Sanatio Naturopathy

25/02/2026

Low B12… but you eat red meat, eggs and fish?

It’s not always about intake.

B12 deficiency is often an absorption or utilisation issue — not a dietary one.

To absorb B12 properly, your body needs:
• Adequate stomach acid
• Intrinsic factor (made in the stomach)
• A healthy small intestine
• Balanced gut bacteria

If any part of that chain is disrupted, B12 levels can drop.

Common root causes I see in clinic:

– Low stomach acid (stress, ageing, long-term antacid use)
– Gut inflammation (coeliac disease, chronic IBS-type symptoms)
– Autoimmune conditions like Pernicious anemia
– Medications such as the oral contraceptive pill, metformin or PPIs
– Gut dysbiosis or SIBO
– Impaired methylation (including MTHFR variations)

And here’s something important:
Serum B12 can look “normal” while you’re still functionally deficient.

That’s why in naturopathic care we may also assess:
• Active B12
• Homocysteine
• Methylmalonic acid (MMA)
• Iron and folate status

Because the goal isn’t just to raise a number.
It’s to understand why your body isn’t utilising B12 properly in the first place.

If your B12 is low, don’t just supplement — investigate.

Symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, anxiety, hair loss, numbness or hormonal imbalance are signals.

Your body is always giving clues.

24/02/2026

Drink your medicine 🌿✨

These are my simple naturopath swaps that actually move the needle — on blood sugar, cravings, mood and stress.

Morning tonic (before breakfast)
Apple cider vinegar + turmeric + black pepper + chilli 🍎🔥
This combo helps:
• balance blood sugar
• reduce cravings
• support metabolism
• calm inflammation

Turmeric needs black pepper for absorption. The chilli gives a gentle metabolic kick. I use this especially when clients are riding the blood sugar rollercoaster.

Afternoon upgrade (after lunch)
Coconut water + matcha + creatine 🥥🍵
This is my coffee swap.
• steady focus (no jitters)
• better mood
• supports brain + muscle energy
• hydrates at the same time

Matcha gives you calm alertness. Creatine isn’t just for the gym — it’s incredible for cognitive function too.

Evening adrenal tonic (before bed)
Coconut water + orange juice 🍊🥥
• gentle electrolyte support
• supports adrenal recovery
• helps nervous system wind down

Especially helpful if you’re wired but tired at night.

Simple. Strategic. Effective.

Save this for later and tell me which one you’re trying first 👇✨

23/02/2026

Supplements can flare your acne 👇 double check these 💊⚠️

Vitamin B6 + B12 💥
High doses (especially B12) have been linked to breakouts.
One theory? They may fuel C. acnes bacteria and increase inflammation in the skin.

Probiotics 🦠
Amazing for the right person…
But if you have bacterial overgrowth, they can aggravate skin instead of helping it.

Whey protein 🥛
Whey spikes insulin and IGF-1 — a major acne trigger.
It can stimulate oil production and worsen breakouts, even more than regular dairy.

Creatine 🏋️
No strong evidence directly links creatine to acne.
But in some people it may slightly increase DHT, which can increase oil production.

Clear skin isn’t just about what you add in…
It’s about what your body can actually tolerate. ✨

If your skin flared after starting a supplement, don’t ignore it 👀

Note image used. This was our client. We cleared her skin.

22/02/2026

🩸
Iron deficiency is the most common deficiency we see in clinic.
And most people are only looking at one number.

Let’s make this simple.

Think about your iron panel like a bus 🚌

Serum Iron – this is the top number.
This is what’s coming in right now.
A snapshot of the last few days.

Ideal: 13–16 (depending on lab ranges).

Low levels?
→ Poor absorption
→ Low intake
→ Heavy bleeding
→ Inflammation blocking iron movement

High levels?
→ Possible iron overload

Transferrin – how many buses are running? 🚌
This is your transport protein. It carries iron around the body.

TIBC – how many seats are available on the bus?
If there are lots of empty seats, your body is looking for iron.

Transferrin Saturation – how many of those seats are actually full?

Low saturation = lots of empty seats.
High saturation = lots of seats taken.

Ferritin – how many buses are parked in the shed? 🏭
This is your stored iron.
Not what’s moving today, but what you have in reserve.

And here’s the part most people miss 👇

It’s not just about iron.

Copper helps iron move.
Zinc competes with iron.
B vitamins help build red blood cells.
Protein is required to transport it.

You cannot fix iron in isolation.

Also important:

Test iron when you are not bleeding.
Not during your period.
Not when you’re sick.

Inflammation can artificially raise ferritin, making your iron look better than it is.

If you’ve been told your iron is “normal” but you still feel exhausted, dizzy, flat, losing hair, or short of breath…

You need to understand the whole bus.

Comment BUS below and I’ll send you my iron guide so you can learn how to read your results properly 🚌✨

19/02/2026

Comment LUSH and I’ll send you my Hair Loss Supplement Guide 🌿✨

If your hair is thinning here… (especially at the temples or crown) 👀

And you’ve noticed:
• A little moustache or facial hair 🧔🏻‍♀️
• Acne 🩷
• Oily skin 💦

Androgens are likely playing a role 🔥

On blood work, we often see:
• High DHEAs 📈
• High testosterone ⬆️
• Elevated DHT
• Or low zinc ⬇️

Here’s what I use clinically 👇🌿

• Zinc glycinate 25mg, twice a week with dinner 🍽️
• Saw palmetto 320mg daily 🌴
• Reishi mushroom 2–4g daily 🍄

But supplements alone won’t fix it ❌

Testosterone can increase with insulin resistance and chronic stress 😮‍💨
If you don’t address the drivers, you’ll keep chasing symptoms.

Topical rosemary oil shows promise for androgenetic alopecia 🌱
It may:
• Increase scalp circulation 🩸
• Reduce inflammation 🔥
• Help inhibit DHT binding at the follicle

And be patient 🤍

You’ll need at least 6–12 weeks to notice change ⏳
Full improvements can take up to 6 months 📆

Comment LUSH if you want the full guide 🌿💌

18/02/2026

If you’re dealing with hair loss and want to fix it properly (not just throw random supplements at it) 👇🏼

🧑‍🦲 Comment BALD – I’ll send you my blood test guide (what markers to test + how to access testing + testing prep).

💇‍♀️ Comment LUSH – for my hair support guide (exact levels of nutrients & blood markers + targeted supplements).

🐨 Comment WOMBAT – for my supplement guide, so you stop wasting money on the wrong ones.

No gatekeeping.
No guesswork.
Just root-cause support. 🌿

📖 Because hair loss isn’t random — and you can get answers to what is going on and treat it.

Hair loss. Testing.

17/02/2026

This is huge.

The audacity of someone who will never get a period — and likely never be anaemic — telling women to stop taking their iron. 🤯

He says we all have parasites. I’ve low iron…. I don’t have parasites 🦠

But let’s go with what we actually know 👇

Around 40% of women who menstruate aren’t eating enough iron to maintain their stores.

That’s before we even talk about:
• food scarcity
• restrictive dieting
• under-eating
• plant-based diets without proper planning

If you bleed every month and you don’t replace iron… your ferritin drops. 🩸

Over time, it drops far enough that haemoglobin falls — and that’s anaemia.

And if you’ve had it, you know.

The fatigue that feels bone-deep.
The poor sleep.
The hair loss.
The low immunity.
The breathlessness walking up stairs.

It is not subtle. It is debilitating. 😮‍💨

Yes — parasites exist.
Yes — copper balance matters.
Yes — gut health matters.

But for most women?
These are the outliers. Not the norm.

The most common reason women have low iron is simple:

✨ monthly blood loss + inadequate intake ✨

If you’re a woman with periods, low iron or anaemia — you need iron.

And you also need to understand why it dropped in the first place.

That’s where proper testing, context, and individual care come in. 🧪🌿

Stop scaring women away from the nutrient they physiologically lose every single month.

17/02/2026

16/02/2026

I shut my laptop 9pm Friday, feeling anxious about my to do list.

Scrolled social feeling suffocated to do more and keep up.

I checked my Instagram worried how many followers I’d lost after the rally in Melbourne.

Wondered why I’ve not been sleeping.

I went for a swim Saturday morning solo. The water was crisp I was just going to pop my legs in, until a huge wave smacked me in the face. 🌊

Nature waking me up and telling me to relax.

So I mulled over my stress triggers, floating in the water. Just listening to the waves my breathing and being still.

I can reset my boundaries
Control my exposure
And accept a lot will always be there, forever on my list, like everyone else.

I felt much lighter once I’d accepted this 🩵

16/02/2026

Let’s make a skincare snack 🥑✨

Because glowing skin starts from within 👇

Pumpernickel bread 🍞

Loaded with fibre to keep your gut happy and things moving. A well-fed microbiome = calmer, clearer skin.

Sardines 🐟

The bee’s knees for skin. Packed with omega-3s to reduce inflammation, thin out sticky sebum, and support healing of the skin barrier.

Avocado 🥑

Beautiful, skin-loving fats + extra fibre. Think plump, nourished, resilient skin.

Onion 🧅

Supports detox pathways and feeds beneficial gut bacteria. Clear gut, clearer skin.

Tomatoes 🍅

Antioxidant rich (hello lycopene) to help protect skin from oxidative stress and support glow.
Simple. Savoury. Skin supportive. ✨

Eat your skincare. 💛

15/02/2026

These are the 4 big hormones (plus one key mineral) to test if you’ve got a receding hairline, male pattern baldness, acne or excess hair growth 👇💇‍♀️💇‍♂️

DHT 🔥
Under 5 low
Around 10 good
15+ too high

High DHT can shrink hair follicles and shorten the growth cycle, leading to thinning and loss.

Important 👇
Blood DHT is often “normal” in balding individuals. Hair loss is usually driven by follicle sensitivity to DHT, not just high serum levels. Can also increase sebum output

Testosterone 💪
0.7 low
0.9–1.1 ok
1.2+ can be an issue

It’s not about eliminating testosterone. It’s about balance and how it’s being converted. Similar to DHT above.

DHEAs ⚡
Below 3 burnout
4–5 optimal
7+ too high

This is your stress–adrenal marker. Too low or too high can both impact hair.

Oestrogen 🌸
Test day 21 of cycle

Below 300 low
400–500 good
550+ too high

Oestrogen buffers the effect of androgens. This is why during menopause we often see a shift in hair thinning.

Zinc 🧪
Below 13 low
Around 16 optimal
18+ too high

Zinc helps inhibit 5-alpha-reductase, reducing the conversion of testosterone into DHT — a primary driver of hair loss.

Hormones are like an orchestra 🎻
You want them all playing the right note at the right time.

This is just a snapshot. They must be interpreted together, not in isolation.

If you’d like my guide on how to access these tests and understand your results, comment Tango below ✨

13/02/2026

This is meant to work… 👀

Low iron? Eat beetroot.
If your wee turns pink/red… apparently that means you’re low in iron?

I need someone to try this and report back 😂

But here’s where it gets interesting…

Beeturia is the harmless excretion of pink or red pigments (betalains) in urine after consuming beetroot, affecting around 10–14% of the population 💗

It *is* strongly associated with:
• iron deficiency
• iron-deficiency anaemia
• poor iron absorption

Why?

Because people with low iron may not break down the pigment (betanin) effectively, which means more of it gets excreted in the urine 🚽

So yes… there’s an association.

BUT 👇

It’s not a diagnostic test.
Not everyone with low iron will get pink wee.
And not everyone with pink wee is iron deficient.

If you’re worried about iron, we test 🩸
We look at ferritin.
We look at the full picture.

So… who’s volunteering for the beetroot experiment?
Eat it.
Check your wee.
Tell me what happens 👇

– Lindsay, naturopath who loves a good experiment 🌿