In recent years, there has been a growing interest in gut health, and more parents in my clinic are seeking information about gut microbiome testing. In this article, we will break down the benefits of gut health testing, how it works, how to go about getting it done in Australia, and - most importantly - is gut testing necessary?

PANS & PANDAS can be incredibly challenging for families. While many parents start with conventional medical treatments, there's a growing interest in exploring natural PANDAS treatment options. Therapies such as nutritional guidance, microbiome biome support and herbal medicines can work alongside pharmaceutical or medical approaches to help manage and reduce symptoms, offering a holistic approach to your child's health.

Navigating the complexities of PANS/PANDAS can be daunting, especially when faced with puzzling symptoms that seemingly appear out of nowhere. In this second part of our PANS series, we dive into what PANS actually looks like in kids, offering a PANS/PANDAS symptoms checklist to help parents with the knowledge needed to recognise, understand, and navigate these complex disorders.

If you’ve ended up on this page I’m guessing you might have recently noticed some sudden changes in your child — perhaps increased anxiety, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, or unexplained tics — and you’re feeling confused. If you’re anything like many of the parents I see in my clinic, you’ve no doubt spent many hours trawling the internet in the middle of the night looking for answers. You may have come across the terms PANS syndrome or PANDAS disease, and wanting to know exactly what it’s all about.

Anxiety in children feels like it’s becoming more and more common, and I’m definitely seeing it more in the clinic. A naturopathic approach that looks at lifestyle interventions, dietary support and herbal medicine where needed, focuses on addressing the causes of anxiety rather than just masking symptoms….and if that’s why you’re here, I’ve got some ideas for you!

So you’ve got a fussy kid who only likes nuggets, or maybe you’re a vegetarian family and have a little one that doesn’t eat meat at all. Or perhaps you’ve even had some pathology tests done and been told that your child has low iron, and wondering what’s next? When you’re trying to boost iron levels, making sure your child has a well-balanced diet can be hard when the diet is limited or kids are fussy, so here’s everything you need to know. 

Low iron in children is something I see a lot in clinic. Sometimes it’s the main reason parents bring their children for a consultation; other times, it’s something evident in their pathology testing or symptoms. However, it’s not always as simple as taking a supplement to boost iron levels. It’s important to consider the underlying causes so that treatment is long-lasting and doesn’t progress to iron deficiency.

The sudden onset of tics in children can be a confusing and concerning experience for parents. While conditions like Tourette's and Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) include tics, research shows that various infections and traumas can also cause an immune reaction leading to tics, as seen in conditions like PANS. Understanding why these tics appear, potential triggers and how to support your child is crucial for their wellbeing.

Incorporating probiotics into your child's health routine can be helpful for supporting digestive and immune functions, provided that appropriate strains are chosen. If you’re trying to work out which product and strain is appropriate for your child, here are a couple of my favourites.

Gut Health is so much more than good digestion and healthy poo. Not a clinic day passes when I don’t educate parents on the connection between symptoms and gut health, or review microbiome test results to find imbalances, recurrent worms, parasites, or signs of poor digestion. And when it comes to a healthy gut the bacteria or microbiome is key!

Gut Health is definitely a hot topic at the moment, and the hype doesn’t come without good reason: The gut is the connection to so much within our body: our immune system, mood, cognitive health, hormone health, digestion, and detoxification, and in my clinic I love to dive deep on all things gut. Here’s why!

In a world saturated with supplements and wellness products, it can be difficult to distinguish between evidence-based solutions and mere marketing hype. Many supplements claim to offer miraculous benefits, but how do we separate fact from fiction? Read on to decipher the mysteries of evidence-based supplementation.

As the weather is getting cooler and the sniffles are coming thick and fast, more and more conversations in the clinic have been around supporting immune function for both big and little people. The good news is there are lots we can do through diet and lifestyle to improve our immune system!