Mother-Well Holistic Health

28/09/2025

Bowel cancer rates are climbing sharply among younger New Zealanders, in what experts describe as one of the most alarming shifts in cancer worldwide.
“Among those under 50, we are seeing a dramatic rise in bowel cancer. It’s increasing at about 25% per decade. Or if you’re Māori, it’s around 35% per decade. Which, as far as epidemiology changes of cancer is concerned, is like a Ferrari - it’s speeding away.”
That search for answers is driving world-leading research, including groundbreaking work in Christchurch.

Microbiologist Krista Dawson is investigating whether microplastics could be playing a role.

Experts say the surge in under-50s is unprecedented, with microplastics among possible causes being investigated by scientists.

15/09/2025

What an inspiration! Through five pregnancies, breast cancer and now into her 80s, Paula Barrett says it's never too late to start looking after your mind and body. This 81-year-old still lifts wheelbarrows and chainsaws to help with local tree logging in bush near where she lives and leads fitness classes four times a week.

Through five pregnancies, breast cancer and now into her 80s, Paula Barrett says it's never too late to start looking after your mind and body.

15/09/2025

Some pelvic health physiotherapists say they are treating growing numbers of women, especially young women, with overactive pelvic floor muscles. However, research into the phenomenon is lacking.

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14/09/2025

The role of environmental toxins in the development of autoimmune diseases is an area of growing scientific interest and concern. While genetic predisposition plays a key role in autoimmunity, increasing evidence suggests that environmental exposures may trigger, exacerbate or accelerate autoimmune processes in genetically susceptible individuals.

Now a large US government study has found a higher rheumatoid arthritis (RA) risk in women after exposure (through farm work or as farmers' wives) to certain common insecticides and fungicides, but not most herbicides.

"In sum, our findings provide robust evidence that some insecticides may contribute to risk of developing RA in women," the researchers wrote. "Further studies are warranted especially for widely used insecticides, such as malathion, carbaryl, and pyrethroids, given ongoing residential and public health uses such as mosquito control, and residential or personal uses such as permethrin-treated clothing."

This is not the first time that agricultural chemical exposure has been linked to RA risk. Such an association was found in one analysis from the Women's Health Initiative, involving household and garden products.

In the current study, participants in the Agricultural Health Study were recruited in North Carolina and Iowa during 1993-1997, including around 32,000 women who either worked directly on farms or were farmers' spouses. They completed detailed questionnaires, which included questions about contact with 50 pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides, at enrolment and at an initial follow-up conducted in 1999-2003. Additional follow-ups were performed periodically through 2021, with participants asked whether they had been diagnosed with RA or other conditions. The authors also reviewed participants' Medicare claims for RA diagnoses.

After excluding participants with insufficient data, the group compared 410 incident RA cases with 21,850 non-cases. "Ever use" of specific chemicals was counted in each of these groups. Associations between RA risk and individual chemicals were adjusted for age, state of residence, education level, smoking history, body mass index, and exposure to other "correlated" pesticides.

With these adjustments, the following pesticides had significant associations with incident RA, expressed as odds ratios (ORs):
• DDT: 1.89, 95% CI (confidence interval) 1.30-2.75
• Lindane: 1.97, 95% CI 1.12-3.47
• Coumaphos: 2.32, 95% CI 1.29-4.19
• Permethrin/pyrethroids on livestock: 1.76, 95% CI 1.16-2.69

Additionally, strong trends falling short of statistical significance were seen for malathion, carbofuran, and permethrin/pyrethroid insecticides on crops.

Among herbicides and fungicides, significant ORs were found for these products:
• Metribuzin (a herbicide): 2.74, 95% CI 1.67-4.48
• Captan: 1.78, 95% CI 1.13-2.83
• Metalaxyl: 2.49, 95% CI 1.49-4.16

Limitations to the current analysis included that pesticide exposure was self-reported and recorded only as "ever used" without quantification. Also, many individual pesticides had been used by only a handful of participants with incident RA.

For more information see: http://bit.ly/47kBBi1

14/09/2025

The brain has its own waste disposal system – known as the glymphatic system – that’s thought to be more active when we sleep.
But disrupted sleep might hinder this waste disposal system and slow the clearance of waste products or toxins from the brain. Researchers are proposing a build-up of these toxins due to lost sleep could increase someone’s risk of dementia.

The brain has its own waste disposal system – known as the glymphatic system – that’s thought to be more active when we sleep.

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08/09/2025

24/08/2025

Some feedback from our lucky Mother-Well clients who attended a Calm Birth class over the weekend with Deb.

"Deb I was just about to message you to say thank you SO much for this morning. I absolutely LOVED it and felt so honored to be there and learnt so much. I have been doing my calm breathing all day and shown my husband the gentle back touching exercise! Had a bit of a traumatic first birth and just feel so empowered and that I have my breath no matter what happens this time! I feel much more at peace and almost looking forward to my birth next year! Really appreciate you giving up your Sunday morning to support us. You have such an amazing gift in teaching and empowering. Thank you very much for what you do! X

These classes are highly recommended for any parents going into childbirth. Not just first-time parents. There are many second time parents that attend also, many of whom did not have such a positive first-time experience. Deb has such a gift at instilling confidence and bringing the sacredness of childbirth into perspective in a very practical way.
https://calmbirth.nz/

22/08/2025

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2025/08/19/plastic-water-bottles-microplastics/

You may be exposing your body to microplastics, chemicals and metals, research suggests.

22/08/2025

By age 14, girls are dropping out of sport at twice the rate of boys. This is such an important conversation and the research in this article only scratches the surface.

Women are not just small men, they have other influences that change through their cycle and also their training capacity and nutritional needs. Sports clubs generally do not understand these needs and therefore girls are left to train in a capacity and environment that is not conducive to optimal sport performance.
There are however some organisations, such as High Performance NZ, that are doing important education around these needs. If there are some young women in your life who are into sport, I encourage you to click the link below to get a better understanding of the issues women can face.
https://hpsnz.org.nz/wellbeing-and-engagement/healthy-women-in-performance-sport/

By age 14, girls are dropping out of sport at twice the rate of boys, a new study has found.

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19/08/2025

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360795962/coughing-phlegm-some-tegel-workers-say-chemical-has-been-making-them-sick-months

On Monday a worker at the Tegel factory in Christchurch was taken to hospital after suspected exposure to chlorine fumes. But staff say they’ve been getting sick for months.

18/08/2025

An inspirationing listen from one if the herbal legends Simon Mills.

Is the root of every illness your gut? Could 5 simple herbs replace your medicine cabinet? Natural remedy expert Simon Mills reveals the herbal medicines tha...