Last Updated on 5 November 2024 by Brisbane Livewell Clinic
Women’s Wellness is an everyday topic amongst our Livewell practitioners, who all agree that preventative strategies and holistic healthcare are major contributors to Women’s wellness and wellbeing. September 6-10 is Women’s Health Week, which highlights improving women’s health and making healthier choices for Australian females. Since wellness is defined as an individual’s experience of overall life satisfaction, it takes into consideration physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social, economic, occupational, and environmental dimensions. (1) Clearly that counts for many ways that wellbeing can be influenced. For women specifically, disruptions that might also alter the quality of life include female reproductive and hormonal issues,(1) which can be affected by all of these dimensions.
What makes Women Unique
Since exclusively female health concerns are predominantly hormone-driven disorders, menstrual health is an integral part of overall health. Between menarche and menopause, most women in modern times menstruate more than 400 times. (2) The menstrual cycle creates the potential to disrupt women’s physical, mental, and social wellbeing on a regular basis due to experiences of pain, anxiety, depression and fatigue. Reproductive health is a hot topic when it comes to improving women’s health and is an area where many women seek natural and holistic treatment options.
When Hormones Go Haywire
Diagnosis of issues like endometriosis, uterine fibroids, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) can impact optimal health greatly. (2) Add to the list cancers impacting breast, ovarian, cervical and uterine tissues, as well as infertility and perimenopause, there is the potential for hormonal driven problems to appear at many different stages of life. Attention and prevention are two key aspects to help manage and mitigate these kinds of issues.
Prevention is Best Cure
Prevention of serious diseases like breast cancer is good motivation for women to make healthier choices like reducing alcohol intake and increasing exercise. Excessive alcohol consumption is a modifiable risk factor and is detrimental because it elevates the level of oestrogen-related hormones in the blood and triggers the oestrogen receptor pathways. (3) Replacing the time spent consuming those extra drinks with exercise counts for something, since physically active women have an average 25% lower risk of breast cancer. (3) Women often change their health behaviours in their 40’s – for the better – in the years leading up to menopause (known as perimenopause) and it’s a great time to do so.
Presiding over Perimenopause
Women who choose to take charge and make healthier choices at this time may actually find the transition into menopause a little smoother for a number of reasons. Fascinating research shows that beyond the hormonal shift, perimenopause is also a neurological transition state with the symptoms being largely neurological in nature, including thermoregulation, sleep, circadian rhythms and aspects of cognitive function. (4) While there may be no avoiding some symptoms at this life-changing phase, with the range of potential symptoms to combat, feeling empowered by better health choices can make a difference.
Prioritising your Wellbeing
Knowing when and why to approach healthcare providers at every age and stage for women is important. Conversations will differ in the teen years, 20’s and 30’s compared to over the age of 40. In any case, discussing reproductive and hormone health with a practitioner may reveal clues about ways to improve health and wellbeing. Things to discuss may include:
- STD check
- Breast examinations (including self-examination)
- Timing of pap smears (2 years or 5 years)
- Family planning and contraception choices
- Specialised testing of hormones
- Other types of screening including pelvic ultrasound and mammogram
- Preconception care
- Period health including pain, irregular cycles and abnormal bleeding
- Perimenopause and Menopause
Beyond a visit to your GP, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners are naturally women’s health advocates. Interestingly, a survey of Australian women who consulted with a naturopath or herbalist to improve their wellbeing reported positive health behaviours, protective of their health, including being less likely to smoke, more likely to report at least moderate levels of physical activity and use of a vegetarian diet. (5)
As always, your wellness is our priority, and we celebrate Women’s Health Week and our role to play in Women’s Wellness
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Our Amazing Naturopaths at Brisbane Livewell Clinic
Shella Hall (Sunshine Coast and online)
Amy Angus (Wavell Heights and online)
Jen Strachan (Cannon Hill and online)
Nicole Odlum (Wavell Heights and online)
Dominique Johanson (Wavell Heights and online)
Locations We Service – Naturopathy
Naturopath Caloundra
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Relevant Naturopath links
Why You May Wish to Consult a Naturopath
Gut Health
- Gut Health
- Solving Gut Issues by Treating SIBO
- Daily Ritual Gut Health
- 6 Digestive Problems that Cause Weight Gain
- How Stool Testing Helps IBS Sufferers Part 1: Digestive Markers
- How Stool Testing Helps IBS Sufferers Part 2: Microbial Markers
- Gut Health with Parasite Cleanse
- Natural Parasite Cleanse Australia
- The Gut-Brain Connection to Mental Health
- The Gut-Brain Connection: How to Feed Your Brain
- Controlling Constipation and Bloating
- How Stool Testing Helps Find the Causes of IBS and Other Digestive Health Problems
- Gut Health Brisbane
- Gut Health Specialist Brisbane
Hormone Health and Thyroid Issues
- Hormonal Health and Thyroid Issues
- PCOS and the Insulin Connection
- Identifying Insulin Resistance
- Looking at Luteal Phase Deficiency
- Experiencing Painful Periods? Here’s What Might Be Causing It
- When You Suspect You Have Thyroid Issues
- Subclinical Hypothyroidism: When You Suspect You Have a Thyroid Issue
- Thyroid Disorders from a Naturopathic Aspect
- Thyroid Health for the Winter Months
- Thyroid Disease: A Brief Guide to Common Disorders
- Naturopathic Thyroid Specialist Near Me
- Hyperthyroidism
- Hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s
- Thyroid
- Hyperthyroidism and Graves’ Disease
Detox and Cleansing
- Heavy Metal Toxicity: Strategies for Detoxing
- Detoxing Your Lifestyle, Not Just Your Body
- Heavy Metal Detox for Kids
- Naturopathic Detox Cleanse
- Naturopath Detox
- Do I Need a Heavy Metal Detox?
- Heavy Metal Detox Australia
Insomnia and Sleep Health
- Save Your Sleep with What You Eat
- Insomnia Linked to Mineral Deficiency
- Solving Insomnia: Naturopathy’s Five-Step Solution
- 5 Ways Insomnia Can Affect Your Life and What You Can Do About It
- Natural Treatment for Insomnia
- Naturopathic Remedies for Insomnia
Autoimmune Conditions
Mental Health
- The Gut-Brain Connection to Mental Health
- The Gut-Brain Connection: How to Feed Your Brain
- Treating Depression with Naturopathy: What You Should Consider
- A Naturopath’s Guide to Improving Mental Health
- Naturopathic Anxiety Medication
- Naturopath Anxiety
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): How a Naturopath Helps
Women’s Health
- Women’s Health
- Hormonal Imbalance
- Naturopath Women’s Health
- Women’s Health Week: It’s All About Women’s Wellness and Wellbeing
- Treating Vaginal Thrush the Natural Way
- The Lowdown on Low Libido
- Regulating Menstrual Cycles with Chaste Tree
- Painful Periods and Naturopathy
- Preventing Post-Pill Acne
Fertility and Pregnancy
- Pregnancy
- Pre-Pregnancy Fertility Care with Naturopathic Nutrition
- Fertility Naturopath Brisbane
- Acupuncture and Naturopathy for Pre-Conception Care
- Pregnancy Care and Naturopathy
- Maximising Nutrition Before and During Pregnancy
- Getting Quality Sleep in the 3rd Trimester of Pregnancy
- Pregnancy Wellbeing and Naturopathy are Great Partners
- Naturopathy for the Management of Constipation During Pregnancy
- Prenatal Naturopath
- Postpartum Depression and Anxiety
- Keeping Calm About Colic
Men’s Health
- Men’s Health
- The Sperm Health Decline
- Better Prostate Health with Natural Medicine
- Naturopathy and Men’s Health
- Support Your Thyroid Health Naturally
DNA Testing
- DNA Testing & Personalised Medicine
- DNA Testing Brisbane
- DNA Testing Brisbane, Australia
- Methylation Test Near Me
- Testing Functional Medicine
- Genetic Methylation Test Brisbane
- DUTCH Test Providers Near Me
Leaky Gut Syndrome
Food Intolerances and Allergies
- 7 Useful Strategies for Overcoming Food Intolerance
- Hayfever and the Gastrointestinal Immune System
- Food Intolerance, Hypersensitivity, and Allergies Explained
- Everything You Need to Know About Food Intolerance
- Food Allergy Testing Near Me
- Food Intolerance Testing Brisbane
- Food Allergy Testing
- Food Intolerance Testing
- Food Intolerance Testing Package
Weight Loss
- Naturopathy for Weight Loss
- Natural Weight Loss for Summer
- A Naturopathic Approach to Achieving an Ideal and Healthy Weight
- Intermittent Fasting: A Naturopath’s Guide to Success
- Weight Loss Naturopath
- Kick-Start Weight Loss: 5 Science-Backed Tips
- Combining Therapies for a Healthy Weight
- Naturopath’s Weight Loss Programme
Nutrition and Mineral Deficiencies
- Nutrition and Naturopathy: Healthy Diet
- Optimising Nutrition for Skin Health
- The Seriousness of Sugar
- The Importance of Mindfulness and Meditation in Natural Medicine
- Nutrition Deficiency: Visible Body Look Signs
- Helping Cardiovascular Disease in Women
- Sports Nutrition and Your Ideal Protein Requirements
- Creating a Healthy Diet for Good Health and Wellbeing
- Maximising Nutrition Before and During Pregnancy
- Nutrition and Naturopathy: Healthy Diet
- Combining Therapies for a Healthy Weight
- Intermittent Fasting: A Naturopath’s Guide to Success
- Iron Deficiency and Anaemia: When Things Go from Bad to Worse
- Naturopathic Medicine: What You Need to Know
- National Herbal Medicine Week
- The Role of Nutrition and Naturopathy in Wellbeing
Parasites
- Natural Parasite Cleanse Australia
- Parasites from Traveling
- Natural Treatments for Those Pesky Parasites
- Clean Your Body of Parasites
- Parasite Cleanse
External References
Naturopathic Care for Anxiety: A Randomised Controlled Trial PLOS ONE
Global Naturopathy Research as Reflected by Scopus (2000–2019) – Emerald Insight
Selenium and Naturopathic Treatment of Hashimoto’s Disease – PubMed
Global Strategy for Traditional and Complementary Medicine – World Health Organization (WHO)
Naturopathy for Mental Health: Approaches to Anxiety and Depression – Journal of Integrative Medicine
Naturopathic Research Resources – World Naturopathic Federation
World Naturopathic Federation – Naturopathic Research Resources
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies – Overview of International Naturopathic Practice and Patient Characteristics
National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) – Evidence-Based Naturopathy for Chronic Disease Management
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine – Naturopathic Research Capacity in Clinical Practice
PubMed – Clinical Evidence for Selenium and Naturopathic Treatment of Hashimoto’s Disease
World Health Organization (WHO) – Traditional and Complementary Medicine Strategy
Journal of Integrative Medicine – Naturopathic Approaches to Anxiety and Depression
National University of Health Sciences – Resources for Naturopathic Research
Cambridge Media Journals – Naturopathy in Clinical Practice Guidelines
The American Journal of Medicine – The Integration of Naturopathy in Chronic Disease Management
External Resources
– National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
– Australian Government: Department of Health
– World Health Organization (WHO) – Traditional Medicine
– National Institutes of Health (NIH) – MedlinePlus: Complementary and Integrative Medicine
– Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine (ARCCIM)
– British Medical Journal (BMJ) Complementary Medicine
– Australian Traditional-Medicine Society (ATMS)
– University of Sydney – Complementary Medicine Research
– Australian College of Natural Medicine
– Natural and Traditional Medicine Program at the Australian National University