The Health Hut - Revitalising Health, Naturally

25/11/2025

Feeling overwhelmed by all the information available out there? Your friend's sister's brother giving you health advice? AI interpreting your blood test results? The NZ Herald telling you that your supplement is just expensive urine?! Please for the love of all things holy DON'T FOLLOW THIS ADVICE BLINDLY!

Practitioner-led care offers patients personalised, compassionate support and a genuine focus on achieving their very unique health goals.

With so many unverified information sources now available it's more important than ever to seek health advice from a qualified health professional. A qualified health professional can also help determine whether a particular supplement or dose is right for you & if you require a referral. Book an appointment with me if you need some up to date, evidence based health support.

12/08/2025

The brilliant Simon Mills telling us how food is medicine - a must watch!

03/07/2025

This is why I love using herbs! Another happy client! 💚

04/06/2025

So I've been up to something these last few weeks!
Learning from the incredible Dr Leah Hechtman (PhD) - a globally respected naturopathic clinician specialising in fertility, pregnancy, and holistic reproductive health-
for the next 5 months I will be completing the Integrative Gynaecology Certification.... already so many incredible insights and clinically relevant treatment options have been discussed and many more to come! - I am always striving to offer better treatment outcomes for women and look forward to sharing all this new wisdom with you 💜

03/06/2025

Perfect recipe for these cooler days to boost immunity! - I like to use Zizyphus as a herbal tincture for women who are experiencing night sweats and it can also have a calming effect, supporting relaxation and sleep. Zizyphus can be found in most Asian grocers - they will have dried Zizyphus/Chinese dates, sometimes it is also called Jujube or spelled Ziziphus.

Zizyphus (Zizyphus jujuba var. spinosa) is a key Traditional Chinese herb for insomnia; its seed has been valued for calming anxiety and preventing the build-up of tension that can result in insomnia.[1] Also known as Chinese red date, Zizyphus fruit together with goji berries bring an interesting sweet element to this nourishing yet soothing chicken herbal soup.

Zizyphus Chicken Ginger Soup
Serves 6

Ingredients
1 whole chicken (raw)
8 cm piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 onion, quartered
4 garlic cloves, crushed
12 cups of water
5 carrots, sliced into bite size pieces
500 gm pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and diced
½ cup Chinese red dates (Zizyphus)
1/3 cup dried goji berries
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari (gluten free)
Salt and pepper
2 cups rice, cooked

Method
1. In a large pot, boil chicken in water with onion, garlic and ginger. Reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 hours or until chicken is soft and falling off the bone.
2. Remove chicken and strain broth to remove onion, garlic, and ginger.
3. Add carrots, pumpkin, red dates and goji berries to the broth and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Season with salt, pepper and soy sauce/tamari to taste.
5. Shred chicken and add to the soup.
6. Serve with rice.

28/05/2025

✨ Let’s Rethink PCOS Treatment—Together! ✨

Do you have PCOS—or think you might? Long or unpredictable cycles, plus acne, or unwanted hair growth, or a family history? We want to hear from you!

CeMCOR is working to design a new study comparing the ‘Pill’ to Cyclic Progesterone. We have new evidence that progesterone for 2 weeks each month improves quality of life for those with PCOS. But first, we need your input 👇

📝 Fill out our short (~12min) anonymous survey to help researchers understand what matters to YOU in PCOS treatment. Your thoughts and preferences will help shape the way we create this complex study, and what kind of care gets tested and prioritized.

This is about research for YOU, with YOU!

If you’re 19+ and live anywhere in the world, you’re invited to share your thoughts—whether you’ve been formally diagnosed or just suspect you have PCOS.

👉 Take the survey: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bsBv1LZAQn3iPwW

Principal investigator: Dr. Jerilynn C. Prior, MD - UBC CeMCOR

📌 Please note: If you choose to “like” or “follow” this post, you may be publicly associated with this study, which could impact your privacy.

14/05/2025

The Health Hut now has a fully stocked Herbal dispensary using the beautiful, safe & effective herbs from MediHerb & Phytomed NZ - have a chat with us to see if we can put together a personalised formula that may suit you 🌸

Detoxifying herbs can promote healthy oestrogen balance, assisting with heavy, painful periods and hormonal conditions such as endometriosis, fibroids and PMS associated with higher tissue exposure to oestrogen.[1]

Rosemary: With a long tradition of liver support, Rosemary enhances detox enzymes involved in oestrogen metabolism.[2] Rosemary significantly reduced menstrual bleeding and pain intensity in women with moderate dysmenorrhoea.[3]

Pomegranate peel: Heavy bleeding is a common in fibroids and endometriosis. Women taking Pomegranate peel had significant reductions in bleeding within 3 menstrual cycles.[4] The herb supports oestrogen clearance.[5,6]

Green Tea: Higher Green Tea consumption was associated with lower serum oestradiol levels, measured on day 11 of the menstrual cycle.[7] Green tea directly impacts oestrogen synthesis and metabolism.[8]

References are available upon request. Please contact ClinicalSupport@integria.com

19/04/2025

This! 👏 👇
There is a lot we can do to help in this mismatched phase of high estrogen low progesterone in perimenopause - sometimes this might simply be fixing a few nutrient deficiencies such as iron, zinc, & B6 to assist with optimal thyroid function and progesterone production, sometimes it’s going deeper to look at gut function & estrogen metabolism - each individual is unique & therefore requires an individual treatment plan & prescription not a one size fits all approach - the oral contraceptive pill will make things worse in many cases as it stops your remaining ability to ovulate & ability to produce progesterone - this is your calming hormone in perimenopause & its decline is why many women feel so agitated and out of sorts - you don’t have to put up with it or feel that there is nothing you can do - book a consult today to discuss your options 💓

The narrative that all women past 40 must take estrogen clashes with two key realities:

1️⃣ Many women in their 40s have higher-than-normal estrogen, and

2️⃣ Women under 40 are still routinely told it’s fine to SWITCH OFF ESTROGEN with hormonal birth control.

A quick explainer:

🎯 Most types of birth control suppress estradiol, the body’s main ovarian estrogen. For example, while on the pill, patch, ring, or injection, a blood test for estradiol would show menopausal levels. Some types of birth control add back synthetic estrogen (ethinylestradiol), but it doesn’t offer the same benefits.

🎯 In the early phases of perimenopause (when periods are still regular), estrogen goes up, not down. It spikes very high around ovulation, then drops just before the period.

🎯 It’s normal for estrogen to drop to menopausal levels during the period, and that low point is actually lower in young women than in perimenopausal women. (But in perimenopause, the higher estrogen spikes create steeper drops.)

P.S. For context, I’m not against taking estradiol—I take it myself. But I didn’t start until my estrogen was truly low, which was when I began having long gaps between periods. Before that, I used only progesterone to shelter from the steep ups and downs of estrogen.

11/04/2025

08/04/2025

So many incredible insights from yesterdays training on the challenges with the Oral Contraceptive pill including:
👉 Nutrient depletion
👉Estrogen desensitisation
👉Mental health challenges & structural changes in the brain!
👉Weight gain
👉Magnesium deficiencies
Also some incredible ways in which we can support the body to come off the pill without the huge rebound effects or post-pill acne, along with support for fertility.
Plus so much more, including insights on PCOS:
👉Accurate diagnosis - Many women misdiagnosed as PCOS when actually it could be due to hypothalamic amenorrhea 🧐
👉Just because a scan showed you had cysts on your ovaries - does not mean you have PCOS! We can look at other serum markers to confirm diagnosis & therefore direct treatment
👉How to individualise treatment for each type - did you know there are 5 - maybe/maybe not technically?! It makes a difference to how we treat each type
👉Specific dietary support, functional foods and alternatives to Metformin.....and when you should and should not take certain supplements like Curcumin during menstruation.
💚 Our bodies truly are remarkable and complex!

06/04/2025

About to commence my 5 Day Women’s Health Intensive with the Institute of Health!

Looking forward to acquiring evidence-based insights into supporting women’s health conditions: 🔺How to safely discontinue the OCP, 🔺Support with PCOS, 🔺Supporting fertility alongside IVF, and 🔺Peri-menopause & menopausal symptoms.

I can’t wait to share all the new clinical pearls with my clients 🌿