Madeleine Quitadamo Naturopath

03/06/2026

Many women skip breakfast - sometimes to manage weight, sometimes simply because they’re not hungry.
But long fasting windows in the morning can have some unintended effects, particularly for women under stress or in peri-/menopause.
When you wake up, cortisol naturally rises to help you get moving.
Eating breakfast helps cap that rise and signal to the body that energy is available.
If you regularly skip that first meal, cortisol can stay elevated for longer — which may worsen stress, anxiety, and sleep issues in some women.
There’s also a bone health angle.
Breakfast is often one of the easiest opportunities to consume calcium-rich foods. When dietary calcium is low, the body increases parathyroid hormone (PTH) to maintain blood calcium levels - which can increase bone mineral turnover.
This doesn’t mean fasting is always harmful. But if you’re experiencing fatigue, poor sleep stress, or navigating perimenopause, skipping breakfast may not be doing you any favours Sometimes the most supportive thing you can do for your hormones is start the day with real food.

21/05/2026

Sudden vaginal odour or unusual discharge — and you’re not sure why? 👇
First of all, this can happen more commonly than people realise, and it’s not always a sign that something is “wrong”.
In a healthy vaginal environment, we’re typically lactobacillus-dominant 🌿
These beneficial bacteria help keep the pH more acidic, which supports balance and protection.
But here’s what can shift things:
Even in a healthy system, there can be small amounts of other microbes present at all times — usually not causing any issues at all.
The problem starts when the environment changes:
⚖️ The vaginal pH becomes more alkaline
🌡️ The balance of bacteria shifts
📈 Certain microbes now have a better environment to grow
When that happens, those microbes can increase in number, take up more space, and become more active — which is when symptoms like:
👃 odour
💧 changes in discharge
can appear.
The key point: it’s not always about “new bacteria arriving” — it’s often about a shift in balance that was already there.
If you’re experiencing changes, it’s always worth getting it checked — because understanding the why helps guide the right support 🤝

18/05/2026

Constipation is not one-size-fits-all 👀

And neither is the treatment.

One patient went from opening her bowels once every 2–3 days to TWICE per day just by introducing the right prebiotics for her gut — FOS, GOS & PHGG.
Not only did her bowel motions improve, but her weight loss finally started to shift too 👏🏼

Another patient had methane overgrowth slowing everything right down. Using specific strains like Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 alongside PHGG helped get her moving daily again.

And another? Her constipation was heavily linked to the gut-brain connection. Daily hypnotherapy through the Nerva app has made a huge difference to her bowel regularity 🧠✨

Different horses for courses 🐴

Constipation isn’t always “just eat more fibre” — sometimes we need to look at the microbiome, motility, nervous system, methane production and stress response too.
If you’ve struggled with constipation long term, there’s usually a reason WHY.

15/05/2026

Research shows strong associations between gut bacteria patterns and conditions like depression and anxiety.

We consistently see:�• Lower levels of beneficial, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) producing bacteria
• Higher levels of more inflammatory bacteria�• Shifts in overall microbial balance

These changes may influence:
• Inflammation�• Stress response (HPA axis)�• Neurotransmitter pathways like serotonin�• Vagal nerve signalling between the gut and brain

Some animal studies even show that transferring gut bacteria from depressed individuals can induce depression-like behaviours — suggesting the microbiome may play a contributing role.

But here’s the important part:
Unlike genetics, we can influence the microbiome.
Through diet, fibre diversity, fermented foods, sleep, stress management and targeted probiotics, we can help create an internal environment that better supports mood regulation.
It’s not a cure.�But it is a modifiable lever — and that matters.

13/05/2026

Constipation is incredibly common, but often the basics are missed.

Before jumping straight to aggressive laxatives, start with the foundations that support healthy gut motility.

Hydration, adequate fibre, and specific foods like kiwi fruit can naturally stimulate bowel movements.

From there, certain supports can help when things are sluggish:�
• Prebiotic fibres like PHGG to support the microbiome�
• Magnesium citrate to gently draw water into the bowel�
• Lactulose to soften stool and improve movement

Your gut relies on a combination of diet, hydration, microbiome health and motility signals to keep things moving.

When we support these systems properly, bowel regularity often improves significantly.

13/05/2026

PCOS has a new name - PMOS. This is to better reflect the fact that cystic ovaries are NOT a clinical part of this disease. This disease is a metabolic condition affecting multiple systems.

Polycystic o***y syndrome (PCOS) has been renamed polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), a move health experts say will lead to faster diagnoses and better treatment for women of all ages.

11/05/2026

Most serotonin is produced in the gut — and it’s tightly regulated by diet and the microbiome.

You can’t “boost” it with a supplement alone.�You support it by:
• Eating adequate protein (tryptophan)�
• Ensuring key nutrient cofactors
• Increasing fermentable fibre�
• Supporting microbial diversity

Serotonin in the gut doesn’t enter the brain — but it strongly influences motility and gut–brain communication through vagal signalling.

Gut health is biochemical, microbial, and neurological.

01/05/2026

Working on the Cause, not just working on the Outcome, getting us more wide reaching results.

26/04/2026

The HPO axis (Hypothalamus–Pituitary–Ovarian axis) is the communication system that controls ovulation and the menstrual cycle.
Your brain sends signals (GnRH) → which tell the pituitary to release FSH and LH → which stimulate the ovaries.
But this system is sensitive.
Stress, inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction can suppress GnRH, meaning the brain sends weaker signals to the ovaries.�This can blunt ovulation or disrupt the cycle.
One of the clues we look for in testing is FSH and LH levels.
Generally:�• FSH around 6–10�• LH around 4–6
If they’re lower, it may suggest the brain isn’t sending strong signals (HPO suppression).�If they’re higher, we may need to look more closely at ovarian function.
Understanding the HPO axis helps explain why hormones are rarely just about the ovaries — the brain is a huge part of the story.

24/04/2026

More than just health.
It’s confidence, support, and finally feeling heard 🤍