Todd Caldecott

Clinical Herbalist, Ayurveda Practitioner
RH(AHG), CAP(NAMA), RHT(BCHA)

14/06/2026

Anyone remember this classic Peanuts strip?

I recently shared it with a patient recovering from a chronic gastrointestinal condition who had become highly sensitive to every gurgle, rumble, and sensation in their abdomen. After a long history of pain and discomfort, even normal digestive activity can trigger a threat response, leading to hypervigilance.

In many chronic conditions, the issue becomes one of “volume control.” Healthy digestion is not completely silent, but most of the time we simply don’t notice it because it remains in the background of awareness. Once attention becomes fixed on bodily sensations, however, normal digestive activity can begin to feel abnormal, concerning, or intrusive.

This is particularly relevant in disorders of gut-brain interaction such as IBS, where hyperawareness of visceral sensations can amplify symptoms and contribute to a self-reinforcing cycle of anxiety and discomfort.

Paying attention to your body is important, but so is knowing when to shift your attention elsewhere. Meaningful work, social connection, exercise, creative pursuits, time in nature, and other immersive activities can help turn down the volume. As attention broadens, many of these sensations often become less noticeable and less distressing.

Sometimes the path forward is not listening more closely to every sensation, but learning when it is safe to stop listening quite so hard. So many things are like this in life!

06/06/2026

With gratitude for her life, and sadness at her passing, I share today that Grandma Sophia crossed the rainbow bridge at the age of 14.

She was a central part of my kids’ lives growing up and gave birth to five pups herself, including Bella and Freya, who in turn birthed 21 dogs between them—almost all of whom remain here in qathet.

The hardest thing for me, as a parent, is to bear witness and hold space for my kids: a poignant reminder of our own mortality, and of how heavily this weighs on every parent’s mind.

The thing about grief is that there is no way to fill it; it just is. With time, its emptiness diminishes relative to the ceaseless fullness and flow of life, but the absence of what we cherished—and perhaps did not fully appreciate or comprehend when we had it—always remains.

It is a good reminder to reflect on the fragility and tenuousness of life, and to celebrate both what we have now and what we have lost.

In that spirit, and for the many beautiful and rewarding things she brought into our lives, we honour Sophie’s life.

26/05/2026

ADHD is often framed online as simply an “overstimulated mind,” but the neurobiology is much more complex than that. Dopaminergic underactivation, executive dysfunction, trauma, sleep dysregulation, metabolic instability, and environmental factors all play important roles.

This is also why simplistic “calming” approaches — whether pharmaceutical or herbal — do not always produce meaningful clinical results. Understanding the actual mechanisms matters.

Curious to hear from clinicians, practitioners, and people living with ADHD: what interventions have genuinely made a difference for you?

22/05/2026

Finding a dietary home in complex digestive disorders.

20/05/2026

The chamomile flowers are just coming into season, which for me is a little melancholy, because I planted these for someone who’s no longer in my life.

This is German chamomile, Matricaria recutita, a gentle nervine and antispasmodic herb whose essential oils — bisabolol and chamazulene — contribute to both its fragrance and its medicinal properties. The sunny flowers with their lovely fragrance are a balm for the nervous system, but no herb can resolve the grief of losing something or someone you once held as precious.

If this resonates for you, by all means, pour yourself a cup of chamomile tea, and when the feelings come up, instead of getting caught up in the accompanying thoughts, notice and locate the feelings in your body, welcome and give space to them, staying focused on the feeling sensation itself rather than the thoughts, and gently let them dissipate.

Although the harvest may seem small, just like plucking a few flowers every day, over time it adds up. May your harvest, whether it is chamomile flowers, grief or both, be fruitful and abundant.

08/05/2026

Spring pollen is inevitable, but chronic suffering is not.

When pollen counts rise, many people experience more than just congestion and itchy eyes. The inflammatory response within the mucous membranes can increase susceptibility to respiratory infection, while the broader immunological burden may contribute to systemic issues such as histamine intolerance, digestive disturbance, fatigue, brain fog, and joint pain.

When I was younger, spring was a season of dread for me. I suffered from severe allergies and systemic inflammation. But by understanding how to reduce my immunological load and support resilience, my experience changed completely. Now at 57, living with three dogs and a cat I was once told I was “profoundly allergic” to, I can walk through pollen-drenched forests and cut my acre and a half of grass, moving through spring free of symptoms.

Too often people normalize chronic symptoms, assuming they will resolve on their own. In Āyurveda, postponing the treatment of disease is considered a form of prajñāparādha, or “a crime against wisdom.” Specifically, this is reflected in the term dhṛti vibhramśa, referring to a failure of resolve: when we know what must be done, but delay action until imbalance becomes pathology.

Part of the problem is that many people eventually lose faith that chronic conditions can truly be resolved, and instead settle for temporary suppression of symptoms rather than addressing underlying causes. And the pharmaceutical industry banks on exactly that resignation.

The unfortunate reality is that health problems tend to gain inertia over time. The earlier we intervene, the easier they are to resolve. If you need support, I am here to help.

13/04/2026

Can oil massage increase āma? It depends on the context.

In Ayurveda, daily abhyanga is not the same as bāhya snehana. Abhyanga uses a small amount of oil, usually for regulation: calming vāta, supporting the nervous system, improving sleep, and lubricating the skin. Bāhya snehana is a therapeutic procedure using much larger volumes of oil to saturate the tissues as part of a more intensive treatment process.

The type of oil also matters. Raw sesame oil is generally more heating but unless properly processed, may not be assimilated as well by the skin. In some people, especially where there is already āma and a cool damp climate, this raw oil may contribute to a sense of stagnation. Coconut oil is also heavy, but it is more cooling and soothing, making it a better choice where heat, irritation, or inflammation are part of the picture. It’s also way easier to wash out of your linens! For those who do not tolerate coconut oil well, a jojoba-based blend can be a useful alternative.

05/04/2026

This poem by Rūmī points toward a radical form of self-acceptance: not as a passive tolerance, but as an active hospitality toward the full spectrum of inner experience.

Change arrives with a force that often exceeds our preparation. Even with clarity, intention, or discipline, its effects move through us in ways we cannot fully anticipate. Joy, grief, confusion, tenderness, shame, and insight all arise as movements within the same field of being.

The invitation here is not to resist or correct these movements, but to receive them. To recognize that what feels disruptive or unwelcome may also be formative, and even necessary.

Within the intensity of pleasure and suffering, there remains a deeper ground: a place of quiet recognition and self-regard, where nothing needs to be excluded. In that openness, something more fundamental is revealed about the nature of our lives, stripped of pretense, direct, and whole.

Each experience, however difficult, participates in that unfolding.

If this resonates for you, please let me know in the comments ❤️

31/03/2026

In 2023, my dog Bella suffered a sudden, severe disc injury and became paralyzed. Imaging studies showed a marked narrowing between two thoracic vertebrae, consistent with disc herniation.

As I was pricing out wheelchairs, the vet advised me to travel down to the big city to pursue an MRI and neurosurgery as soon as possible, with significant cost ($10K) and no guarantee of success.

Balking at the cost, inconvenience, and potential for failure, I decided to take things into my own hands.

We shaved the affected region of her back and I applied an intensive topical protocol using a liniment of St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) tincture (1:1) and 20% DMSO (v/v), to enhance transdermal delivery. This was followed by the application of warm cottonwood bud oil — all of this five times daily.

Initial recovery began on day 7, followed by steady improvement, and further gains after resuming treatment when progress plateaued — demonstrating without a doubt, the efficacy of my approach.

Three years later, at the age of 10, she remains highly functional, at approximately 90% of her former capacity. She can run, jump into the back of my pickup, and out here in the boonies, still chase bears. She has the best life!

This is personal story, and one case history, illustrating the potential of consistent, targeted botanical intervention.

It’s times like these that make me so grateful for my life choice: to be in communion with the wisdom and grace of herbal medicine. 🙏

Have you had a similarly profound experience with herbal medicine?

26/03/2026

Post taken down on IG, discussion continues. The response to this topic suggests a real appetite for a more nuanced conversation about sunlight, risk, and health—one that moves beyond simple, one-dimensional messaging and considers dose, pattern, and context.

Endereço

Beco Do Batman - Vila Madalena
São Paulo, SP
05436-100

Site

https://dogwoodbotanical.com/

Notificações

Seja o primeiro recebendo as novidades e nos deixe lhe enviar um e-mail quando Todd Caldecott posta notícias e promoções. Seu endereço de e-mail não será usado com qualquer outro objetivo, e pode cancelar a inscrição em qualquer momento.