What if they’re actually HAPPY with everything they’ve got going on. They’ve reached their own personal nirvana and don’t feel the urge to compete in the rat race or against virtual strangers anymore.

The only person you should compare yourself to, in my opinion, is yourself yesterday. If you were happy with who you were and what you achieved, bloody brilliant, do it again today! And tomorrow. And the next day!

If not, what can you do better (that doesn’t involve looking down at Mary Jo coz she’s worse off than you right now).

There's nothing wrong with having role models, they can be a great inspiration on your own personal journey, however have your own goals, your own benchmarks and your own reward system. March to the beat of your own drum and let others do the same.

They may be struggling in ways you’ll never know so deserve empathy not derision, or they may have hit that most elusive goal of all, personal happiness. Good on ‘em. May be there a buttload more of it.

But whatever you do, don’t compare outside of yourself. 🙏💕

🔥 Appointment Available tomorrow Saturday 24th August!🔥

Due to a late cancellation we have an appointment available tomorrow Saturday 24th August at 11am.

Please either contact the page, book online using the blue Contact Us button or call the centre on 6355 6246 to secure your spot.

🙏💕

Centre Hours - Saturday, 24 August
Swing by for your fave supps or infrared sauna
Let us know if you would like us to put anything aside
The Live Lightly Centre Team

I often smirk when I look at my son’s brekky that I set up for him on school days.

I feel like he’s some sort of little Italian lord with his espresso coffee and hard-boiled egg all set up for him 😂

He’s doing ATAR at the moment and it’s a heavy load. If I can do my bit to help him at least start the day fully loaded with the good stuff nutrient wise (eagle eyed viewers will have noticed his magic mag and adrenal supps in front too) then I feel I’ve done my bit and the rest is up to him! 📚 🤓

The other pic is my eldest’s daily brekky/lunch/arvo tea combo, which ever he wants to make it to take to uni.

Its only brekky and lunch today as he has an early finish so smoothie, hard boiled egg and a big serve of that chicken, lentil and veg soup that I make on Monday mornings. 🍲

I do this because I love them, I want them to eat well (and they are not making “good choices” themselves at the moment lol) and I know it won’t be long before they will not need me to do this for them anymore. And they are grateful. 🥹

Every day they say thank you for it. Mostly. Can a mum ask for more?

Actually, maybe a hug would be nice but that’s pushing it…. 😆

I often say to my people, your body is your best test, you are an experiment of “one”!

I think it’s a huge part of my job to try and get people back in touch with their own bodies – to acknowledge what makes them feel good, and what makes them feel bad.

As biological creatures we are hardwired to face towards the sun (metaphorically speaking) and do what is right for our bodies and our survival. I ask them to pay strict attention to what makes them feel good physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

This can be as simple as noticing how they feel after a certain food or drink to the more esoteric how do I feel when I walk into a certain room or house or stand next to a certain person?

We pick up certain vibrations and energies from people and places that we might not logically sense, but we can physically feel. Its fascinating.

Our bodies are ALWAYS sending out safety signals to us and they are often found in the form of physical pain and digestive issues for example but just as importantly, our senses are always telling us who is safe to be around, and who is not. They are there for a reason. They are there to protect you.

Those safety signals might again be found in the gut or they might appear as heightenend anxiety, lower mood, unexplained defensiveness, shutting down in conversation, irritability, nervousness or just a general feeling of unease.

Pay attention to these feelings. The sooner you can be your own “experiment of one”, the sooner you can adopt some healthier and more importantly, emotionally safe habits and give your body what it needs to recover.

It is a very interesting experiment indeed. 🔎🤓💕

CENTRE HOURS UPDATE-Thursday, 22 August
We close @ 4pm
The Live Lightly Centre Team

Several years ago health fund rebates were removed from naturopathic services because there wasn’t “sufficient evidence” to suggest it effective. Clearly they haven’t spent a day in our offices to see for themselves!!!

The problem with what we do, and I hate to make the comparison, is that we are kind of like the GP of natural therapies - a little bit of this and a little bit of that, highly educated in many things but specialised in nothing (other than the human body and mind of course!).

No wonder you can’t garner “sufficient evidence” to support what we do.

In order to do that you would have to look at EVERYTHING we do as a whole and independent profession which encompasses many actual evidence based modalities under the one banner as opposed to looking at singular modalities as a stand alone.

A classically trained naturopath offers as part of the basic degree:

Nutritional advice

Western herbal medicine

Working knowledge of pathology tests and how to interpret

Counselling

Life coaching

General coaching and cheerleading all in one

The “best friend syndrome” – a laugh and a chat, maybe a few tears, a hug and support before we get down to business

Ability to prescribe practitioner-only supplements and herbal formulae

Ability to order tests outside of the standard medical constraints

Working knowledge of medical red flags, body signs, pathology and medical diagnoses (although of course not allowed to diagnose disease) and when to refer to GP or other specialist

Working knowledge of many medications commonly prescribed to treat modern problems, their uses, side effects and how to prescribe safely around them.

A great holistic referral system that may or may not include medical professionals, physical modalities such as massage, chiropractic or physio, spiritual or “energetic” treatments, psych’s/counsellors/mental health specialists and a plethora of other safe non-invasive medical treatments.

Massage

Oh and I’ll even throw in for the sceptics a little bit of the placebo effect. Do not scoff. It is a well-known fact that the placebo effect is responsible for about 30% of the results in any clinical trial, so I’ll happily take that as well! I like to call it “mind-body medicine”. 😏

I mean, how on EARTH are you going to quantify all of that when we may do a bit of everything in the one session?

We are like the mums of the healing world, no one can say exactly what we do but we all feel better for a bit of mum-love. 🥰

Not sure if this has helped or hindered the cause but either way my standalone opinion won’t change policy.

All I can say is that what we do is a heady mix of science and nature (same thing to me, just one is in writing) as well as love and support and it is POWERFUL.

If the vote ever comes up again to re-include our services, please vote YES, even if you will never use them at all. We need viable, proven, safe and effective remedies so people can make a CHOICE!

What we do keeps people OUT of the medical system and if used and supported effectively, I can't even imagine the amount of money we could save the country and individuals as well. 🙏💕

I just read an article that the supplement industry in Australia is worth about 5-6 BILLION dollars!

This shouldn’t surprise me as I see the rows and rows of them in supermarkets, discount stores, MLM companies (multi-level marketing), chemists, health food stores and many different places online.

The whole supplement debate is a big trigger for me, mainly because most people think that’s all naturopaths do, dish out expensive supplements and very little else.

Basically those who don’t know better think we are “green doctors”, treating ailments with a supplement instead of a medication but nothing could be further from the truth. Well, nothing SHOULD be further from the truth I should say.

The other big complaint is that naturopaths are expensive and to be fair, some of us charge ridiculous prices for what they offer but I still believe your best path to health in a confusing modern world is a good GP who is open to all health avenues, and a good naturopath who gives the advice GP’s don’t have the time or education for – diet, lifestyle and the JUDICIOUS application of supplements.

And on the expense front, if you apply a shotgun approach to supplements – trying this that and the other to see if one finally hits, then THAT is a sure fire way to empty your pockets with very little benefit, leading on to my next point!

The saying that pi**es me off most is that they are an “expensive wee” and to be fair, if you are taking supps that aren’t targeted for whatever your specific ailment is, then they are right.

However this doesn't apply to all supplments, in fact some supplements can be absolute game changers for those who need them.

The other argument (outrageously romantic to be honest) we often hear is “just get your vitamins from food”!

Well if it were that simple we wouldn’t be witnessing the world's explosion in chronic disease, discomfort and growing nutrient deficiencies. Food is not what it once was, and our education around it is sadly lacking I’m afraid.

I often see people with a laundry list of supplements when they come in to see me and I pretty much take them off all of them and give them one or two targeted supps with the promise that once they are better, they can go back and use up the old ones!

I HATE seeing people over-supplement, like I hate seeing people leading horribly restrictive lives with diet and over-exercising because they think it will be better for them.

Health is not as complicated as the wellness industry would like to make it out to be, and it doesn’t have to be long term expensive either.

Get the correct advice up front, get the diet suited to YOU, get the supplements if needed suited to YOUR conditions, move in a way that serves YOU and your health will take care of itself.

Don’t waste your time and money chasing promises and dreams and having lots of expensive wees! 💦

You know how there are some little things in life that are sent from a higher power just to make things easier for you? This little baby is one of them.

All it is is a wide mouthed funnel that I bought probably nearly 20 years ago when I was in my jam and chutney making era.

It’s great for pouring hot things into little bottles so you don’t make so much of a mess or burn your fingies.

I reckon I still use this thing at least several times a week to pour soup into smaller containers, decant hot soup into thermos flasks and even for dried goods such as supplement powders that I want to mix together so I just have to use one container instead of scoops from three or four.

It’s one of those items where my little heart skips a beat (not in a good way) when I look in the cupboard and find it is not in its rightful place of glory. Like when one of the menfolk in the house has put it away for my little daily Easter egg hunts when the boys clear up.

I love this funnel. 🥹

I don’t know what happened but ages ago Facebook changed from being just your friends and families to being FLOODED with a million different pages and groups whether you liked them or not. It took me a while to cotton on to this but it feels like it did happen overnight and it really gave me the s**ts.

Social media is a double edged sword for me, I love using it to keep in touch with friends, family and for business but I hate how I get sucked into a whirlpool of hateful posts or (much better but still time wasting) dog videos! It literally takes all my mental strength to pull away from those eyes, those goofy expressions, those nose boops, those little teefs and pillow nibbles and “Velcro” attachments. Oh. My. Lord…..

Anyway I digress (see what it does to me!!!!)

I decided if I have to put up with all this s**t I will tailor it to my needs. I have purposely “followed” certain groups not to comment or join, just so all I see will be their posts and very few others. I have purposely blocked other pages to make sure I never see any of their hateful comments or bigoted views and now my feeds are a whole lot prettier and a whole lot happier.

Facebook is a constant flow of hygge posts, log cabins in woods, “views from my windows”, tiny home decorations, nature filled forests and spectacular views of the mediterranean. Oh and a few medical posts thrown in.

Instagram is a veritable waterfall of puppies, baby donkeys, baby goats, baby cows, in fact baby anythings, capybaras, penguins, pandas (seriously, are they not the most clumsy animals in the world???), assorted African wild life, ducks, kittens, in fact anything non-human that breathes. There is also a healthy dose of dance numbers, different styles of musical pieces, a plethora of foody posts, a few different mental health, anxiety and ADHD pages, physical therapies and so on.

Not so sure why the platforms have such different vibes for me but I don’t care. If I am going to be bombarded with those who are not my clients, friends or families then I am going to be VERY selective about who I let into my little world.

I even suggest these sorts of things to my teenage clients – if you are going to get sucked into a make believe world, then make it a GOOD one, one that will support your happiness, cuteness needs and mental or physical health goals.

Use it for GOOD instead of EVIL. 🤣🙏💕

For those of you who have teenagers, is it just me or is the difference from “before P plates” to “after P plates” like night and day? 🌖 ☀️

My kids went from us having to do everything, organise everything, book everything and drive them everywhere to making their own appointments, registering themselves from sports to uni, coming home with haircuts we never knew they were having, organising their own social lives and pick ups/drop off favours with each other and just basically generally being like, you know, mini adults and stuff. Almost overnight.

I know a lot of mums particularly mourn this time of letting go but I’m like “Fly, be free little ones!!! Just remember who cooks the best spag bog on a Friday night and have dinner with your oldies at the table when you’re home!” 🍝

Now, if only there were a trigger to get them to clean up their rooms without being nagged or is that particular pleasure saved for when they are OUT of home and we don’t get to revel in it? 🤷‍♀️ 😆

Centre Hours - Saturday, 17 August
Swing by for your fave supps or infrared sauna
Let us know if you would like us to put anything aside
The Live Lightly Centre Team

Another in a long list of “why we need follow ups”!

I see people usually about 2-3 weeks after our first encounter and ask them how they’re doing.

Mostly the answers are noticeably great improvements but sometimes they’ll lead with “Well, I feel a LITTLE better but I still get ‘x’ “ whatever “x” may be.

If they’ve booked in for “x” specifically, it could be pain, anxiety, sleep, weight, fatigue and if they are still feeling those things then they feel like they are not “better”.

Its two weeks man, give it a chance!!!

Then my favourite bit, lets drill down shall we? And these points are a conglomeration of all of my follow ups, not one person specifically so don’t be offended if you feel I’m talking to you.

On the other hand if you are thrilled that I seem to have mentioned all of your current symptoms exactly then yes, of course, this is ALLL about you! 🤣

So you say you still have anxiety, but now its only if deserved, such as before a meeting or threatening event whereas you used to wake up with it and have it all day every day. HUGE improvement.

You say you haven’t lost weight but your bloating has gone done, shape changed and you fit into your clothes better. I’ll take that as a win for now.

You say your sleep is still shyteful but now you go to sleep easier, you don’t have the racing mind, you only wake once or twice during the night whereas before it was hourly and you wake up better. Hmmm, okay then…..

You say your pain is still there but when I ask about your fingers you say the pain has nearly gone completely, you hadn’t even thought about it to comment on it because it was gone, and now you think about it, your knees only hurt if you’ve been standing for 8 hours instead of as soon as you wake up in the morning. Right.

You say you’re still tired but then I find out you have been getting up early to go to the gym, taking the dog for a walk nearly every day and not having your arvo nap when you couldn’t even walk to the letterbox 2 weeks ago. You have increased your output to meet your new energy input so you say you are still tired. Um, really? That's a HUGE win! You are actually living your life again!

Then I ask about weird things like post nasal drips, sinus issues, skin, hair, brain fog, how you’re managing your stress etc and miraculously all of these little babies may have had an improvement too. And most people come with a laundry list of complaints so a little improvement overall makes for massive progress overall.

This is SUCH a common phenomenon, if our major issue has not cleared up completely instead of thinking “wow, this has only been TWO WEEKS and no medications have ever given me such great results so far” we think we are still sick or its not working.

It has taken you months, years, maybe even decades to get this crook. We are looking for improvement not miracles. And in some cases I swear, even a little improvement IS a miracle.

As I often say when you first came to me you were in a decline, so even stopping the decline is improvement. Add actual improvement on top of that and the differential is even more powerful.

If you don’t come for your follow ups, you give up. Don’t do that. 😔