NatureDoc

16/03/2026

😘What to do when your darling teenager gets glandular fever from kissing 20 people at a party😘
When Sam was recently sent home from school feeling badly fatigued, and with suspected mental health problems, I had a worried mum on the phone asking me what to do. Here’s what happened, and what we did.

She told me that the school were putting him under far too much pressure and not feeding him properly. The school said he was anxious and needed counselling. So I asked her for a bit more background and what Sam had been up to in the weeks and months beforehand.

When she got to the bit about him having kissed 20 people at a teenage party in the school holidays, I immediately suspected glandular fever.
I suggested some blood tests which could give us a better clue.

Sure enough, the results came back showing an active virus called Epstein-Barr, which is the one that triggers glandular fever. It is also known as the kissing disease or infectious mononucleosis (‘mono’).

If your child went to a party, a festival or even just a social event a few weeks ago and is now dragging themselves through the school term, this week’s blog is worth reading to the end. It could save you weeks of worry.

Is your teen exhausted and moody after a party? It could be glandular fever. Learn the signs, symptoms and how the Epstein-Barr virus affects mental health.

09/03/2026

🌟Anxiety out of nowhere? It might not be stress, it could be the Perimenopause🌟
If you’re in your forties and anxiety has crept up on you seemingly out of nowhere, you’re not imagining it.

That unexplained sense of dread, the 4am wake-ups with a racing heart and that feeling that you’re somehow losing control of your own mind… these are things we hear about all the time in our clinic. It may not actually be a mental health crash, but it could be the beginning of your perimenopause.

For many women, anxiety is actually the very first sign that hormones are shifting, and it can arrive months or even years before the hot flushes, irregular periods and the brain fog that most people associate with midlife hormonal changes and the menopause.

The good news is that you really don’t have to struggle through perimenopause feeling this way. There are specific nutrients and herbs, backed by solid research, that can help to calm your nervous system and support your hormonal balance from the inside out.

Experiencing sudden anxiety in your 40s? It could be perimenopause, not a mental health crisis. Discover the hormonal connection and natural remedies.

08/03/2026

🍋Lemon Chia Pot🍋
This creamy lemon chia pot is full of zesty lemon and tastes sublime for breakfast. The maple syrup and blueberries add sweetness, plus a natural burst of antioxidants, and these flavours work so well with the lemon.

This is a filling protein-rich breakfast that you can stir together when you wake up or you can make it the night before. I like to make a big batch at the beginning of the week, so I have all my breakfasts sorted.

Your gut will love one these lemon chia pots for breakfast. The lemon juice kick-starts the digestion, the yoghurt and the polyphenols in the blueberry’s add diversity to the gut microbiome.

Find the recipe in tonight’s Healthy Bites weekly email ⬇️

https://naturedoc.com/newsletter/

08/03/2026

Celebrating International Women’s Day with this lovely bunch of NatureDoc’s.

I’m so blessed to work alongside these incredible women - my savvy and empathetic NatureDoc clinical team who all work so damned hard to transform thousands of people’s health one nutritious mouthful at a time!

Which NatureDoc has transformed your family’s health?

https://naturedoc.com/the-clinic/practitioners/

06/03/2026

Join me at the Bramley store in Bath on Monday 16th March in conversation with Bramley founder Chloë Luxton.

Discover evidence-led nutritional guidance to help your children manage revision and exam stress - so your whole household doesn’t fall apart!

https://naturedoc.com/product/revision-exam-stress-mastercast/

02/03/2026

📚Nutrition strategies to help your child catch up on their reading age📚
If your child struggles to read or doesn’t enjoy diving into books, it can be heartbreaking to see them miss out on the joys of learning through the written word.

As well as being important for academic success, reading skills also shape self-confidence. Reading well can open career doors, and better literacy can also mean a longer life expectancy. That’s why getting to the root causes of a delay in reading age matters so much to both a child’s short- and long-term trajectory.

After 30 years working with families, I’ve learned that reading difficulties rarely stem from a single cause. There is a whole host of reasons why a child is behind in their reading age. These can include vision problems, hearing issues, neurodivergence like dyslexia or ADHD, language development differences and even emotional barriers, which all play their part.

But there’s one often overlooked factor that can make or break a child’s reading journey, and that is their nutrition.

If your child struggles to read or doesn't enjoy diving into books, it can be heartbreaking to see them miss out on the joys of learning through the written word. As well as being important for academic success, reading skills also shape self-confidence. Reading well can open career doors, and…

01/03/2026

🌟Watercress & Horseradish Chicken🌟
This is a hearty lip-smacking one-pot meal that lifts the soul. You will just love the combination tender chicken with sweet leeks and peas and a little peppery-citrus kick from the watercress and horseradish.

It feels nourishing and comforting with a fresh twist thanks to the greens stirred through at the end. The beans make it creamy without needing any dairy.

Find the recipe in tonight’s Healthy Bites weekly email ⬇️

https://naturedoc.com/newsletter/

25/02/2026

Super exciting news! Brain Brilliance has been translated into German and it’s being published on 27th March! Now available to preorder at Amazon.de

https://www.amazon.de/-/en/N%C3%A4hrstoff-Power-f%C3%BCrs-Gehirn-neurodivergente-Entwicklungsunterschieden/dp/3831053146/ref=sr_1_2

23/02/2026

If your child reaches for their phone the moment they wake up, has a major meltdown when you ask them to stop gaming, or keeps pinching your phone when your back is turned, you’re witnessing something that goes far deeper than a bad habit. You’re seeing changes in their brain’s reward system that mirror what happens with addiction.

They can’t help it and it’s not their fault as screens, online games and social media algorithms have all been ‘optimised’ to be highly addictive. Thankfully, there are nutritional and lifestyle strategies that can help you reconnect with the child that you know is in there.

If your child reaches for their phone the moment they wake up, has a major meltdown when you ask them to stop gaming, or keeps pinching your phone when your back is turned, you're witnessing something that goes far deeper than a bad habit. You're seeing changes in their brain's…

22/02/2026

🍤Sourdough Prawn Toasts🍤
A staple in Chinese restaurants for decades, prawn toast is currently going through a revival, and they are now one of the most popular finds both at fine dining restaurants and supermarkets.

This homemade version is wonderfully moreish and a brilliant way to get your family tucking into some shellfish.

Find the recipe in tonight’s Healthy Bites weekly email. My blog this week is a vital one about screentime addiction. Sign up below⬇️

https://naturedoc.com/newsletter/

19/02/2026

If the sleep thief has hit your household and everyone is desperate for more kip, then have a read of this fantastic article written by Tor West, senior health, wellness and parenting editor at SheerLuxe.

It was wonderful to share some of my sleep pearls for babies and kids of all ages.

There’s no magic gadget that will instantly make a child sleep through the night. But the right tools – used well – can make bedtime calmer and nights less disrupted. To cut through the noise, we asked three leading sleep experts what they rely on, both professionally and at home. From the bab...

16/02/2026

If your child struggles to fall asleep or wakes several times throughout the night, you already know how exhausting it is for the whole family.

Poor sleep affects everything from their behaviour and concentration to their immune function and growth.

The good news is that most childhood sleep problems have simple, natural solutions that work surprisingly fast when you understand what’s driving them.

In this week’s blog, I’ll show you the overlooked reasons behind sleep struggles and give you practical steps to help your child sleep better, starting tonight. I’ll look at the role of screens, blood sugar balance, calming routines, gut health and the key nutrient deficiency that often gets overlooked.

By the end, you’ll have a clear plan to tackle the root causes of your child’s sleep issues, not just the symptoms.

Are you ready to get your evenings back and finally get some rest yourself?

If you struggle to get your kids to sleep at night, then be reassured you’re not alone! Sleep trouble isn’t just a problem among adults, kids often have trouble switching off too, and they usually keep their parents up with them! So, we’ve pulled together our top tips for a…