The Holistic Garden

09/12/2025

🌿 Lymphatic Drainage Massage – 10% Off When You Book in 2025 🌿

If you’re feeling puffy, sluggish, bloated, or just not quite yourself, your lymphatic system might be asking for a little extra love.

My Lymphatic Drainage Massage is a gentle, soothing treatment designed to reduce swelling, support detoxification, ease inflammation, and leave you feeling lighter, brighter, and more energised.

✨ And for the rest of 2025, you’ll get 10% OFF when you book your session!

Book via Booksy

Perfect for:
💧 Water retention
🌸 Hormone-related bloating
🌀 Post-illness sluggishness
⚡ Chronic fatigue
😌 Stress + inflammation
✨ Or anyone wanting a deep detox reset

Book your time, come unwind, and let me work my magic 🪷
Your body will thank you.

📲 Book via Booksy or message me directly if you’ve got questions.

08/12/2025

🌿 What Is the MTHFR Gene and What Does It Do?

The MTHFR gene (short for Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase) is a gene that gives your body the instructions for making an enzyme involved in methylation — one of the most important processes in the body.

Think of MTHFR as a control centre for how your body uses and activates certain nutrients, especially folate and B vitamins.

🧬 What does the MTHFR enzyme do?

The MTHFR enzyme helps convert folate (vitamin B9) into its active form, called 5-MTHF.

This activated folate is needed for:

✔️ DNA repair & cell growth
✔️ Detoxification
✔️ Hormone metabolism
✔️ Balancing estrogen
✔️ Supporting pregnancy
✔️ Building neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine and GABA
✔️ Reducing inflammation
✔️ Lowering homocysteine
✔️ Healthy methylation
✔️ Energy production

Without proper MTHFR function, these processes can slow down.

🌿 Why does this matter?

If the MTHFR gene has a common variant (C677T or A1298C), the enzyme works more slowly.
That means the body may struggle to activate folate and B12 efficiently.

This can affect:

• hormone balance
• fertility
• mood
• detoxification
• histamine levels
• gut health
• energy
• inflammation
• pregnancy
• chronic symptoms

It does not mean something is wrong with you — it simply means your body needs nutrients in slightly different forms.

🌱 How common is MTHFR?

Around 40–60% of people have at least one MTHFR variant.
It’s incredibly common — not dangerous — and totally manageable.

🌸 In simple terms:

MTHFR helps your body activate nutrients,
clear inflammation,
balance hormones,
and support healthy brain + body function.

When it’s not working optimally, symptoms can appear — but with the right support, most people feel significantly better.

🌿 ✨ Exciting news for 2026! ✨

I’ll be offering DNA testing next year, including MTHFR and other key genes linked to hormones, gut health, methylation, detox and inflammation — so you can finally get clear, personalised answers about what your body needs.

💚 Come join me for deeper support

I’ve also set up a brand-new page
Emma Carmichael - Holistic Nutrition & Hormone Coach where I share even more in-depth support, education, and guidance around hormones, gut health, histamine, fertility and women’s wellness.
If you want more help, daily tips, or a safe space to learn, make sure you follow along there too.

I also.have my Hormone & Histamine Harmony- support & solutions group for more support.

08/12/2025

Do I Have Lipoedema or Just Cellulite? And How Can Lymphatic Drainage Help?

This is a question I get asked all the time — “Emma, is this cellulite… or could it be lipoedema?”
And honestly, you’re not alone in wondering.

Here’s a simple breakdown to help you understand the difference 👇

💛 Cellulite

Cellulite is extremely common (up to 90% of women!) and usually linked to:
• Hormones
• Genetics
• Slow lymphatic flow
• Reduced collagen
• Lifestyle factors

It often shows as that classic orange-peel texture on the thighs, bum, and hips.
For many women, cellulite gets worse with stress, inflammation, and poor circulation.

💛 Lipoedema

Lipoedema is a medical condition, not “normal fat,” and often misunderstood or missed.
Signs you might be dealing with lipoedema instead of cellulite:

• Your legs or arms feel heavy, painful, or tender
• You bruise easily
• Your lower body stores fat out of proportion to your upper body
• Dieting and exercise don’t reduce the size
• Skin can feel nodular or uneven, but deeper than cellulite
• Ankles look “cuffed” or swollen
• Condition gets worse around hormonal shifts (puberty, pregnancy, peri/menopause)

If this is sounding familiar, you’re not imagining it — and it’s not your fault.

💛 So… Can Lymphatic Drainage Massage Help?

Absolutely. In both cases.

Lymphatic drainage helps:

✨ Reduce swelling
✨ Improve lymph flow (key for hormonal bloating + inflammation)
✨ Soften the tissue
✨ Decrease heaviness and discomfort
✨ Support detox pathways
✨ Improve skin texture
✨ Reduce that puffy, tight feeling many women describe with lipoedema

It’s gentle, calming, and incredibly supportive for anyone feeling “stuck” in their body.

💛 Many of my clients say they feel:

✔ lighter
✔ more comfortable in their legs
✔ less puffy
✔ and more connected to their body

…after just one session.

If you’re unsure what you’re dealing with

Book a session and I can help you understand what’s going on and what type of treatment will support you best. You don’t have to guess or Google it alone.

Your body is communicating with you — I just help you listen. 💚

Lymphatic Drainage Massage has 10% off if booked in 2025! Book via booksy

06/12/2025

✨ I can’t believe it… I’m practically fully booked for December already!
January is also starting to fill up — thank you so much for keeping me so busy. 💚

These are officially my last appointment slots of 2025, and I’ve added a few extra 30-minute appointments in December for just £20 — a huge saving!

💆‍♀️ Perfect if you need a little pre-Christmas reset, pain relief, relaxation, or a moment to breathe before the madness begins.

📲 Just book via Booksy and I’ll apply the discount on the day.
⭐ New appointments only — no rescheduling.

Grab them while they’re there… once they’re gone, that’s me done for the year! 🎄✨

Christmas gift vouchers available online now via booksy or for collection from tomorrow

06/12/2025

🎁✨ Why a Gift voucher from The Holistic Garden is the perfect gift this Christmas ✨🎁

Struggling with what to buy someone who already has everything?
Or maybe you want to give a gift that actually makes a difference to someone’s wellbeing?

This year, skip the candles and slippers… and give the gift of healing, relaxation, and balance. 💚

Here’s why a The Holistic Garden gift voucher makes the perfect present:

🌿 It’s Personal
Whether they need stress relief, hormone support, gut help, or simply deep relaxation, they can choose the treatment that suits them best.

🌿 It’s Thoughtful
You’re not just gifting a “thing” — you’re gifting time, peace, and a moment to reset.

🌿 It Supports Their Health
From holistic facials and reflexology to womb massage, aromatherapy, and hormone-balancing treatments, every option nourishes the mind and body.

🌿 It Feels Luxurious
A moment away from life’s chaos… in a calm, nurturing space designed to help them feel lighter, brighter, and more balanced.

✨ Perfect for mums, sisters, partners, best friends, or anyone who deserves a little TLC.

🎄 Purchase via Booksy or message me directly to collect.
Give the gift that truly makes them feel better from the inside out. 💚

04/12/2025

🎄 The Holistic Garden Christmas Gift Vouchers 🎄

Christmas is the perfect time to gift someone you love a moment of calm, comfort, and healing — and my gift vouchers make it beautifully easy. 💚✨

Whether it’s for a friend, partner, mum, daughter, or that one person who’s always doing everything for everyone else, a wellness treatment is a gift they’ll genuinely appreciate.

✨ Your voucher can be made out for:
• Any amount you choose — ideal for stocking fillers or little wellness boosts
• A specific treatment from my menu — perfect if you know exactly what they’d love (holistic facial, reflexology, ASMR massage, womb massage, Japanese head spa, aromatherapy, and more)

✨ How to purchase:
You can buy your gift voucher directly through Booksy, or simply message me to arrange collection if you prefer something more personal.

A thoughtful, meaningful gift that supports wellbeing… and makes you the favourite gift-giver this Christmas. 💆‍♀️💚

❤️

02/12/2025

✨ Exciting News! I’ve Created a New Page Just for Holistic nutrition & hormone upport ✨

I wanted to separate the two pages so that each one is relevant for the people following it:

🌿 This page, The Holistic Garden, will stay focused on local treatments, seasonal offers, in-person appointments, and all things you can experience here in the UK.

🌿 My new page – Emma Carmichael – Holistic Nutrition & Hormone Coach – is for everyone who follows me for advice, support, and education, no matter where you live in the world. This way, people outside my local area can enjoy posts full of guidance without seeing constant treatment updates that aren’t relevant to them.

On the new page, I’ll be sharing:
💚 Hormone & gut health advice
💚 Histamine intolerance guidance
💚 Menopause, endometriosis & PCOS support
💚 Skin health tips (acne, rosacea, ageing)
💚 DNA testing insights
💚 Nutrition guidance & healing foods
💚 My own journey healing chronic urticaria, progesterone hypersensitivity, histamine intolerance & premature ovarian failure
💚 Practical tools to help you feel better from the inside out

🧬 Exciting update: DNA and genetic testing is coming soon! This will give personalised insights into your hormones, gut health, inflammation, and nutrient needs — helping you get results faster and is available worldwide.

If you enjoy educational posts, real help, natural solutions, and a safe space to learn — you’ll love it there.

👉 Follow my new page here:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584136782984

Thank you so much for supporting me and helping this new page grow! 🌿💚
Emma

I help women worldwide balance hormones, heal their gut, reduce histamine symptoms & reclaim their energy.
Online coaching • Nutrition • Menstrual & Menopause Support
🧬 DNA testing for personalised health insight
✨ Founder of The Holistic Garden

01/12/2025

Today's post from my Hormone & Histamine Harmony- support & solutions group.

Join for support and advice

Emma x

🌿 Hives, Hormones & Histamine — What’s Really Going On? (And My Personal Journey)

If you’ve ever broken out in hives seemingly “out of nowhere,” you are not alone — and you’re definitely not crazy.
For many women, hives flare-ups are deeply connected to our hormones, our histamine levels, and even stress on the nervous system.

I know this because I’ve lived it.

There was a time when my hives and chronic urticaria got so severe that I had to give up work. I was dealing with constant itching, rashes, night sweats, joint pain, fatigue, and digestive issues… and nobody could give me any real answers. That’s when I went down the holistic route. I researched, retrained, and rebuilt my health from the inside out — and this knowledge is now what I bring into The Holistic Garden and our hormone community.

Here’s what I wish every woman knew:

✨ Hormones and histamine are linked.
Estrogen naturally raises histamine levels — which means flares can happen around ovulation, PMS, perimenopause, pregnancy, or any estrogen-dominant phase.

✨ Your gut controls your histamine bucket.
If your gut is inflamed, sluggish, or not breaking histamine down properly, hives can appear even from foods or triggers you’ve “never reacted to before.”

✨ Your nervous system plays a role.
Stress = more histamine. It’s why flare-ups often happen after emotional stress or burnout.

✨ Supporting detox pathways helps.
When your liver is overloaded or sluggish, histamine and estrogen can recirculate, making symptoms worse.

What made a massive difference for me (and still does):

🌱 A low-histamine, gut-supportive diet
🌱 Balancing my hormones, especially estrogen
🌱 Regulating my nervous system
🌱 Castor oil packs to support lymphatic flow, liver health & inflammation
🌱 Sauna suits and gentle sweating to clear excess histamine
🌱 Lymphatic drainage techniques
🌱 Removing hidden dietary triggers
🌱 Restoring my gut

You can get better — I’m living proof.

And if you’re struggling with unexplained hives or reactions, know that this group is a safe space where nothing is “all in your head.” Your body is signalling. And together, we can support you through it. 💛

If you’d like guidance on where to start, drop a comment or message me anytime.

01/12/2025

🎄 December Christmas Offers You Don’t Want to Miss 🎄

I’ve put together some festive feel-good treatments to help you unwind, reset and glow through December:

✨ Festive Duo – £39
Choose any two calming, seasonal treatments to help you unwind and recharge this Christmas.

✨ Festive Trio – £59
Pick any three festive pampering treatments for the ultimate personalised relaxation session.

✨ Silent Night Sleep Ritual - £40
A deeply soothing aromatherapy massage combined with a relaxing foot and calf massage using magnesium sleepy balm, finished with calming Reiki to help your whole body drift into peaceful rest.

✨ Christmas Glow Head Spa - £59
A luxurious double-cleanse head spa with steam, ASMR hair play, tension-melting scalp massage, a nourishing scalp mask, and a brightening mini facial using Vitamin C Elixir for the ultimate festive glow.

🎁 Starting Christmas Day: The 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway!

For 12 days, I’ll be posting free treatments, free gifts and big discounts — one every day — exclusively in my VIP WhatsApp group.

To take part:
• You must be in my VIP WhatsApp group
• You must have visited The Holistic Garden at least once
• When I post the daily offer, the first person to message me directly wins
• Some prizes will require booking via Booksy

👉 If you’re not in the group but you’ve had a treatment at The Holistic Garden, just message me and I’ll add you in.

Expect pampering, surprises and some very special treats… 🌟

30/11/2025

🎄✨ THE CHRISTMAS DUO & TRIO ARE HERE! ✨🎄

All your favourites in this limited edition festive mix-and-match menu.

December can feel overwhelming — stress, hormones, bloating, peri/meno symptoms, tight shoulders, low mood and no time for yourself.

So I’ve created two cosy Christmas rituals to help you unwind, reset and feel human again.

🎄 CHRISTMAS DUO – £39 (60 mins)

Build your own festive pamper!
Choose ANY 2 treatments from the list below.

🎄 CHRISTMAS TRIO – £59 (90 mins)

The ultimate festive treat.
Choose ANY 3 treatments from the list below.

✨ Treatment Options:

Back, Neck & Shoulder Massage

Hot Stone Back Massage

Holistic Facial

Head Massage

Foot & Calf Massage with Sleep Balm

Reiki

ASMR Hair Play

Essential oils are included at no extra cost where oils are used.

Mix and match your perfect Christmas ritual based on what your body needs — relaxation, tension release, hormone support, sleep support and winter calm.

💚 Important Booking Info

Please use the “Message” option on Booksy to tell me which treatments you’ve chosen so I can prepare everything for your visit.

You can book for December or next year — this offer is valid for all advance bookings made during the festive period.

Gift vouchers also available.

🎄 Limited edition Christmas offer – spaces fill quickly!

30/11/2025

🌿✨️ Last day to book this limited edition treatment ✨️🌿

🔥 New limited edition treatment for November! 🔥

The Autumn Stone Indian Head Massage – £40 💆‍♀️🍂

Melt into total relaxation with a cosy, seasonal twist on a classic favourite.

Enjoy a soothing Hot Stone Back Massage and a restorative Hot Stone Face Massage, followed by an Indian Head Massage using nourishing hair oil to calm your mind, ease scalp tension, and deeply hydrate your hair.

The warmth of the stones melts away stress, boosts circulation, and restores balance — leaving you glowing from head to toe.

✨ Why you’ll love it:

Relieves tension in the head, neck & shoulders

Eases anxiety & stress

Improves sleep & circulation

Promotes hair and scalp health

Leaves you feeling grounded and calm

💫 Add a little extra indulgence:

15-minute add-on for just £6 — choose from:

🌿 ASMR Hair Play
🌿 Foot Massage
🌿 Facial Massage
🌿 Reiki

🎃 Or upgrade with the Pumpkin Pie Facial – 30 mins for £19.

📖 Book now via Booksy (link in bio).

28/11/2025

Castor Oil for Wrinkles – Nature’s Secret for Smoother, Plumper Skin ✨

If you’re looking for a natural, affordable and effective way to smooth fine lines and soften wrinkles, castor oil is honestly one of the best-kept beauty secrets.

Here’s why it works so beautifully:

🌿 Deep Hydration:
Castor oil is rich in ricinoleic acid, a fatty acid that penetrates deeper than most moisturisers. This keeps the skin plump, hydrated and less prone to creasing.

🌿 Boosts Collagen & Elastin:
Regular use helps stimulate collagen production, supporting firmer, tighter skin – especially around the eyes, forehead and mouth.

🌿 Reduces Inflammation:
If your skin is sensitive, dry or reactive, castor oil calms irritation and reduces inflammation that can exaggerate fine lines.

🌿 Softens & Smooths:
Its rich texture helps soften the appearance of existing wrinkles while preventing new ones from forming as quickly.

💧 How to Use It:
– Apply a tiny amount to clean skin at night
– Focus on crow’s feet, smile lines, forehead lines and neck
– You can mix a drop with your night cream for easier application

💚 My Favourite:
I personally use Fushi’s Organic Castor Oil because it’s cold-pressed, pure and super nourishing.
They currently have 40% off for Black Friday, and with my code THEHOLISTICGARDEN you get an extra 20% — huge savings!

If you want smoother, glowier, more youthful skin without spending a fortune… castor oil is absolutely worth adding into your routine ✨

Castor oil isn’t just amazing for wrinkles — it’s a real multitasker. You can use it to thicken eyelashes and brows, nourish the scalp for healthier hair growth, support lymphatic and liver detox through castor oil packs, ease period pain, calm digestive discomfort, and even soothe dry skin or irritated joints. It’s one of those oils that earns a permanent place in your wellness toolkit.