Robyn Callaghan ND

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Robyn Callaghan ND My goal as an ND is to understand how environmental, genetic and lifestyle factors have affected you

10/18/2026

It’s World Menopause Day. Let’s talk about the symptoms that don’t always get recognised.

When we think about menopause, hot flushes and night sweats often come to mind.

But the experience can be much broader.

However, some of the symptoms that can occur during perimenopause and menopause can also have other causes, which is why context and appropriate assessment matter.

You don’t need to experience every symptom, and you don’t have to wait until your periods stop to start asking questions.

To mark World Menopause Day, I’m offering a free Menopause Symptom Checklist to help you organise what you’ve been experiencing and prepare for a more informed conversation with your healthcare professional.

👇 Comment LIST below and I’ll send you the checklist.

Because understanding what you’re experiencing is a useful first step towards finding the right support.

10/14/2026

Feeling like you just can’t cope anymore? Like the things you used to handle without thinking suddenly feel overwhelming?

During perimenopause and menopause, resilience can be influenced by a combination of hormonal, psychological and lifestyle factors.

Some of the factors linked with lower resilience include:
1. Lack of self-compassion
It’s hard to feel resilient when you’re constantly frustrated with your body or criticizing yourself for not coping the way you used to.

2. Not understanding what’s happening
When you don’t understand why your body, mood, sleep or energy has changed, it can leave you feeling powerless and out of control.
Knowledge can change that.

3. Feeling overwhelmed by change
Perimenopause can bring changes to your body, sleep, relationships, work and sense of identity.
Feeling like you have no control over what is happening can make symptoms feel even harder to manage.

4. Chronic stress
If your stress levels are already high, hormonal changes may make coping feel even harder.

5. Low self-efficacy
This is essentially the belief that you can handle what is coming.
When that belief drops, resilience can drop with it.

6. Hormonal changes
Fluctuations in oestrogen and progesterone during perimenopause may also influence mood, stress responses and resilience.

So if you’ve been thinking:
“Why can’t I cope anymore?”
It may be worth asking a different question.
“What has changed that is making coping harder?”

Because resilience isn’t simply about trying harder, being more positive or getting better at managing stress.

Sometimes you need better information. Sometimes you need more support. Sometimes you need to address sleep, stress, mood or hormonal symptoms. And sometimes you need to stop blaming yourself for struggling with something that has genuinely changed.

And if you’re struggling to work out whether what you’re experiencing is stress, burnout, perimenopause or something else, book an appointment via the link in bio.

10/07/2026

Been told you have prediabetes? Your HbA1c is important, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.

Prediabetes can be identified through measures such as fasting glucose, oral glucose tolerance testing and HbA1c, depending on the diagnostic criteria being used.

But there are other markers that can provide useful information about your metabolic health, including:
• Fasting insulin
• HOMA-IR
• Triglycerides
• Triglyceride-to-HDL ratio
• Glucose response following an oral glucose tolerance test

The important thing is that these tests are not interchangeable.

They can give us different pieces of information about glucose regulation and insulin sensitivity.

So rather than looking at one result in isolation, it can be useful to look at the bigger picture.

Especially in midlife, where changes in body composition, activity, sleep, diet and hormones can all influence metabolic health.

A prediabetes result is not a diagnosis of your future.

It’s an opportunity to understand what is happening metabolically and what you can do about it.

If you want help making sense of your blood results and working out what they actually mean for you, book an appointment via the link in bio.

09/30/2026

If you have been struggling with chronic insomnia, your first thought might be melatonin or sleeping medication.

But the first-line evidence-based treatment for chronic insomnia is CBT-I, or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia.

CBT-I works on the behaviours and thought patterns that can keep insomnia going.

It can include:

Stimulus control:
Rebuilding the association between your bed and sleep.

Sleep scheduling:
Creating a consistent sleep-wake pattern and improving sleep efficiency.

Cognitive therapy:
Addressing the thoughts and beliefs about sleep that can make insomnia worse.

Relaxation techniques:
Reducing the physical and mental arousal that can keep you awake.

CBT-I is recommended as a first-line treatment because it can be effective without the potential side effects associated with sleeping medications.

And importantly, it can be used alongside other treatments when needed.

For women in their 40s and 50s, there can be even more to consider. Perimenopause and menopause can affect sleep, but that doesn’t mean you simply have to accept poor sleep as part of getting older.

If you are lying awake night after night, waking at 3am, or relying on supplements or medication just to get through the night, it is worth looking at why you are not sleeping, not just trying to knock yourself out.

If you want help working out what may be contributing to your sleep problems, book an appointment via the link in bio.





09/23/2026

Maybe you’ve been told your results are “normal.”

Maybe you’re taking three different supplements and aren’t sure any of them are helping.

Maybe you’ve been given pieces of information from different healthcare professionals and don’t know how they fit together.

Maybe you’ve been searching Google at 11pm trying to work out what’s actually going on.

You don’t need more noise.
You need someone to help you make sense of it.

As a Naturopathic Doctor, I work with patients to look at the whole picture, including symptoms, health history, medications, nutrition, lifestyle, relevant testing and previous treatment.

Then we focus on what is actually likely to make a difference.

Not every person needs supplements.

Not every person needs testing.

And “natural” doesn’t automatically mean better.

The goal is thoughtful, evidence-informed care that makes sense for you.

With Naturopathic Doctors now regulated in Nova Scotia, there is a clearer framework for the profession and greater accountability to the patients we serve. 🤍

If you’ve been putting off getting help because you don’t know where to start, this is your invitation to start a conversation.

Book an appointment through the link in my bio.

09/16/2026

I don’t believe healthcare works best when everyone stays in their own corner.
It works better when the right professionals work together.

Your physician may have an important role.
So might your pharmacist.
Your specialist.
Your dietitian.
Your physiotherapist.
And your Naturopathic Doctor.

Regulation creates a clearer framework for how Naturopathic Doctors practise, including standards, accountability and scope of practice.

For me, that strengthens something I’ve always believed:
Patient care should come first.

Sometimes that means supporting what your doctor is already doing.

Sometimes it means identifying something that needs further investigation.

Sometimes it means referring you to another professional.

And sometimes it means helping you make sense of everything that’s already been recommended.

My role isn’t to tell you that naturopathic medicine is better. It’s to help you understand your options and make thoughtful, evidence-informed decisions about your health.

And that brings us to the question I know many of you are asking...
“So, what can I actually see a Naturopathic Doctor for?”

I’ll answer that next.

09/09/2026

If you’ve heard that Naturopathic Doctors are now regulated in Nova Scotia and wondered what that actually means, here’s the short version.

Since May 27, 2026, Naturopathic Doctors have been regulated under Nova Scotia’s Regulated Health Professions Act.

For patients, regulation means there are now clear requirements around:
• Education and registration
• Licensing
• Professional conduct
• Standards of practice
• Ongoing competency
• Complaints and professional accountability
• Scope of practice

The regulator’s role is ultimately public protection. Only appropriately registered and licensed practitioners can practise naturopathy in Nova Scotia and use the protected professional titles.

And I think that’s important.

Healthcare works best when you can feel confident about who is providing your care, what they’re qualified to do, and what standards they are accountable to.

Naturopathic medicine also doesn’t have to exist separately from conventional healthcare.

I believe strongly in collaboration with physicians, specialists, pharmacists, dietitians and other healthcare professionals when that’s what is best for the patient.

This isn’t about replacing one form of healthcare with another. It’s about giving patients more informed choices within a regulated healthcare system.

And for me, that’s something worth celebrating. 🤍

If you’ve been curious about what seeing a Naturopathic Doctor could look like for you, appointments are available. Book through the link in my bio.

08/09/2026

You may have recently seen the term PMOS instead of PCOS.

In May 2026, following a 14-year international consensus process, Polycystic O***y Syndrome (PCOS) was officially renamed Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS).

So why the change? Because the old name didn’t accurately describe the condition.

Despite the name, ovarian “cysts” are not required for a diagnosis. In fact, many women with PCOS don’t have them at all. The term often led to confusion for both patients and healthcare professionals and placed too much emphasis on ultrasound findings.

PMOS better reflects what the condition actually is: a complex hormonal and metabolic disorder that can affect much more than the ovaries.

It can influence:
• insulin resistance
• metabolism
• menstrual cycles and ovulation
• fertility
• skin and hair
• long-term cardiometabolic health
• mental health

Importantly, the diagnostic criteria have not changed. Only the name has. The goal is to improve awareness, reduce confusion and encourage a more comprehensive approach to diagnosis and management.

As clinicians, it’s a timely reminder to look beyond the ovaries. As patients, it’s a reminder that this condition has never been “just about cysts.”

If you’ve been diagnosed with PCOS (now PMOS) and are trying to make sense of your symptoms or treatment options, an evidence-based, individualised approach can make all the difference.

Appointment link in bio.

08/06/2026

Not every supplement is a good supplement. And not every health condition should be managed with supplements.

One of the biggest parts of my job is helping people understand when a supplement is likely to help, when it probably won’t, and when conventional treatment is the better option.

Before I recommend any supplement, I ask six questions:

1. Is there good quality evidence?
Do we have reliable research showing it improves meaningful health outcomes, not just blood tests or theoretical benefits?

2. What are we actually trying to achieve?
The goal should be clear. Are we trying to reduce symptoms, improve quality of life or prevent disease progression?

3. Could delaying conventional treatment cause harm?
For some conditions, waiting too long to access proven medical treatment can lead to worse outcomes.

4. Is this appropriate alongside current treatment?
Many supplements are best used as part of collaborative care, not as a replacement for evidence-based medical treatment.

5. Is it safe?
Natural doesn’t automatically mean safe. Some supplements interact with medications, some cause side effects, and others simply don’t have good evidence behind them.

6. Is it worth the cost and effort?
If a supplement is expensive, difficult to maintain or unlikely to make a meaningful difference, it’s worth asking whether there’s a better option.

I prescribe supplements regularly in practice. I also recommend not taking them when the evidence doesn’t support it.

My goal isn’t to put everyone on more supplements. It’s to help people make informed decisions based on the best available evidence and a treatment plan that fits their individual circumstances.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by conflicting advice about supplements, medications or treatment options, I’d be happy to help.

Link to book a consult in bio.

07/23/2026

For many people, losing weight isn’t the hardest part.

Keeping it off is.

Weight regain is common, but research has identified several habits that are consistently associated with long-term weight maintenance.

These include:
• Being physically active most days of the week, with a goal of around 200–300 minutes of activity each week
• Including resistance training to help preserve muscle mass
• Eating adequate protein, especially during and after weight loss
• Having regular eating patterns, including breakfast if it works for you
• Maintaining similar eating habits on weekdays and weekends
• Monitoring your weight periodically so small changes can be addressed early

One finding I think is often overlooked is that preserving muscle matters.
During weight loss, around 25% of the weight lost can come from lean muscle. Resistance training and adequate protein intake can help minimise this, supporting strength, function and long-term weight maintenance.

Another important factor is support. People are generally more successful when they have realistic goals, accountability and a plan they can maintain long term rather than relying on motivation alone.

There is no single habit that prevents weight regain.

It’s the combination of consistent, sustainable behaviours that makes the biggest difference.

If you’re concerned about weight regain, particularly during perimenopause or after using weight loss medication, an individualised plan can make the transition to long-term maintenance much more manageable.

Appointments are available via the link in bio.

Address

98 Pleasant Street
Truro, NS
B2N3S3

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Tuesday 10am - 6pm
Wednesday 10am - 6pm
Thursday 10am - 6pm

Telephone

+19028973338

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