The Functional Naturopath

01/05/2026

Stoked to try this new Cranberry juice from .wilderberries 🫐

More than a urinary tract herb, cranberry contains powerful polyphenols to level-up the gut biome too 🍒

These polyphenols have been shown to support Akkermansia muciniphila, one of the VIPs in mucosal integrity, gut barrier function and metabolic health.

Cranberry is also Bifidogenic, helping encourage the growth of beneficial Bifidobacteria ; key players in SCFA production & immune regulation.

Gets better too.. Microbes metabolise these polyphenols into compounds that can support urolithin pathways (including Urolithin A production in the right microbial terrain), linking cranberry intake to mitochondrial health, cellular repair and anti-ageing.

Love me a good product label and bottle too. Beats the s**t out of supermarket cranberry juice ! 🤡🤷🏽‍♂️

28/04/2026

Been chewing Mastic since Nam’

Since 2014 actually after first Greece trip 🤓🤷🏽‍♂️
Recent stock up courtesy of the in laws straight from the homeland 🫶🇬🇷

27/03/2026

If you’re on 𝐛𝐢𝐨-𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐬 and not getting results... it might be the delivery system
⁣
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 look convenient… but clinically they often underdeliver in my experience. ⁣
⁣
I repeatedly see;⁣
• 𝘗𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯⁣
• 𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭⁣
• 𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴⁣
⁣
Compared to injectables, creams—even oral forms—they’re simply not reliable! ⁣

Talk to your prescribing physician if the dial ain’t movin’ after a few months of use - especially if the numbers aren’t going up on paper!

04/02/2026

For those that ask, here she is!

🕗 𝐔𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝)⁣
⁣
•Electrolytes + minerals⁣
⁣
𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺: 𝘩𝘺𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘴, 𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯⁣
⁣
☕ 𝗪𝐢𝐭𝐡/𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭 ⁣
⁣
•1 scoop collagen protein (in coffee)⁣
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•3–4 beef offal capsules⁣
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𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴: 𝘉 𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘴 + 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘴⁣
⁣
🧠 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐚𝐲 (𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 & 𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭)⁣
⁣
•Brain/NOS support tonic (Feverfew, GotuKola, Ginger, Hawthorne & others)⁣
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•Lithium orotate – 10 mg⁣
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•L-theanine 200mg⁣
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🧬 𝐌𝐢𝐝-𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐨𝐧 (𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫 & 𝐠𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭)⁣
⁣
•Copper GHK peptide⁣
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•Larazotide acetate peptide⁣
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𝘍𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴: 𝘨𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯, 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘯, 𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘳⁣
⁣
🌙 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐝⁣
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•Magnesium w/⁣
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•Taurine – 3 g⁣
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•Glycine – 3 g⁣
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𝘍𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴: 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱 + 𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯-𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯

02/02/2026

When the gut is chronically bloated, inflamed, or irritated (SIBO, dysbiosis, reflux, constipation), the muscles that stabilise and protect it mal-adapt.
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1. 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 inhibits the deep core & ongoing gut distension trains the body to relax the abdominal wall to accommodate pressure causing:
⁣
✦ 𝘐𝘯𝘩𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴 (𝘛𝘝𝘈)⁣
✦ 𝘗𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢-𝘢𝘣𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭⁣
✦ 𝘓𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 “𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘵” 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯⁣
⁣
This isn’t “fat” necessarily— it’s neuromuscular down-regulation.
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2. 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 shuts down core recruitment & Inflamed gut tissue sends constant “threat signals” via spinal and vagal pathways. The CNS responds by inhibiting nearby stabilising muscles as a protective reflex. The result is:⁣
⁣
✦ 𝘞𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘤𝘭𝘦-𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 ⁣
✦ 𝘗𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘮, 𝘛𝘝𝘈 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘤 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 ⁣
⁣
You can train abs all day — but if the gut is inflamed, the core muscles won’t hold.⁣
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3. The 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐦–𝐠𝐮𝐭–𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐜 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐩𝐬𝐞𝐬 & Bloating restricts diaphragmatic descent → breathing shifts to the upper chest → pelvic floor tone and posture by suffer.⁣
⁣
Common signs:⁣
✦ 𝘙𝘪𝘣𝘴 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵⁣
✦ 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘵⁣
✦ “𝘚𝘰𝘧𝘵” 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨⁣
⁣
4. 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 + 𝐠𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 = 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞! Ongoing gut stress elevates cortisol. Cortisol preferentially:⁣
⁣
✦ 𝘞𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦⁣
✦ 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯⁣
✦ 𝘐𝘯𝘩𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘺𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺⁣
⁣
So the midsection becomes weaker & softer over time.⁣
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𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐀𝐁’𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 - 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧! ⛑️

17/12/2025

17/06/2025

Not an exhaustive list but some of my top tier go-to’s when treating psoriasis: an autoimmune condition characterised by excessive TH17 activation with classic / concurrent inefficient “T-regulatory cell” restraint of the immune system.

Aside from this downstream autoimmune mechanism, psoriasis 100% is linked with proliferation of certain pathogenic microbes in the biome, HPA Axis distress, genetics and nutrient deficiencies. Some cases are very quick to respond whilst others can require months-years worth of dedicated repair efforts.

What’s worked well to dampen your psoriasis? I’d love to hear from you! ⬇️

17/06/2025

Not an exhaustive list but definitely some of my go-to’s for getting on top of psoriasis: an autoimmune condition characterised by excessive TH17 pathway stimulation and concurrent classic loss of “T-regulatory” cell restraint of the immune system.

Outside of its downstream autoimmune mechanism, psoriasis is 100% linked with the gut microbiome, as well as nutrient deficiencies, HPA axis dysregulation, food sensitivities and genetics 🧬

What’s worked well to calm your psoriasis? I’d love to hear from you!

13/06/2025

Straight up, I’m actually all for doing epigenetic testing in clinic for the right case. It can be a bloody game changer and the field itself has offered integrative practitioners a huge wealth of new science & education to map to our patient cases.

BUT…..it has its caveats, and it’s not something I ever jump straight in to doing when treating a new patient.

In fact a large chunk of patients I’ve dealt with over the years who’ve done it with a previous practitioner simply don’t recall the findings, and take very little away from it which is a crying shame when you consider the cost and wealth of info you can glean from a report.

Bottom line is choose a naturopath or integrative GP who is a fricken’ wizard and specialises in genetic interpretation to get the best out of the test if you’re going to fork out the dough for it!
💥🤓

02/06/2025

What we are actually doing when we take certain probiotic strains? We’re usually using them to correct some underlying digestive imbalance, offset collateral damage from antibiotics, or improve/regulate bowel habits.

Probiotic therapy extends and reaches outside that of merely the intestinal lumen however. We must think about them in terms of their “action”. More isn’t better, and strain specificity is critical! 👏

PSYCHObiotics are strains in which ultimately alter our mood and are next generation medicines. But how they act has been a topic question of many animal and human studies.

The following strains are those with the most amount of mood-related research that appear to exert their effect via the vagus nerve which is pretty impressive!

🔽 L. Helveticus (R0052) + B. Longum (R0175) combination

🔽 L. Rhamnosus (JB-1)

🔽 B. Longum (1714)

PMID:
30998517
21876150
27801892

DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2016.191