Earth Sourced Naturopath & Medical Herbalist

28/02/2026

BOOK IN BEFORE I INCREASE PRICES!
I recently did a check on what I charge for consultations & massage (locally & nationwide) as I’d not increased my prices in 4 years and I was shocked.
Consequently when I release my new website & online courses there will be a price increase occurring also. Trust me, Im worth it. 💜
So if you have been pondering booking a consultation or wanting to have a massage with me (see my reviews 🥰) now is the time!
I’d love to guide & support you back to wellness.
I look forward to hearing from you! Just pm me or give me a call.
Shine bright, Nic

28/02/2026

FIRE HORSE ENERGY TIPS
Since two weeks ago I’ve been experiencing the worst constant anxiety & broken sleeps I’ve had in some time. It coincided with the Chinese new year shift to Fire Horse, & was exacerbated by the mercury retrograde a few days ago.

Im seeing this in many of my close loved ones & clients that have tendencies to anxiety, overwhelm, adrenal fatigue & insomnia. Are you being activated too?

I’ve tried many different tools to calm my nervous system, some really helped, others less than usual. The common theme of the ones that worked were what soothes the inner child or baby in me?

If you want to understand how this new Fire Horse energy effects us check out my recent article on my page

WHAT SOOTHES BEST:
1. Rocking. Rock in an egg chair or hammock. Or hold yourself tightly & rock.
2. Put yourself into the yoga child pose & rock yourself.
3. Write all the feelings out & have a good cry.
4. Don’t isolate yourself. Call on the community of people who love you. Support each other.
5. Encourage yourself lovingly each time you make a good choice that is supportive.
6. Get out in nature & let your child play. Yesterday I spent time in rock pools watching their inhabitants with my friend Jen. Our inner children were so in delight & present moment awareness. I did this because of a reminder on my mirror to “put yourself in the way of beauty” quote from Wild.

Sometimes you just have to slow everything down in order for your energetic & physical systems to catch up. I hope this helps someone 💜

As a naturopath I have a wealth of tips to assist with dysregulation of the nervous system, so it was interesting to figure out the best ones for me. I wonder if this will help you too? Let me know!

Shine bright, Nic

16/02/2026

SUPPORTING YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM as we move into the Year of the Fire Horse!

I've always been a deep thinking, spiritually aware person, and this threads through my discussions & recommendations with certain 'open' clients.

So I've been fascinated to see us approaching this transition from Wood Snake to Fire Horse today, as there is so much up for release and ignition. Especially cool as this is one of the most dynamic combinations in the 60 year cycle. Honestly, I think we need this energy in our world, right now.

However, because of this energy, this fire, it can lead to burnout in us. If you have anxiety, adrenal fatigue, chronic stress, insomnia, then the energy of this year can wear you out. So its vital to address this tendency, so that you can maximise your growth and potential.

So lets first understand what we are shedding, and what energy we are shifting into...

🔥 Fire Horse Characteristics

The Horse is already a fast, action-oriented sign.
Adding Fire amplifies it:
•More courage
•More emotional heat
•More public expression
•Less tolerance for stagnation

This is not a quiet year. It is a year where:
•Things move quickly
•Leadership becomes visible
•People demand freedom
•Hidden tensions surface dramatically

🌍 Collective Themes for 2026
Acceleration
Projects, movements, and conflicts that were simmering can suddenly surge forward.

Visibility
Truths, personalities, and power dynamics become harder to hide.

Independence
Nations, communities, and individuals may push strongly for autonomy.

Polarisation
Fire amplifies emotion — debates can become heated.

🌱 From 2025 Wood Snake ➜ 2026 Fire Horse

If 2025 (Wood Snake) felt like:
•Strategic planning
•Quiet positioning
•Seed planting

Then 2026 becomes:
•Public ex*****on
•Bold action
•Visible outcomes

The shift is from contained growth → to passionate release.

🔥 Strengths of a Fire Horse Year
•Entrepreneurial courage
•Creative breakthroughs
•Charismatic leadership
•Momentum for long-delayed change

This can be an excellent year to:
•Launch something bold
•Speak up publicly
•Rebrand
•Travel or relocate
•Take decisive personal action

⚠️ Challenges to Watch
•Burnout
•Impulsivity
•Conflict escalation
•Overconfidence
•Emotional reactivity

Fire Horse energy doesn’t like to wait — but wise pacing will be essential.

From a Body–Mind Perspective

Fire governs the Heart and circulation system in traditional Eastern systems.

Themes that may show up more strongly in 2026:
•Anxiety or overstimulation
•Sleep disturbance
•Inflammatory conditions
•Adrenal fatigue from “go-go-go” energy

Grounding practices, cooling foods, and nervous system regulation become especially supportive.

Top Tips:
Daily meditation - minimum 15 minutes. Ask to have unconditional love pour over all that you are, clearing any energies that are not supportive for you.

Breath work - minimum 3-5 minutes, at least once daily. Practice diaphragmatic breath work: breath in for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 7 or any other form that works for you. Breathing into the belly not chest.

Earthing / grounding. Lie in nature, look at clouds, the plants around you. Imagine a cord tying you deep into the centre of the earth.

Be present. When your mind wanders bring it back to the moment you are existing in. Use your senses to keep you here. Notice the beauty in the moment around you.

Take herbs that support your nervous system. I especially love Ashwaganda as it assists with neural rewiring, which supports energetic rewiring and release of old beliefs and habits. But you could also consider other adaptogenic herbs like Rhodiola. Or gentle sedatives like Passionflower. Or nervines like St Johns Wort.

Avoid refined carbohydrates - whether sugar or wheat based especially. This disturbs sleep maintenance and onset, sustained energy, focus and the nervous system balance.

Set your objectives for the year. Planning helps reduce anxiety and stress.

I hope this supports your shifts for an amazing 2026!
Shine bright,
Nic

12/01/2026

BREAKING SUMMER HABITS! Sometimes it’s tough to re-establish healthy choices after our seasonal excesses. You’ve just come out of the garden working up a sweat & you’re craving that cold alcoholic beverage - am I right? I’ve found that replacing it with alternatives can be super helpful. For instance try soda water with some passion fruit pulp & mint or basil. Or kombucha with sparkling water & thyme. Honestly it’s delicious, refreshing & leaves you feeling proud you’ve made a better choice for your body that day! What’s your favourite non alcoholic beverage for a hot summer day?
Shine bright! Nic

19/12/2025

Did You Know Your Muscles Can Act Like Natural Antidepressants?

Most people think of muscles as something we use only for movement and strength. But science has uncovered something remarkable: when you contract your muscles, they release mood-boosting chemicals and proteins directly into your bloodstream — influencing your brain and emotional wellbeing.

Your muscles are chemical messengers delivering joy, emotional balance, motivation & pleasure!

During muscle contraction (exercise, stretching, holding a pose, even gentle movement), muscles behave like an endocrine organ, releasing substances called myokines. These travel through the blood to the brain and nervous system, where they support mental health.

Some of the key mood-supporting substances released include:

• BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) – supports brain resilience, nerve growth, and emotional regulation
• Irisin – helps protect the brain from stress and boosts BDNF
• Endorphins – your body’s natural “feel-good” pain relievers
• Endocannabinoids – calming compounds responsible for the “exercise high”
• Anti-inflammatory signals – exercise-induced inflammation actually reduces depressive inflammation in the body
• Improved serotonin and dopamine activity – supporting motivation, pleasure, and emotional balance.

Low levels of many of these chemicals are commonly found in people experiencing depression and anxiety.

You don’t need intense exercise for this to flow.

Here’s the empowering part: you don’t need to run marathons or hit the gym hard to get these benefits.

Even gentle forms of muscle contraction can help, such as:
✔️ Walking
✔️ Stretching
✔️ Yoga or t’ai chi
✔️ Resistance bands
✔️ Holding muscles tight for a few seconds (isometric contractions)
✔️ Functional daily movement
✔️ My favourite: dance!

This is why movement therapies are increasingly used to support depression, anxiety, trauma recovery, neurodivergent regulation, PMDD, and chronic illness.

Movement as medicine

Research consistently shows that regular muscle activation can:
• Lift mood
• Reduce anxiety
• Improve stress resilience
• Lower inflammatory markers linked to depression
• Enhance cognitive function

In some studies, exercise has been shown to be as effective as antidepressant medication for mild to moderate depression — and supportive alongside medication for more severe cases.

The takeaway

💡 Every time you contract a muscle, you’re sending chemical messages of resilience and balance to your brain.
Movement isn’t just physical — it’s deeply neurological and emotional.

So next time you stretch, walk, or simply move your body, remember: your muscles are helping your mind heal. Which means you can rise your vibration & the quality of the collective energy contributions you offer to the world around us. As well as the actions you take! 💜🥰

✨ Feel free to share — someone might really need this today?

Shine bright, Nic

Key References
1. Schuch, F. B., et al. (2023). Effects of exercise training on inflammatory, neurotrophic and immunological markers and neurotransmitters in people with depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 149, 105160.
2. Li, D., et al. (2024). The role of exercise-related FNDC5/irisin in depression. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15, 1342781.

18/12/2025

Aloe Vera, Acemannan & Cancer

Most of us think of aloe vera as something you grab for sunburns or digestion. But beneath that familiar green skin is a compound called acemannan that can assist in cancer or inproving HIV immune markers.

Back in the 1980s and ’90s, researchers began studying acemannan, a complex polysaccharide found in the inner gel of aloe vera. What they discovered was intriguing: acemannan doesn’t act like a drug that attacks disease directly. Instead, it appears to communicate with the immune system, particularly macrophages — the immune cells responsible for surveillance, cleanup, and signalling other immune responses.

What does this have to do with cancer?

Cancer research has long recognised that immune dysfunction plays a central role in tumour development and progression.

In laboratory and early clinical research:

• Acemannan has shown the ability to stimulate macrophage activity

• It can increase signalling molecules involved in immune coordination

• Some animal studies observed enhanced tumour surveillance, not tumour destruction.

Importantly, this does not mean aloe or acemannan treats or cures cancer. What it suggests is something more subtle — that certain plant compounds may help support immune responsiveness when the body is under stress. Which means that the immune system starts to work correctly, because it’s identifying cancerous cells for destruction, by encouraging immune system surveillance for these cells.

From this knowledge I’m also now considering this as a treatment for other diseases where there is immune dysfunction. For instance reoccurring chronic infections (colds & flus, chest infections, UTI’s, thrush, bacterial vaginitis, even small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) & other gut issues.

Why not grow some aloe vera & add at least 1 Tbsp of the inner gel within the succulent leaf (also known as a blade) to your smoothies occasionally.

However I recommend following a process to remove the toxic latex. To see these instructions take a look at my full article:

Main Text. Feel free to style these blocks to your taste and move them around within the container. Also feel free to remove whichever you don't want to show up on the blog.

14/12/2025

BREAST CANCER PREVENTION TIP!
Can Switching Personal Care Products Change Breast Tissue Biology?

In 2023, a peer-reviewed pilot study published in the journal Chemosphere (known as the REDUXE study) explored whether reducing exposure to certain common cosmetic chemicals could affect breast tissue at a molecular level.

What did the study do?

Researchers followed 41 healthy women who regularly used personal care products containing parabens and phthalates — chemicals commonly found in cosmetics, lotions, deodorants, and products labelled simply as “fragrance.”

For 28 days, participants switched to alternatives free of parabens and phthalates. Researchers collected:
• Urine samples (to confirm exposure reduction), and
• Breast tissue samples (using fine-needle aspiration) before and after the intervention.

What did they find?

After four weeks, researchers observed:
• Significant reductions in paraben and phthalate metabolites in urine, confirming that exposure dropped quickly.
• Changes in gene expression within breast tissue, shifting away from patterns associated with cancer-related pathways, including PI3K-AKT/mTOR, which plays a role in cell growth, survival, and hormone signalling.

Importantly, these women did not have cancer. The findings relate to cellular and molecular patterns, not disease diagnosis.

What this study does prove

✔️ It shows that everyday chemical exposures can change quickly when products are swapped.
✔️ It demonstrates that breast tissue responds at a molecular level to changes in environmental exposure.

Which chemicals were involved? EDCs (endocrine disrupting chemicals)

This study specifically focused on:
• Parabens (e.g., methylparaben, propylparaben)
• Phthalates (e.g., DEP, DBP — often hidden under “fragrance”)

Why does this matter?

Parabens and phthalates are known as endocrine-active chemicals, meaning they can mimic or interfere with hormones like oestrogen. Hormones play an important role in breast tissue biology, and oestrogen dependent cancer.

💚 The takeaway

Choosing cleaner personal care products isn’t about fear — it’s about informed choice, precaution, and supporting your bodies health & function.

Shine bright, Nic

12/12/2025

Give the Gift of Relaxation & Profound Healing this Christmas
I have massage and consultation gift vouchers available!

Sometimes finding the perfect gift for someone can be difficult.

Consider offering a voucher where the client can choose whether they want a massage to unwind, relax or release tight muscles, or perhaps a consultation to assist them in keeping their intentions for 2026 moving forward.

Simply message me to get the ball rolling.

Thanks Emma for the recent gorgeous Google Review of my skills below! You made my day!

Do you want to do your own Google Review of your massage or consultation with me? Thank you! https://share.google/GnIWHn5238Ljmr1da

02/12/2025

Police can now name the man who was killed on St Aubyn Street in New Plymouth on 19 November. He was Martin James Mooney, aged 68, from New Plymouth (pictured here).

A man charged with Mr Mooney’s murder has been remanded in custody, to appear in New Plymouth High Court on 5 December.

The investigation into Mr Mooney’s death is ongoing and Police would like to hear from any potential witnesses who they have not yet spoken to.

02/12/2025

HERBAL RECIPE: GINGKO PESTO!

Pesto is a brilliant vehicle for not only getting a diverse range of culinary herbs into us (basil own its own is boring in my world!) but also medicinal herbs! So why not Ginkgo biloba!

Ginkgo leaf has been used therapeutically for improving circulation to the brain, enhancing memory and cognitive function. For these reasons, I especially use it for brain fog, some symptoms of long covid, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, dementia, and menopause brain drain with oestrogen decline.

Why not forage some green ginkgo leaves for this lovely rich pesto with therapeutic benefits. Fills a 500ml jar.

Ingredients
3 cups freshly picked ginkgo leaves stalks removed (or you can do a mixture of pesto and other culinary herbs for instance basil, coriander, or even parsley for more of a chimichurri type sauce)
1 heaped tablespoon white miso
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 heaped cup raw cashews (or another seed/nut, mixtures are good too)
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:
Layer the ginkgo leaves, miso, nutritional yeast, salt and cashews in a food processor, with the leaves at the bottom.
Quickly pour the olive oil down the chute as the motor runs. Process till just combined and still a little chunky.
Transfer to a 500ml glass jar, pour a little extra olive oil over the top to cover to keep the colour bright.
You can also freeze in portions.
Tap on a hard surface to remove any air bubbles, cap and store in the fridge.

Thanks New Zealand Association of Medical Herbalists for this recipe!

Shine bright,
Nic

28/11/2025

LISTENING TO THE MESSAGES YOUR BODY GIVES YOU
I’ve spent 20 years teaching clients & naturopath students & graduates that your body is constantly in communication with you. It lets you know what food it likes, when it’s out of balance, it shows symptoms of deficiency and excess.
Sometimes the body shares its truth with a whisper & other times with a roar.
And when you understand your body’s language, you can finally work with it — not against it, to create a level of holistic wellness that is profound.
My recent experiment:
Recently I’ve been deepening into my listening. I’ve been asking my body what are my yes & no signals in many areas of life.
I’m curious to hear more about what my body thinks of all kinds of daily decisions. Does this friendship feel good? Would leaning into this new direction feel warm? Does my tummy want to eat this food or another choice? Does my body like touch from this person? Do these clothes feel soothing or empowering or feminine and what feels right today? Do i have capacity to exercise, garden or work or do i need to rest?
I realised that there have been many times in my life when I’ve over ridden my bodies signals. When I’ve ignored its cries of pain. When I’ve allowed a person in my field that didn’t feel right because I was yearning for a dream. Or when I’ve fed it something out of reward or to numb out instead of choosing what it actually wanted.
I think women are taught to ignore their instincts. To ignore their wisdom. To be good girls & not offend anyone. Instead of saying No. I don’t like that.
So we keep self abandoning and wondering why we’re unhappy, exhausted, unsatisfied and bloody angry.
I wonder what would shift in this world if we gave ourselves time to ask our bodies wisdom - what do you feel about this?
If we taught our daughters to listen to their bodies and not override it’s messages?
So how do you learn what your bodies yes & no feels like?
Here is a process that might serve you.
Think of a decision you made that you felt good about. What did it feel like in your body? Where in your body do you feel the sensation? Is it hot or cold?
Then think of a decision you were unhappy about. Do the same process.
Now ask a question you’ve been pondering and see what you notice.
Practice this with all sorts of big & small decisions and see what flows from this approach.
I’d love to hear what people feel in their bodies when it’s a yes or no as it might assist others too!
Shine bright, Nic

27/11/2025

Probiotics as Anxiolytic Support? The Evidence Says Yes

A recent study (1) reported that individuals consuming probiotic-rich foods experienced significantly lower anxiety severity, with the effect being particularly notable in men. Researchers described probiotics as “promising anxiolytic agents” due to their ability to increase key neurotransmitters such as GABA and serotonin—both central to mood regulation.

GABA is a neurotransmitter that makes us feel calm & balanced, which has a direct impact on anxiety. Serotonin is primarily produced in the gut (around 90%) and it is our feel good neurotransmitter, which gives a sense of stability, positivity & stress resilience. So you can see how important these fermented foods with their Lactobacillus species are for emotional health!

A 2024 Systematic Review across multiple trials found that Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species demonstrated prominent efficacy in supporting individuals with anxiety symptoms (2). Whilst you can get some species of Bifido in ferments it’s less than that Lactobacillus, however if you make your own yoghurt & add Bifido species you will innoculate your gut!

Here are some fermented foods & drinks to start regularly adding to your diet.
• Yogurt plain with Lactobacillus
• Kefir
• Kimchi
• Raw sauerkraut
• Kombucha, miso paste, pickled vegetables, tempeh etc.

These whole-food probiotics can be a gentle yet effective addition to mental-wellbeing protocols.

Timeline considerations - Many individuals notice shifts in mood or digestion within a few weeks, while more substantial changes may unfold over several months of consistent intake.

Caution: If you have reactions (gas, bloat, histamine symptoms etc) then work with a naturopath (such as myself) or nutritionist to work on gut dysbiosis or histamine issues. Some stool testing could also be advisable.

I hope this inspires you to add fermented foods into your diet each day!

Shine bright, Nic

Note: here is a company i regularly recommend if you dont want to make your own fermented foods & drinks - GoodBugs Or for my Taranaki locals shop Down to Earth Organics where you’ll also find true fermented kombucha & sourdough made by Franziska of Bumblebee! The supermarket kombucha isnt a true ferment as it doesn’t grow a scoby!

References:
1. Tae H, Kim T-S. The effect of prebiotic and probiotic food consumption on anxiety severity: a nationwide study in Korea. Frontiers in Nutrition. 2024;11:1385518. doi:10.3389/fnut.2024.1385518
2. Zhang J, Huang X, Xue M, et al. Strain-specific effects of probiotics on depression and anxiety: a meta-analysis. Gut Pathogens. 2024;16:46. doi:10.1186/s13099-024-00634-8 ndg haiha