Bioidentical Hormone Balancing and Functional Medicine

24/05/2026

Amazing time speaking at the Nordic Conference in Amsterdam- 3 lectures delivered on breast cancer, gut and hormone health and mental health from an integrative approach - thank you for the opportunity and the groundbreaking work of

17/03/2025

Endometriosis symptoms can mimic many other conditions, leading to misdiagnosis and delays in treatment. On average, it takes 8 years to get a correct diagnosis!

⚠️ Conditions Often Mistaken for Endometriosis:
-Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) – Infection-related pelvic pain & irregular periods
-Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) – Digestive issues like bloating & constipation
-Ovarian Cysts – Lower abdominal pain & menstrual irregularities
-Adenomyosis & Uterine Fibroids – Heavy, painful periods & infertility
-Interstitial Cystitis – Bladder pain & frequent urination
-Myofascial Pain Syndrome – Chronic pelvic muscle pain

💡 Why Diagnosis is Difficult
-Symptoms overlap with many conditions
-No single test can confirm endometriosis
-Laparoscopy (a surgical procedure) is the only definitive diagnosis method

Early diagnosis can change lives! If you’re struggling with persistent symptoms, trust your body and seek a specialist’s advice. Our doctors take a holistic, personalised approach to every patient, leading to more effective treatment plans: https://bit.ly/3QCOjPp

13/10/2024

Wow 🤩

Today, at the conference, I gave a different kind of talk than I usually do. It explored the connection between the science and the symbolism of mitochondria. I’ve been talking about eating the natural colors of whole foods for some time (“eating a rainbow”). 🌈 That rainbow I’m talking about has many layers of meaning; one goes deep into the mitochondria.

The sunlight that plants turn into energy through photosynthesis ultimately translates within our mitochondria into ATP and the production of reactive oxygen species, each with their own wavelengths and respective colors. Research studies measure this light emission as biophotons. The mitochondria are also very ancestrally tied into the maternal line, or the yin aspect of our being. They yoke us to the aspect of wielding nourishment.

We want the mitochondria to have the proper balance of darkness and light, and one of the ways it can safely stay in darkness, without the excessive light spray of reactive oxygen species, is through the amphiphilic antioxidant, melatonin, which is highly concentrated in the mitochondria. Melatonin can be made in the mitochondria, but also comes from the pineal gland in response to darkness to sync us up with circadian consciousness and the deeper rhythm that runs through life.

When you go deeper, you can’t help but see that the mitochondria is truly more than the “powerhouse” of the cell to give us ATP. It is our inner power, our qi, our life force threaded through each cell of our being. The more we have, the more we are vitalized.

Du J, Deng T, Cao B, Wang Z, Yang M, Han J. The application and trend of ultra-weak photon emission in biology and medicine. Front Chem. 2023;11:1140128. Published 2023 Feb 17. doi:10.3389/fchem.2023.1140128. CCBY

27/03/2024

28/02/2024

A'HO...

24/02/2024

🌸 Join us at FORGE for an enlightening evening with Dr. Ghazala Aziz-Scott, the remarkable women’s health doctor who “fixed” our founder Amanda Mansell!

This week’s groundbreaking news: employers could face lawsuits for disability discrimination if they fail to accommodate menopausal women. This ruling, a first from the Quality and Human Rights Commission, underscores the urgent need for awareness and support.

“During FORGE’s refurbishment, I didn’t realise I was perimenopausal—I simply thought it was stress from setting up a new business! 6-months in, I was hit hard by menopause—sleepless nights, relentless night sweats, and overwhelming emotions. I couldn’t even get a GP appointment. Then I remembered Ghazala, a client specialising in women’s health. She offered a free consultation and said “Don’t worry darling I will fix you!” Within a few weeks she had. I felt like me again thanks to her expertise and personalised care”. -AMANDA MANSELL

It’s time to break the silence surrounding menopause. Join us for an open and frank evening with Dr. Ghazala Aziz-Scott. She’ll cover Perimenopause, menopause, the truth about hormone replacement, other midlife health considerations, personalised medicine, and hormone balancing nutrition.

📅 Date: Tue 26 Mar
⏰ Time: 6pm-8pm
💰 Price: £5. Book via link in our bio.
📍 Location: FORGE, 59 Leather Lane, London EC1N 7TJ

Spaces are limited, so book to secure your spot! Refreshments will be provided

, Partner at The Marion Cluck Clinic, brings unparalleled expertise in women’s health. With a background in Medicine from Cambridge University, a Masters in Neuroscience, Medical Ethics, and Law, and extensive training in women’s health including the DRCOG and DFFP, her credentials are impeccable.

06/01/2024

The Universe is built upon fractal geometry.

07/11/2023

Last week I ran a video highlighting the importance of all the bodily functions & systems that benefit from the natural production of oestrogens & progesterone - as a result of having regular menstrual cycles / ovulating.

I promised to explain the impact natural oestrogen o***y production has on the brain, and does the oestrogen in the contraceptive pill offer the same benefits…. Read on 🧐

Ovarian oestrogen has a profound impact upon the brain, esp in adolescence:
1️⃣ Affecting regional grey matter volumes; the place where the processing of sensation, perception, voluntary movement, learning, speech & cognition takes place
2️⃣ Also oestrogen increases neural connectivity associated with psychosexual and other behavioural functions

In adulthood these hormones (oestrogen and progesterone) continue to shape the brain by modulating areas involved in cognitive & emotional processing, and are implicated in mood & anxiety disorders.

Enter synthetic hormones found in hormone contraception. The “oestrogens” & “progesterone” in these formulations contain drugs with similar names - progestins & ethinylestradiol BUT they are NOT THE SAME. We have to shout this from the rooftops 📢 as this misconception is failing women from adolescence to perimenopause (tune in next week for my perimenopause discussion).

A Danish study back in 2016 by Skovlund found a correlation between the use of Hormone Contraception and a subsequent first diagnosis of depression and the use of antidepressants. The increased risk of these adverse outcomes was noted to be the highest in adolescent women.

Fast forward to May 2023 a population-based cohort study based on data from 264,557 women from the UK concluded “...the use of OCs, particularly during the first 2 years, increases the risk of depression. Additionally, OC use during adolescence might increase the risk of depression later in life. Physicians and patients should be aware of this potential risk when considering OCs & individualised risk–benefit assessments should be conducted.”

Are we REALLY still here, blindly prescribing drugs without explaining risks to young women, parents / carers!

02/11/2023

Such important information 🙏🏻

Hormonal contraception is prescribed to adolescents for a myriad of indications from pregnancy prevention to treatment for acne or painful periods. The use with teen girls has been shown to have both seriously negative impacts on their mental health & bone health.

Today, I want to focus on bone health. As the image shows, teen years are a critical window for acquiring "peak bone strength" - the time of optimal skeletal development that will prevent fractures in late adulthood by providing bone reserve. Sounds important, right 🤔 The age at which peak bone mass is achieved varies for the hip, spine and other sites, but 90–95% occurs by the age of 21.

S*x hormones aka oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone made by the ovaries (predominately just to keep things simple) & growth hormones play a major role in achieving peak bone mass. Alterations in production of these hormones during this critical window can have lasting effects on peak bone strength. And the drugs in birth control - aka The pill ARE NOT the same structure nor do they provide any of the benefits that our naturally produced oestrogen & progesterone provide.

Studies indicate that Combined Oral Contraception use can compromise bone mineral acquisition in teens, esp if taken in the first 3 years post their first period.

Does this matter? Hell yes, missing the opportunity to attain peak bone mass, we have a generation of teens at risk of developing stress fractures, not to mention that oestrogen (naturally produced “oestriadiol” NOT ethinyl estradiol as a drug like the pill) also plays a role in the development of the microarchitecture that allows bone to withstand pressure & be flexible.

Prescribers of birth control SHOULD be transparent & counsel teens about the impact of hormonal contraception on their lifetime bone health. As states in her brilliant book Hormones Health & Human potential - “a 10% decrease in peak bone mass is predicted to bring forward by 13 YEARS the development of osteoporosis.”

Remenber - I'm hosting a Best of Health webinar next week The Bones of The Matter to provide all women with the info you need to protect your bones for life! Link in bio