The Natal Naturopath

In this week's episode I swapped seats and was the guest on The Science Of Motherhood podcast with Dr Renee White. In this episode, Dr Renee White from 'The Science Of Motherhood' interviews me about tips to address iron deficiency. We discuss the importance of early detection and prevention, highlighting the negative outcomes associated with anemia during pregnancy, such as postpartum depression,...

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a severe, and disabling extension of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). It is NOT the same condition. Although PMS and PMDD both have physical and emotional symptoms, PMDD causes extreme mood shifts that can disrupt daily life and damage your relationships.  PMS tends to have more physical symptoms while PMDD has more mood symptoms. These have very specific wind...

PMS (premenstrual syndrome) refers to a collection of physical, emotional, and behavioural symptoms that occur in the days or weeks preceding menstruation in many women. These symptoms are generally mild to moderate in intensity and do not significantly impair daily functioning. There are 5 subcategories of PMS I go through each subcategory, the main symptoms and pathways that drive those symptoms...

In this episode I go through why I don't believe TSH is enough when we are considering someone's thyroid function, what TSH is, what it does, how there have been calls to lower the upper TSH limit, why we need to see T4 and T3 levels to understand your thyroid, and how the meds even came up with the TSH reference range. Here is my ' Underactive Thyroid Webinar ' that I mention in this episode; it'...

In this episode I go through a week in the life of our family, day by day what our routine and schedule looks like.  We have an 8 year old, and 4 year old twins, my husband is a full time shift worker and I run a more-than-full time business - and here is how we have set up our week so that we can navigate and thrive within the busyness of our growing family!  I mentioned tried tips and tricks on...

A hormone you may never have thought to check in on - Prolactin.  In this episode I outline what prolactin does in the body, what it does to oestrogen, and how it can play a role in infertility or menstrual irregularities. I outline what are the causes of high prolactin, and what is considered high anyway? It’s not enough to know your prolactin is high. It’s necessary to find out what is DRIVING i...

In this episode, I discuss the main differences between the Mirena and the copper IUD - and what exactly both is doing within your body.  Topics mentioned: My favourite form of contraception and why, and what I personally use Hormonal vs non-hormonal contraception methods Copper IUD permitting natural ovulatory cycles Which of the two methods increase and decrease your menstrual blood flow What si...

There are four different types of PCOS, with different characteristics and symptoms, and different treatment approaches. I go through each one - Insulin Resistant PCOS, Post Pill PCOS, Adrenal PCOS and Inflammatory PCOS - and as a naturopath, how I treat them. Mentioned: - the testing you need to diagnose the different types of PCOS - causes and symptoms of each type of PCOS - what your hormonal b...

Male fertility matters, just as equally as females. And stressfully, following current projections, sperm counts are set to reach zero in 2045! After all, they are 50% of the baby. So infertility does not solely rest on the woman’s shoulders, nor does miscarriage or recurrent miscarriage. Sperm quality impacts early pregnancy loss odds significantly. Falling sperm counts in the last few decades ar...

In this episode I interview Laura Power, the founder of The Vertigo Co . Laura Power is a Vestibular Physiotherapist. She has worked within the field of Neurological Physiotherapy with a special interest in Vestibular Disorders such as Dizziness, Vertigo and Balance Impairment Topics discussed; What a vestibular physiotherapist is (I'd never heard of one before talking to Laura! vestibular migrain...

If you are someone who is taking an iron supplement, but finding after months of diligently taking it, your ferritin has barely increased - this is the episode for you. There is almost always an answer as to why you ferritin isn't increasing, and you just need to figure out which one it is ( or we can for you within an appointment ).  Mentioned: Forms of iron; poorly absorbed vs highly absorbed Pr...

Melanie interviews Steven Judge, clinical naturopath in Sydney (NSW, Australia) specialising in chronic digestive disorders and mental health.  After 8 years in private practice working alongside medical practitioners as a director at the first integrative and holistic medical centre in Australia, Steven has gained a vast amount of knowledge and experience in empowering his clients to understand t...

I get asked a lot over on Instagram, “what do you think of iron infusions, should I be getting one?” and it’s a lengthy topic with many things to consider - so here is an episode entirely dedicated to the topic!  The purpose of this episode is to help arm you with information so you can make your own informed decisions that feel right for you.  In this episode, I go over.. what the current guideli...

In 2018 was the year of my growing and birthing my twins - identical girls Hunter and River, and what a wild and tough pregnancy it was. I carried them to 36 weeks, 6 days - and they were huuuuuge healthy babies at 3.15kg and 3.69kgs. They both had their own placentas, and were still identical which is quite rare! In this episode I go through the entire pregnancy from start to finish, what struggl...

This episode is the one that fitness guru's on instagram won't want you to be listening to, and they certainly aren't talking about.  I’m really sick of seeing weight loss experts reporting weight loss is simply LESS CALORIES + MORE EXERCISE. It perpetuates the entire toxic diet culture. This is setting people up for complete disappointment, not to mention feeling likewhilst you are starving yours...

Scott and I are getting married in a few weeks, soooo excited! But also, deep within the budgeting and finances of organising a wedding.  Luckily, we were on the same page from the start about our budget which is considerably lower than what the average Australian wedding costs in 2023.  I go through all the things I would rather the spend the money on, when/if we have a baby together, as that's w...

Recurrent miscarrying is traumatic, devastating and almost always, preventable. If someone has had two miscarriages in a row, I believe it's time to dig a bit deeper starting with very thorough blood tests and a trained set of eyes. Recurrent miscarrying is a sign that something deeper is going on. More often than not, something comes up that can be worked on.⁠  In this episode, I go through all o...

Are you exhausted with a dash of overwhelm? Is your mind always racing? Going to bed wired but tired, and waking up exhausted? A constant mental load that never lessens? Go-go-go all day long? If a handful of these are true for you - there's no doubt you are sick of feeling like this. In this first episode of the new season, I go through why I paused the podcast last year, and how I was teetering...

The episode that EVERY soon to be conceiving, or pregnant mama should be listening to. What exactly are the differences between folic acid and methyl-folate? What does your body have to do to both of them? Why do some supplements use folic acid, and others methyl-folate? And why methyl-folate comes out as Queen in this debate, each and every time. Remember to give my podcast a 5-star review if you...

Post-pill acne is the flare-up of acne about 3-6 months after stopping the pill. It is the result of a temporary surge in androgens (testosterone). And it's bloody frustrating.  In this episode, Melanie discusses post-pill acne, post-pill PCOS, why pills like Yasmin are the hardest to come off, how does coming off the pill often cause acne, why establishing regular ovulation is key, and natural tr...