The gut, menopause and insomnia

Depression in Menopause

The perimenopause includes a wide variety of symptoms, some that we hear a lot about and some that we don’t speak about so freely. I feel like depression is one of the latter: we hear about the hot flushes and the night sweats, but do we know about the mood changes that can accompany it, too?

Class + Menopause

Although my blogs are littered with free advice on how to deal with peri-menopausal symptoms naturally, I recognise that a lot of those options aren’t available to people in the working class because they aren’t free to implement. While I think most people don’t need HRT to deal with their menopause transition, people in the working class are more likely to struggle with anxiety, depression, exhaustion and hot flushes than more affluent people and therefore probably the most likely to need it and here’s why (Muir, 2022).

Vaginal Dryness in Menopause

I’m Kathie, medical herbalist, founder of Into the Wylde and expert in vaginal ecology. I’m here today on behalf of Forage Botanicals to talk about something that is still sadly counted as a taboo in our society: vaginal dryness. Vaginal dryness is one of the most common symptoms of vaginal atrophy. When patient of mine reports experiencing this they describe that it feels like a burning sensation or irritation. It can make penetrative intercourse painful, which can result in tissue damage. Overall, it often disrupts daily life and comfort. 

Hot Flushes in Menopause

A recent survey across five european countries found that hot flushes were ranked the most common symptom of the menopause, affecting approximately 85% of menopausal women (Constantine, G. D. et al. 2016) (Bansal & Aggarwal, 2016).

Christa D'Souza Menopause Interview

Christa is a British journalist, writing for the likes of British Vouge, The Guardian, The Sunday Times. She authored her book The Hot Topic in 2016 and more recently Menopause: The True Story in 2022. Her book on The Menopause is a fantastic look at a variety of opinions when it comes to menopause and how we can deal with it. 

Pregnancy Treating Thrush Naturally 

Thrush is a common problem during pregnancy. It’s caused by changes to the ph of the vagina allowing an overgrowth of Candida albicans, a fungal bacteria, and it’s totally normal. It hasn’t been found to have any long-term detrimental affect to baby or Mum aside from how incredibly irritating it can be!

Protecting your Fertility with Herbs

When I treat patients from menarche to post natal I always think about how to protect a woman's fertility. Not just for their ability to conceive children but for their ability to conceive ideas too.

Bleeding on the Full Moon

It's ok to bleed on the full moon. It doesn't mean you're not at your peak health. It doesn't mean you're un-natural. At most all it means is that you might feel more erratic, more irritable, more moody, if that's how you're already feeling. The full moon will energise whatever you're feeling.

Pregnancy | My Top 5 Herbs

One of the first things you learn when pregnant is a long list of things you shouldn’t do while pregnant. This includes foods you shouldn’t eat and medicines you can’t use. It’s hard to know what you can use and it’s easy to feel like there’s nothing you can do during pregnancy but soldier on. Here are some herbs I love to help women with during their pregnancy.