Nourishing Apothecary

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11/09/2026

The food might not be “flaring your endometriosis” in the way you think.

One of the patterns I see in women with endometriosis is an increasingly restrictive diet.

You eat something. You become painfully bloated, exhausted, nauseous, constipated or experience diarrhoea. Maybe your pain increases. So naturally, you assume that food is making your endometriosis worse and you remove it.

Then another food goes.

Then another.

Until eventually you’re eating from a very small list of foods that feel “safe”.

But there can be much more going on here than the food itself.

Endometriosis is strongly associated with gastrointestinal symptoms, and altered visceral sensitivity can mean normal digestive processes such as distension and movement through the bowel are experienced much more intensely.

IBS and endometriosis also frequently overlap.

So rather than assuming every symptomatic food is directly causing endometriosis lesions to “flare”, I want to understand what is happening within the gastrointestinal system and why eating is provoking such significant symptoms.

Because constantly removing more foods isn’t necessarily fixing the underlying problem, and increasingly restrictive diets can create their own nutritional problems and significant food anxiety.

The goal is not to make your diet smaller and smaller.

It’s to understand what is driving your symptoms, improve what we can, support adequate nutrition and ultimately help you tolerate the broadest, most varied diet possible.

If you’re struggling with endometriosis alongside bloating, bowel changes or food intolerances, Mel works extensively with endometriosis at Nourishing Apothecary.

Consultations are available Australia wide via Zoom.

www.nourishingapothecary.com

11/09/2026

Struggling with a colicky baby? This is a probiotic I specifically brought into the Nourishing Apothecary range.

Brauer Baby & Child Colic Ease Probiotic Drops are designed for babies from birth and contain Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12®, a specific probiotic strain that has been clinically studied in infants.

And the strain matters.

When we talk about probiotics, it isn’t enough to simply say a product contains “Bifidobacterium” or “probiotics”. Different strains can have different effects, which is why I look at the actual strain used and the clinical evidence behind it.

BB-12® has been studied in healthy breastfed infants with colic, with research showing reductions in crying duration and improvements in colic symptoms over approximately 3 to 4 weeks.

That’s why Brauer Colic Ease Probiotic Drops caught my attention and why I chose to stock them.

Colic can have multiple contributing factors, so I never think one product is going to be the answer for every baby. Feeding, reflux, the developing gastrointestinal tract and other factors may all need to be considered.

But if you’re looking for a probiotic specifically formulated for babies with colic, this is one of the options I like.

Brauer Baby & Child Colic Ease Probiotic Drops are available from birth and can be found at Nourishing Apothecary.

www.nourishingapothecary.com

10/09/2026

If your progesterone is low, I don’t just want to know that it’s low.

I want to know why.

Progesterone after ovulation is largely produced by the corpus luteum, which develops from the follicle that released the egg.

So when I see low luteal phase progesterone, one of the questions I’m asking is:

What happened earlier in the cycle?

Did you ovulate?

Was follicular development adequate?

Was the timing of the progesterone blood test actually correct?

Could something be interfering with ovulation or luteal function?

Progesterone supplementation can absolutely have an important role in fertility treatment when clinically indicated. But from a naturopathic perspective, I’m also interested in understanding the physiology that led to that result.

Because sometimes the progesterone result is the downstream clue, not the beginning of the story.

This snippet is from my full YouTube video on fertility blood tests and how I interpret them in clinic.

Watch the full video on the Nourishing Apothecary YouTube channel.

www.nourishingapothecary.com

10/09/2026

A “normal” FSH does not automatically mean your ovarian reserve is fine.

This is exactly why I don’t interpret fertility blood tests one marker at a time.

FSH is produced by the pituitary gland and helps stimulate follicle development early in the menstrual cycle. As ovarian reserve declines, the ovaries can become less responsive to that stimulation, which can result in the pituitary producing more FSH.

But here’s where interpretation gets more interesting.

If your oestradiol is already elevated on day 2 or 3, that oestradiol can exert negative feedback on the pituitary and suppress FSH.

So you can potentially have an FSH result sitting comfortably within the reference range while the oestradiol result beside it changes how I interpret that number.

This is why I want context.

I want to know your age, cycle history, AMH, day 2 or 3 FSH alongside oestradiol, and ideally your antral follicle count where appropriate.

And even then, ovarian reserve and egg quality are not the same thing.

This is the level of detail we go into when assessing fertility at Nourishing Apothecary. A blood test isn’t just a collection of numbers that are either “normal” or “abnormal”. The relationship between those markers matters.

If you’re trying to conceive and want a more comprehensive look at your fertility, Mel and Danielle work extensively with fertility at Nourishing Apothecary.

You can start with a free discovery call to find the right practitioner for you.

Consultations are available in clinic in Sydney and Australia wide via Zoom.

www.nourishingapothecary.com

10/09/2026

Endo is rarely just about your period.

If you have endometriosis, there may be other things happening alongside it that feel completely unrelated.

PMDD. Anxiety. Depression. ADHD. IBS. Migraine. Chronic fatigue. Fibromyalgia. Autoimmune conditions. Recurrent UTIs. Vaginal health issues.

That does not mean every woman with endometriosis will experience these, or that endometriosis directly causes all of them. But research increasingly shows that endometriosis is associated with a higher prevalence of several physical and mental health comorbidities.

And this is exactly why I don’t look at endometriosis as simply a reproductive condition.

It’s a complex inflammatory disease that can affect far more than the pelvis, and every woman’s presentation can look completely different.

One woman might have debilitating pelvic pain.

Another might have relatively little pain but significant gut symptoms, migraines, fatigue, mood changes or other inflammatory conditions.

So when I work with someone with endometriosis, I want to understand the whole picture, not just what happens during their period.

There is no single treatment plan that makes sense for every woman with endo.

If you’re struggling with endometriosis and want individualised naturopathic support, Mel works extensively with endometriosis at Nourishing Apothecary.

Consultations are available Australia wide via Zoom.

www.nourishingapothecary.com

09/09/2026

“He has super s***m.” But does he?

I hear this constantly from couples who have been told the semen analysis looks great.

But here’s where I think we need more nuance.

The WHO reference limits used when interpreting semen analysis are designed to provide reference values. Crossing a lower reference threshold does not automatically mean s***m parameters are optimal, nor does it guarantee male fertility.

When I assess a semen analysis, I’m not looking at one number and ticking a box.

I’m looking at the whole picture.

Concentration.
Total s***m count.
Progressive motility.
Morphology.
Volume.
And, depending on the fertility history, whether further investigation such as s***m DNA fragmentation may be warranted.

I’m also considering the couple in front of me. How long have they been trying? Have there been miscarriages? Failed IVF cycles? Poor embryo development? Are there lifestyle, metabolic or reproductive factors that could be affecting s***m?

Because male fertility deserves far more attention than simply being told, “your s***m is fine.”

I go much deeper into how I assess fertility and what I investigate when pregnancy isn’t happening in my latest YouTube video.

Why Aren’t You Falling Pregnant? is now live on the Nourishing Apothecary YouTube channel.

And if you’re trying to conceive and want individual support, our fertility naturopaths work with both female and male fertility.

Book a free discovery call to find the right practitioner for you. Consultations are available at our Sydney clinic and Australia wide via Zoom.

www.nourishingapothecary.com

***mquality

09/09/2026

Your TSH can be “normal” and still not give us the full picture of your thyroid.

TSH is an important marker, but it’s only one part of thyroid assessment.

TSH is produced by the pituitary gland. Essentially, it tells us about the signal being sent to your thyroid to produce thyroid hormone.

What it doesn’t tell us on its own is the complete picture of thyroid hormone production, circulating thyroid hormones or whether thyroid autoimmunity may be present.

So when someone has been told their “thyroid is fine” based on TSH alone, but they’re still experiencing symptoms such as fatigue, feeling cold, brain fog, hair thinning or unexplained changes in weight, I want to look at the clinical picture more closely.

Depending on the individual, this may mean assessing markers such as free T4, free T3 and thyroid antibodies alongside TSH, while also considering other potential causes of those symptoms.

And that last part matters.

Symptoms that look like hypothyroidism aren’t specific to thyroid disease. Iron deficiency, B12 deficiency, sleep issues, perimenopause and other conditions can produce overlapping symptoms. A broader investigation isn’t about assuming the thyroid must be the problem. It’s about working out whether it actually is.

Toni works extensively with thyroid health, perimenopause, menopause and metabolic health at Nourishing Apothecary.

If you’ve been told your results are normal but you still don’t feel well, you can book a free discovery call to find the right practitioner for you.

Consultations are available in clinic and Australia wide via Zoom.

www.nourishingapothecary.com

09/09/2026

Bloated every time you eat?

If you’re regularly finishing meals feeling bloated, heavy, uncomfortable or exhausted, I don’t want you to just keep pushing through bigger meals and hoping your digestion eventually catches up.

When digestion is struggling, there can be a few different things going on — stomach acid, digestive enzymes, gut motility, the microbiome, constipation, food intolerances, or underlying conditions such as endometriosis can all play a role.

One thing I often suggest while we’re working out the WHY is making food a little easier on the digestive system.

Try smaller meals more regularly rather than one huge meal.

And think about texture too. Slow-cooked meats, soups, stews and broths can often feel much gentler than sitting down to a very large, heavy meal when your gut is already struggling.

This isn’t about restricting food or cutting out entire food groups forever. It’s about reducing the digestive load temporarily while we investigate what is actually driving the bloating.

If you’re constantly bloated after eating, there is usually more to investigate than “you just have a sensitive stomach.”

Mel works extensively with women with endometriosis, digestive symptoms and complex hormonal presentations at Nourishing Apothecary.

You can book a free discovery call with Mel at nourishingapothecary.com

A regular period doesn’t always mean regular ovulation.It’s an easy assumption to make: if your period arrives every mon...
09/09/2026

A regular period doesn’t always mean regular ovulation.

It’s an easy assumption to make: if your period arrives every month, you must be releasing an egg every month.

But bleeding and ovulation are not the same physiological event.

In an ovulatory cycle, ovulation leads to formation of the corpus luteum and a subsequent rise in progesterone. But it is possible for the uterine lining to build and shed without an egg actually being released.

This is why, particularly when someone is trying to conceive, we don’t rely on cycle regularity alone.

We may look at cervical mucus, basal body temperature, LH testing and mid-luteal progesterone. And importantly, a “Day 21 progesterone” is only appropriately timed if ovulation occurred around Day 14. Ideally, progesterone should be assessed approximately 7 days after ovulation.

If ovulation isn’t occurring consistently, the more important question becomes why?

PCOS, thyroid dysfunction, prolactin, low energy availability, significant physiological stress, weight changes and perimenopause are just some of the factors that can disrupt ovulation.

A regular bleed can be reassuring. But when we’re assessing fertility, we want to know whether ovulation is actually occurring, when it’s occurring and what the hormonal environment looks like afterwards.

That distinction can completely change how we investigate a fertility case.

If you’ve been trying to conceive and feel like you’ve been told everything looks “normal”, this is exactly the kind of detail worth looking at more closely.

Our fertility naturopaths Mel and Danielle work with couples to investigate the bigger picture and provide personalised fertility support.

Book a consultation or start with a free discovery call at nourishingapothecary.com⁠

Progesterone

09/09/2026

If you’re trying to conceive, supplements can absolutely have a place, but the quality, form and dose matter.

A prenatal is usually the foundation, but fertility support can go well beyond simply taking a multivitamin.

Depending on the person, I may also be looking at things like:

• Iron, based on blood results rather than automatically supplementing
• Vitamin D and whether levels are actually adequate
• Ubiquinol/CoQ10 to support mitochondrial energy production and reproductive cell function
• Zinc, particularly where dietary intake or individual requirements suggest a need
• Folate, with the form and total dose considered alongside the prenatal
• Omega 3 fatty acids, particularly EPA and DHA
• More targeted nutrients when there are specific fertility concerns, age related considerations, PCOS, endometriosis, male factor fertility or IVF preparation

And this is the part I really want people to understand: more supplements does not automatically mean better fertility.

I see so many people taking huge stacks they have built from TikTok, Google and recommendations from friends without looking at whether the doses overlap, whether they actually need them or whether the combination makes sense for their individual fertility picture.

Ideally, preconception support starts a few months before trying, because both egg and s***m development happen over time. But if you are already TTC, you can still start looking properly at what your body may need.

If you want individual fertility support, our fertility naturopaths Mel and Danielle offer consultations Australia wide via Zoom, and you can book a free discovery call through Nourishing Apothecary.

nourishingapothecary.com

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