Healthy Living Naturopath

10/02/2026

Special Guest at Butterfly Blue Massage – February 25th ✨

We’re excited to welcome Tracey Cook of The Breast Wellness Studio to Butterfly Blue Massage on February 26th for Breast Thermography Sessions 💗

Tracey is deeply passionate about proactive breast health and helping women understand why breast changes occur, long before disease develops. Her approach focuses on early functional changes, inflammation, circulation, and lymphatic health, offering women empowering insight into their breast wellness journey.

Breast thermography is a gentle, non-invasive way to monitor changes in breast tissue, especially helpful for dense breasts and ongoing wellness tracking.

📅 Date: February 25, 2026
📍 Location: Butterfly Blue Massage
📩 Interested or want more information? Please contact me directly to learn more or to reserve your session. Limited Appointments Available.

Early awareness, education, and whole-body support truly matter 💕

10/02/2026

One of the healthiest boundaries during cancer? You don’t have to explain yourself.

Truly. You don’t owe anyone your medical history, your treatment schedule, or an emotional breakdown just because life looks different right now.

Sometimes a boundary is as simple as:
• “I’m tired.”
• “I’m not up for that today.”
• “I need a quiet day.”

And that’s it. No follow-up. No justification.

Cancer affects everything — energy, focus, emotions, nervous system, body reserves.

So when something feels like too much… it usually is.

Some people may struggle with the changes in you. That’s okay. Not everyone is meant to have unlimited access to your time, energy, or healing space.

Protecting your peace isn’t selfish.
It’s part of your recovery. 💚

What’s one boundary you’re gently learning to honour right now?

09/02/2026

Compression Legs & Chemotherapy

Why supporting your lymphatic system matters — before and during treatment!

When preparing for chemotherapy, most people focus on medications and schedules.

But one of the quiet heroes of treatment support is your lymphatic system.

Compression leg therapy is a gentle, non-invasive way to support lymphatic flow — and it can be incredibly beneficial both before chemotherapy begins and throughout treatment.

BEFORE: Using compression legs prior to treatment can help:
• Encourage healthy lymphatic drainage
• Reduce existing fluid congestion
• Support detox pathways
• Improve circulation and tissue oxygenation
• Prepare the body for the metabolic load ahead

Think of it as clearing the drains before a big storm!

DURING: During treatment, compression therapy may help:
• Reduce swelling and heaviness in the legs
• Support toxin clearance
• Ease fatigue and that “heavy body” feeling
• Support immune and lymphatic function
• Promote relaxation of the nervous system

Sessions are gentle, rhythmic, and deeply calming — perfect for bodies doing hard work behind the scenes.

The lymphatic system doesn’t have a pump like the heart. It relies on movement, breath and gentle external support.

Compression legs help do just that — without strain, pressure, or exhaustion.

📍Always individualised.
📍Always supportive — never aggressive.
📍And always alongside your medical care team.

If you’re preparing for chemotherapy, currently in treatment, or supporting recovery — your lymphatic system deserves some love too 💚

DM us or book a session to see if compression therapy is right for you.
www.lovehealthylivin.com.au
Tel: 0437 960 160

08/02/2026

Gas Is Not Normal - So let’s clear this up once and for all.

Bloating and gas aren’t just “part of digestion.”

They’re signs that food is fermenting instead of digesting.

When digestion is strong → food breaks down smoothly.

When digestion is weak → bacteria feast → gas forms.

So no, it’s not “just sensitive guts.”
It’s undigested food waving a red flag 🚩

I love healing with food and this food combo supports the digestive process — not just symptoms:

🍌 Banana
• Gentle fuel for digestion
• Soothes the gut lining
• Feeds good bacteria, not the gas-producing kind

🌱 Fennel + Ajwain (carom seed)
• Traditional digestive carminatives
• Reduce fermentation & gas
• Support stomach acid and enzyme activity

🫚 Ginger
• Activates digestive fire
• Improves stomach emptying
• Reduces nausea and heaviness

🥝 Kiwi
• Contains actinidin (a natural digestive enzyme)
• Helps break down protein
• Supports regular bowel movement

🥒 Cucumber
• Hydrating and cooling
• Supports bile flow
• Helps reduce inflammatory gut heat

🍋 Lemon
• Stimulates stomach acid
• Signals the liver and gallbladder
• Helps food actually digest instead of sit and ferment

Gas isn’t something to suppress.
It’s something to listen to.

Your body isn’t failing you —
it’s asking for better digestion, not bandaids.

Digest first.
Absorb second.
Heal naturally.

From The Healthy Living Naturopath 💚

05/02/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1GLV49sqL1/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Why does breast cancer occur?

Breast cancer does not have one single cause.

It develops when breast cells undergo changes over time and begin to grow in an uncontrolled way. These changes are often influenced by hormones, inflammation, genetics, lifestyle, and breast tissue environment — sometimes years before a lump appears.

Common contributing factors:

🌸 Hormonal influences

* Long-term oestrogen exposure (early periods, late menopause)
* Hormone replacement therapy
* Oestrogen dominance and impaired hormone clearance

🌸 Genetic factors

* Family history of breast cancer
* Inherited gene mutations (e.g. BRCA1 / BRCA2)

🌸 Age

* Risk increases with age — but younger women are increasingly affected, especially with inflammatory patterns

🌸 Reproductive factors

* Late pregnancy or not having children
* Not breastfeeding

Breast tissue & inflammatory factors

* Dense breast tissue
* Previous breast conditions
* Chronic inflammation
* Lymphatic congestion
* Reduced circulation and oxygenation

Most women diagnosed with breast cancer do NOT have a family history.

That’s why breast health isn’t just about finding cancer —
it’s about monitoring changes early, long before disease develops.

At The Breast Wellness Studio, we focus on early functional changes, not just late structural findings.

🔸 Thermal imaging:
• Detects changes in heat, blood flow, and inflammation
• Is especially helpful for dense breast tissue
• Can be used earlier and more frequently
• Looks at patterns and trends over time
• Supports lymphatic and inflammatory breast health monitoring

🔸 Mammography:
• Looks for structural changes like masses or calcifications
• Often identifies disease later in the process

Should be used to identify - not as a routine procedure

These tools assess different stages of breast change — not the same thing.

Breast health is not a once-every-few-years event. It’s a whole-body, whole-life conversation.

✔ Know your breasts
✔ Monitor changes
✔ Support lymphatic flow
✔ Reduce inflammation
✔ Choose screening that suits your body

Early awareness saves lives — and peace of mind matters too.

03/02/2026

When you’re going through chemotherapy, your body isn’t just “tired” — it’s doing the hardest job of its life: breaking down toxic drugs, repairing damaged tissue, clearing inflammation, and trying to keep you upright and sane.

What a lot of people don’t realise is….

Rest alone doesn’t heal. Circulation heals.

And circulation comes from movement.

Follow me as I continue to unpack and educate the healthy healing aspects of this challenging journey.

03/02/2026

Most women don’t realise this…
Your breasts, chest, arms and upper back all drain through the lymph nodes in your underarms — called the axillary lymph system.

When this area becomes tight from:
• bras
• posture
• stress
• surgery
• trauma

fluid backs up into the tissue.

That’s when you feel:
• heaviness
• puffiness
• tenderness
• stiffness
• inflammation

This is why axillary release is one of the most important things you can do for breast and lymphatic health.

Gentle, slow underarm work helps:
• wake up the fascia
• reopen lymph pathways
• reduce swelling
• restore natural drainage

This doesn’t have to be a deep massage. In fact initially you may feel pain in this area so a light, intelligent touch that tells the tissue to soften and let go works best.

Your body already knows how to heal —
sometimes it just needs a gentle invitation.

30/01/2026

Fascia & the Lymphatic System Are Inseparable

Let’s work on understanding things more: Your lymph doesn’t flow through pipes.
It flows through space.

And that space is created by fascia.

Fascia is the connective tissue that wraps around every muscle, nerve, blood vessel and lymph vessel in your body.

Your lymphatic system literally runs inside this web.

When fascia is soft, hydrated and mobile, lymph moves easily.

When fascia becomes tight, inflamed, scarred or dehydrated, those spaces collapse — and lymph stagnates.

That’s why:
• swelling lingers
• breasts feel heavy
• pain shows up
• inflammation doesn’t clear
• you still feel stuck after “massage”

Because you can’t drain fluid through tissue that’s been compressed and restricted.

Real lymphatic work must always include fascial release — that’s what opens the pathways and lets the body finally let go.

Because you can’t drain what’s trapped.

28/01/2026

CHEMO Support Guideline.

Here is a little information I feel is extremely important to share for anyone going through the challenge

Chemo-Safe Gut Support for Diarrhoea

Digestive upset — especially diarrhoea — is common during chemotherapy. It can be frightening, exhausting, and depleting. The goal is calm first, nourish second, rebuild slowly.

This is not about detoxing, cleansing, or pushing the gut.

It’s about protection, hydration, and gentle repair.

Step 1: Calm the Gut (Short Term)

The traditional BRAT foods (which I know is mentioned in a lot if the support groups) can be helpful for 24–48 hours:

• Banana
• White rice or rice congee
• Stewed apple or applesauce
• Plain GF toast or dry rice crackers

These foods are soft, binding, and reduce irritation when the bowel is inflamed.

Step 2: Protect Fluids & Electrolytes

Chemotherapy-related diarrhoea depletes fluids, sodium, potassium, and magnesium.

Chemo-safe hydration options:
• Small, frequent sips of water
• Coconut water (diluted if needed)
• Weak herbal teas (chamomile or ginger)
• Homemade electrolyte water (water + pinch of sea salt)

Avoid icy drinks and large volumes at once — gentle and steady wins here.

Step 3: Rebuild Gently (As Symptoms Ease)

Once stools begin to settle, add nourishment without irritation:

• Bone broth or clear chicken broth
• Steamed carrot, pumpkin, zucchini
• Mashed potato or sweet potato (no skins)
• Poached chicken or soft eggs
• Cooked oats or rice porridge

Protein is important during treatment — reintroduce it softly and slowly.

Chemo-Conscious Gut Support - (Do check with your oncology team)

Often well-tolerated options include:
• Slippery elm or marshmallow root (gut-soothing)
• Zinc (short term, if appropriate)
• Strain-specific probiotics (not all are suitable during chemo)

Avoid:
• Harsh herbs and ines in alcohol
• “Detox” products including binding products normally used during detoxing
• High-dose antioxidants
• Anything stimulating gut motility unless advised

🌸 A gentle reminder

Persistent diarrhoea during chemotherapy must be reported to your oncology team. It can affect medication absorption, hydration, and recovery.

Supporting the gut is not a sign of weakness —
it’s a vital part of healing.

You deserve comfort, nourishment, and care during treatment 🤍

- The Healthy Living Naturopath 🌿

25/01/2026

When I was at uni I did my electives in Myotherapy and what fascinated me was the fascia that I had never heard of before. It is hugely important to our body movements including the lymphatic flow, so let’s dive in to how we can have you feeling and moving better through 2026.

Fascia & Flow: Understanding Your Lymphatic Highways

Fascia is the largest sensory organ in your body… and it is often missed in the movement process of our body.

Here it is in a nut shell:
• Fascia is connective tissue wrapping everything
• It holds nerves, vessels, lymph, hormones
• When it’s tight → pain, swelling, fatigue, restriction

Stiff isn’t normal. It’s information for us to process.

24/01/2026

Whole Foods = Real Healing

A recent clinical study found that a 21-day whole-food program led to:

✨ Lower oxidative stress
✨ Improved kidney function
✨ Reduced anxiety & stress
✨ Healthier gut bacteria

Participants followed a plant-based diet (then added lean protein) and used whole food supplements rich in polyphenols & prebiotic fibres.

The result?
Better detox pathways, less inflammation, and a stronger gut-brain connection.

This is why I always say:
Healing doesn’t come from extremes — it comes from real food, consistency, and supporting your body’s natural systems.

Your plate really does shape your health.

— Tracey Cook