Renée Mitchell: Nutritional Therapist

29/10/2025

🦴☀️ Vitamin D Deficiency & Back Pain Explained Simply

If you often have neck or lower back pain without any injury, one possible reason could be low Vitamin D levels.

Vitamin D is very important for keeping your bones and muscles strong. When your body doesn’t get enough of it, your bones become weak and your muscles lose strength. This can lead to pain, stiffness, and muscle spasms, especially in the neck and back area.

💡 How it happens:

Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, which keeps your bones healthy.

Without enough Vitamin D, your bones may get soft and weak — a condition called osteomalacia.

Weak bones and muscles can press on nerves, causing dull or aching pain.

Low Vitamin D can also lead to inflammation in your body, making pain worse.

Some studies show that Vitamin D helps control pain signals — so when it’s low, you might feel pain more easily.

If you already have joint problems or arthritis, Vitamin D deficiency can make your pain feel stronger and slow your recovery.

🌞 Tip: Spending some time in sunlight, eating Vitamin D–rich foods (like eggs, fish, and milk), or taking supplements can help improve your levels and reduce pain.

28/10/2025

Some thought provoking gems regarding your sleep 😴 How is the architecture of your sleep based on these 4 macro’s?

26/10/2025

This might shock you… but cholesterol is essential for life, and the war against it has been driven more by Big Pharma profits than science.

The truth is that 50% of people who suffer heart attacks have normal or low cholesterol.

It's actually vital for hormone production, brain health, and more. The “bad” LDL cholesterol narrative ignores the importance of particle size—small, dense LDL is harmful, but not large, buoyant LDL.

If cholesterol is something our bodies make, and it has a purpose, then why would we want to suppress it?

24/10/2025

The field of sociogenomics reveals how positive relationships influence gene expression, turning on genes that repair cells and turning off genes associated with inflammation and disease.

When you experience love and connection, your body releases hormones like oxytocin and endorphins, which calm the nervous system, lower cortisol levels (the stress hormone), and promote anti-inflammatory pathways.

These hormonal shifts signal your genes to activate cellular repair and longevity mechanisms. Even physical touch, like cuddling, can boost oxytocin and enhance your immune system.

On the flip side, chronic stress, isolation, or conflict triggers the expression of pro-inflammatory genes, accelerating aging and increasing your risk of chronic illness.

Love and connection are powerful for health and longevity.

09/10/2025

🔥 “Scars Hold More Than You Think”

The Silent Blockages Affecting Your Lymphatic System, Detox & Emotions

We often think of scars as healed wounds — closed chapters, no longer relevant to our health.
But what if I told you… your scars might be silently disrupting your body’s healing every single day?

This isn’t just theory.
It’s a deeply overlooked reality in both lymphatic health and emotional healing.

🧬 Scars = Blockages Beneath the Surface

When the skin is cut — through injury, surgery, or trauma — it doesn’t just affect the surface.
It cuts through fascia, disrupts lymphatic vessels, and can imprint itself in the nervous system.

As the body heals, scar tissue forms like glue. It binds. It tightens. It anchors.
And while this is necessary for wound closure, it often creates long-term stagnation in:
• Lymphatic drainage pathways
• Fascial flow and elasticity
• Neurovascular signaling
• Energetic and emotional processing

🌿 Common Types of “Stuck” Scars
• C-section or abdominal scars → Can block pelvic, digestive, and leg drainage
• Appendectomy scars → May affect colon motility and lymphatic gut support
• Thyroid or neck scars → Can limit vagus nerve tone and upper chest/cervical lymph flow
• Breast surgery/lumpectomy scars → Can congest axillary (armpit) and chest nodes
• Knee/hip surgery scars → May impair lower limb drainage and create chronic inflammation

You may feel fine… but your body remembers.

💥 Symptoms of Lymphatic or Fascial Blockage from Scars:
• Puffiness or swelling that won’t go away
• Tightness, pulling, or discomfort around the scar
• Poor digestion or bloating near abdominal scars
• Fatigue, brain fog, or a feeling of “being stuck”
• Emotional release or unexpected tears during scar work

Because trauma isn’t just held in the mind — it’s stored in the fascia, and it affects the lymph.

✨ How to Release the Scar and Restore the Flow:

Here’s the good news — scars can be softened, healed, and released.

Tools for Scar Healing:
• 🌿 Castor oil packs – to soften adhesions and improve circulation
• ✨ Red light therapy – to stimulate regeneration and collagen remodeling
• 🤲 Gentle lymphatic massage – to support drainage and decrease congestion
• 💨 Fascial release therapy – to unglue and rehydrate connective tissue
• 🪡 Dry needling or advanced scar release techniques – only by trained professionals
• 🕊️ Emotional somatic release – especially for trauma-related scars

🧠 Final WOW:

A scar might be only a few centimeters long…
But it can block the entire flow of detox, emotion, and energy.

🌬️ Where lymph cannot flow, inflammation grows.
🌸 Where fascia cannot move, emotions get stuck.
⚡ Where trauma isn’t released, healing can’t complete.

So if you’ve tried everything — and something still feels “stuck” — maybe the answer is… your scar.

Let healing rise beneath the surface.
Because every inch of your body deserves to flow freely again.

09/10/2025

The Benefits of Morning Sunshine 🌞

Starting your day with sunshine is one of the simplest — yet most powerful — ways to improve your health.

Morning sunlight triggers the release of serotonin, the “feel-good” hormone that boosts mood, focus, and energy. It also helps set your circadian rhythm, telling your body it’s time to be awake now and to produce melatonin later for deep, restorative sleep.

Sun exposure on the skin stimulates vitamin D production, essential for strong bones, immune defense, and cardiovascular health. The early rays also activate nitric oxide, a molecule that relaxes blood vessels, supports healthy blood pressure, and improves circulation.

Best of all, morning light is gentle — low in UV intensity — making it the safest time of day to enjoy the sun without burning.

☀️ Step outside within 30–60 minutes of waking.
Bare skin, open eyes (no sunglasses), and 10–15 minutes of natural light can reset your body’s natural clock and ignite your energy for the day.

Live Well. Think Well.

07/10/2025

It is imperative that we recognise that physiological symptoms are usually a manifestation of unresolved emotions.

17/08/2025

Our kids are growing up in a world where food isn’t really food anymore. It is imperative that they learn to understand food labels in order to prevent chronic illness.

07/08/2025

We are closed for business on Women’s Day this Saturday, but we’re offering this amazing deal to all our special ladies for the rest of the week! 💕

28/07/2025

Renée’s Health Shop in Howick, stocks a variety of herbal supplements.

She advises that a holistic and natural approach to our health best supports our immune systems. It starts with simple lifestyle practises: getting sunlight upon waking, exercising, avoiding sugar and processed foods, supporting our gut, and eating immune-boosting foods.

📸 Shutter Storytelling

28/06/2025

Pegasus is available at Renée's Health Shop.

02/06/2025