Alyssa Best Naturopath

06/02/2023

Over the last few months, I have been grappling with some challenging personal situations that have caused me to make the difficult decision to stop clinical practice for the foreseeable future. I will no longer be working at Nourish and Breathe and am taking some time away from naturopathy to focus on my health and my family.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me and to all the wonderful clients I have had the privilege of working with. Wishing you all a healthful and vibrant path forward.

18/11/2022

As summer approaches we can all feel the collective energy picking up. It’s exciting! That is unless you are spending days (or even weeks) every month curled up on the couch with a hot water bottle strapped to your pelvis, pumping pain killers to get through the day. Period pain can be so debilitating, it can stop you participating in your life in the way you want to. And despite what women and girls are told all our lives, it doesn’t have to be that way!

There are so many causes of period pain…hormonal changes, stress, immune dysregulation, inflammation from your diet or your living environment, digestive issues, cysts, PCOS, and of course endometriosis. Endo is so commonly misdiagnosed that on average it takes 7-8 years for a woman to get an accurate endometriosis diagnosis. 7-8 years of debilitating pain, excessive bleeding, bloating, exhaustion…this is not OK.

Are you struggling with period pain and want to learn more about ways to reduce or get rid of your pain? Do you want to learn more about your cycle and get into a flow that works for you? Book in a free 10min chat or jump right in and book a consult with me now!

Appointments are still available before Christmas.

21/10/2022

To all Naturopaths and herbalists (formal and informal) in the region. Come join us to celebrate the NHAA’s Herbal Medicine Week with a Spring and W**d Gathering! Join us for a gathering and herbal tea at Nourish and Breathe

Meet and get to know your fellow local naturopaths and herbalists.
Bring in what is growing on your land or local foraging areas if you would like to share. Connect with our plants.

We are looking to build a community of herbalists and naturopaths here in our Capital, to meet, share all things herbal, and support each other in our herbal crafts. Please come, we are looking to unearth all of the wonderful practitioners dispersed around Canberra, from students to the very experienced.

Details

When: Monday, 24th October, 6pm-7pm
Where: Nourish and Breathe, Studio 7 Building 3.3, 1 Dairy Rd, Fyshwick ACT. Take Entrance 1 on Dairy Rd, head to P3 - parking is free - next to the Yoga studio.
Please RSVP to actherbs@gmail.com

26/09/2022

Indeed

21/09/2022

Thanks to Renae for welcoming me into the Nourish and Breathe community. I am thrilled to be working at such an inspiring and healing clinic and apothecary. Come and visit us for a chat and a cuppa

WELCOME TO THE COMMUNITY ALY | NEW NATUROPATH FRIDAY APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE

Welcoming in new another wonderful practitioner into the N&B Clinic. The wonderful Aly has a wealth of experience in the Women’s Health arena, and brings heart felt compassion.

“I am passionate about improving the health and quality of life of women and people who menstruate. I work with people experiencing menstrual cycle dis-ease or disruptions to hormone balance, such as PMS, painful heavy or irregular periods, endometriosis/ adenomyosis, fibroids, PCOS, or perimenopause.
I bring warmth, compassion, and care to my practice, knowing that your health is a deeply personal story that deserves to be heard. Through using the core naturopathic tools of herbalism, nutrition, food as medicine, and lifestyle medicine, each consult with me will seek to address the root cause of dis-ease in a personalised, collaborative, and supportive way.”

Appointments can be made directly with Aly on 0410 374 700 or via www.alyssabest-naturopath.com

16/09/2022

Many years of my adult life have been defined by the experience of chronic and debilitating pelvic pain and endometriosis. Through years of bad healthcare, dismissal, poor communication, and inadequate prescriptions…pain, doubt, exhaustion, and struggle...I found empowerment through herbs and education. Learning about myself, whole and complete, my body, my flow.

I learnt to listen to what I knew, what I felt, to trust that I was the expert in my own self. This allowed me to navigate a complex health system and make choices that could help me get to better places.

Through all this I learnt the wisdom and power of plant medicines, and the traditions of naturopathy. Seeing each person as a whole, knowing that all aspects of health affect each other, and that our systems are geared to return to a place of healthfulness when guided. This taught me that my intuition about myself was correct, and I knew so much more than I was conditioned to believe.

Naturopathy invites each person to participate in their own healing journey, acknowledging that the wisdom of each patient is in their knowledge of themselves. When this is combined with the understanding and professional capabilities of a clinician it is a powerful healing combo!

Modern western medicine is a gift to us in so many ways that I continue to be grateful for, and there are some exceptional doctors and specialists out there who learn from and care for their patients. But when it comes to women’s hormonal and emotional health, there are many gaps that I have personally experienced.

A healthcare system that was built by men, for men, has done my menstrual cycle very few favours. So I take back my own power. I learn intimately about my own body so no one can tell me I don’t know what I am talking about.

I want to empower you to learn about yourself with greater intimacy, so you can know that you are the expert in your own health.

If you want to learn more, book in a free 10min phone call with me

02/09/2022

Spring is here, as the wattle and the hardenbergia flowers remind us. Time to start emerging from winter hibernation and embrace the freshness, clarity and bloom of early spring.

This time of year is a great opportunity to think about detoxification. This can mean wonderful things for our menstrual cycles! Hormones need healthy elimination channels to be able to clear out what we no longer need and regulate their rhythm and balance.

I look in my backyard and see cleavers growing everywhere, and dandelion starting to rise up. These two herbs are great support for our elimination channels. Cleavers is a lymphatic herb, promoting clearance of the metabolites and toxins built up in our lymphatic system while our immune system is working overtime through the cold months. Dandelion root and leaf helps our liver, digestion and bladder clear out toxins and improve digestive sluggishness.

Pick some cleavers for your morning smoothie, make an infusion of dandelion leaf or throw some leaves in those salads you’re starting to want to eat again. For the more adventurous of you, dandelion root can be harvested and roasted, brewed like a coffee or blended into chai.

Happy spring harvesting!

19/08/2022

I'm back from maternity leave, having spent a year caring for and getting to know my new little person.

I am in a new space out at the Dairy Rd precinct in Fyshwick, in the beautiful clinic and apothecary Nourish and Breathe. Specialising in women's health and all things menstrual.

I will be available for appointments on Fridays. Please book on my website or PM me if you are interested to learn more. I also have the option of a free 10 min chat if you would like to learn more but not yet ready to book. Get in touch if this is you

01/07/2021

Hello, thank you for visiting my page. I am currently on maternity leave and will not be checking this page while on leave. I will update this page once I have returned to practice.

Wishing you a healthy and kind year.
Warmly, Alyssa

31/01/2021

Exciting news! I have reopened for appointments at the wonderful Ambrosia Holistic Health in Cook.

I work with women/gender non-binary people who experience disruptions, changes or challenges with their menstrual cycle, for example painful or heavy periods (dysmenorrheoa, menorrhagia), fibroids, endometriosis, and PCOS. I also work with people going through changes related to menopause.

Part of our work together will be to nurture and support your emotional health and stress through these transitions and challenges, an often-overlooked part of the journey for many.

If this is you, please reach out to book an appointment. I am available on Mondays from 8am - 6:30pm. Please call, email or PM me to arrange a booking.

15/06/2020

I am temporarily closed for all appointments. I hope you are all keeping safe, and as healthy as can be. Kindly, Alyssa

01/03/2019

I’ve just been spending some time exploring The Red Cycle, an organisation that breaks social taboos and misconceptions about menstruation and periods so that women and girls can understand their needs and have a voice https://redcycleorg.wordpress.com/.

They also encouraged school girls in India to write poems about their periods…here's a couple of my favourites. So beautiful xo

05/10/2018

14/09/2018

Mmm, spring is here! I am celebrating by harvesting and infusing some of the abundance of cleavers (Galium aparine) that has arrived in my garden - this little herb always comes just in time for a spring cleanse.

It is an alterative, a lymphatic and an all-round tonic. This means it helps to clear toxins from the body, stimulate lymphatic flow to clear out all that garbage your immune system has been dealing with all winter, and to lift your energy and vitality for the spring burst.

Most people see this little herb as a w**d and throw it in the green waste with all the other unwanted plant bits. But it is, in fact, highly medicinal, and appropriately times its entry into your home just at the time of year you need it.To identify it, have a look at these photos, and if in doubt pull some out and put it on your clothes, it should be sticky like velcro.

Thanks cleavers for infusing a little spring into my day!

31/08/2018

Next Saturday 8th September, Illeso studio where I practice is having an open day to celebrate women's health week. If you have any interest in naturopathy and what it may offer you please come along and have a chat: free 15 minute conversations/advice sessions are available from 10-12pm.

I will be sharing the space with my fellow colleagues, Emma & Radka, who will be offering their shiatsu and homeopathic skills and wisdom. There will also be free 30 minutes classes in the studio space. Come along and have a chat, a cup of tea and a stretch/dance - should be fun!

To celebrate , is holding a Women’s Health Day on Saturday 8 September to showcase what our studio has to offer for your health & well-being.
FREE 30minute classes between 10am-1pm & FREE 15min consults for , & between 10am-12pm. Sign up on the day.
Saturday night ➡️ 5:00-6:45pm ➡️ WINEFULNESS with • $35 •
Sunday 9 September ⬇️
10am-3pm ➡️ Shiatsu Workshop • $150 •
4-5pm ➡️ Zumba with FiMi Fitness • $10 class • First Class FREE •

10/08/2018

"Healing is part of life and continues through death and into life again. It occurs throughout a person's life journey as well as across generations. It can be experienced in many forms such as mending a wound or recovering from illness. Mostly however, it is about renewal. Leaving behind those things that have wounded us and caused us pain. Moving forward in our journey with hope for the future and renewed energy, strength and enthusiasm for life. Healing gives us back to ourselves. Not to fight or hide anymore. But to sit still, calm our minds, listen to the universe and allow our spirits to dance on the wind. It lets us enjoy the sunshine and be bathed by the golden glow of the moon as we drift into our dreamtime. Healing ultimately gives us back to our country. To stand once again in our rightful place, eternal and generational."

*From “Traditional Healers of Central Australia: Ngangkaŗi”

I was reading this incredible book and came across this passage. A remarkable and wise vision of health and the journey of healing, one that places each of us in a bigger story. I hope it can offer some strength and inspiration to those who struggle with ongoing health issues - a reminder our health is a part of a larger whole

31/07/2018

Just brewed up a pot of echinacea, elder flower, and fresh ginger with thyme and calendula from the garden. A warming, immune-boosting brew for a windy winters day

10/07/2018

Two colleagues of mine are hosting this upcoming workshop series at Illeso studio in Aranda - an incredible opportunity to learn at the hands of two wonderfully skilled and compassionate shiatsu healers. Check it out!