Bargara Beach Holistic Health Centre

30/05/2026

It is important to do your research and stay educated, with the sudden increase in funding in menopause.

Abstract. Conflicts of interest (COIs) have the potential to create bias in research, policy and practice. Although disclosure cannot fully protect individ

28/05/2026

Happy Natural Medicine Week! An article i have written.

There is a real shift happening in how Australians are looking at their health—and you can feel it. It’s no longer just about going to the doctor when something goes wrong. More and more, people are wanting to stay well, feel better, and actually take control of their health before things reach ...

26/05/2026

Natural Medicine Week | 25–31 May 🌿

This week we celebrate the incredible role natural medicine practitioners play in supporting the health and wellbeing of Australians. From naturopathy, nutrition and herbal medicine to remedial massage, acupuncture and lifestyle medicine — natural therapies continue to support millions of Australians every year.

Research shows that approximately 63% of Australians use some form of complementary or natural medicine, with around 36% consulting a natural medicine practitioner. (PMC)

Australians are increasingly seeking a more holistic and preventative approach to health — looking not only at symptoms, but also at factors such as nutrition, stress, sleep, gut health, hormones, nervous system regulation, movement, and lifestyle.

Natural Medicine Week aims to educate and raise awareness about the important role qualified and accredited practitioners play in supporting safe, evidence-informed healthcare. (Natural Medicine Week)

As a naturopath and nutritionist, and the President of the Australian Traditional Medicine Society, I am passionate about helping people support both their physical and mental wellbeing through nutrition, lifestyle medicine, herbal medicine, nervous system support, and preventative healthcare.

✨ Your health is your greatest investment.
✨ Prevention matters.
✨ Small changes can create powerful long-term outcomes.

To learn more about Natural Medicine Week, read our blogs, free webinar recordings and view some healthy recipes visit:
naturalmedicineweek.com.au

View my appt schedule and book in here. Telehealth also available

https://bargara-beach-holistic-health-centre.simplecliniconline.com/diary

20/05/2026

A pilot clinical study evaluated a traditional dried rosemary leaf (Rosmarinus officinalis) infusion in untreated grade 1 hypertensive patients (defined as systolic BP 140 to 159 mmHg and/or diastolic BP 90 to 99 mmHg) using a pragmatic but loosely controlled design. Over 45 days, participants consumed a daily tea made from 2 g powdered rosemary leaf infused in 100 mL hot water for 15 minutes, delivering approximately 38 mg polyphenols including 18 mg of rosmarinic acid. The use of powdered leaf is noteworthy, as it substantially increases extraction yield compared with intact leaf.

In the hypertensive group (n=30 completers), the herbal intervention produced statistically significant reductions in ambulatory blood pressure, including −6.3 mmHg systolic and −4.9 mmHg diastolic (24-hour averages). These translate to moderate within-subject effect sizes (0.5 to 0.65), suggesting a potentially meaningful clinical effect. There was no impact in a smaller group of normotensive participants, no change in nocturnal BP, and no effect on pulse pressure or heart rate. While these effect sizes are clinically relevant for early hypertension, interpretation is limited by the absence of a randomised placebo-controlled design, meaning regression to the mean and behavioural factors cannot be excluded.

Methodologically, the study’s main strength is the use of 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring, which improves reliability over clinic readings, along with phytochemical characterisation of the intervention. However, it is constrained by a small sample size and lack of blinding and a proper control group. Safety signals were reassuring over the 45 days, with no adverse events and stable biochemistry. Clinically, this study should be viewed as hypothesis-generating: it suggests rosemary infusion may exert modest antihypertensive effects, but requires confirmation in well-powered, randomised, dose-ranging trials before integration into standard care.

Beyond blood pressure, rosemary tea shows a range of emerging clinical effects, particularly in the neurocognitive space. Small human studies suggest improvements in mood, anxiety, and cognitive performance, and notably, a pilot trial has reported a marked increase in circulating brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) following short-term rosemary tea consumption, pointing to a potential role in neuroplasticity and stress resilience. Mechanistically, this aligns with its polyphenols (such as rosmarinic acid and carnosol) acting via Nrf2, anti-inflammatory and CREB-related pathways (cAMP response element-binding protein). Hence the dried leaf is suitable in this context (since the polyphenols are retained on drying), even though it is lower in essential oil compared to fresh rosemary.

So at this point there is no harm and possibly great benefit in the suggestion that hypertensive patients could start taking rosemary leaf tea as part of their overall regime.

For more information see: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667031325000569?via%3Dihub

20/05/2026

It’s important to stay well!

People need to know what can happen in Tasmanian hospitals.
And how Advocacy Tasmania can help.

Most people wouldn't believe what can happen to older people presenting to our hospitals – but the truth is that once an older person walks through the hospital doors there is no guarantee they will be returning home.

For older Tasmanians, it can be a very slippery slope from a simple hospital admission to compulsory treatment orders, guardianship applications and permanent residential aged care. This is why our client Sally's* story is so important, and why our community needs to know how to get urgent help.

Sally and her husband, both in their eighties, had done all the right things. They had planned for the future and looked forward to seeing out their days in their own home. Their home was safe and accessible, they had supports in place, and their neighbours were like family.

When Sally experienced an adverse reaction following a recent medication change, she didn't think twice about going to hospital. Imagine her horror when she was taken into a secure inpatient mental health facility against her wishes and told she couldn't leave.

Fortunately, our advocates regularly visit secure inpatient facilities around Tasmania. On one of our visits, Sally told our advocate everything. She asked for help to find out what was happening and when she would be going home. Neither she nor her husband could believe that a routine hospital visit had turned into an involuntary detention nightmare. They were terrified and felt completely powerless.

Hospital staff moved quickly and applied for a Mental Health Tribunal hearing through the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT). Our advocate prepared Sally for what to expect, but she was extremely anxious. She had never been before a court or tribunal in her life and asked our advocate to support her through the hearing. The Tribunal ultimately made an involuntary treatment order – meaning Sally could not leave the facility or return home to her husband.

Shortly after, Sally was told by hospital staff that she would be moving into a residential aged care home – at the opposite end of the state, far from everyone and everything she loved. Neither Sally nor her husband understood why. It made no sense to them.

Our advocate then discovered that hospital staff had been in extensive communication with Sally's adult children – without Sally or her husband's knowledge. Her children had agreed with the hospital that she should not return home and should move into aged care instead. Sally was stunned that her children seemed to have more say over her life than she did.

Worse still, hospital staff were quietly preparing a guardianship application that would legally remove Sally's right to decide where and how she lived. A guardian, once appointed, could move her into residential aged care permanently. Sally was mortified. By going to hospital for help, she had been catapulted toward losing everything – her home, her independence, and her life with her husband.

At the same time, Sally's Mental Health Treatment Order was due for review – and she hadn't even received notice of the hearing. Our advocate discovered it had been listed to be heard "on the papers," meaning no formal hearing would take place and the Tribunal would decide based only on written evidence. At Sally's direction, our advocate successfully requested a formal hearing so she could attend and be heard in person.

Sally now faced two simultaneous applications – one to continue her involuntary treatment order, and one to appoint a guardian and place her in aged care. Neither was what she or her husband wanted. Christmas was fast approaching, and what should have been a joyful time had become a living nightmare. Neither could imagine spending it apart.

Our advocates supported Sally to fight both applications. At the guardianship hearing, our advocate argued that Sally had full decision-making capacity, that in-home supports were available to her, and that residential aged care was completely unnecessary and not the least restrictive option – as required by law. It became evident that hospital staff had not considered any less restrictive alternatives before jumping to the most extreme option. The application was withdrawn during the hearing.

This had a flow-on effect. Sally's Mental Health Treatment Order was not renewed, as the Tribunal was not satisfied her decision-making capacity had been rebutted. Sally was free to leave hospital and return home to her husband – in time for Christmas.

Sally was lucky she asked Advocacy Tasmania for help. These processes are incredibly complex, especially when someone is also dealing with a medical condition. Without our support, the outcome would likely have been very different.

This doesn't just happen to people who live alone or have no family. Our advocates see this every day. It can happen to anyone. If it happens to you or someone you know, please reach out – our service is free, independent and confidential.

1800 005 131 (free call)
0457 806 963 (text)
contact@yoursaytas.org

You can also send us an online referral at our website:
www.advocacytasmania.org.au

*Sally is not the client’s real name

[Image Description: A photo of a hospital corridor with a bright light on the ceiling. The text in white says ‘People need to know what can happen in Tasmanian hospitals. Text in yellow says: And how Advocacy Tasmania can help’.]

17/05/2026

April Edition now avaible!! Pick up your copy from the Of The Earth Juice Bar & Health Shop as well as some hot spots including Chippindals, New Agencys, Cafes, Post offices and local retail stores.

Home Helper Magazine a free community magazine.

Looking to share your business to the community?

What is better than an eye catching magazine?

You can email editor@homehelpermagazine.com.au or phone 0493 071 970 or visit our webiste for more infomation.

www.homehelpermagazine.com.au

17/05/2026

Spending my full day today watching a Mediherb online summit! Listening and learning from my favourite professors and lecturers. Can’t wait to share updates with my clients.

This is Professor Kerry Bone.

💕Rebecca

13/05/2026

For several years now I have been emphasising the importance of improving microvascular health in patients with, or at risk of, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), using Centella asiatica (gotu kola) as a central component of this strategy.

Now a recent randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled trial from Korea has evaluated a standardised extract of gotu kola (300 mg/day, standardised to asiaticoside at 14.1 mg/g) over 6 months in 80 adults aged 45 to 65 years with low baseline macular pigment optical density (MPOD). The study was methodologically sound, with good blinding, balanced baseline characteristics, low attrition, and both per-protocol and intention-to-treat (ITT) analyses reported.

The primary finding was a significant and progressive increase in MPOD compared to placebo. By Day 180, changes from baseline showed large between-group effect sizes: right eye (+0.06 vs 0.00; d = 1.26), left eye (+0.02 vs −0.02; d = 1.00), and average MPOD (+0.04 vs −0.01; d = 1.96), all highly statistically significant. The letter d above refers to Cohen’s d, a standardised measure of effect size. A value of 1.00 or higher, as seen in this study, represents an extraordinarily large clinical effect.

Benefits were already evident by Day 120. A responder analysis (defined rather permissively as any increase in MPOD) showed 94.7% responders in the treatment group versus 32.4% in placebo. Safety was reassuring, with no serious adverse events and no clinically meaningful changes in laboratory or vital parameters.
MPOD is a clinically useful surrogate marker of macular resilience, reflecting the concentration of lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin in the central retina. Higher MPOD is consistently associated with better visual performance (particularly contrast sensitivity, glare recovery) and a lower risk or slower progression of AMD. However, it is a surrogate marker rather than a direct measure of vision.

In a field where meaningful interventions are scarce, these findings signal a compelling new advance, showing that a non-carotenoid containing herb can measurably enhance macular resilience and potentially open an entirely new therapeutic pathway for AMD prevention and treatment.

For more information see: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41901080/

12/05/2026

https://naturalmedicineweek.com.au/events/food-as-medicine-juicing-and-detoxing-for-wellness/

ATMS President, Naturopath and Nutritionist, Rebecca Lang is delighted to invite you to this enlightening webinar, where you will explore the transformative power of juicing and detoxification as a pathway to vibrant health and vitality.