Mediatrix Wellness Podcast

In this week's blog, I'm sharing with you one of my favourite soulful practices to access the wise one within… Finding and turning to your inner wisdom is a foundational aspect of what I teach. It may surprise you that this aspect of you is easier to tap into than you may have thought. It always blows me away when students share their experiences and how this connection has become an invaluable resource to turn to in their day to day, where they can find answers, comfort and guidance. I invite you to put 30 minutes aside, make yourself comfy, have a journal and pen next to you and press play on the meditation within this week's blog “You Have All the Wisdom You Need”. Links mentioned: - You Have All the Wisdom You Need - https://www.clarabailey.com/2021/09/15/inner-wise-one-meditation/ - Webinar - https://www.clarabailey.com/cycle-alchemy-webinar Stay in touch: - Newsletter sign up - www.clarabailey.com/signup - Instagram - @clarabailey__

In honour of International Thyroid Awareness Month, I’ve dedicated this week’s blog to all thing hypothyroid (or Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis)

Fatigue is one of the most common presentations I’ve seen in my clinical practice. It’s also a condition that is challenging to get a solid answer for from conventional healthcare. If you’re feeling tired all the time, have no energy, are getting sick regularly and have been told by your doctor that there’s nothing abnormal, this one is for you! Resources mentioned in this episode: - For the full blog post visit: https://www.clarabailey.com/2020/01/13/tired-all-the-time-causes-of-fatigue/ - "Are you Burning Bright or Burning Out" holistic stress quiz: https://www.clarabailey.com/stress-quiz-cover - "Healing After a Season of Stress" free webinar: https://mediatrix-wellness.mykajabi.com/registration-page-stress-webinar - The Peace Protocol online course: https://www.clarabailey.com/peace-protocol

If I were to distil what makes a holistic approach to healthcare successful or not, it would come down to habits. The most perfect treatment plan means nothing if there is no system or structure in which to implement and ground it into the routines of our daily life. A big part of my practice as a naturopath has been to work out the best ways to help folks (and myself) develop habits that support health and to reduce habits that harm our health. Tiny positive shifts and 1% changes really do add in the long term and can catalyse much more significant transformations. I recently read the popular “Atomic Habits” by James Clear, and I was SUPER impressed. James masterfully gathers and distils the science and practice of habit cultivation and behavioural change. He neatly summarises what took me years to figure out plus some. To continue with the theme of mental health this season, I’d love to share some of the key ideas of the book. And share with you some ways you can gently tend to your mental health on the daily and perhaps inspire you to read the book in its entirety. If you’re a healthcare practitioner working in preventative medicine or someone wishing to align your life to healthier habits, it’s well worth the read for you too! To read the blog visit: https://www.clarabailey.com/2020/11/09/mental-health/

In last weeks’ blog, I explored the phenomenon of “generosity burnout” and how training ourselves to be effective givers (not sacrificial givers) allows us to remain buoyed and be able to help others in a meaningful way for the long term. I’ve come to see the “7 Habits of Highly Productive Giving” as a philosophy - but today I wanted to switch gears and get into some of the practicalities. How can we actually lighten our load? And, How can we do less and be just as effective? If you have been following my work, you’d know I’m a fan of simplicity, and it’s something that I’m always endeavouring to create. I would love to share two straightforward tools that I use myself when I’m feeling overwhelmed, and my to-do list is beginning to look rather insane. I’ve taken many a client through the process also, and there is a palpable lightness and relief in the room afterwards. Because they’re too good just to keep to myself, I would love to share them with you today also. To read the blog visit: https://www.clarabailey.com/2020/11/09/delegation/

Earlier in the year, I found myself nearing emotional burnout. I adore my work and am so grateful that a beautiful community of wellness curious folks have gatherers around my work. But with the horrific bushfire season, the pandemic, a full clinical caseload, teaching and transitioning my business entirely online...there were a lot of moving pieces! I’ve had many interesting conversations with friends and colleagues who are also in caring professions, and it’s been a collective theme we’ve been navigating. Often we gravitate to the helping professions because we’re naturally wired to be givers. “Helping others” is then profoundly ingrained in our training and in the way we show up for our livelihoods. But what happens when that deep wiring starts pushing you to the edge of burn out? How can you renegotiate the way you show up and serve that allows you to refill your inner wellspring? I’ve spent a couple of seasons doing some deep soul work and rethinking of how I structure the way I show up for my community, and I’ve been feeling so much better. One paper that helped me transform my thinking around boundaries and showing up was “Beat Generosity Burnout” by Adam Grant & Reb Rebel from Wharton University. It’s helped me create a structure that allows me to think about how I can make the most impact with the love and care that I have. If you’ve been feeling a little crispy around the edges from caregiving, I hope this summary and reflections may help give you some ideas of how you can begin to renegotiate this for yourself too. To read the blog visit: https://www.clarabailey.com/2020/11/11/generosity-burn-out/

2020 has been a year of change, challenges and pushing many of us to our limits. Us humans don’t do so well with rapid change, social isolation, and far-reaching uncertainty all rolled into one. I’ve had many, many conversations with loved ones, colleagues and clients about how our mental health is being tested like never before. My husband Orlando is a trauma psychologist on the frontlines, so our household hasn’t been short of stories of how trying these circumstances have been as a collective. While I’m not a mental health professional, as a naturopath and herbalist, I know how deeply our mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health are in entwined. We cannot separate them. And today, I would love to share with you a holistic model of mental health care that I have found both personally and clinically useful. It can help simplify the complexity, provide a natural order in what changes and interventions to try and (what I hope) are some soothing and reassuring words that you will come out the other side of this. You may even find that you feel stronger and more fortified than before. To read the blog visit: https://www.clarabailey.com/2020/10/30/anxiety-natural-approach/

Last week, I spoke about my favourite cycle habits that anchor my day, week, month and year within the unfolding cycles of nature. A cyclical way of life brings an incredibly nourishing cadence to life, and helps you work with your own energy more intentionally. As promised, here are some of my favourite resources and tools that are a beautiful on-ramp to understanding what a cyclical way of life could look like for you. They are practical, inspiring, beautiful and very easy to get started with. - Moon School Registration: www.clarabailey.com/moon-school - Download my free eBook Menstrual Cycle Masterclass: www.clarabailey.com/menstrual-cycle-masterclass-ebook - Read the blog: www.clarabailey.com/blog - Clara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/clarabailey__

My journey with the fertility awareness method began at 26, when I wanted a hormone-free way to approach my birth control. An unexpected by-product of carefully noticing my fertile signs each day was that I found a portal of awareness into other areas of my life that were following a cyclical rhythm. I began to see patterns change in my mood, focus, libido and many other elements—the ebb and flow of my being started to form a predictable pattern. These inner observations led me to discover the world of menstruality. As I started deepening into the mental, emotional and spiritual levels of the menstrual cycle, I found great insight and healing awaiting. Using this rhythm has become a way of life and organising principle for everything that I do. Today, I would love to share with you three of my favourite tweaks that can help you begin to anchor yourself in a cyclical way of life. You may like to be an eager beaver, and action, all these suggestions. Or you may wish to pick one and see how you find it for a cycle. Download my free eBook Menstrual Cycle Masterclass: www.clarabailey.com/menstrual-cycle-masterclass-ebook Read the blog: www.clarabailey.com/blog Clara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/clarabailey__

In last week's blog and podcast, I gave you a whistlestop tour of how root cause medicine is such an elegant way to address menstrual cycle issues. In this week's blog, I'm going to explore the other side of the coin; the energetic system called vitalism. Combining root cause medicine with vitalism has become a hallmark of how I treat menstrual cycle issues. If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you'll have heard me say many a time that a healthy menstrual cycle is a byproduct of good health. It cannot be seen isolated from the rest of your health nor your constitution. Vitalism goes beyond "this herb or this drug for that disease". It looks at your constitution as a whole and what your current imbalances are. Using the concept and language of the six tissue states provides an elemental language that we can use to understand the common threads between your body and your menstrual cycle. The language of nature is always the easiest to understand! Vitalism uses lifestyle changes, food and plant medicines to help that energetic imbalance come back into alignment. In today's blog post, I would love to show you how vitalism is such a powerful system to treat menstrual cycle issues and give you clues as to what your unique constitution may be. Download my free eBook Menstrual Cycle Masterclass: www.clarabailey.com/menstrual-cycle-masterclass-ebook Read the blog: www.clarabailey.com/blog Clara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/clarabailey__

A regular, symptom-free menstrual cycle is a byproduct of good health. Cycle challenges are a signal that something deeper is going on and requires your attention. Root Cause Medicine seeks to look at the common denominator that unites disparate symptoms to streamline, simplify and direct a treatment plan. Isolating menstrual cycle issues in a silo, unconnected to these other areas of health, is lazy medicine and leads to temporary symptom control. A regular, symptom-free menstrual cycle is a byproduct of good health. Cycle challenges are a signal that something deeper is going on and requires your attention. It takes 100 days for a follicle in the ovary to mature into an egg, ready to be ovulated. Cycle healing is a long game! Thinking about healing our body in seasonal time (a.k.a three-month chunks) opposed to short term thinking, is how we can get ourselves aligned to the mindset needed to re-correct hormonal imbalances. This longer timeline allows your menstrual cycle to reflect how your health is progressing. Seen in this way, your menstrual cycle is a faithful barometer of your overall health. Download my free eBook Menstrual Cycle Masterclass: https://www.clarabailey.com/menstrual-cycle-masterclass-ebook Read the blog: www.clarabailey.com/blog Clara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/clarabailey__

My grandpa, a navy orthopedic surgeon turned country GP, always said: “eyes, ears and hands should be the first tools of the physician”. It has always stuck with me. Medicine, and increasingly naturopathy, rely on lab tests to determine diagnosis and treatment. The thing is when it comes to hormones, testing has many limitations: - Hormone blood levels do not always match tissue levels - Many hormones follow a cyclical cadence and time of day surges - False positives and negative are common. - Female hormones vary in relation to ovulation (this is especially tricky for people with irregular cycles) - Cost and time involved In the spirit of my wise grandfather, I’ve put together some simple guidelines. These only need your sensing self to help determine if a hormone imbalance may be at play for you. See these as broad brushstrokes, then work with a practitioner to get an accurate diagnosis from there. Charting your two main fertile signs, cervical mucus and basal body temperature is my favourite way to understand someone's hormonal landscape. It allows us to get a very clear idea of what imbalances may be occurring, and then from there, inform further testing or adjustments you can make in your diet and lifestyle to help re-correct those imbalances. If you would like to start charting your cycle and beginning to see what your patterns are, you can download my free fertility chart bundle, which includes an email series that will teach you the basics of cycle charting: www.clarabailey.com/fertility-charts-bundle Download my free eBook Menstrual Cycle Masterclass: www.clarabailey.com/menstrual-cycle-masterclass-ebook Read the blog: www.clarabailey.com/blog Clara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/clarabailey__

Coming off the pill after long-term use can feel like a daunting task. You may be worried about the less than pleasant side effects such as acne, weight gain, hair loss or irregular periods (or no periods). Or you may already have stopped, and you’re experiencing several uncomfortable symptoms. If you're going off the pill to fall pregnant, you may be concerned about balancing your hormones and getting your fertility up and running ASAP. I've gathered together a checklist of how to safely and smoothly transition off the pill using diet, lifestyle and herbal remedies. For all women, you can stop taking the pill at any time. You will have a withdrawal bleed, and then the next couple of months will involve your body reawakening the pathways of hormone communication between your brain and your ovaries. This may only take a month for some women; for others, it may take longer. Remembering what your periods were like before going on the pill is the best place to begin. I recommend incorporating these suggested changes and remedies 6-8 weeks before stopping the pill - this will ensure the smoothest transition. If you have already gone off the pill, these guidelines still apply. If you would like to start charting your cycle and beginning to see what your patterns are, you can download my free fertility chart bundle, which includes an email series that will teach you the basics of cycle charting: www.clarabailey.com/fertility-charts-bundle Download my free eBook Menstrual Cycle Masterclass: www.clarabailey.com/menstrual-cycle-masterclass-ebook Read the blog: www.clarabailey.com/blog Clara on Instagram: www.instagram.com/clarabailey__

It's common for our culture to see men’s role in preconception as secondary to women’s. But when we understand how important their health and participation are, it can be a powerful way to invite equality into the conversation. Historically, our culture has not always included men in the preconception conversation. There is a growing awareness around men as birthing partners and paternal post-natal support, but there is a gap when it comes to preconception care despite them playing such a central role. This is well documented in the literature, and it's something that I've noticed clinically as well. We're seeing a remarkable cultural acceptance of shifting gender fluidity and gender roles. And I would love to see this happening in the preconception phase of babymaking. The health of men at the time of conception not only is vital for a healthy pregnancy but also has a profound effect on the health of future generations, their relationship, their experience of becoming a father and improved body confidence. I would love to see a broadening of what has once been considered "Women's Business" when it comes to menstruation fertility, and childbirth to a fluid conversation had within couples and their health care providers. Download your Holistic Preconception Checklist: www.clarabailey.com/pregnancy-prep-checklist Read the blog: www.clarabailey.com/blog

A new generation of women can reclaim the missing piece of women’s healthcare: using their own knowledge of their body as to when they can and cannot get pregnant each cycle. Knowing the best time to get pregnant has been made unnecessarily complicated. Aside from IVF and other artificial reproductive technologies (ART) there is a sleuth of products out there from ovulation test strips to calculators, to apps to salvia microscopes. Women intimately understanding their fertility just ain’t a good business model (for economic gains that is). It can’t be patented, commercially scaled or controlled. I now use fertility awareness as my method of birth control and teach any women who want to know about it (I’ve also written a number of articles on it too). Today I’m going to explore specifically how you can use knowledge of your high fertility window to maximize the chances of you and your partner conceiving. It is a very simple set of principles that has helped many couples conceive, even those with subfertility. Download your Holistic Preconception Checklist: www.clarabailey.com/pregnancy-prep-checklist Read the blog: www.clarabailey.com/blog

Folate, MTHFR, Preconception & Pregnancy Explained Folate supplementation is one of the first recommendations made by health professionals to any woman planning to have a baby or who is in the early stages of pregnancy. It’s a nutrient involved in many body processes. One of its most important roles is in the development of baby’s nervous system. When it comes to choosing a folate supplement, there are a lot of options out there. Many ask what the difference between folic acid and folate is and whether they can get enough in their food. So I thought I would wrap all up into one snappy podcast post for you. Download your Holistic Preconception Checklist: www.clarabailey.com/pregnancy-prep-checklist Read the blog: www.clarabailey.com/blog

There is much more to pregnancy preparation than folate alone! I've been buried in preconception research this past couple of weeks for my workshop, Nourishing Your Fertility. I'm in one of my favourite places when I can do a 360º immersion on a topic, cross-pollinate, distil, alchemise old with new, take research findings and transpose them into practical, actionable steps. I particularly love those moments when it all really comes down to a handful of robust strategies that cover the most amount of bases. If you and your partner were to do just 3 things to make it much easier for you to become pregnant and reduce the risk of miscarriage and birth defects, they would be: 1. Adopt the Mediterranean Diet as your nourishment system of choice. 2. Take a GOOD QUALITY prenatal multivitamin that includes sufficient iodine, zinc, selenium, methyl folate, vitamin B12, and vitamin D. 3. Learn how to identify your fertile window via your cervical fluid.

Holistic preconception care prepares your body, mind, and spirit to bring a new human into the world. When approached with intention it can be a powerful way to nurture your whole family’s wellbeing with compassion and thoughtfulness. It's an area of healthcare that is not given enough time and attention; however, it's well documented to have significant impacts on the health of both baby and mum, as well as the relationship dynamics in which the baby is being born into. It takes approximate 100 days for eggs and sperm to go through a full maturation cycle; thus, this is the guiding timeline for a holistic preconception plan. Holistic preconception recognises that because each partner donates only one cell to a potential baby, both partners must be doing the work as a team. Remember, it's equally important to prepare yourself biologically as well as spiritually so you're in the strongest and healthiest place to bring a new human into the world. I see holistic preconception as encompassing six primary areas so that you're providing the best ingredients possible to create a new life. I hope this framework allows you to reflect on what areas of your life, health and relationship are asking for your gentle attention to. Download your Holistic Preconception Checklist: www.clarabailey.com/pregnancy-prep-checklist Read the blog: www.clarabailey.com/blog

The Spiral path can feel unattainable in its ambiguity, out of reach with its mystical riddles, feel too grand and big and epic for one human being to take on. This is where the faithful guide of your menstrual cycle can come to your aid. It's a midwife to your body and soul, and within it, it contains all processes of birth, death and rebirth. It contains seasons of decay, growth, fulfilment and loss. Your menstrual cycle offers you an opportunity every cycle to step through the threshold of the 13th step into the unknown. When approached with a conscious attitude, you can approach even the most intimidating mountains with the knowledge that cycle by cycle, you can take one step at a time. By becoming aware of your inner experience throughout your cycle, you will begin to see a map that was invisible before. Your curiosity will be attuned to catch the cues that ask you to tend and befriend what is going on within instead of reacting with dread, fear, shame or embarrassment that instinctively makes you want to numb, hide and forget. When this awareness is unveiled, welcomed and nourished, a shift occurs, and you're able to develop a deeper relationship between your body and your mind. You're able to align your will to the service of the wisdom of your heart. You learn to seek refuge and stillness in the depths of chaos instead of being overwhelmed by it.   Read the blog post: https://www.mediatrixwellness.com.au/chaos-surrender-menstrual-cycle/

Navigating Chaos & Surrender Through Your Menstrual Cycle by Clara Bitcon Bailey

Gender bias in medical care is real— it’s disempowering and entirely unnecessary. Our current medical paradigm is failing women by seeing the female body as problematic, defective, out of control and needing constant supervision, regulation and rescuing. This is clear in the domain of reproductive health. Puberty, birth control choices, conception, pregnancy, birth and menopause, are too often over-medicalized. It’s rarely questioned when a doctor says that this pill/procedure/device/intervention is the best option. We live in wonderful, yet challenging times. No matter how new age or free-thinking we are, the fact of the matter is we’re influenced by our culture - and our current culture is still stuck in old paradigm thinking. If you’d like to learn more about your menstrual cycle and fertility, I have a special free mini-course called Cycle Alchemy. Sign up over here: https://moonschoolcourse.com/cycle-alchemy

Ovulation is the main event of the menstrual cycle and fertility. You cannot have a true period without ovulation. It is what allows us to produce one of our main hormones, progesterone. The hormones involved in ovulation have mental, emotional, and spiritual effects on our beings. By understanding what these are, you can leverage them in your everyday life. You also can be forewarned to the challenges that can present themselves at this phase of the menstrual cycle. I'm also going to share my favourite naturopathic self-care tips to make sure that ovulation is a smooth process for you.

In this week’s blog, I wanted to take a dive into the science of stress: what’s actually occuring in our bodies in both the short term and long term. And I’m also going to open up on my thoughts and observations of how stress can be used as a spiritual invitation to transform aspects of our minds and hearts. To read the blog that accompanies this episode, go to: https://www.mediatrixwellness.com.au/science-of-stress/

Urinary tract infections (also known as UTIs) are one of the most common infections women experience. It is also one of the most common presentations to doctor’s offices. They are unpleasant and if not treated, can lead to much more serious problems. It astounded me the number of antibiotic scripts we filled for women suffering common UTI from my time working in an integrative pharmacy. Whilst some situations require antibiotics, they are not needed for all.

The old saying “you are what you eat” is very true in many regards, however, “you are what you absorb” is truer still. If our digestive system is not functioning properly, many of the healthy nutrients that we consume cannot be broken down and absorbed into our bodies. Modern living involves many factors that can disrupt the optimal functioning of the digestive system and our microbiomes.

Period pain has plagued women for centuries. A rather unfair tax paid for being life creating creatures! What a lot of women assume is that it is normal. That it is a necessary part of being a menstruating woman that needs to be endured. But it's not and there are plenty of ways to support your body so that your periods are not a time of dread and pain, but one of rest and replenishment.

Natural Family Planning is one of the most simple, powerful and overlooked aspects of preconception preparation. The beauty of it is you can use it as a mode of birth control before trying to conceive and then return to it throughout your entire childbearing years. It’s often overlooked by mainstream medicine, and it’s a skill that every woman has the right to know. The way we use our knowledge of our fertility allows us to choose when we’d like to conceive, and when we don’t.

I walk a sensitive line in my work as a naturopath when it comes to food. I help people to heal chronic illnesses through the healing virtues of food, but in a cultural environment when there are so many stigmas and hangups around body image and “diet” it can quickly become a minefield to navigate. In recent years I’ve realised that as a clinician, I hold a significant amount of responsibility to help people heal their relationships with food and foster a love for their body whatever their size or shape, not push wellness pin-up ideals. I’d love to share what I’ve learned so far in dismantling this as both a clinician and as a 30-year-old woman who has grown up in a culture obsessed with skinniness.