Holistic Autism Well-Being

Home
United Kingdom
Swansea
Holistic Autism Well-Being

As a mother to two incredible young adults on the autism spectrum, my work is not just professional—it’s profoundly personal.

🌿 Founder of Holistic Autism Well-Being | 💚 Qualified Holistic & Functional Practitioner (Post-Grad Health & Social Care) | Supporting autism, ADHD & complex health needs with heart & whole-person care ✨ I’m Cheryl, an advanced holistic therapist and practitioner with over 21 years of lived experience supporting neurodivergent individuals—particularly those with autism, ADHD, and complex health-related challenges. My journey began in frontline social care, where I spent a decade working with vulnerable young people in supported housing, youth justice, addiction recovery, and transitional care. That foundation gave me a deep understanding of trauma, resilience, and the importance of compassionate, person-centered support. Over the years, I’ve expanded my practice to include a wide range of holistic therapies, blending science, spirituality, and lived insight to offer truly integrative care. I hold a degree in Health & Social Care, advanced counselling qualifications, and multiple diplomas in areas such as naturopathy, diet & nutrition, reflexology, herbal medicine, and spiritual counselling. I’m also a Reiki Level 2 practitioner currently studying my Master level, and I’ve undertaken additional training in functional medicine to better support complex health needs. My approach is gentle, intuitive, and tailored to each individual. Whether you’re a neurodivergent adult seeking balance, a parent navigating the challenges of autism, or someone looking for holistic healing, I offer a safe space to explore, heal, and grow. I believe that wellbeing is not one-size-fits-all. It’s a journey—and I’m here to walk it with you.

21/10/2025

☀️ Morning Kick-Start for Carers

Most mornings start fast — that’s the reality of caring.
But if you ever get half an hour to yourself, these small self-care recharges can make a real difference to focus, energy, and calm.

☕ Organic coffee + 5 ml MCT 8/10 oil — clean brain fuel for smoother energy and sharper focus.
🍵 Matcha — gentle lift with calm concentration.
🌿 Dandelion or chicory “coffee” — caffeine-free; supports liver and hormone balance.
🍋 Warm lemon water or organic aloe vera juice (inner leaf) — wakes digestion and supports hydration.
🍄 Reishi or Lion’s Mane latte — nourishes nerves and supports mental clarity.

💫 Self-Care Recharge Options
If time allows, add one of these to your morning:
🎥 Standing Qi Gong (20 min): https://youtu.be/VJ7QlwZPCQ8
🕯 Guided Meditation – Brian Scott (Best Day Ever): https://youtu.be/FHlukd8sDRo

Even small moments of calm can help reset your energy before the day begins. 💛

Every carer has their own way of starting the day — some quick, some calm, some pure survival mode.
What’s your go-to morning ritual or small self-care moment that helps you get through the day? 🌅

13/10/2025

SAFE FOODS OR SAFE TRAP? – PART 1
How biology, marketing, and the gut–brain axis shape what feels “safe.”

Most “safe foods” calm the senses for a moment — but quietly feed the gut-brain craving loop long-term. 🍟🧠
Let’s look at how biology and the food industry play a part — and how gentle swaps can start real healing.

---

🍟 The Familiar Comforts

Nuggets, fries, pizza, noodles — they feel predictable and calming. But many are engineered to keep the brain wanting more.

✔️ MSG + free glutamate trigger dopamine
✔️ Sugar + refined carbs cause reward–crash cycles
✔️ Processed oils inflame the gut and affect mood
✔️ Additives + preservatives prolong cravings

What looks purely “sensory” is often a biological feedback loop created by food design and gut imbalance.

---

🧠 When Sensory Meets Biology

Sensory comfort absolutely matters — it keeps peace at mealtimes.
But underneath, an imbalanced gut–brain connection can intensify food fixations and behaviours.

Many autistic individuals live with unrecognised issues such as candida, low stomach acid, sluggish bile, parasites, or methylation (MTHFR) challenges.
Add toxins and heavy metals like mercury, lead, arsenic, or cadmium, and the nervous system becomes overstimulated — showing up as tip-toe walking, teeth grinding, sound sensitivity, or rigidity.

These aren’t just “traits” — they’re often gut-brain stress signals.

Even good supplements struggle if digestion and detox pathways are blocked. That’s why quick-fix powders with tiny nutrient doses rarely make impact; they give comfort but not change.

---

🍽 A Gentle Swap That Works

Instead of nuggets, try homemade turkey meatballs.

Gentle on digestion and bile

Lightly baked in organic extra-virgin olive oil, not fried

Optional touch of light garlic (natural sulphur for detox)

Season with mineral salt, basil, thyme, or mixed herbs for flavour and calm

Unfortified nutritional yeast optional — only in tiny amounts if tolerated
Soft texture, familiar look — same comfort, more nourishment.

⏱ Takes only slightly longer than nuggets in the oven.

---

🌍 Why It Matters More in Autism

Many people react to additives or processed foods, but autistic individuals feel it more intensely.
Their gut–brain communication and detox systems are extra-sensitive, so small improvements in food quality can make noticeable changes in mood, sleep, and behaviour.

“Safe” foods are understandable — but when biology isn’t supported underneath, they can quietly hold progress back.

---

✨ The Takeaway

Small swaps build big change.
Each cleaner meal calms the gut–brain axis, steadies energy, and widens food tolerance naturally.

That’s how families move from surviving to thriving — through nourishment, not restriction. 💛

Real progress starts in small, doable steps — and you’re already on the path.
Part 2 coming soon: how these everyday swaps save time, reduce stress, and bring calm back into family life.

27/09/2025

Memes and soundbites are drowning out the truth about autism.
While spin doctors stir up division and distraction, families are left carrying the real cost in silence.

---

Spin Doctors, Puppets, and the Distraction from Real Autism Health Needs

These days it only takes a meme or a soundbite to set social media on fire.
A few words, a quick image, and suddenly everyone is reacting — dismissive comments, defensive replies, heated arguments.

That’s how spin doctors and their puppets work: they create distractions. They spark quick emotions so people argue over fragments instead of looking at the full picture. And while people are busy reacting to the latest meme about paracetamol, Tylenol, or politics in America… the real issues get buried.

---

The Puppet Strings

Spin works because it’s simple. A meme may spark a reaction in seconds. But what it doesn’t do is give you context.

It doesn’t explain methylation or folate metabolism.

It doesn’t talk about toxin overload from food, medication, or environment.

It doesn’t cover co-occurring health challenges like gut inflammation, histamine overload, or mitochondrial weakness that many autistic people live with every single day.

And yet these memes spread like wildfire — not because they are true, but because they generate likes, shares, and debate.

That’s the point: many people post them not to educate, but to create quick content for attention, recognition, or page growth. In doing so, they become the puppets of spin doctors — pushing distraction further, instead of raising awareness.

Instead of encouraging deeper understanding, the noise fuels division. People take sides on headlines, not solutions — and the real issues are lost in the chaos.

---

The Real Cost

While people argue about “what Trump said” or share silly memes about paracetamol, families are left unheard.

What often gets lost is that he also mentioned vaccines and folate — pointing (perhaps clumsily) to overloaded toxins affecting different genetic pathways.

The science does support that gene–environment interaction matters. But because it wasn’t framed in the language of genetics, spin doctors twisted it, and people latched onto the distraction.

For some, memes and humour may seem harmless. But the blurry line is that they risk diluting the real issues. When autism becomes a punchline, the complex health struggles many autistic people live with every day are pushed further into the background.

This isn’t about policing humour — it’s about ensuring that awareness and support remain focused on those who need it most. Families dealing with seizures, gut pain, inflammation, and sleep problems can’t afford for these issues to be brushed aside or dismissed as just “part of autism.”

---

The Hidden Storm

Families aren’t just managing “gut pain” or “a bit of inflammation.” Many face a storm of combined health challenges:

Food allergies

Skin reactions

Seizures

Immune system crashes

Severe constipation or diarrhea

Low stomach acid

Liver or bile issues

These aren’t minor complaints. Left unsupported, they can severely limit quality of life, and in some cases become serious or even life-limiting. This isn’t about fear-mongering; it’s about recognising the reality.

Mainstream professionals — including consultants and GPs — are highly trained, but often not in the biological complexities behind autism-related health.

Functional and holistic approaches, by contrast, tend to focus more on these root causes — genetics, mitochondria, gut–brain axis, toxins — areas where mainstream care often falls short.

It’s time to wake up to the reality: behind the label are medical needs that deserve understanding, research, and compassionate care.

---

Beyond the Label

It’s easy for people to say, “Well, gut issues or inflammation can happen to anyone.” And that’s true.

But what separates autism-related health challenges is their scale, severity, and biological roots.

The majority of people on the spectrum show patterns of disruption in the gut–brain axis and mitochondrial function. Methylation differences such as MTHFR gene variants make detoxification, folate metabolism, and neurotransmitter balance even more complex.

When people are open to understanding this, they begin to see that what gets labelled as “autism traits” are often the outward expressions of underlying biological stress. Behaviours that appear “autistic” can in many cases be linked directly to mitochondrial dysfunction, toxic overload, or chronic inflammation — compounded by nutritional and environmental factors.

So the question isn’t just “Who named it autism?” but “What is really happening at the core?” Instead of reducing people to a label, we need to take a deeper dive into the medical and biological realities. Because those root causes don’t just explain behaviour — they point toward ways of improving comfort, function, and quality of life.

---

Why This Matters Now

Science and technology are moving forward. We understand more about genetics (like MTHFR), mitochondria, nutrition, toxins, and the gut–brain connection than ever before. Pretending these findings don’t matter — or reducing them to a political meme — is discrimination in disguise.

At the end of the day, autism is a spectrum. Some may not face complex health issues. But many do. And those who do deserve proper recognition and support, not dismissal.

---

A Call to Cut Through the Noise

It’s time to stop letting spin doctors pull the strings. Families and autistic individuals don’t need more memes, more distractions, or more angry faces. They need joined-up understanding, compassionate dialogue, and real solutions.

We need less division and more open-mindedness — because autism is a spectrum, and that means experiences vary widely. But profound autism and complex health issues are a very different reality from what many people imagine. Self-harm, pain, seizures, rage, and loss of language aren’t abstract ‘behaviours’ — they are signs of underlying biological distress.

Those on the lighter-support end of the spectrum may not see or live this side of autism, but it doesn’t mean it isn’t real. In fact, it’s where awareness and education are needed most. Because until society understands and addresses these hidden health struggles, people will continue to suffer in silence behind the label of autism.

---

The Hidden Truth of It All

Behind the memes, the headlines, and the arguments lies a reality that can’t be ignored.

Families living with profound autism and complex health needs know the truth all too well: this is not just a label, it’s daily life marked by seizures, pain, exhaustion, and silence.

The hidden truth is that these challenges are often biological, medical, and functional — not simply “autism.” And yet they are dismissed, minimised, or brushed aside, leaving families to carry the weight alone.

It can’t continue like this. Not in this day and age. Not when we have the science, the technology, and the lived experiences that make the truth impossible to deny.

Because no one should be left to suffer in silence — and in the heat of it all.

💚

24/09/2025

“Genes load the gun. Environment and toxins pull the trigger.” 🔥

🇺🇸 In the United States, this debate is already breaking into the mainstream — families, practitioners, and campaigners are openly questioning why MTHFR, toxins, and environmental factors are overlooked while autism rates keep climbing. Much of the US spotlight is on Tylenol (paracetamol) use in pregnancy and vaccines.

🇬🇧 In the UK, it hasn’t reached that level of public debate yet — but it’s only a matter of time. Here, the most overlooked piece remains folic acid (the synthetic form of folate added to supplements and fortified foods), alongside vaccines, antibiotics, synthetic/ultra-processed foods, and wider environmental toxins. Silence here doesn’t make the issue less real.

👩‍⚕️ I speak on this as a parent, qualified holistic practitioner (nutrition, naturopathy, functional health), advocate, and collaborator with clinicians. I’ve lived it, studied it, and seen what happens when crucial information is withheld.

💡 I’ve also written before about how MTHFR connects with autism-related complex health needs — recurrent ear infections, low stomach acid, liver/histamine overload, gut inflammation, and sleep disruption (mitochondria).

This isn’t new for me; it’s been my family’s reality and my professional focus for years. I’m collaborating with GPs and NHS specialists to share findings and help close this gap — because families deserve joined-up understanding, not silence.

---

🧬 What MTHFR actually is (and why it matters)
MTHFR helps convert folate into its active form to power methylation — a core process for DNA repair, neurotransmitter balance, immune regulation, and production of glutathione (the body’s master antioxidant/detox molecule).

Common variants (like C677T and A1298C) don’t “cause” autism on their own, but they can lower methylation efficiency and glutathione, leaving some children less able to clear toxins and buffer oxidative stress — especially during pregnancy, infancy, and early brain development.

---

⏳ Why the past 20 years matter
📌 Two decades ago, several routine infant vaccines (not MMR) contained thimerosal (a mercury-based preservative).
📌 Pregnant women were widely prescribed folic acid (synthetic folate, harder to use with MTHFR).
📌 Antibiotics were common.
📌 Environmental toxins (pesticides, plastics, heavy metals) steadily rose.
📌 Synthetic, fortified foods became widespread — stacked with folic acid and additives.

Across the Atlantic, the US conversation often emphasises Tylenol in pregnancy and vaccines; in the UK, the most overlooked issue remains folic acid. In reality, both countries share the same exposures — the emphasis just differs.

---

⚡ How vulnerability turns into damage (the cascade)
With MTHFR, methylation and glutathione are often lower. That means heavy metals (e.g., mercury, aluminium) and other toxins are harder to clear.

➡️ Oxidative stress rises.
➡️ Mitochondria (the cell’s “batteries”) are highly sensitive and begin to fail.
➡️ Glutamate signalling can become unbalanced (excitotoxicity).
➡️ Blood–brain barrier (BBB) and gut barrier become more permeable.
➡️ Neurotoxicity and cell death can follow.

Over time, this may show up as autism-related traits — sensory changes, gut issues, sleep disruption, fatigue, hyperactivity, or speech/language delays.

---

💬 “But my child wasn’t vaccinated and has autism.”
That statement is valid. Autism is neurological — and no single factor explains every case.

Some children reach the threshold through antibiotics, synthetic foods, pesticides, heavy metals, or generational epigenetics. Others through stacked medical exposures.

👉 The vulnerability is shared, but the triggers vary.

---

📚 Where the research sits
Studies and meta-analyses consistently show MTHFR variants (especially C677T) are more common in autism than in the general population.

Figures vary by study, but the pattern is clear: MTHFR increases vulnerability, not inevitability.

Yet families in the UK are still rarely offered pre-conception or newborn testing for methylation-related variants. Instead, they’re told nothing.

---

🌱 This is both personal and professional for me. I’ve seen how much difference honest information could have made.

🔥 Genes load the gun. Environment and toxins pull the trigger.

When we recognise that — and act early — we give children a safer start, and families the informed choice they should have had all along.

---

⭐ References: Autism Research (2013), Pediatric Neurology (2009), AJCN (2011).

13/09/2025

✨ True Autism Acceptance includes Understanding Root Causes ✨
Are we truly looking at the whole picture of autism support? 💙🌱

Read more below 👇

---

Autism Acceptance vs. Real Awareness: Time for a Rethink 🌱

We often see the phrase “autism acceptance” shared online. While the heart behind it is valuable — inclusion, compassion, and respect — we also need to ask: are we truly looking at the whole picture of autism support?

Acceptance should never mean turning a blind eye to the medical, nutritional, and biological factors that can impact autistic people’s daily lives. Many behaviours or struggles often labelled “just autism” can sometimes be linked to underlying issues, such as:

🔹 Gut health imbalances — constipation, reflux, or food sensitivities can drive meltdowns or anxiety.
🔹 Nutrient deficiencies — low B vitamins, magnesium, or zinc can affect sleep, focus, and mood.
🔹 Histamine or immune dysregulation — can show up as skin rashes, food reactions, or behavioural spikes.
🔹 Ear and vestibular dysfunction — balance issues can contribute to sleep problems, sensory overload, or behavioural flare-ups.

These are just a few examples — the list of potential co-factors is far wider, from gut pain and candida toxins to heavy metals and beyond. The point is: behaviours are not always the whole story.

Even around sleep, some practitioners strongly advise no screens before bed to reduce stimulation, blue light, and EMFs. While that makes sense in theory, in reality many autistic children and adults rely on what’s known as white noise therapy. This can take the form of background TV, an iPad left running, or even the quiet hum, vibration, or glow of a screen. For some, this sensory input acts as security — helping them regulate and fall asleep.

This is where it’s important to observe and step back: what calms one person may overstimulate another. There’s no one-size-fits-all rule, and families should never feel pressured, guilty, or forced to hand their power over when they know what works best for their loved one.

Families are already doing so much. This isn’t about effort — it’s about widening awareness, so parents don’t carry unnecessary guilt or feel they’ve failed when standard advice doesn’t work.

---

🌱 Gentle Starting Points for Support

Support gut health with soothing options like aloe vera juice, chia/flax water, or probiotics (if tolerated).

Explore gentle forms of magnesium (different types work differently — some may aid bowels, others calm the nervous system, while certain forms can overstimulate in histamine-sensitive individuals). It’s about finding the right fit, not forcing a one-size-fits-all.

Keep hydration steady with filtered water, mineral drops, or a small amount of coconut water if tolerated.

Track patterns (food, sleep, behaviours) to notice links between symptoms and possible triggers.

---

✨ True acceptance means honouring the autistic person’s identity and staying open to new awareness, science, and approaches that may improve quality of life.

Acceptance + understanding = dignity + support 💙

📣 Share this post to keep the conversation growing and bring more real awareness into autism support. 🌍

---

06/09/2025

🌿✨ Not all communication is spoken.

Sometimes it’s laughter with the wind.
Sometimes it’s resonance with nature.
Sometimes it’s energy we’ve forgotten how to feel.

---

🌳 Beyond Words: The Sensitivity of Autistic Perception

I once watched a young autistic child sitting on a trampoline, gazing up at the oak trees swaying above the garden fence. As the branches moved in the wind, the child giggled — as if the trees were speaking directly to them.

To most, it was just leaves in the breeze. But for that child, it was connection — an exchange of energy that many of us no longer notice.

Like the oak, the autistic nervous system is deeply rooted yet highly sensitive. It takes in more of the world’s vibration, rhythm, and subtle shifts. When speech doesn’t flow, connection often shows itself in other ways — through laughter, movement, or stillness with nature.

Non-speaking does not mean non-feeling. Communication is not less without words — it is simply different, and often more attuned to the natural world and the body’s quiet language.

---

🌸 Take a moment today to pause under a tree, breathe, and notice what your child notices. In their perception lies wisdom — and healing.

---

04/09/2025

✨ Constipation relief isn’t always about fibre 🌿🍄
Have you ever tried this gentle kitchen tip?

— Holistic Autism Well-Being 💚

30/08/2025

🌱 Beyond Traits: Why Autism Behaviours Can Be Clues to Deeper Needs

Too often, behaviours linked with autism are brushed off as “just traits.”
But what if they are not quirks at all, but messages — the body and nervous system communicating in the only way they can?

When we pause and look deeper, behaviours such as pica, sensory seeking, repetitive sounds, or excessive drinking are not random. They can be cues, pointing us toward what the body needs, how it regulates, and sometimes even where pain or imbalance lies hidden.

---

🌌 Shyness, Meltdowns & Energy Awareness

Children on the spectrum can often be misunderstood at both ends of the spectrum.

🙈 When they pull back, they can be labelled as shy or withdrawn.
💥 When their energy overflows, meltdowns can sometimes be seen as challenging behaviour.

But what could be happening instead? 🤔

In reality, many children are tuning in — to the energy of the room, to unspoken emotions, and to their own body’s signals.

✨ What looks like withdrawal can be deep observation.
✨ What looks like disruption can be the nervous system overflowing under pressure.

Both are part of the same thing: a sensitive, finely tuned system trying to process more than most of us can imagine.

This isn’t “shyness” or simply “challenging behaviour.”
It can be energy awareness — sometimes expressed quietly, sometimes explosively.

---

🌀 Behaviours as Energy & Body Cues

💧 Drinking excessive water
This isn’t always “just a habit.” It can be:

🍼 A sensory outlet (oral soothing, temperature regulation).

❄️ A way of cooling inflamed tissues or calming the gut.

🩸 A signal of underlying imbalance (for example, blood sugar or mineral depletion).

Children on the spectrum often regulate their body’s energy in creative ways. Drinking water in excess can be one of those cues.

---

👕 Pica & unusual seeking (chewing clothes, drinking shower/pool water, eating bark)

Often labelled as sensory behaviour or pica. But what if it’s more?

For example, the body may be seeking minerals it is low in:

🚿 Shower or pool water → trace copper, sodium, chlorine
🥉 Copper = supports iron balance + oxygen delivery
🧂 Sodium = regulates hydration + nerve signals
💨 Chlorine = feels “cleansing” but unsafe in excess

➡️ So when a child repeatedly drinks shower or pool water, it may not be random. It can be their body’s way of seeking electrolytes, trace minerals, or gut/immune relief.

⚠️ Of course, this doesn’t mean it’s safe or advisable to allow. Pool water especially contains high levels of chlorine and chemicals. Instead, it’s a signal for us as carers to explore why the body is craving it, and how to meet those needs in safer, nourishing ways.

💡 Safer ways to support these mineral needs (depending on tolerance):
🥥 Coconut water → natural electrolytes
💧 Electrolyte drops/powders (clean, without artificial sweeteners)
🥒 Low-histamine mineral waters or cucumber-infused water
🍲 Pressure-cooked broth → lower histamine, mineral-rich

👉 Every child is different. The key is not to encourage unsafe habits, but to explore safer ways to provide the minerals and electrolytes their body may be seeking. And if in doubt, functional testing can help confirm imbalances or deficiencies.

👕 Chewing fabric/clothes → may provide:
🧂 Salt (from sweat) = electrolyte support
🌾 Starch (from fibres/dyes) = quick energy/calming
🩸 Iron residues (from dyes) = oxygen transport

🌳 Eating bark/soil/clay → often rich in magnesium, calcium, potassium, zinc
These support the nervous system, muscles, and immune balance.
Clay can also bind toxins, so children may instinctively use it as a form of detox.

🥉 Copper is one strong example of this bigger picture.
When copper is lacking, iron cannot be used properly, leading to anaemia-like symptoms, low oxygen, and nervous system stress. Add MTHFR mutations (seen in 60–70% of autism), which raise homocysteine and impair detox, and you create a cycle of exhaustion, sensory overload, and unusual seeking behaviours.

So these “odd” actions aren’t quirks. They can be the body’s way of self-correcting deficiencies or overloads.

---

🎵 Repetitive sounds & movements

These are often dismissed as auditory processing issues or “autistic traits.”
But they can be:

⚡ An outlet for excess energy

🎯 A way to regain focus + balance the nervous system

🛡 A strategy to override pain or discomfort with another channel

Some children are instinctively drawn to particular tones or frequencies. For example, listening to G major sounds may feel soothing because:
🎶 Certain tones calm the nervous system
🎧 Support the vestibular system (balance & spatial awareness)
🌊 Override internal noise (like tinnitus-style signals)

Instead of quirks, these actions are often survival tools — the body finding ways to regulate and even heal itself through vibration and frequency.

---

🌿 The Bigger Picture

When we dismiss behaviours as “just autism,” we risk overlooking the deeper clues.

💧 Drinking water excessively → may highlight gut inflammation, temperature dysregulation, or blood sugar stress.
👕 Pica behaviours → may signal mineral imbalances (copper being one overlooked but vital example).
🎵 Repetitive sounds/stimming → often the nervous system’s outlet to balance energy or override pain.

Each of these isn’t a “trait.” It can be a map — guiding us toward underlying needs.

---

🌟 Listening Differently

Mainstream views often stop at symptom management.
But a truly holistic perspective — one that listens to energy, biology, and lived experience — allows us to see what’s really going on.

💜 These children aren’t just showing traits. They can be showing us messages.
They are 🌍 earth angels in disguise, teaching us to slow down, look deeper, and reconnect to the hidden wisdom of the body.

✨ Behaviours aren’t merely quirks.
They can be clues — guiding us toward underlying needs.

When we learn to listen in this way, we move from managing autism to truly understanding the child — their body, their energy, their spirit.
And that is where healing begins. 💫

25/08/2025

✨🌿 Magnesium Support for Autism, MTHFR & Sensitive Skin 🌿✨

Magnesium is one of the most important minerals for calming the nervous system, supporting detox, and relaxing muscles — yet the form, timing, and application can make a big difference, especially for autistic individuals with sensitive systems.

---

🧠 Why Magnesium Matters

Calms the nervous system

Supports detox & methylation (important in MTHFR)

Relaxes muscles & eases tightness

Around 60% of autistic individuals have an MTHFR gene variant, which increases magnesium demand. Choosing the right form and timing really helps.

---

⚡ Why Magnesium Glycinate Isn’t Always Bedtime-Friendly

Magnesium glycinate is well absorbed and often calming. But the glycine amino acid it’s bound to can act in two ways:

✅ Supports calming GABA activity

⚡ Acts as a co-agonist at NMDA receptors, which can increase glutamate (the brain’s main excitatory signal)

For sensitive individuals, this can mean feeling calmer in the day but more restless or alert at night.

---

⏰ Best Timing vs Best Application

🌞 Morning / Afternoon → Small amount of magnesium glycinate (powder or liquid) to support calm focus and emotional balance.

🌙 Evening / Bedtime → Switch to transdermal magnesium instead.

---

🌿 What Does “Transdermal” Mean?

“Transdermal” simply means through the skin. Instead of relying only on oral powders or liquids, magnesium can be absorbed directly when used as a spray, balm, or gentle foot soak.

Benefits:

Bypasses digestion (gentler for sensitive tummies)

Absorbs steadily & gradually (less chance of overstimulation)

Helps relax muscles, calm the nervous system, and support more restful sleep

---

🌸 Sensitive Skin & Histamine

Many autistic individuals also have histamine sensitivity or eczema-type skin. Standard magnesium oils can sting.

👉 Use a sensitive-skin magnesium spray, and always dilute it further into:

🌱 Organic jojoba oil

🌱 Aloe vera gel

---

👣 Practical Application Tips

Feet → Excellent detox pathways (including heavy metals) and less reactive skin for magnesium massage.

Calves & Knees → Especially helpful for toe-walkers; massage eases tight muscles, supports circulation, and encourages lymphatic flow.

Knees → Use plain jojoba oil (without magnesium) if skin is reactive there, to aid circulation and fluid balance.

---

🌙 Simple Evening Routine Idea

1. Daytime: Small amount magnesium glycinate (powder or liquid)

2. Bedtime: Transdermal magnesium massage — sensitive-skin spray + jojoba or aloe on feet and calves

3. Knees: Plain jojoba oil massage for circulation & fluid support

---

✨ With the right timing, a sensitive-skin magnesium spray, and gentle transdermal support, magnesium can be a powerful ally for calmer days, relaxed muscles, and more restful nights.

19/08/2025

🌿✨ Welcome to Holistic Autism Well-Being ✨🌿

This page was born from both professional expertise and a deep personal calling. As a mam to two amazing children on different ends of the autism spectrum, one with profound and complex health needs, I walk this journey every single day.

Alongside my lived experience, I hold a Post-Graduate Degree in Health & Social Care and A-levels in Applied Social Sciences, including Psychology. I am a Qualified Advanced Holistic Practitioner in:

Naturopathy & Holistic Health

Reflexology & Massage Therapy

Herbal Medicine & Bio nutrition (Functional Diet & Nutrition)

Reiki & Spiritual Counselling

Advanced Counselling Skills

I have also completed training courses in Functional Medicine, deepening my understanding of autism-related complex health needs and whole-body approaches to healing.

I am registered nationally in the UK, a member of the Institute of Functional Medicine, and a practitioner for leading functional lab testing and holistic medicine companies.

💚 My mission is to bring hope, practical tools, and a holistic approach that supports body, mind, and spirit for families walking similar paths.

✨ Services and resources will be available in the near future. For now, this page shares inspiration, guidance, and holistic well-being tips.

You are not alone on this journey. May you always find calm, even in the hardest of nights. 🌙

💌 Follow along as we grow.

Address

Swansea

Website

https://www.holisticautismwellbeing.co.uk/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Holistic Autism Well-Being posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Holistic Autism Well-Being:

Shortcuts

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in Swansea?