Healing Hands Natural Health Centre

15/11/2025

06/11/2025

Herbal medicine has been used for hundreds of years.
Up until the early 1900s even pharmacists relied on herbal tinctures as a primary form of medicine.
We have a collection of pieces from Emily’s grandfathers pharmacy that date back to the 1900s on display in the clinic.
Now, the Naturopaths at Healing Hands use traditional knowledge of herbs combined with scientifically proven knowledge to curate blends of herbs for each individual.

06/11/2025

03/11/2025

NEW BLOG POST

What is Functional Nutrition and how is it different from a regular diet plan?
If you’ve ever felt tired, bloated, stressed, or like your symptoms are being dismissed as “normal,” this one’s for you.

Functional nutrition looks at the root cause of what’s going on in your body like your gut, hormones, stress levels, sleep, inflammation and helps you heal with personalised food and lifestyle strategies.

No quick fixes (sorry, not sorry). No fad diets. Just your body, supported the way it deserves.

👉 Read the full blog here https://www.healinghandsipswich.com.au/blog/what-is-functional-nutrition
👉 Book a discovery call to get started

02/11/2025

🤯 Once again my mind is blown 🤯

New research has discovered that certain gut bacteria could directly improve muscle strength, independent of genetics, food and training!

In this fascinating study, scientists found that transferring gut bacteria from humans into sterile mice had powerful effects: some mice got stronger, while others didn’t, all depending on the mix of microbes in their gut. The mixture of bacteria associated with more muscle growth seemed to improve muscle-building signals like IGF-1!

This research highlights just how deeply the gut-body connection runs, reminding us that nurturing your microbiome could be one of the best ways to support energy, movement, and healthy aging. 🌿

Want to learn how your gut health could be influencing your strength and vitality?
👉 Book a discovery call today.

🍏 Emily 🍏
Certified Practicing Nutritionist and Metabolic Balance Practitioner

29/10/2025

Progesterone is wild. 🤯
It doesn’t sit still, but pulses in response to LH, rising and falling dramatically every 90 minutes! That’s fascinating physiology… but also a cautionary tale about lab tests.

A single “low progesterone” result might simply mean the blood was taken during a progesterone trough, one of the natural dips between pulses. It doesn’t necessarily reflect the full picture of ovulation or the health of the luteal phase, and can be less helpful than temperature tracking.

And progesterone isn’t the only lab value that can mislead:

• Ferritin — can be falsely high with inflammation or even a tough workout
• TSH — can be falsely low with stress, fasting, or biotin supplements
• Urinary estrogen — can be falsely low due to timing, dilution, metabolism, or the sample sitting warm (bacterial enzymes break down estrogen metabolites)
• Fasting insulin — can be falsely low after heavy exercise, too-long fasting, or assay variability

Bottom line:
Labs are just one part of the picture. 📸 The bigger story will be told by signs, symptoms, and (in the case of progesterone) temperatures.

Links to:
- the paper that mentions the 8-fold progesterone variability: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4436586/
- my article "Your progesterone story is bigger than a lab test." https://www.larabriden.com/your-progesterone-story-is-bigger-than-a-lab-test/

28/10/2025

👏👏👏
We’ve joined the Brisbane Bin Chicken Trail!!!

Isn’t he gorgeous!

Biggest thanks to sethius.art!

27/10/2025

Progesterone is a true shape-shifter and the most enigmatic of hormones. It's responsive, relational, and endlessly fascinating. And it can behave entirely differently depending on estrogen, gut health, the state of the nervous system, and many other factors.

• In the uterus, it can either enrich the lining or keep it thin and quiet.

• In the brain, it can calm GABA receptors or, in some women, stir anxiety.

• In metabolism, it both boosts metabolic rate and temporarily reduces insulin sensitivity as part of the body’s adaptive rhythm.

It also increases the body’s requirement for sodium, protein, rest, and basically everything. So, when you're making (or taking) progesterone, it will demand MORE of everything you need.

💬 Drop your progesterone thoughts or questions below, and I’ll bring them to Sarah E Hill during our Instagram Live this week:

📅 Friday, Oct 31st at 2 pm Pacific.

27/10/2025

NEW BLOG POST!!

What is Metabolic Balance and does it actually work?
If you’ve tried every diet, cut carbs, counted calories and your body still isn’t responding… this might be the missing link.

Metabolic Balance isn’t a diet.
It’s a personalised nutrition plan created from your blood results, designed to balance hormones, reduce inflammation and reset your metabolism naturally.

In my latest blog, I cover:
🍏 How the program works
🍏 Who it’s best suited for (hint: tired, inflamed, hormonally overwhelmed humans)
🍏 Why it works when other diets don’t
🍏 What you actually eat on it (yes, real food!)

📖 Read the blog here: https://www.healinghandsipswich.com.au/blog/what-is-metabolic-balance

💛 Want to know if it’s right for you? Book a discovery call. I’d love to chat.

25/10/2025

Of course, estrogen therapy can be incredibly helpful, and I take it myself. 💛 So, please take this post in the spirit it’s intended: as helpful nuance, not alarmist. Not an attack on estrogen. Not advice to stop. Just the bigger picture for women who are already at risk of autoimmune conditions. And possibly an explanation for those who have felt worse on hormone therapy.

A new study presented at The Menopause Society’s 2025 Annual Meeting found that estrogen hormone therapy was linked with a higher risk of autoimmune disease. That’s not surprising because estrogen can amplify immune activity, which is likely why autoimmune conditions are more common during the reproductive years.

Sadly (and typically), the researchers didn’t separate the types of hormone therapy: estrogen-only vs estrogen + progestin vs oral micronized progesterone (OMP). Natural progesterone would likely have a protective effect.

Link: https://www.contemporaryobgyn.net/view/hormone-therapy-linked-to-higher-autoimmune-disease-risk-in-postmenopausal-women

25/10/2025