Kym E Hughes Naturopath & Herbalist

28/03/2026

This is the heart of traditional herbal medicine which is respecting the inherent wisdom in plants and our bodies.

Rather than isolating single compounds we work with whole plants to gently guide the body back to balance.

Nature has spent millions of years perfecting these healing relationships. Our role? To listen, learn and apply with reverence. 🙌🏼

16/03/2026

Every patient is different and their medicine should be too.

Personalised formulas allow practitioners to adjust dose, balance and combine with precision, responding to the person in front. This is where clinical insight meets the art of herbal medicine. 🌷

17/02/2026

Glycine works for sleep but doesn't work like a typical "sleep supplement." It works like a thermostat.

When you take 3g of glycine before bed, it crosses the blood-brain barrier and binds to NMDA receptors in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the brain's master circadian clock. This activates the medial preoptic area, which triggers peripheral vasodilation: blood flow increases to your hands and feet, heat radiates out through the skin, and your core body temperature drops. That temperature drop is the same signal your body produces naturally before sleep onset. Glycine just makes it happen more reliably.

This was mapped at Stanford by Kawai and colleagues. When they ablated the SCN in animal models, glycine's sleep-promoting and hypothermic effects disappeared entirely, confirming this is the target, not a downstream side effect. In human trials, 3g before bed reduced sleep-onset latency and next-day fatigue in volunteers with sleep complaints.

Polysomnographic data showed improved subjective sleep quality correlated with the temperature shift. The practical detail nobody mentions: glycine is one of the cheapest amino acids on the market. A 3g dose costs roughly nine cents. It has no sedative hangover because it isn't a sedative. It works through the same thermoregulatory cascade that a hot bath before bed exploits, peripheral vasodilation leading to core cooling, except it initiates it centrally rather than peripherally.

*None of this means glycine replaces sleep hygiene or addresses underlying sleep disorders. .

Kawai et al., Neuropsychopharmacology, 2015
Bannai et al., Frontiers in Neurology, 2012
Yamadera et al., Sleep and Biological Rhythms, 2007

05/01/2026

Most people never see what their water actually flows through.

Once you do, you’ll never go back to unfiltered water.

22/12/2025

Bespoke herbal medicine begins here, where the formula is measured, blended and prescribed for one person only. 🌿

Your patients will feel the difference when their medicine is custom-made from premium, full-spectrum ingredients designed to fit their body, their constitution and their needs. True herbal medicine is never one-size-fits-all.

11/12/2025

Our family of medicinal mushrooms offers support for mind, body and resilience as the festive season ramps up. 🍄

- Reishi promotes calm and vitality
- Lion’s Mane sharpens focus and cognition
- Cordyceps enhances stamina
- Turkey Tail strengthens immunity and balance.

Each extract is full-spectrum, capturing the complete chemistry of the mushroom as nature intended.

13/11/2025

Naturopathic principles of healing

12/11/2025

Lately, we've been getting a common question: Do dietary emulsifiers impact gut health in healthy people the same way they do in those with IBD?

Cue this new study— a randomized, placebo-controlled trial that tested the effects of adding five common emulsifiers—carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), polysorbate-80, carrageenan, soy lecithin, and native rice starch—to brownies, and then tracked their impact on gut health.

Compared with the placebo brownies (which contained no additives), those containing CMC were associated with reduced levels of all short-chain fatty acids, while brownies with carrageenan increased transcellular intestinal permeability—markers associated with less favorable gut outcomes. [PMID: 40816342]

So yes, some emulsifiers are gut-harming, even in those who do not suffer from gut diseases like inflammatory bowel disease.

11/10/2025

At first glance, breastfeeding appears to be a one-way process in which milk flows from the mother to the infant.

But research reveals something remarkable: when a baby suckles, the gentle negative pressure allows a small amount of saliva to travel back into the milk ducts. This saliva carries immune signals that communicate the baby’s needs to the mother’s body.

In response, her immune system adjusts the composition of the breast milk, boosting the production of specific antibodies and immune factors tailored to her infant.

This adaptive process is especially valuable when a baby is unwell, as it enables the infant to draw upon the mother’s immune defences for additional support.

A remarkable example of nature’s intelligence.

25/09/2025

More controversy in the world of Autism and ADHD in recent days, following the announcement of the US Department of Health and Human Services secretary Robert Kennedy and US President Donald Trump, that the use of paracetamol/acetaminophen medications in pregnancy is linked to increase risks of Autism development in children.

The recent announcement follows an article from Harvard University in August 2025, after a new study published findings that the anti-inflammatory medication of paracetamol/acetaminophen (told as Tylenol in the US or Panadol in Aus), when taken during pregnancy can increase the risks of neurodevelopmental disorders such as Autism and ADHD. The study investigated 46 other published studies on the use of paracetamol/acetaminophen and neurodevelopmental disorders, and found a link to the use of the medication, especially if the medication is taken for 4 weeks or longer.

As a result of this finding, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have now issued a statement on this, citing “considerable evidence about the potential risks” and have requested a label change for paracetamol/acetaminophen products to contain a warning about this risk. The FDA have also written to all US-based doctors to inform them of the study findings and risks.
Ironically, the US based Autism Science Foundation itself issued a public statement on this topic to dismiss the claims of a link to paracetamol/acetaminophen medications, including dismissing the recommended treatment of folinic acid (a folate supplement) for Autism/ADHD as low folate levels have been found in a number of people diagnosed with Autism/ADHD.

While Autism and ADHD are deemed as “neurodevelopmental disorders”, being of the development of the brain and nervous system, this does NOT mean that these conditions are genetic. Both Autism and ADHD have a number of root causes, and in my experience, there’s a different combination of root causes in each case of these conditions. It’s never just the one cause, nor the same cause in different people. This is why it’s been so difficult to find a scientific consensus on Autism and ADHD, because scientific studies typically only test for ONE thing at a time.

Hence there ARE published studies on the effects of the use of paracetamol/acetaminophen medications in pregnancy increasing the risks of Autism, but the published studies are inconsistent. There are also studies of the use of paracetamol/acetaminophen medications in early childhood being linked to Autism too, as well as other medications (including antibiotics, and more). Some studies show there IS a link and others show otherwise. But science is NOT about consensus, but about the QUALITY of the evidence. If even one study finds that these medications are linked to Autism and one study says it doesn’t, which one should you believe?! For the health and safety of the pregnant mother and the foetus and baby, you should err on the side of caution and avoid taking this medication in pregnancy or given to the baby or child.

Why is paracetamol/acetaminophen being used in pregnancy or childhood? This medication is a pain-reliever, anti-inflammatory and anti-pyretic, to reduce fevers in pregnant women and in babies and children. But despite popular beliefs of doctors and the public, fevers are not a dangerous thing! Fevers are a NATURAL immune system response to an infection, as the fever can increase body temperature to slow, stop and even kill the pathogen causing the infection as it is typically limited to a small temperature range to function. Fevers also trigger the body to make more white blood cells to fight the infection! Hence the increased body temperature in an infection can reduce the severity and duration of infections by stimulating the immune system and other defences! This is what we want, as it’s a good thing! Unfortunately, paracetamol/acetaminophen medications reduce inflammation and fevers and therefore also reduce immune system function to fight the infection… leading to a longer and more severe infection. This is insane.

There are other known root causes and factors of the development of Autism and ADHD conditions. If these causes are investigated, identified and treated, the symptoms of these conditions can reduce and even be reversed.

Stay healthy!

References:

Autism Science Foundation. (2025). ASF Statement on White House Announcement on Autism. Retrieved 25-9-25 from https://autismsciencefoundation.org/press_releases/asf-statement-wh-briefing/

Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (2025). FDA Responds to Evidence of Possible Association Between Autism and Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy. Retrieved 25-9-25 from https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-responds-evidence-possible-association-between-autism-and-acetaminophen-use-during-pregnancy

Harvard University. (2025). Using acetaminophen during pregnancy may increase children’s autism and ADHD risk. Retrieved 25-9-25 from https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/using-acetaminophen-during-pregnancy-may-increase-childrens-autism-and-adhd-risk/

Health and Human Services. (2025). Autism Announcement Fact Sheet. Retrieved 25-9-25 from https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/autism-announcement-fact-sheet.html

New York, NY (September 22, 2025) We are deeply concerned by today’s announcements from President Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy suggesting that taking acetaminophen (Tylenol) during pregnancy causes autism, that a medicine derived from folate can be used to treat symptoms of autism, an...

24/09/2025

Working Herbalists clinic

23/09/2025