This week we celebrate Natural Medicine Week and I’ll be sharing stories about me, my practice and the benefits of natural medicine. In this article, I share what natural medicine is, types or modalities of natural medicine, the principles of natural medicine and why I love being a natural medicine practitioner.

Get a group of professionals together around a meeting room table, coffee cup in hand, waiting for the last attendee to arrive (irritatingly late) and inevitably they will start to talk about how busy and stressed they are. Project deadlines, home life, kids school activities, pet vet visits, just stuff, is all coming at them thick and fast. Talking about it and sharing in each other’s stress stories seems to be somewhat cathartic, so given half a chance, the stress stories start to surface. You know. You've been there; possibly earlier on today. But could all that stress be setting you up to be an easy target for the next round of office viruses?

Some people are generally susceptible to upper respiratory infections (URI's) and they are one of the most common forms of infection around.  URI's include the common cold, allergic rhinitis and rhinosinusitis, pharyngitis, epiglottitis and tracheobronchitis.  This kind of infection can be caused by both viruses and bacteria.  When you have conditions where you have high exposure to respiratory pathogens and airborne toxins, for example from bushfires and smoke drift, along with acute or chronic stress, then you have a recipe for higher and more severe incidents of URI's and aggravated allergies.

Two career transitions, a university degree, a bucket load of contracts, international travel, a new business and (my favourite thing of all) becoming a grandmother.

This naturally caffeine-free tea is great to fight off the effects of winter coughs and colds, menopause, stress and signs of aging. What culinary herb do so much? Read on to find out.

Stress.  It’s a term we are all too familiar with.  Over time it has come to mean different things to different people; it is synonymous with mental pressure, but that's not the end of the story.

Stress is a normal part of life that is designed to motivate us, keep us safe and help us to learn and grow.  But it can also cause us significant problems.

Excess body weight and lack of physical activity is known to contribute to chronic health conditions.   Australia ranks in the worst third of OECD countries for obesity among people over the age of 15 with a whopping 63% of Australians said to be either overweight or obese.  And this trend is on the increase; back in 2004 - 2005, the National Health Survey indicated that just over half of us (54%) were classified as overweight or obese.  We have a growing problem (pun intended).

Aaaahhhh, January. In December you offered so much promise of better things. We would eat better, take better care of ourselves and make time for the things we love; at least that’s what we were telling ourselves in the never-never land that occurs between Christmas day and New Years day.

Is it just me or did 2018 just rush past with a woosh leaving everyone wondering where the year went?