Haumanu Herbal Healing

23/08/2025

Let the reintroductions continue...

Hi, I am Shaan, the proud owner of Haumanu Herbal Healing. Getting to this point has been a long journey with so many evolutions along the way.

* I began my journey being told I wouldn't have children naturally, but I was out to prove that wrong. And I did. With the support of my naturopath, Alan Profke, and with frequent romiromi and mirimiri support from Ruatau Perez, and just like that my "why" in life was found.

* I'm a mama and I love my kids with everything I have, and while the journey here has been tough, I've been determined for them to see they can do anything, even the hard stuff.

* I set out to help people on fertility journeys. But as my understanding and knowledge has grown, I've found the system I always come back to is the nervous system in almost every situation. Every herbal mix I make has a little nervous system hug in there.

* I love the quote, "I can't do anything about the sea and the waves, but I can help you build a better boat." - Simon Mills. So while I can't always influence the outside factors, I can help you be able to cope better with them.

* I am all about finding the "why," the deep-down reason this thing is happening, and working with that. So you might come in for your skin, and I'll start treating your gut. Sometimes the questions I ask or the way I treat may seem a little strange, but there is always a reason.

I could keep writing, but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I am looking forward to working with you and getting to know you in person!

23/08/2025

A big welcome to new people here and thank you for being here to everyone who has been here for a while.

Coming up to my very final 2 days as a student, having completed all exams and assessments, I can just focus on my favorite part. Working with my amazing clients and helping them achieve their health goals.

But with all the changes coming, stepping from student to professional i thought I'd better do some reintroducing of myself and Haumanu Herbal Healing.

Here at Haumanu Herbal Healing i am committed walking with you on your health journey, using beautiful evidence based Herbal magic to revive, rejuvenate and restore you back to your optimal health ✨️🌿

19/08/2025

Final OSCE exam done!!

16/08/2025

"I cant do anything about the sea and the waves but I can help you build a better boat."
I love this!
Absolutely worth a listen!

Is the root of every illness your gut? Could 5 simple herbs replace your medicine cabinet? Natural remedy expert Simon Mills reveals the herbal medicines tha...

16/08/2025

The last few nights my eldest son has had a cough. So today I made him a herbal mixture.
How cool is that?
I can make personalised medicine for my children, based on what they need at that time. Whether it's some immune support or some nervous system support when things get tricky. Whatever is needed, I can make the medicine.

And soon, I'll be able to offer this to other people too.

Pretty amazing if you ask me. Feeling very grateful and lucky that this will be my "job." How do you call it a job when it's actually something you LOVE doing 🥰🥰🥰

11/08/2025

🧡🧡

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is characterised by insulin resistance and impaired insulin production, leading to elevated blood glucose levels. The concept of β-cell exhaustion refers to the progressive loss of the insulin-producing capacity of pancreatic β-cells due to chronic overstimulation. It is a central concept in the development and progression of T2D. Adipokines, particularly decreased adiponectin and elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines like TNF-α and IL-6, contribute to this β-cell exhaustion by promoting insulin resistance, inflammation and direct β-cell dysfunction.

A long-term, randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial (n = 272) conducted in Thailand assessed the benefits of curcumin (1500 mg/day) in patients with T2D. Body mass index (BMI), fasting plasma glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin A1c, β-cell function (homeostasis model assessment [HOMA-β]), insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), insulin, adiponectin and leptin were monitored at the baseline and at 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month visits during the course of intervention.

After 12 months of treatment, the curcumin-treated group showed significant, but relatively modest, decreases in fasting blood glucose (115.49 vs.130.71 mg/dL (US units); P < 0.05) and HbA1c (6.12% vs. 6.47%; P < 0.05). Of greater interest, the curcumin-treated group showed a better overall function of β-cells, with higher HOMA-β (136.20 vs. 105.19; P < 0.01) The curcumin-treated group also showed a lower level of HOMA-IR (4.86 vs. 6.04; P < 0.001) and higher adiponectin (14.51 vs. 10.36; P < 0.001) when compared to the placebo group. Curcumin also lowered leptin (9.42 vs. 20.66; P < 0.001), suggesting a reduction in leptin resistance. Additionally, BMI was significantly lowered (25.9 4 vs.29.34), with a P value of 0.001.

The results of this interesting trial suggest that the long-term intake of curcumin improves the overall functioning of β-cells and causes other changes that reflect a disease-modifying impact in T2D. The curcumin used in this trial was not optimised for efficient absorption and it is reasonable to expect that lower doses of a product with enhanced bioavailability will deliver a similar result.

For more information see: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39354480/

07/08/2025

Boys with sore throat today. We've got our Marshmellow glycetract, Echinacea and elderberry. Being backed up by spoons of honey. I dont know why they aren't as excited about the herbs as they are about the honey 🤔😉😂

07/08/2025

✨ Submitted. The. Last. One. ✨
Today I submitted my last ever assignment.

The last of countless late nights, endless cups of coffee, deep dives into research, and its done.

Ive been studying since my oldest son was 1 and a half. He will be 10 in November. A studying mum is almost all hes ever know. And all my youngest son has ever know.

4 days in clinic and one OSCE to go... things are getting real!

06/08/2025

🌿 Why we focus on immune balance, not just boosting 💚

In herbal medicine, the goal isn’t to force the body in one direction — it’s to support its natural ability to find balance.

✨ That’s why I talk about immune modulation instead of immune stimulation.

Modulating herbs help calm an overactive immune system (like in allergies or autoimmunity) and gently support it when it’s underactive (like when you’re run-down or getting sick).

Immune “boosters” can be helpful short-term — like when you're fighting off a cold — but long-term stimulation can actually do more harm than good if your immune system is already working overtime.

Let’s support our immune system to self-regulate, not overreact.

25/07/2025

Dementia patients generally show a mixed pathology, and it has been found that patients diagnosed with Alzheimer disease (AD) often have other pathologies, such as white matter lesions, vascular dementia and LATE (limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy). A recent large cross-sectional study from Sweden has now shown the reverse: based on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers, an AD pathology was relatively common in people diagnosed with other dementias.

Specifically, an Alzheimer biomarker profile was seen in unspecified dementia, Parkinson's dementia and frontotemporal dementia. Moreover, biomarkers indicating an Alzheimer-like pathology were negatively tied to cognitive function.

While most patients clinically diagnosed with AD had evidence of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) amyloid and tau pathology, those biomarkers also emerged in people with other dementias, said Tobias Borgh Skillbäck of Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Molndal, Sweden, and co-authors.

In nearly 14,000 adults, a clear, Alzheimer-like profile based on three CSF biomarkers: amyloid-beta 1-42, total tau (t-tau), and phosphorylated tau 181 (p-tau181) was seen in 68% of people with early-onset AD, 65% of late-onset AD, and 52% of people with mixed Alzheimer and vascular dementia.

Among people without an AD diagnosis, the Alzheimer profile emerged in 25% of people with unspecified dementia, 9% of people with Parkinson disease dementia, and 8% of people with frontotemporal dementia.

In several dementias, scores on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) were associated with CSF biomarkers. MMSE scores were linked with amyloid-beta 1-42 in late-onset AD, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and unspecified dementia. MMSE scores also were tied to t-tau in late-onset AD, early-onset AD, and unspecified dementia; and linked with p-tau181 in early-onset AD.

This study highlights the complex nature of dementia, with a mixed pathology evident in most people. To my thinking, such findings question the value of trying to find a single drug treatment and imply that a multifactorial approach (as for example via Functional Herbal Therapy) is more rational.

In particular, I feel that Ginkgo biloba is highly underestimated in this context by most clinicians. Its inherent multifactorial activity makes it the best starting point for a complex dementia pathology. Clinical studies have shown that it is neuroprotective and boosts BDNF and Nrf2, is anti-inflammatory, and promotes microcirculation and mitochondrial function. In addition, it is neuroregenerative (used for stroke recovery in China).

For more information see:
http://bit.ly/4kXVmz9

and

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40293734/