Restoring Vitality Naturopathic Clinic

19/05/2025

Reduce and prevent the suffering of sore throats, persistent coughs keeping you up at night, days off work, kids at home sick, concern with spreading your illness to elderly parents or new babies. Help to prevent infections going to the chest or middle ears and learn what to do if they do.
Come away with a Herbal Immune Kit to be prepared when the flu season arrives.

Send a message to learn more

17/03/2025

What are the symptoms of menopause? 🤔

The time before you last period is generally referred to as menopause. However the time leading up to your final period is really perimenopause.

This typically occurs in your late mid-40s to mid-50s but can be earlier or more rarely, later. If you are noticing changes in your body that don’t quite feel like your usual self, you might be in perimenopause.

Some common signs include:

🔥 Hot Flushes & Night Sweats – Sudden waves of heat that can happen day or night. Waking up drenched in sweat and throwing covers on and off.
😴 Sleep Issues – Struggling to fall or stay asleep, even if you’re exhausted.
😡 Mood Swings – Feeling more irritable, anxious, or emotional than usual without a clear reason.
🩸 Irregular Periods – Your cycle becomes unpredictable—shorter, longer, heavier, or lighter.
💨 Brain Fog – Forgetfulness, trouble concentrating and struggling to get through your work day.
🦴 Aches & Joint Pain – New aches, stiffness, or general discomfort.
🍽 Changes in Weight & Metabolism – Weight gain, especially around the middle, even though your habits haven’t changed.

Perimenopause can last anywhere from a few months to several years before menopause officially begins (which happens when you’ve gone 12 months without a period).

If these symptoms are affecting your quality of life, talk to your naturopath about ways to manage them—there are options! You’re not alone, and this phase is totally normal. 💛

07/03/2025

Can Menopause Cause Anxiety? 😟💭

The short answer is: absolutely.

If you’ve been feeling more anxious than usual, are between 45 and 55yo then it could be related to peri-menopause. Peri-menopause can start earlier than 45yo, but is more unusual.

Hormonal changes, especially the increased ebb and flow in eostrogen and progesterone, can have a direct impact on mood, leading to increased anxiety as well as irritability, low mood, and being emotional at unexpected times.

Other menopause symptoms such as: hot flushes, night sweats, insomnia and brain fog, can make things worse, creating a cycle of stress and worry. Insomnia is one of the more anxiety provoking symptoms of menopause as a poor nights sleep can make everything worse.

The good news is that there are natural therapies that can help. If you’re struggling, reach out—you deserve support. ❤️
https://restoringvitality.com.au

09/10/2024

Even though winter is over there are still a lot of coughs and colds going around.

Join me for a HERBAL IMMUNE MEDICINE WORKSHOP
When: Saturday 19th October
Time: 10am – 12pm
It will cover:
• How to make elderberry syrup
• How to make an immune boosting soup with dried medicinal mushrooms and herbal roots
• How to make an immune tea
• Some home remedies for common symptoms
• Best herbs and probiotics to take if traveling

Take home (included in the workshop price):
• One bottle of elderberry syrup
• A dried mushroom and herbal root mix to add to Immune boosting soup
• Herbs for immune tea
• Recipe cards
• Information sheets

Investment: $80

Limit of 10 people
Even though winter is over there are still a lot of coughs and colds going around.

Join me for a HERBAL IMMUNE MEDICINE WORKSHOP
When: Saturday 19th October
Time: 10am – 12pm
It will cover:
• How to make elderberry syrup
• How to make an immune boosting soup with dried medicinal mushrooms and herbal roots
• How to make an immune tea
• Some home remedies for common symptoms
• Best herbs and probiotics to take if traveling

Take home (included in the workshop price):
• One bottle of elderberry syrup
• A dried mushroom and herbal root mix to add to Immune boosting soup
• Herbs for immune tea
• Recipe cards
• Information sheets

Investment: $80

Limit of 10 people
This is an in person workshop.
If interested, please let me know by sending me a message.

03/05/2024

Brain Fog in Peri-menopause is real.
Do you need more brain power to get through your day?
Would you like to have better Focus and Concentration?
Does your physical and mental energy take an afternoon dive?
Go to https://restoringvitality.com.au and follow the link to download this free recipe booklet full of ideas give you better mental and physical energy with food you already have in Your Kitchen!

08/03/2024

Solving Hair Loss in Women
The importance of getting to the cause.
Hair loss can be very distressing for women. In fact, it has been found that just over 55% of women with hair loss will meet the criteria for depression, which has resolved on resolution of hair loss.

Treating hair loss can take months due to the nature of hair growth cycles. Getting the treatment right in the first instance can prevent neglect or delay of the appropriate treatment. A careful case history and examination with respect to risk factors and current symptoms should be performed.

So, what can contribute to hair loss?

Hormonal imbalances, especially those associated with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) can cause hair loss due to high levels of male hormones. Menopausal hair loss can also occur due to low levels of oestrogen and progesterone and resulting unopposed levels of male hormones. Higher male hormone levels cause less hair on the head, and unfortunately, more on the face – with women often experiencing rouge chin hairs and a ‘peach’ fuzz on the cheeks and chin. Helping to support hormonal balance can help restore hair.

Thyroid imbalance can also contribute to thinning for the hair as well as coarse and dry hair. Many women can have subclinical thyroid function, which basically means the thyroid function is borderline low, but not enough to be prescribed medication. This is where specific nutrients and herbs can help correct thyroid function and help healthy hair and skin.

Unfortunately, many people in Australia have nutritional deficiencies. When considering nutrients, it’s important to look at both diet and digestion – are nutrients being absorbed, is there disease of the digestive tract, is there poor appetite, disordered eating or poor intake of nutrients.

Hair is not a priority when there are health issues and can be the first thing to suffer. Stress and illness can cause an increased need for certain nutrients as the body attempts to correct any imbalance and repair cells and tissues. Stress certainly increases the need for certain nutrients, especially the B vitamins and magnesium. Stress can also affect the absorption of nutrients by shutting down the digestion.

Medications can directly affect specific nutrients resulting in hair loss. These include: acne medication, anti-biotics, antifungals, heart and blood pressure medications, antidepressants, gout medication, anti-seizure drugs and chemotherapy. Supporting nutritional intake of specific nutrients, under guidance of a health professional, while on medication can help prevent hair loss.
Getting on top of hair loss with the correct treatment can make sure hair loss doesn’t continue to go on unnecessarily, and reduce the distress associated with thinning hair.

05/03/2024

Restoring Vitality Naturopathic Clinic is now also operating as the Atherton Herbal Dispensary.
Open for Naturopathic consultations Tuesdays and Thursdays and for acute appointments Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Drop into 4 Jack Street, Atherton for a chat!

06/11/2023

This is what I call "The Fastest Salad in the West". Healthy doesn't have to be hard! This salad is super quick and easy
For more ideas download my recipe booklet from
restoringvitality.com.au

19/10/2023

Salad in a Jar - quick and simple idea that can make eating healthier easy. These can be prepared ahead of time and are great for work. If your making one salad - you might as well make a few days worth at a time. For more ideas visit: https://restoringvitality.com.au to download the free recipe guide.

18/10/2023

Peri-menopause versus Menopause
Although these terms are used interchangeably sometimes, they are two very clear-cut phases women experience in midlife.
Peri-menopause is the time before menopause happens and generally lasts from 4 – 10 years. The average age it occurs is from mid 40s to mid 50s, but can be earlier or less rarely, later.

I like to think of it as puberty in reverse – as it’s a time women experience a lot of hormonal upheaval. Think of a hormonal teenager – only older and more tired! Hormones start to swing up and down as the body tries to whip the ovaries into one final push at reproduction.

This manifests as symptoms such as:

Irregular menstrual cycles
Insomnia and sleep disturbance
Irritability, mood swings
Changes to the monthly cycle – either longer or shorter
Changes to periods – usually heavier, sometimes lighter
The famous hot flushing and night sweats
Changes to libido and vaginal dryness
Fertility generally declines – but ‘change of life babys’ can happen. Contraception is still important.
Brain fog, loss of memory and concentration
Weight Gain, especially around the middle
For a certain percentage of women symptoms can be very severe and debilitating. If symptoms are affecting your life you don’t have to tough it out. There are nutrients and herbs that can be very effective in supporting women at this time in their life.

Menopause, by definition, occurs one year after the final period. The average age this occurs is 51yo, but can be five years either side of that. For many women menopause is the calm after the storm, a kinder phase of life. But some women do continue to have hot flushes and other symptoms.

If women in peri-menopause are given the information and support they need they are less likely to have more severe health problems in the decades that follow.

It’s the silent disease in menopause that affects women’s health in their older decades. They are:

Osteoporosis: and peri-menopause is THE time to address this, not when bones mass has already declined. Bone declines more sharply in the year after the last period than at any other time. It is good to establish a baseline for bone density and develop strategies to protect bone mass.
Cardiovascular disease: Blood vessel stiffness accelerates within one year of a women’s final menstrual period. This is a great time to support arterial vessel health and may help prevent the onset of heart and vessel disease in older women.
Strategies to help support what’s known as metabolic flexibility into menopause and beyond may be very helpful in supporting women in the prevention of the silent diseases of osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.

Peri-menopause and menopause are two very distinct phases of a women’s life. Peri-menopause affects women in different ways depending on their health going into peri-menopause and their health history. It’s important to tailor treatment to suit a women’s individual health issues. Helping the symptoms, and transition of women in peri-menopause may also help prevent some of the health issues of women as they age.

Because, speaking for myself, I want to enjoy my older years. Embrace the grey hair and freedom from worry about what others think! And also have the energy to take up travel, to hike and cycle. And enjoy more books and gardening and maybe do something creative like pottery or painting. This can be a wonderful time in any woman’s life, especially if she has good health.

16/06/2023

Acute Care Available
As a naturopath I often treat my children, my family and myself with acute care remedies. I’m lucky to have a herbal dispensary at my fingertips. If I need herbs for a night time cough, sore throat, toothache, to heal a wound or help me sleep, they are only a walk downstairs to my clinic.

Most people come to me for more chronic problems and acute care often happens at the chemist or doctors between appointments. Many people are not aware that acute care is something that a naturopath can help with.

Acute care with herbal and nutritional remedies can be very effective for a large variety of ailments. Acute care is care delivered in the very early stages of an illness or during an illness to help with symptoms. Natural acute care can also often be taken alongside medical care as needed. For example: slippery elm and probiotics for antibiotic associated diarrhoea.

With the onset of winter comes the usual increase in coughs and colds as well as more serious viral infections like the flu. Use of herbal medicine formulas can help support the immune system as well as reducing uncomfortable symptoms such as a dry cough or sore throat.

Herbal medicine can be used to target specific symptoms:

A dry cough can be soothed with herbs that can line the throat such as marshmallow, as well as herbs that can reduce muscle spasm in the respiratory tract and ease coughing.
A wet cough can be supported with herbs to aid expectoration of mucous as well as antibacterial herbs to help prevent secondary infections of the respiratory tract.
A sore throat gargle or spray can be wonderful for reducing the bacterial or viral load in the throat as well as soothing the inflamed lining of the throat.
The immune system can be supported with herbs that can reduce inflammation and help to fend off bacteria or viruses.

Alongside medical care Naturopathic acute care also extends to other infections such as:
Shingles and cold sores – such as topical cream to help soothe discomfort and herbs for pain
Urinary tract infections – such as herbs to help prevent adhesion of bacterial to the bladder and support the immune system.
Ear and sinus infections – such as anti-microbial herbs and herbs to reduce mucous
Gut infections – such as anti-microbial herbs, soothing fibre / herbs and probiotics

Other areas where acute care can help include:
Allergies, hay-fever and sinusitis
Pain such as toothache, headache and period pain
Insomnia
Anxiety

Acute care using natural remedies is not suitable in all cases and it’s important to be directed to appropriate medical care if needed.

Restoring Vitality naturopathic clinic is open for free 15min acute consults on Friday mornings and at other times Tuesday to Thursday by appointment only.

22/02/2023

Menopause: The Fork in Road to Health or Disease -