Health On The Hill

06/05/2026

The first organic lamb roast of the season cooked in “Bertha” courtesy of the wonderful TMP Organics Butcher. I am passionate about good quality products ideally organically grow and ethically sourced. I love supporting local businesses who have the same love for quality as I do. And yes it tastes as good as it looks!

05/05/2026

I get asked this question all the time in clinic. This is a well written response.

Every few years a meta-analysis comes out claiming coffee is either protective or harmful for cardiovascular disease, and the headlines treat the result as universal. It is not. Coffee's effect on your body depends on a single genetic variant in a single enzyme, and about half the population carries the slow version.

CYP1A2 is the liver enzyme responsible for metabolizing roughly 95% of the caffeine you ingest. A single nucleotide polymorphism called rs762551 (also written as -163C>A) changes how inducible the enzyme is. Individuals homozygous for the A allele (genotype AA) produce a highly inducible form that clears caffeine quickly, with a plasma half-life around 3 hours. Individuals carrying one or two C alleles (AC or CC) have reduced inducibility, with half-lives of 6 to 10 hours. In population data from people of European descent, roughly 45% are AA (fast), 44% are AC (intermediate/slow), and 11% are CC (slow). About 55% carry at least one slow allele.

The clinical consequences are not subtle. Cornelis and colleagues (JAMA, 2006) conducted a case-control study in Costa Rica with 2,014 cases of first nonfatal myocardial infarction and 2,014 matched controls. Among slow metabolizers, drinking 4 or more cups of coffee per day was associated with an odds ratio of 1.64 for nonfatal MI (95% CI, 1.14 to 2.34). Among fast metabolizers, the same intake produced an odds ratio of 0.99 (0.66 to 1.48), essentially no change. The gene-coffee interaction was statistically significant (p = 0.04). In participants younger than 59, the effect amplified. Slow metabolizers drinking 4 or more cups showed an OR of 2.33 (1.39 to 3.89). More than double the risk.

Palatini and colleagues (Journal of Hypertension, 2009) followed 553 young Italian adults screened for stage 1 hypertension over a median of 8.2 years. Among slow metabolizers, heavy coffee consumption tripled the hazard of developing physician-diagnosed hypertension (HR 3.00, 95% CI 1.53 to 5.90). Among fast metabolizers, heavy coffee was protective (HR 0.36, 0.14 to 0.89). The gene-coffee interaction on blood pressure was highly significant. Urinary epinephrine was elevated only in slow metabolizers who drank coffee. Same beverage, opposite cardiovascular signal.

Guest and colleagues (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2018) took this into athletic performance. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial of 101 competitive male athletes performing 10-km cycling time trials, the interaction pattern repeated. At 4 mg per kilogram of body weight (roughly 300 mg for a 75-kg athlete), AA genotype carriers improved cycling time by 6.8%. CC genotype carriers got 13.7% slower. AC heterozygotes showed no effect in either direction, which is worth noting. Cornelis and Palatini grouped AC and CC together as slow carriers. Guest distinguished them and found the ergolytic response specifically in CC homozygotes. The caffeine-gene interaction was significant at p less than 0.0001.

One honest caveat belongs here. The hypertension finding has not replicated cleanly across every population. A large Taiwan Biobank analysis of over 19,000 participants found coffee protective for AC and CC genotypes in that cohort. Population-specific differences in diet, smoking history, coffee preparation, and linkage with other haplotypes likely explain part of the variance. The MI and performance data have been more consistent. The overall principle, that CYP1A2 genotype substantially modifies the response to caffeine, is not seriously disputed in the pharmacogenomics literature. What gets disputed is the magnitude and direction of each specific outcome in each specific population.

This is the piece nutrition headlines routinely miss. When a new meta-analysis reports that coffee reduces cardiovascular mortality in a pooled cohort, the pooling averages across genotypes showing opposite effects. The published summary statistic is a population-weighted compromise between two genuinely different biological responses. Your personal response is not the average. Your personal response is AA or AC or CC.

You do not need a genetic test to start assessing your phenotype. Caffeine clearance shows up in everyday experience. If a 2pm coffee still affects your sleep at 11pm, your body is clearing it slowly. If you drink coffee at 6pm and sleep soundly by 10pm, you are clearing it quickly. A week of structured notes on dose, timing, and sleep quality will tell you more about your individual response than any one-time lab result. Genotyping for rs762551 is available through clinical pharmacogenomic panels for those who want the genetic answer, but the functional question is answerable today with a notepad.

The question is not whether coffee is good for you. The question is which half of the population you are in, and nobody has told you.

Cornelis et al., JAMA, 2006

Palatini et al., J Hypertens, 2009

Guest et al., Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2018

04/05/2026

04/05/2026

So here I am, making plum vodka, feeling very seasonal, very wholesome…

And then that little voice kicks in:

“Have you ever actually looked at what vodka is made from?”

Most of the time… it’s an unknown source, often wheat.

And then the naturopath in me goes:
“Okay… but how is that grown? Sprayed? Processed?” Yes I am aware that this is odd considering it’s alcohol.
But you can’t unsee it once you start looking into it.

BUT… this is where it gets better
This batch is made with organic rye vodka!

✔️ More transparent source
✔️ Traditionally aligned grain
✔️ Feels a little less like a mystery in a bottle

Add to that:
Fresh, seasonal plums (hello polyphenols)
Palm sugar for a softer, mineral-rich sweetness
Time + intention

…and suddenly this isn’t just a “vodka infusion”…

It’s a reminder that even in the fun things:
Source matters
Quality matters
And yes… the naturopath brain never fully switches off
I’m definitely NOT prescribing this one anytime soon…
…but I’ll absolutely appreciate the process…. In 12 months time.

01/05/2026

When you understand the lymphatic system, I’m sure you’ll be as obsessed with supporting it as much as I am.

It explains so much.

Skin issues.
Allergies
Brain fog
Fluid retention
Weight challenges
Walking between 1-3am

Your lymphatic system is responsible for moving waste, excess fluid and supporting your immune system out of your blood stream for elimination. We can think of it like a circulatory system that extends through every part of the body.

The catch is, it doesn’t have a pump.

Lymphatic fluid flows from areas of high pressure to low pressure and it relies on the contraction of your muscles, your breathing and your body being used in the way that it was designed to be used.

When things aren’t flowing well, the lymphatic fluid can begin to back up and it stagnates in the body for longer than it should.

The outcome of this looks different on everyone because there’s almost always another bodily system affected. Sometimes it’s skin, sometimes it’s cognitive or hormonal.

We all need to be focused on supporting the lymphatic system to clear out toxins, waste and excess fluids.

Here’s some ways that you can support that:

Exercise
Rebounding on a trampoline
Dry brushing or using lymphatic gloves
Massage
The Circulate tools (pictured)

For more support with detoxification, book your consult today. www.healthonthehill.com.au

27/04/2026

It’s funny… sometimes people think that they’re walking into a naturopath's clinic thinking we are going hunting for a single thing.

The parasite.
The hormone imbalance.
The “bad” bacteria.

The diagnosis you can finally put a name to say, “There it is!! That’s what's wrong with me!”

But the reality is, we always have to figure out why the body was allowed to be compromised in the first place.

You can complete every protocol under the sun but if you don’t address the issues in your body’s terrain, it’s likely you will have a problem show up somewhere else.

Interestingly, the disruptions to the terrain are not usually loud or super obvious. They’re things that we’ve normalised as part of living in a busy culture.

Disruptions can look like:

- chronic stress
- digestive dysfunction
- nutrient depletion
- sleep disruption
- toxin overload
- microbiome disruption
- insufficient rest, water and electrolytes

None of these things seem big enough to contribute to chronic or complex health conditions but the reality is, they do.

As a root cause naturopath interested in helping you support your terrain strength, we start by looking at “what does the body need to feel supported again?”

23/04/2026

Weight loss resistance can come with a lot of frustration for my clients so, if you’re living this right now, I want to start by saying that I truly appreciate how difficult it is.

Society tells us (loudly) that if the weight isn’t shifting, there must be a lack of discipline, consistently or even willpower. However, clinically it’s much more interesting than that.

Sometimes, the body holds onto weight on purpose.

Why?

Well, first you need to understand that body fat plays a much larger role than stored excess energy. At a high level, we have three categories of body fat (subcutaneous fat, visceral fat & essential fat) and that they play different roles including energy& toxin storage, insulation and hormone production.

When the body feels under threat from chronic stress, inflammation, hormonal disruption or high toxin load, it may decide that retaining body fat is the safest option.

So when a patient tells me that they’re “doing everything right” yet, still not seeing a change - I’m not thinking about willpower or discipline.

I start thinking about:

Metabolic stress
Detoxification capacity
Inflammation
Microbiome patterns
Hormone signalling

When we get to the underlying cause of weight retention and create a safe space for weight loss, we’re able to release weight in a way that is healthy, sustainable and effective.

18/04/2026

Threadworms (also known as pin worms) are a species of Enterobius vermicularis which look like a tiny white pin or thread shaped white worm…

Even though they’re the most common parasite in Australia, most people have no idea how to treat them and unfortunately, they’re becoming increasingly more resistant.

When we’re dealing with threadworms, we want to:

- Support drainage before anything else and ensure detox pathways are open
- Use a multi-phase approach that treats threadworms AND their eggs internally
- Build up the body’s terrain and resilience to prevent reinfection

For support and guidance, book an appointment via my website www.healthonthehill.com.au

15/04/2026

Your body is constantly detoxing, so the question really is... how is your body coping with modern life?

Here's some signs your body is asking for additional support:

1. Waking up tired even when getting enough quality sleep
A lot of detoxification takes place overnight, so if those pathways are sluggish, you may wake up feeling exhausted and groggy

2. Sensitivity to smells, chemicals and perfumes
This is an interesting one. Chemicals don't smell pleasant, but they shouldn't feel like an assault on your system or trigger a headache

3. Headaches after wine, coffee or processed foods
This one gets overlooked all the time. If you're experiencing a headache after one or two drinks, it may be because your body isn't clearing those compounds well

4. Brain fog or poor focus
When your body feels overloaded, it affects your brain including clarity of thought and ability to think straight. You might notice that you feel forgetful, it takes more concentration to understand what others are saying or it takes you longer to complete tasks

5. Heavy, painful periods or PMS
The liver is responsible for breaking down and eliminating hormones. When the toxin load is high, those hormones can recirculate which may lead to heavier painful cycles and PMS systems.

6. Body odour
Any changes in body odour can be a sign that something has shifted with your detoxification pathways. If the odour smells more pungent, it's a sign that you may not be eliminating effectively

12/04/2026

Do you struggle with sneaking extra greens into your diet? One family friendly way is to cram as much goodness as you can into a beautiful pesto mixture, ready for however you love to use pesto!

Here’s how I made mine last week with organic ingredients:

Basil
Parsley
Bok Choy
Rainbow Chard
Gotu Kola
Garlic
Olives (yes, really!)
Pecans
Almonds
Pepitas
Nutritional yeast
Olive oil

Now, I know you’re going to ask for a recipe but the truth is, I just pop the garlic, greens, nuts, seeds, olives and a couple spoons of nutritional yeast into the thermie/food processor. Then pour in olive oil until it reaches the right consistency.

You could replace any of the above greens with whatever you have growing in your garden or what’s available to you locally. Please, prioritise organic or at least spray free.

09/04/2026

The beauty of naturopathy is that we rarely treat just the presenting symptom in isolation.

Even when a patient presents with an incredibly complex and chronic diagnosis, we find that treating the root cause naturally improves symptoms that have been quietly accumulating for years (sometimes decades) beforehand.

Sometimes, those niggling symptoms seem so irrelevant compared to the presenting issue but once they’ve lifted, you better believe the patient doesn’t want to go back!

That’s the beauty of addressing the root cause. When the body is working well, we rarely see on area of health improve - we see everything start to shift.

Appointments available now: www.healthonthehill.com.au