Rebelle Health

28/11/2025

✨ It’s been a minute ✨

✨ I’ve been pretty absent from social media this year. 2025 has been a complicated year for me personally. Sometimes life doesn’t go the way we planned—the ground shifts beneath us, and we find ourselves walking a path we never expected to take.

✨ This year, I’ve learned that even when change isn’t chosen, it can still open space for growth, clarity, and unexpected opportunity. What began as an incredibly difficult season has slowly unfolded into a new chapter for me and my whānau.

✨ And so, Rebelle Health is evolving too.

✨ From 18 December, Rebelle Health will move to a Telehealth-only Hormone & Menopause Service as my family settles into our new life on the Gold Coast, Australia.

✨ Our mission remains the same—supporting women’s hormonal health, especially through midlife, with compassion, evidence, and empowerment.

✨ My own personal journey is mirroring what I support women with in my clinical practice.

✨ Life changes. We adapt. We rise. And often, the horizon that appears is wider than the one we left behind.

✨ Thank you for being part of this journey.
— Dr Deborah Brunt

Last Dunedin Clinic: Tuesday 16th December 2025
Last Telehealth Appointment for 2025: Monday 22nd December
Clinic Closed till Monday 5th January 2026 when ongoing telehealth appointments will be available.

13/10/2025

Let's get testosterone cream funded in NZ that has been tested and validated for use in women and that has a dosing regime that can be accurately measured.
Sign the petition!



https://www.change.org/p/get-pharmac-to-fund-the-only-approved-testosterone-treatment-for-women-in-nz?fbclid=IwVERDUANZoWlleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHrBD79ay9RBbILhmVik33mkpiLXrTn8S7K3co707AHLL4nvx4HOb9oxcRSqw_aem_ppwyWGfAHuRKV5w-zKjfAQ

Get Pharmac to fund the only approved testosterone treatment for women in NZ

26/09/2025

Can What You Eat Help Your Mood?

Research is exploring the link between plant-based diets and mental health — and the results are interesting.

A recent systematic review looked at 13 studies involving over 8,000 people following plant-based diets (vegan or mostly vegan), and here’s what they found:

✅ Lower levels of anxiety and depression
✅ Improved heath eating behaviours
✅ Better stress resilience with whole-food, high-fiber diets
⚠️ Worsened mood linked to highly processed vegan foods
⚠️ Some risk of orthorexia (rigid, obsessive healthy eating), especially if diet was health-motivated, ie fear of ill-health

Motivation mattered:
Those who chose plant-based diets for ethical reasons (e.g. environment, animals) had fewer risks of disordered eating than those motivated solely by health.

🎯 Bottom line:
A well-planned, fiber-rich whole food plant-based diet may support mood and mental wellbeing — but ultra-processed vegan food doesn’t help, and mindset matters.

📚 Source: Lee et al. Exploring Plant-Based Diets and Mental Health Outcomes. 2024 (Systematic Review)
🔗 Click the link in bio for healthy hormone and mood support.

19/09/2025

The Hormonal Backstory of Depression and Stress
Feeling low, wired but tired, or emotionally fragile after stress?

It’s not “just in your head” — it’s in your hormones, your brain, and your nervous system.

Chronic stress activates a powerful system in your body called the HPA axis (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal). When it's overactive, your brain stays stuck in survival mode — pumping out cortisol and disrupting the balance of mood, memory, energy, sleep, and hormones.

In depression, we often see:

✨Elevated cortisol

✨Shrinking of mood-regulating areas like the hippocampus

✨Disruption of thyroid hormones and estrogen

✨Activated inflammation pathways

✨Impaired brain healing (BDNF, glial cells, astrocyte function)

What this means: Stress and depression are biologically connected.

Women's mental wellbeing deserves an approach that's hormone-aware, HPA-axis sensitive, and trauma-informed — because healing happens when we treat the whole system, not just the symptoms on the surface.

✨ Hormones. Mood. Metabolism. It’s all connected.

We'd love to help: click link in bio to book a consult with Dr Deborah Brunt
GP with special interests in integrative and hormonal health.

18/09/2025

The Stages of Menopause — It's Not Just Hormones

Menopause is more than hot flushes and hormone changes.
It’s a neuroendocrine transition — a midlife transition that affects your whole self, mind, body and soul.

These are 5 phases many women move through (not always in order):

1️⃣ Orientation – “What’s happening to me?”
You begin noticing changes. Confusion, curiosity, and uncertainty arise.

2️⃣ Disruption – “Everything feels off.”
Mood shifts, brain fog, burnout. Your old self no longer fits — and it’s hard.

3️⃣ Disintegration – “I don’t even recognise myself.”
An identity unraveling. Loss, grief, change and questioning take centre stage.

4️⃣ Reconstruction – “I’m starting to reclaim myself.”
You begin to rebuild. On your terms. From your truth.

5️⃣ Integration – “I feel whole again — in a new way.”
You emerge stronger, wiser, and more grounded in your power.

Ready to be supported through your next chapter?
Visit rebellehealth.com to book: a consult - link in bio.




Reference: Beyond Hormones: Reframing Menopause as a Psychological Development Stage - Kirstin Bouse

10/09/2025

Why is my body changing—and why can’t I control it?

If you feel like your shape is shifting during perimenopause or menopause, you're not imagining it. Perimenopause is like puberty, in that changes in your hormones change your body shape, composition and metabolism.

🔹 Hormonal changes (especially declining estrogen) shift fat storage toward the abdomen - both subcutaneous and visceral.
🔹 Muscle mass begins to decline, even without lifestyle changes
🔹 Poor sleep—common in menopause—disrupts appetite and metabolism, increasing cravings and fat gain

💡 These changes are normal, but not irreversible.
With the right support—like strength training, sleep repair, hormonal support and targeted nutrition—you can feel strong, clear, and back in control.

📍 Ready to work with your body, not against it? Book a consult today.



Learn more:
Lovejoy JC et al. Increased visceral fat and decreased energy expenditure during the menopausal transition. Int J Obes (2008); 32(6):949–958. https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2008.25

09/09/2025

Feeling like you're on an emotional rollercoaster lately?

Hormonal shifts in perimenopause can impact everything from mood and motivation to identity and energy—and it’s not just “in your head.” And you don't just need to put up with it or suffer through it.

There are practices you can do to take care of yourself and effective treatment to use as you go through perimenopause.

Click link in bio to book a consult with Dr Deborah Brunt at Rebelle Health to feel supported, understood, and seen in midlife.

08/09/2025

Can Strength Training Help Menopause Symptoms?
Well actually - YES! 💪🔥⁣

A recent review of clinical trials (2015–2022) found that strength training can ease menopause symptoms and boost overall health.⁣

✨ The Benefits?
✔️ Improved leg & pelvic floor strength
✔️ Increased physical activity
✔️ Better bone density
✔️ Positive hormonal & metabolic shifts
✔️ Lower heart rate & blood pressure
✔️ Reduced hot flashes⁣

💥 How to Add Strength Training:
There’s no one-size-fits-all—**just get started with what works for you!**⁣

Try:
🏋️‍♀️ Free weights (e.g. dumbbell squats, bicep curls)
🏋️ Weight machines (e.g. leg press, chest press)
🧘‍♀️ Bodyweight exercises (e.g. squats, push-ups)
🟣 Resistance bands (e.g. banded glute bridges)
💪 Functional training (e.g. step-ups, carrying groceries)

💡 Bottom line: Strength training supports your body through menopause and beyond—choose a method you enjoy, train with a friend and build from there.

It's so satisfying to see women get stronger as the years go by. The body is so responsive to how you use it.



learn more:
Capel-Alcaraz et al. The Efficacy of Strength Exercises for Reducing the Symptoms of Menopause: A Systematic Review. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2023; 12(2):548.

07/09/2025

Lifestyle Support for Menopause

Lifestyle changes aren’t just helpful—they’re backed by science. And making them life-long habits will help your not only navigate menopause, but improve your quality of life along the way.

Here are a few key strategies proven to ease symptoms and support your long-term health in perimenopause and menopause:

•🧘‍♀️ Yoga to reduce hot flashes, improve mood, and support pelvic health
🥗 Phytoestrogen-rich foods (like soy, flax, and legumes) to support hormonal balance
🏋️‍♀️ Strength training to protect bones, build muscle, and reduce symptoms

✨ These small shifts can create big, lasting change.

Want personalised support?
📍 Book a consult—let’s help you feel strong, clear, and in control.



References:
– Cramer H et al., Yoga for menopausal symptoms, Maturitas, 2018
– Taku K et al., Soy isoflavones & hot flash reduction, Menopause, 2012
– Capel-Alcaraz AM et al., Strength training & menopause, J Clin Med, 2023

05/09/2025

Am I too young for Perimenopause??

If you're in your 40s and feeling off—you’re not imagining it.
Welcome to perimenopause!
The hormonal rollercoaster before your periods stop.

Perimenopause typically starts between ages 40–44
But for some women, it begins in their mid to late 30s 😮

It can last 4 to 10 years before you officially hit menopause (which is 12 months without a period).

Common early signs:

* Worsening or new PMS, including premenstrual headache, breast tenderness, irritability, mood changes or low mood.

* Irregular or variable cycles - your period may be normal length one cycle and then longer shorter or lighter or heavier the next

* Mood swings or anxiety - often most pronounced in the week before the period.

* Brain fog

* Sleep issues - problems going to sleep or staying asleep

* Hot flashes or night sweats

* Weight changes

🎯 You’re not too young. You’re not crazy. You’re in transition.
And support is available.

Book an appointment at Rebelle Health. We'd love to help.

04/09/2025

🧠🔥 Brain Fog, Hot Flashes & Stress: What’s the Connection in Menopause?

Many women link brain fog to hot flashes, but the science suggests a deeper story...

One study found that objectively measured hot flashes were linked to memory problems—and women only noticed 40% of their actual hot flashes!

But there’s more: Hot flashes spike cortisol, your body’s stress hormone—and higher cortisol = worse memory.

🔄 During perimenopause:

Cortisol levels rise 📈

Cognitive function dips 🧠

Estrogen, which normally buffers stress, declines 😮‍💨

Women become more sensitive to stress than men

✨ Supporting your HPA axis (stress system) can help:
🧘‍♀️ Mindfulness & movement
🥗 Balanced blood sugar
💤 Restorative sleep
🌞 Morning sunlight
💪 Strength training
💊 HRT can help too! By stabilizing estrogen, HRT may calm the HPA axis and reduce stress reactivity.

🧪 Studies show cortisol rises in late perimenopause, then settles post-menopause—so the goal is to support your body through the transition.

04/09/2025

Can Strength Training Help Menopause Symptoms? The research shows a profound YES! 💪🔥⁣

A recent review of clinical trials (2015–2022) found that strength training can ease menopause symptoms and boost overall health.⁣

✨ The Benefits?
✔️ Improved leg & pelvic floor strength
✔️ Increased physical activity
✔️ Better bone density
✔️ Positive hormonal & metabolic shifts
✔️ Lower heart rate & blood pressure
✔️ Reduced hot flashes⁣

💥 How to Add Strength Training:
There’s no one-size-fits-all—**just get started with what works for you!**⁣

Try:
🏋️‍♀️ Free weights (e.g. dumbbell squats, bicep curls)
🏋️ Weight machines (e.g. leg press, chest press)
🧘‍♀️ Bodyweight exercises (e.g. squats, push-ups)
🟣 Resistance bands (e.g. banded glute bridges)
💪 Functional training (e.g. step-ups, carrying groceries)

💡 Bottom line: Strength training supports your body through menopause and beyond—choose a style you enjoy, train with a friend and build from there.


For more info: PMID: 36675477