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#144: Aisling Fox: What Every Woman Should Know About PCOS & Endometriosis
471 Plays29 days ago
In today’s episode of the Kate Hamilton Health Podcast, I’m back with nutritional therapist and medical herbalist Aisling Fox for a deep and practical dive into two major women’s health conditions: PCOS and endometriosis. Building on our last conversation, Aisling brings her signature clarity and compassion as we discuss the root causes, common misdiagnoses, and misunderstood symptoms.
We chat about the power of personalised nutrition, lifestyle shifts that really make a difference, and the healing potential of herbal medicine. Whether you're navigating your own diagnosis or simply want to support your hormonal health, this episode offers real talk and real tools to take action - without the overwhelm.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
[0:33] - Meet Aisling Fox and what we’re covering in this episode
[2:42] - The truth about PCOS symptoms and why so many women go undiagnosed
[5:59] - What’s really causing PCOS and how lifestyle changes can help
[13:19] - Busting myths about dairy, diet, and managing PCOS with food
[24:43] - Cruciferous veggies, carbs, and the protein balance your hormones crave
[38:38] - What you need to know about endometriosis and gut health
[42:18] - How to support medical treatment with lifestyle changes
[51:13] - Herbal medicine 101: What works and how to personalize it
[56:20] - Why tailored support matters and how to start your healing journey
Links & Resources:
- Connect with me on Instagram here
- Connect with Aisling on Instagram here
- Learn more about KHH coaching here
- Email Aisling: aisling@aoknutrition.com
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with friends who might benefit. For more health and fitness tips, follow me on Instagram and TikTok @katehamiltonhealth.
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Transcript
Introduction and Guest Overview
00:00:07
Speaker
everyone and Welcome back to another episode of the Kate Hamilton Health Podcast. So today's episode is actually a part two. I speak with Aisling Fox. We did a part one episode a few you episodes back. I don't have the exact number in my head, but just scroll back.
00:00:22
Speaker
It's not that long ago. We had such a beneficial conversation that we just really wanted to go in more in more depth on a few topics. So that that is what we do in this episode.
00:00:33
Speaker
Aisling is a nutritional therapist, herbalist and founder of AOK Nutrition. If you haven't heard of her, go check her out. She is amazing. You will be after this episode anyway, and go back and listen to our episode, but our part one as well.
00:00:47
Speaker
In this episode, we really zone in in a lot more depth.
Focus on PCOS and Endometriosis
00:00:51
Speaker
And the main topics that we discuss are PCOS and endometriosis. We also then spend a little bit of time talking about herbal medicine and about what she actually does in her clinics and how she can help.
00:01:04
Speaker
But I think anyone who suffers with PCOS or endometriosis or has a daughter or a sister or you know knows anyone in their life that that struggles with either of these areas, this is going to be hugely beneficial.
00:01:22
Speaker
I have learned so much. It's also very, very proactive. So it's not like listing symptoms and, oh yeah, this is it and this is it. And, you know, you need to see your
Combining Medical and Lifestyle Approaches
00:01:30
Speaker
doctor or whatever. It's like, yes, like we talk a about around the importance of that. Yes, medicine is important, that, you know, medical attention is extremely important, but also there's a responsibility of lifestyle as well. And we talk about combining both and how how important that is.
00:01:46
Speaker
I think you are really going to find this extremely helpful. So enjoy.
00:01:55
Speaker
Aisling, welcome back. Thank you for having me. I'm so delighted to be invited back on. Like, lovely compliments. So excited to chat again today. We could have chatted for hours last time, so think we definitely needed a part two. That's what it was. It was like we were hitting the hour and it was like, no, we we definitely will talk for another hour if we go into these topics.
00:02:11
Speaker
And i was kind of doing a little bit of looking back on our previous episode and it was like, what why did we really want this part two? And it was to get a little bit more specific, I think, on different areas because we did a lot.
00:02:23
Speaker
and Anyone listening hasn't listened to our pre our part one. It's a few episodes back, scroll back and and and listen to our part one as well, where we talk a lot more generally around hormones and lifestyle and nutrition and everything that that goes with that. Whereas we just wanted to zone in a little bit more on some different issues in this episode.
00:02:42
Speaker
So I thought we'd start with a little bit of PCOS, talk about PCOS. And I suppose, first of all, I think as women, Like people just expect us to know what it is.
00:02:55
Speaker
So whether it's it's something that you struggle with or not, you'll have heard PCOS. But I'd say that there's plenty of people out who don't really know what that actually means. Yeah, of course. You're the women with PCOS who don't know what PCOS is. And that's not even our fault. It's just not explained to us.
Understanding PCOS: Symptoms and Misdiagnosis
00:03:09
Speaker
So PCOS stands for polycystic ovarian syndrome and the key word there when we're talking about PCOS is that syndrome. So one thing I want start off with straight away is PCOS is probably one of the most misdiagnosed conditions that I see in clinic because just because you have cysts on the ovaries doesn't mean you have full-blown PCOS.
00:03:26
Speaker
So I've had clients who go in and get a scan, for example, and they see cysts and to make it even more confusing, obviously women's health in itself is just like such a minefield. But these cysts that they see are actually just follicles. They're eggs that haven't been released because you're not ovulating regularly. That's normally the reason why.
00:03:41
Speaker
And this could be the case so because you're not ovulating because you're stressed, because you have high testosterone, which is what PCOS, polycystic aburring syndrome, is due to. and which will back in a second. It could be due to low iron. So I just want to kind of really make it clear straight away, but just because you went for a scan and um were told, yeah, you've cysts, it doesn't mean you have PCOS straight away. You could have PCO and PCO is polycystic ovaries.
00:04:05
Speaker
And this is a huge misconception that I would see. And it's so important because even like in the medical field, they'll say, oh, it's PCOS. And this woman goes by, say, if you're someone like, for example, who's under eating and really over exercising and really depleted and you've no cycle because of stress. It's called hypotermic menorrhea.
00:04:21
Speaker
And this woman goes away and starts researching and she's told, cut carbs and increase workouts and it's the polar opposite, the real PCOS protocol, which we're going about So it's really, really important to PCOS. You have the right diagnosis. That's the first thing I say. Okay. So PCOS, again, polycystic ovarian syndrome. And what that syndrome means is it's it's usually irregular cycles due to high androgens in the body.
00:04:43
Speaker
And testosterone is one we're all very familiar with. There's another one called DHEA, which is another type of androgens. And when these are elevated, it can stop your body from ovulating. And with this, you're going to see things like obviously irregular cycles. You might have acne. You might have excess hair growth. It could be on your face, on your chin, on your nipples, on your body. And you could have things like insulin resistance on a blood test. People find it really hard to lose weight, hair loss. So kind of the real...
00:05:10
Speaker
They're the real classic symptoms of PCOS. And again, with these symptoms, what you're bringing is the syndrome. So you have number of different things together at the same time. And it can be tricky. It's really hard to support it because it's all lifestyle. PCOS is due to lifestyle factors.
00:05:25
Speaker
So that be very difficult for people sometimes because if you were putting the pill at 15 for regular cycles on the root cause with PCOS, chances are you've You know, if it's due to kind of the typical insulin resistance and things like that, like you you're those people are still struggling with their weight.
00:05:39
Speaker
They're still probably struggling i'm with, I don't know, like maybe hair loss. when they come off birth control, if their lifestyle hasn't changed, those symptoms are still there as well. So PCOS is very much lifestyle related. so Makes sense. So, yeah, I would have been aware that lifestyle very much influences your experience of PCOS and how how you manage it.
00:05:59
Speaker
Does lifestyle cause Lifestyle is the cause of PCOS. Absolutely. Yeah. okay and There's kind of a caveat with that because what they find now is there is a genetic component with PCOS, like the same way Diabetes would run in people's families, for example. And like if you, you know, your uncle, even going through pregnancy, like my dad is type two, like he's in his seventies. And just because he's diabetic, I had to go and do the insulin test. And even though I'm a nutritionist, I was like, it's not going be high. Like, you know, this kind of thing. So with diabetes, we know it definitely is run in families and PCOS now is kind of in that same kind of category. So generally, if you have diabetes in your family or if you have someone else, your family PCOS, it does increase your risk factors.
00:06:35
Speaker
But the way it works is it's called like epigenetics. So it's like what the hand that you're dealt. Okay, so this is what you're dealt. And depending on how you live your life determines how that that kind of, how your health is presented to us.
Genetic and Lifestyle Influences on PCOS
00:06:47
Speaker
So if you're someone who, for example, PCOS,
00:06:50
Speaker
for a lot of people now, there is different types PCOS, but for the usual 70% PCOS is due to high insulin levels driving high testosterone. And these are like an inverse relationship.
00:07:01
Speaker
High testosterone drives high insulin, high insulin drives high testosterone. So we're talking about insulin. This is linked with your diet. And I think You know, these days, a lot of processed foods, a lot of sugar in people's diets, without even realizing it. Like even people, you know, are trying to eat healthy. You know, people are trying to have low canary yogurts, but they're they're high in sugar. Just little things so that. People are trying to make healthy decisions for that reason, realizing how much sugar is going through your diet.
00:07:24
Speaker
So really with PCOS, sugar is a huge driver. The other massive problem with PCOS is also ah kind of linked to inflammation in the body. And when we're talking about inflammation, that's come back to your gut health. Your immune system is most of your gut. So if your gut is not optimal, your body can't respond to that inflammation. And this can even drive PCOS further. So even just think about our lifestyle, like taking medication, drinking alcohol, eating processed foods, not eating enough fruit and veg. And this is a mean, you know what I mean? We have to find the balance between it. But when you zoom out and look at all these risk factors of what can drive PCOS, people have really fall into that category very easily. Does make sense? And it yeah it's really normal stuff, isn't it? So like, you know, even, you know, it said sounds very harsh when you say your lifestyle causes PCOS. Like people might hear that and kind of take offense, be like, excuse use me.
00:08:12
Speaker
But it's kind of, it is a lifestyle that most of us are living. You know, it like with having the few drinks here and there, you know, having the sugary snacks and you know, living stressful lives, not eating enough to look after our gut health, enough fiber and, you know, all all the other bits.
00:08:26
Speaker
but Also, I suppose means that if it's the hand you're dealt with and it is genetic or whatever, like not everyone who lives they's their lifestyle like this, which is most people, are going to end up with PCOS. It just, this is going to obviously make it worse if you are prone to to it, I presume, yeah?
00:08:41
Speaker
Yeah, and you'll hear people all the time say, oh God, I put on weight, just look at a pizza and I put on weight, or I look at this and I put on weight. Like I think some people's metabolic makeup are your more pro to weight gain for certain reasons. And when you're looking at things like, do they have a history of PCOS? Do they have a history of diabetes? Oftentimes it's genetics. Now, as you know, it is calories in versus calories out at the end of the day.
00:09:01
Speaker
But people just have to work that little bit harder to really maintain their weight and maintain their health. Oftentimes this this genetic comp component background can crazy. the thing that's driving it. The interesting thing about PCOS as well, because I know there people listening to it, like I'm not overweight and I look after myself really, really well.
00:09:16
Speaker
So medically, like they look at PCOS, they have high testosterone. Everyone is given the same protocol pretty much. Okay. So really interesting, like we're talking about insulin resistance and things like that, the drug that's used for PCOS is called metformin and metformin is the same drug they use for diabetics.
00:09:34
Speaker
So it's very interesting I'm like from a nutritional perspective or kind of like a real naturopathic, like my cult goal is trying to get to the root of the problem. And if you fix the root, everything else will fix itself. That's how I run the clinic. That's how I run everything.
00:09:44
Speaker
And it's interesting the medical approach at BCS is kind of very naturopathic to a certain extent because they understand if you actually help control insulin levels through using a drug called metformin, testosterone levels will come down, ovulation will kick back in again.
00:09:57
Speaker
They're just doing it through drugs instead of doing it through diet. Does that
Managing PCOS through Diet and Lifestyle
00:10:01
Speaker
make sense? Yeah. it's very bad approach. But so medically, they're like, you've high testosterone, this is what's going on. And i remember when I trained years ago, we kind of went a little more adept in that. So we kind of say like this there's four different types of PCOS. There's PCOS that's driven by high testosterone and kind of insulin resistance. That's the one we're kind talking about now, like diet and lifestyle, weight training is all the really important tips for that.
00:10:22
Speaker
There's PCOS I would call post-pill PCOS, which I see so commonly in my clinic, probably because of how I'm working. People come off birth control, they've been on birth control for 10, 15 years. And particularly pills, things like Yasmin, Dynette, Yasmin-L, ones that are really high, we call them like androgen blockers. So technically will happen is you go, you're going to the doctor at 15 because you've really got acne and you get put in these pills and they're fabulous for your skin. You're amazing. And you know, hair growth and your skin is brilliant.
00:10:50
Speaker
But when you come off it, you kind of get this androgen surge. So the amount of women that I've seen who come off the pill, they might one or two periods and then all sudden their period disappears. And they go and get mud stung, their testosterone is through the roof, their ovulation hormones are out whack as well, and they're told you have PCOS. And they're like, sure, this is random. Like, I know that, I eat really well and I'm not overweight. And I've never had PCOS before and I've now found any history of it.
00:11:12
Speaker
And we would call post-pill PCOS. And it's kind of hard because of these things, you just have to ride the waves. Normally, the princesses, allergen surge for about 12 months post-pill. And then once you come to kind of 12 month mark, the finishing line is a fight and then things kind of start to calm down. Now, work with lot of women to help support that high antigen levels through diet, to herbs, to everything else. But the same goes if you're listening and you're like, oh my God, like my skin went mental like six months after coming off the pill.
00:11:37
Speaker
What happens is most women panic and they go back onto birth control. But you're going to have to do that that kind of pattern again. It's these antigen surging. So post-filled PCOS is really, really common and it's very temporary.
00:11:48
Speaker
Then we have a type of PCOS kind of linked more with inflammation, like I was saying earlier on. And if I see clients, things like psoriasis or underactive thyroid that's linked with like autoimmune or celiac disease or any kind of inflammatory issues, often this inflammation can drive up a different type of androgen called DHEA.
00:12:07
Speaker
And DHEA is linked kind of more with like, it's an an another type of androgen, but it's linked more with stress. So like you can literally be like, i I'm brilliant with my diet and I'm eating really healthy and your amnesia might still be elevated because your body's under stress through inflammation or just through lifestyle stress as well.
00:12:22
Speaker
So that's how we look at PCOS because like that's sometimes people to don't fit the mold and I'm sure it's people listening being like, I'm diagnosed with PCOS, it makes no sense, like I'm really trying to go after myself. Take that further step back and be like, well, was it post-pill?
00:12:34
Speaker
Do I have a lot stress? Do I have a lot of inflammation? And I'm likely one of those things. And if it is those, you have to look at it from a different perspective. um Like, for example, stress needs to be treated for looking at lifestyle, you know, nourishing supplements.
00:12:46
Speaker
It's completely different to kind of like putting on metformin or controlling insulin levels. makes sense so it's quite complex it's why we needed a part two yeah we definitely needed a part two for this if someone listening's at the stage and they're look I've been diagnosed with PCOS you know like that I am struggling to to get healthy with with this you know ah to lose weight to to get these healthy healthy habits in place what is it that we should do like what where should you start I know like you were going to say diet and lifestyle but if you're if ah what are the really specific things that are really important for women dealing with PCOS
00:13:19
Speaker
Yeah, so number one is blood sugar balancing. And what that means is you need to prevent how many times day you are getting hungry. So if you find that you're starving every few hours, what's going happen is, first of all, you're going to create the carbs. It's really hard to make rational decisions when you're already already hungry. So you're going to looking for more rice or more chips or you want the chicken fillet around at lunchtime or you want the wrap where you want I don't know, whatever it is, biscuits, you want chocolate bar, which is fine to have. But when you eat PCOS, those things are going drive up your insulin further. Like insulin is how your body lets sugar into your cells properly.
00:13:48
Speaker
It's not a bad thing. We need it. But when we are eating these foods, eat it too much or when your metabolism can't process these sugars as well, it becomes a thing called insulin resistance. much more difficult for your body to process these foods and this is when the problem starts.
00:14:00
Speaker
So what I mean by blood sugar balancing is don't let yourself get hungry. Try and eat little and often throughout the day. That's what suits you. If you're someone being like, you know what? I eat three meals a day and it suits me fine. Perfect. But if you're starving coming up to your lunch and you're standing in the kitchen making your lunch eating a biscuit, like you've gone too far. Okay.
00:14:15
Speaker
Yeah. And Aisling, it's so common. I see this, like I work with hundreds women and, you know, that are struggling to lose weight, not necessarily PCOS related, but they're like, I can't stop snacking at night. And then when we look at their day, it's like you've gone all day without eating anything. It's like, I don't even eat that much during the day. It's like, so even just our basic first steps of being, you need three meals a day at least.
00:14:34
Speaker
Exactly. Yes. And what we're looking at those meals is protein. Protein is literally the most important component of PCOS, I would say. Because protein helps to balance out those blood sugars.
00:14:46
Speaker
So to put a kind of the last kind of like scientific term is it stops you getting hangry. And all of a sudden, if you're not as hangry, it's much easier to control your cravings in terms of And again, look, I'm all for like tea and bit of chocolate after dinner, right? So that's not what I'm saying. Don't have that. The difference between having a cup of tea, your jammies on, relaxing the evening times and then standing there at lunchtime eating four biscuits while you're waiting for your soup to heat Like they're two completely different things.
00:15:09
Speaker
So it's kind of like that urge, I have to eat something quicker, not maybe to kind of control cravings that kind of looking at. When we eat protein as well, it helps control how quickly your blood sugars crash. It helps control your insulin levels. So it's by far one of the most...
00:15:22
Speaker
like important things. A lot of my PCOS clients, even for example, feel better eating things like a higher protein breakfast. So like, you know, if you saw clients, porridge and berries and flaxseeds, that's a great breakfast. It's brilliant for hormones.
00:15:34
Speaker
But for someone PCOS, having something like about a bowl of porridge in the morning, which is very high in carbs, even though they're good carbs, will spike your insulin levels. And then like you're on this roller coaster all day long. Whereas if you had something like a massive omelet, three egg omelet, throw a bit feta in, of bacon, loads of veggies in there, that will keep you fuller for longer, right?
00:15:52
Speaker
My approach at PCOS as well, like I'm sure if you do Googling, Google PCOS, like it's very much like no carb diet, 20% carbs, it's very hardcore, like... And if you came to me, Kate, and you were like, I want to get pregnant the next three months and I have really high testosterone, I'd be like, okay, let's have gone hardcore and try to reduce your carbs and get this down as quickly as possible.
00:16:10
Speaker
But for the majority of women, you're probably going to always have struggle with PCS, but it's going to be something you're always going to have to try and manage. So my approach is let's not go completely low carb and you're completely you miserable. It's very much trying to just manage how much you're eating them. So, you know, even just having, say, for example,
00:16:26
Speaker
smoothie the morning with protein powder in it and loads of fruits and greens and then having a big salad at lunchtime and it's not even about cutting calories like i can say if you're not having say if you're normally having sandwich right a salad sandwich at lunchtime instead of having the bread which is a carb have a big salad and throw in avocado throw in a boiled egg throw in some nuts and seeds throw in some olive oil like sit up on health fats if you're getting rid of carbs we don't want you hungry either this is the thing right It is about adding in, isn't it? Like this is, this is our whole approach as well.
00:16:55
Speaker
You know, instead of focusing on, oh, I have cut, cut my carbs. It's like, I have to eat more protein. I have to eat more healthy fats. And then naturally you'll eat less carbs because you're focusing on what you need to put in.
00:17:06
Speaker
you're not. hungry this is a problem as well as people might think oh well but like that's going to be a 500 calorie lunch i normally have say like i see clients eat like vegetable soup for 250 calories and two slices of bread my vegetable soup is a bowl of vegetables and a glass of water that's not a meal right that's not a meal there's no protein in that and you have your vegetable soup and two slices of bread and it's 200 calories and then like that after you eat five biscuits because your butt sugars have crashed so it's one those things it seems like you're eating more calories in the meal But all of a sudden then you're not snacking around you. You're finished your dinner. You might have bit of chocolate and a cup of tea, but it's not the same as you've had three biscuits and a pack of crisps and a slice of toast and a bowl of cereal. And like that kind of really intense sugar cravings because your blood sugars were imbalanced during the day. So it seems like you're eating more, which you are. But overall, actually find people actually eat less calories in terms of snacking.
00:17:55
Speaker
And it's funny, like, sorry to interrupt again. I know if you tried to get in the flow of this, but like a lot of like what you're saying in relation to this is literally what I would advise for everyone in relation to a sustainable way to to lose weight, like and to to live a healthy lifestyle. So really it is implementing really what was we all should be doing.
00:18:14
Speaker
100%. if you ask me the number one most important thing for yeah like seeing good, I'd like eat protein. And it's not even like me saying eat protein. It seems a very trendy, like you walk in super-concerned protein pastas, protein. It's ridiculous how insane. And I don't mean go and buy protein, like processed protein shakes and protein bars and to eat protein pasta. I just mean eat a source of protein with everything. I always say, think of Irish mammy dinners.
00:18:37
Speaker
Irish mammy dinners is the meat, chicken, the fish is the main part of the meal. And then you decide what you're going put with it, right? some have Someone having vegetable soup, for example, if we go back to what that reflects as Irish mammy dinner, would be about vegetables and glass of water. That's not a meal, right?
00:18:53
Speaker
Where people having, again, porridge and bearings for breakfast, like eating carrots and potatoes. Slice a toast for breakfast, like eating literally a potato for your dinner. So I think that Irish my dinner analogy works pretty well because all of us, you know, you've got brought up in Ireland, you know what I mean by it. So look at the protein source and say, right, this is my protein. What am I going to have with this?
00:19:11
Speaker
And when you start planning your meals like that, this goes for every single person listening. You'll feel so much better because when your blood sugar is crashed, your stress hormones get released, your energy levels draw, your sugar cravings increase.
00:19:22
Speaker
People often have things like shaking, jittery, can't concentrate, might be a little bit moody, might get a headache. It's not a way. And then you're relying on sugar and caffeine and carbs normally to bring yourself back up. And then it's just a vicious cycle.
00:19:33
Speaker
I noticed this particularly with myself when it comes to the weekend. Like, so, you know, I'd be, you know, particularly it took me a long time over the years to really kind of get into a good, healthy routine, but that I'd be, I would have that structure in place and that mindset in place like Monday to Thursday or Sunday. Yeah, even Sunday to Thursday and everything. But like Friday and Saturday, I would like I used to for a long time start my morning on a Saturday morning with like toast and raspberry jam and tea, like a cup of tea toast and raspberry jam.
00:20:01
Speaker
And I loved like I really looked forward to it on a Saturday morning for a long time because I had like replaced that with, you know, with a good protein shake in the morning that I made myself, obviously. And or, you know, like protein porridge or whatever.
00:20:13
Speaker
but so I was like Saturday morning, I'll have toast and jam. when I tell you the spiral that would happen on the Saturday, and I don't mean overly like binge eating, like not not massively over calories, but that evening time snacking when you're sitting down and you're staying up later at the weekend as well. So you are more tempted to snack.
00:20:28
Speaker
Once I actually kind of recognized, and I really recognized that I was like, it's my meals. I'm like, I have to, whether I have the extra snacks with my movie on a Saturday night, that's fine. But I have to keep my, I have to keep my protein carbs and fats in the meals and they can be funner meals. Like, but I was like, yeah, no toast and jam.
00:20:45
Speaker
can't be a meal. It can be a snack if I want, but it can't be a meal. but I find like we might do like boiled eggs on toast on a Saturday morning for a time and then we'll have like another slice toast with a jam afterwards. So you've already had like boiled egg, you've already had your bit of protein.
00:20:58
Speaker
And I think like even cereal, like, you know, it's always been brought up in the 90s. You're brought up watching cereal ads. You're brought up watching like characters in Teenage Shifts eating cereal for breakfast. Cereal is, think about pork legs, right?
00:21:08
Speaker
Imagine your dinner was corn in the cob and a glass milk. How ridiculous that is. It's not a dinner. And yet we're having cornflakes at breakfast, which is meant to give us energy for the day. At least in the even times we're home with evening.
00:21:21
Speaker
And we're expected to that a corn and a glass of milk is meant as the same for the day. Like no wonder then people are crashing an hour later and they're looking for croissant or, you know, and i don't know, like a slice toast later on coffee or like it's not it's not even people's fault because it's just like education around it. Like we just don't. yeah realize that and even people eating porridge in the morning which is a great really nutritious so goofy I love oats as a hormone kind of supporting food but it's just about carbs all about I would say think of oats like a baked potato it's like what are you putting with that are we having flax seeds are we having chia seeds are we putting nut butter are we putting protein powder in are we putting don't know dollop of yogurt in there it's all about the toppings when comes to something like porridge and eating cereals
00:22:02
Speaker
Yeah, no, I couldn't agree more. and it And the losing the run of ourselves when we're really busy, that like that's why, like, you know, it's like, oh, I'm off track or whatever. and But it's because you haven't been able to get the meals in and then you can't control the snacking. And it's just, yeah, vicious, vicious cycle.
00:22:16
Speaker
But at least people knew, like, if I'm stuck, if I'm, like, legging the door I'm starving, I'll let you grab a handful of cashew nuts, for example. That will keep me going. Do you know what mean? So cashew nuts, I'll let you eat 10 cashew nuts and all of a sudden my butcher goes, I'm back up and we're steady. I'm not crashing down 20 minutes later.
00:22:30
Speaker
you what I mean? So just understanding, like, higher protein snacks, quick easelings you can grab. And just explain to people listening, protein foods are things like meat, fish, eggs, cheese, yogurts. I need, like, nuts, seeds, eggs.
00:22:41
Speaker
So nut butters, chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans, obviously protein powders, fluffles, hummus. So plant-based protein is kind of home here as well. So like hummus is a great little quick snack or I love a little baby bell cheese. It's like fun and so handy as well. I'm on the go. I always have all my bag and work. I'm stuck. I just grab little baby bell.
00:22:57
Speaker
It's just having, rather than having say, even even fruit is brilliant. okay Fruit's obviously so puffy and we don't want to demonize it at all, I think. that's just ridiculous the problem fruit is if you had a banana when you're hungry with no protein your blood is going to crash really quickly an hour later you're going looking for second starving again and that's when you might go for a biscuit then to get me that like even having piece of fruit I'd always say try have it with a few handful of nuts a few seeds dollop of yogurt a protein shake something just to balance out the sugars in the fruit it's going to keep going a little bit longer So we have blood sugar balancing, this eating little and often, protein.
00:23:32
Speaker
What else is kind of important then in relation to PCOS? So that's your healthy fats again, kind of mentioned there. would say be unsexy absurdy because everyone talks about it in nutritionist, but it's so important. It's just your fiber, like fiber, fiber, fiber.
00:23:44
Speaker
gut health is the center of everything if your guts aren't working your body's not working right so even with pcos like we're trying to even reduce carbs to say in the diet it's all my volume though so if i said make it almost a breakfast you're used to having say two eggs and two sliced toasts for breakfast and take away the toast and you're still just having two eggs you're going to be hungry like So when we do an omelet, you put in bit cheese, you put in some tomatoes, put in half of spinach, you put in some peppers, put in some mushrooms, whatever you like.
00:24:09
Speaker
Fiber fills us up and it's very, very long calories. So fiber is really important from, if we're talking about weight loss, weight loss perspective, also feeding your gut bacteria. yeah And the healthier gut, the better your body is processing your hormones, for example. So it's really really important that we're getting fiber in and I think that's been lost as well I'm sure you've seen it with clients all the time that like macros are just like protein fat carbs protein fat carbs and all of a sudden I'm like yeah you're hitting protein girl you're not getting any fiber like that it's kind of that's missed it's just so important is your fiber yeah especially as well for for people with PCOS and the other thing that can impact people I'm always kind of very cautious about talking because not everyone but if it's impacting it really is it's actually cow's milk in your diet okay
00:24:52
Speaker
Not for everyone. But if you're someone listening and it's very, very Irish, I mentioned this in the last podcast as well, I would say it all sets off like snotty kids. So the reason it's Irish is we're also inbred and are like, we're all like, you know, i' usually married with Irish and stuff like that. So this kind of runs in families quite a lot. yeah,
00:25:09
Speaker
Snotty kids, so ear, nose, throat, tonsils, chest infections when you're younger. And then when you older, it might things like you might have eczema, you might have acne, you might have hay fever in your family, you might have psoriasis, you might have heavy periods, and then things like PCOS and high testosterone.
00:25:25
Speaker
Sometimes cow's milk can drive up testosterone further, can make hormonal issues worse. And I see a huge link with this if it is driving them. So let's just put it into perspective of the classic woman starting in the gym, kind of gets this basic kind of PT diet, okay, where it's protein shakes and cottage cheese and punch-ish grams for yogurt for breakfast and loads and loads of cow's milk in her diet.
00:25:46
Speaker
And the word that we often see is like, I feel very inflamed. People who just feel like they're very puffy. Their skin is really bad. You know what I mean? They just don't feel healthy, even though they feel like they're doing everything right. This is where, and something like testosterone is high. I might look at kids, especially if they have kind of other family history and they might like, I'm going to die with hay fever. and I've always had heavy periods and yeah, when I was younger, I got my tonsils out and used to read about ear infections and it might sound really irrelevant now, but there's I guarantee so many women listen to me and be like, oh my God, that is a two-meat-for-tea and I'm lashing the protein shakes in. I just don't feel great. And I'm so eating just simply things like getting on a vegan protein powder where the fascinating thing around all of this is it's just milk from a cow. So like if you like
00:26:27
Speaker
fatted cheese if you like buffalo mozzarella so you like goat's cheese you can even buy things like buffalo yogurt and sheep's milk yogurt and goat's milk yogurt so it's not even like you're gone vegan and you've handed any dairy products like you don't want that either it's just be mindful of the kaisinak because that's just something to mention because it can be really really important for women with PCOS to be honest women with all hormonal conditions like if you're suffering with acne or heavy periods or revamp GMS I'd always have the kaisinak first especially if you have that family history Interesting. And would cow's milk have a little side note, just more personally that I want to know, if you end up sinus-y quite a lot?
00:27:00
Speaker
100%. one like sinus Yeah. fever, yeah, definitely 100%. had a and he kind of rushes like yeah definitely well and And is it really an all or nothing thing or can you like cut back?
00:27:13
Speaker
You know what to mean? Could you be like, instead of having a cow's milk latte, I'll have an oat milk latte. Like, can you do that? And then be like, but I'll still have my, i don't know, I'd still have my Greek yogurt. No? It can't stress the person and how much it's impacting, right? But the way I describe it is, let's say cow's milk's light in the fire, okay?
00:27:29
Speaker
It doesn't matter if you have a pint of milk with dinner or a drop of milk in your cup of tea, you're still putting a coal in lot of fire. Or like in this meantime, if I hand you a box of matches, you can light a fire where you use a whole box of matches or one match, right?
00:27:40
Speaker
So sometimes it might like, you know, even people say like, I don't have that much dairy, but they have five cups tea with a drop of milk. They're like, i just changed the color, right? But if you imagine again, the fire analogy, every three hours that day, they're walking over and putting a coal in the fire.
00:27:52
Speaker
So technically that inflammation there all the time. Now for certain people, reducing it can really help and they kind of get away with it. And they're like, yeah, I have to do so much better. And they can have it all the time and have of cheese here and there and have chocolate milk in their cup of tea. And like that, they just don't have been milk coffees anymore or like the protein powder anymore.
00:28:08
Speaker
But is it always going be a factor? My perspective is, so what's actually you're reacting to is the protein. It's called casein, right, in the milk. If you think about celiac disease, what celiac is, people reacting to the gluten, which is a protein in the brain, right?
00:28:22
Speaker
So I actually to think give this another, I don't know, 10 years. Let's see what research does. I bet you we will see casein the same way as you see gluten. But like you wouldn't tell a celiac, I'll just have the odd time, fine.
00:28:32
Speaker
Yeah. you know what mean? That if that fire gets lit, that fire is going to be lit. So I actually say, if someone's like, oh my God, I feel so much better off that. Like I really do. Generally, that's just, the again, it's genetics. Usually that's just how their body is built. And normally then if they have cases, like my body woke me, like that pelvis will drip again.
00:28:50
Speaker
Or have really got a headache again. I've been noticing things really quickly. you Like, oh, my skin's after breaking out. So good for so long. i am So normally when people go off, but if they're really reacting to it and then shoots back in, they'll notice it bigger.
00:29:01
Speaker
they feel crap going back onto it. So you kind of felt like a low level of crap probably all the time without realizing it. You know what mean? and So it's tricky one. It is definitely tricky one. But what again, it's got to do with the protein in the milk and the structure of sheep, goats and buffalo milk is different.
00:29:15
Speaker
So it doesn't have the same impact on inflammation. Interesting. Interesting. Because it's definitely like I would hear it a lot that like, for example, yeah, like whey protein not agreeing with with clients or yeah, just, I don't feel great after, you know, i like after dairy in general, but like that it's never been like diagnosed as anything, but it like it happens more often than not.
00:29:34
Speaker
And then I was kind of looking at my own diet a little bit and now like, i wouldn't, I don't think I'm particularly it intolerant to be fair, yeah, I consume an awful lot of dairy. Like, and I would have like for breakfast, I would have like whey protein and I would have Greek yogurt, like in my, like protein Weedabix or whatever I'm having, you know?
00:29:51
Speaker
And I would have like a, like a yogurt throughout the day or whatever, or I'd have cheese with my, whatever, like with my salad or whatever. And I would have like, yeah, like I'd have my skinny, my couple of skinny lattes every day. I'd say you're okay then. Like, you know, if you were having that much protein and it IVC and your appearance, it was really, really heavy.
00:30:11
Speaker
You know, you could be experiencing that can be really painful, TMS. Like, you know, that's quite a lot of casemap for someone if they're reacting to it. So the fact that you're able to have so much and you're not really having symptoms, I'd say probably not.
00:30:23
Speaker
It's really important stuff for kids. So obviously, like I don't work with kids. My mom does and in our clinic. and kids who have like chronic ear infection, tonsils, ear, nose and throat, runny noses, chest infections, look at their case, especially if you're as a parent, someone who suffers hay fever or the dad has psoriasis or that real kind of high allergy kind of family.
00:30:43
Speaker
Oftentimes the children just tweaking their diet can make an unbelievable difference because kids as well like they just consume so much with cereals and yogurt cheese and it just consumes so much of the kids diet so just to mention that because this can make such a difference someone if they're listening like oh my god that's my child again we're not going off dairy we're just going off hazemux you can buy sheepspeak yogurt can buy buffalo yogurt you can still get cheese can still get like you know calcium is important we're not demonizing dairy at all it's just that of hazemux sometimes can impact people But that's so interesting that you say that, like, you know, about kids.
00:31:15
Speaker
And it is something that we really need to think about as parents. But like one thing I've actually noticed as a parent, you know, like my kids my kids are getting a little bit older now. Like, and it's funny, my oldest lad would have psoriasis. Like my my husband has psoriasis and he doesn't really...
00:31:31
Speaker
like dairy products. I think sometimes kids naturally, if you don't force feed your kids, ah he's like, he's just not that into it. Like, you know, my sister would have always suffered with ear infections as a child.
00:31:42
Speaker
And it actually when she ended up then as a child getting diagnosed with a milk allergy, So it just shows, doesn't it? But and now look as an adult, like she's okay. I think she kind of, i don't know if you maybe you're like, they don't you can't grow out of it, but it ended up not like she she can take milk, yogurt, cheese now.
00:31:59
Speaker
She doesn't naturally go for it. Like, you know, like she could have pizza with cheese on it. to be fine. You know, she could have cup of tea with milk in it, but like she would take or leave it. Whereas I'm like, I would rather give up meat than give up cheese.
00:32:10
Speaker
Yeah. I'm a dairy one. lot of people say like that. I hear that all the time that like, oh, I had this as a child and that kind of grew out of it. But as a child, it could have been a different symptom from like that. You were sick all the time, tonsils. But now as an adult, you might have really painful periods. You might flooding, you might really heavy periods. You might have a rash or acne, it's not going away. You're never, ever going to realize that could be linked to cow's nook.
00:32:31
Speaker
So sometimes it just manifests something different and we just don't realise. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, especially when we hit puberty and then then suddenly it's all, yeah, it's not to do with diet, it's to do with hormones. But even though that is to do with diet, but yeah, it all gets mixed up, doesn't it?
00:32:43
Speaker
Yeah, so the kai's milk, the protein, the buttercream balancing, green vegetables. And by again, such an unsexed answer. You have get your grains in this cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage.
00:32:55
Speaker
What we're trying to do here is we're a liver. Now your liver is almost detoxing. hate even using that word, but Just these pathways for your body to break down hormones is so important. Your body's going to do it anyway, right? Even if you never eat other green vegetables again, but we can also help it do that by eating things like cruciferous vegetables. So they're really important. Like someone comes to me and they've really bad after me, really high testosterone, and they're like, yeah, you've got to eat my sundae with my roast and that's it.
00:33:18
Speaker
Like you cannot, like I would say, imagine your greens like bust a flexor hormones. nice If your hormones are too high like and you have green vegetables once a week, how can you set your hormones you broke down that week? you get me? So it's kind of just being really nice think about what you're doing as well.
00:33:30
Speaker
So obviously then things like white carbs are also quite important to try and really choose because white carbs can spike your insulin even more. worry So even if someone's completely overwhelmed and like, oh my God, this is so much information, going to start? I'd say get protein, especially the mornings.
00:33:44
Speaker
right so have something for breakfast even just google high protein breakfast you know potentially not guys like spending a lot we're just talking about and then get your fiber in and make sure get rid of white carbs if you're eating white bread white pasta potatoes are different potatoes are whole food but like just white carbs white wraps white bagels like switch to whole grain that's completely different the brown fiber and that will stop the insulin spike as much as not as high as eating just kind of white carbs and it's all basically It's one fairly easy swap.
00:34:13
Speaker
And for me, it was really hard initially when making that swap from like white pasta to brown pasta. It's like brown pasta is not the same. If you're having it in a meal with a lovely sauce, it doesn't make any difference. Yeah. Or can go half and half half. Like, you know what mean? Do you half for your brown pasta, half your white pasta. That's still making an effort.
00:34:29
Speaker
It's all about the little things that it's achievable. Don't be sitting there gagging, hating your brown pasta. Can't keep it up. So, you know, if you're like, okay, when I can have half my white and half my brown, I'd still enjoy my meal. And then that's, and you're being consistent. That's even better than trying to force feed yourself something that you're not mad about, you know?
00:34:44
Speaker
Yeah, true, true. There's so much proactive stuff there. It's like, you know, anyone who's listening is feeling a little bit lost, feeling, ah you know, that there there are specific things and that it it doesn't have to be, i have to go on a low carb diet because I think when it's it's something so extreme, it's it's already difficult enough to make these changes than to be like, oh, I can never, Jesus, I can never eat pasta again. I can never, you know, have carbohydrates again unless I want to be suffering. Whereas it's like,
00:35:09
Speaker
You've literally it just right in like include this, do this. do So it's about adding in much more so than taking away. I just wanted to interrupt the podcast for a moment to talk to you a little bit about Kate Hamilton Health online coaching.
00:35:25
Speaker
So we have two coaching options available. We have our elite coaching and we have our group coaching service. Our elite coaching service is bespoke individualized coaching, which will help you to finally break free from diet culture with one-to-one anytime support from your coach and with access to a safe, supportive community.
00:35:47
Speaker
This is a higher ticket coaching option and the coaching is by application only. If you go to my website, KateHamiltonHealth.com, you will be able to apply for elite coaching through there and we will be in touch to organize a call and to get you up and running.
00:36:03
Speaker
In relation to our group coaching, our group coaching starts on the first Monday of every month. When it's full each month, we do close the doors. With the group coaching is about building the habits, body and energy of the healthiest version of yourself and finally make it stick.
00:36:21
Speaker
We include personalized calories and portions, food lists, recipes, meal plan ideas, step goals, home or gym based workouts, depending on what you want.
00:36:32
Speaker
Changed every eight weeks. Mindset work, app access. So that's the Kate Hamilton Health app, which will be your hub for everything. Weekly yoga classes, WhatsApp group community, weekly group Q&A with myself, fun challenges, daily habits form, weekly self check in.
00:36:50
Speaker
fortnightly check-ins with your coach, a library full of lifestyle guides, a library full of lessons, seminars, and all of this is updated regularly. We have weekly group Zoom calls with myself and the team, regular guest seminars where we get experts on to talk more to you about different topics that we need experts on for.
00:37:11
Speaker
And then we have in-person events twice a year that you will get at a major discount as being a member of the Kate Hamilton Health community. So, as I said, this starts the first Monday of every month. If you go to my website, KateHamiltonHealth.com, you will see when the next group coaching intake is starting for you. So we close the doors as soon as that intake is full or the Monday before the group coaching starts. So usually that last Monday of the previous month.
00:37:42
Speaker
So if you head over to Kate Hamilton Health dot com, all of that information that I've talked through is on the website. You'll be able to book your spot for the next intake there. And I will chat to you all then.
00:37:56
Speaker
And be mindful of your carbs. I can feel like imagine you're porridge at breakfast, even if it is brain. Imagine having your porridge breakfast, brain wrap at lunchtime, and then pasta for dinner. There is a high carb three main meals a day where you could have smoothie for breakfast or an omelet breakfast, a huge big salad or leftover stir-fry with loads of veggies in it, something like that, or something else that's lower in carb, and then have your bone pasta at dinner. You know what Instead of having three massive carb meals day, having one.
00:38:20
Speaker
So just makes it a little bit more easy to process. yeah Yeah. And to remember all those veggies that we're eating for our good health are carbohydrates as well. I think people forget as well that, you know, a lot of our carbohydrates, if we're eating, you know, a lot of varied fruit and veg, you're getting a lot of carbohydrates from your fruit and vegetables as well. So they they also count.
00:38:38
Speaker
So what about endometriosis?
Exploring Endometriosis
00:38:40
Speaker
Because I know we mentioned this briefly in the in the last episode. Endometriosis is an inflammatory condition.
00:38:49
Speaker
Hormones drive it. Hormones aren't necessarily like the root cause. You actually don't really know what is the main driver. Why do women have endometriosis? I'm very, very interested in endometriosis. Probably someone I'd say every day in my clinic with endo now.
00:39:01
Speaker
but It's an area that's still being widely studied. So I kind of, i it is a hormonal condition, but I wouldn't put it in the category as like PCOS and painful periods. And like it's kind of slightly different that like I actually would consider NMEG as almost like a a genetic condition again, like an autoimmune condition. So...
00:39:17
Speaker
Usually, again, it runs in families that like, I think our generation kind of get a bit screwed over because our moms certainly weren't talking their periods, let alone our grannies. Like, so a lot of women takes approximately nine years be diagnosed endometriosis in Ireland.
00:39:29
Speaker
The pain gets ignored. You go into your doctor, oh, go on a pill. Oh, take some Ponson, try Nurofen. And it's just one of these things like, oh, just put up a period of pain. So, you know, the only way to really get diagnosed with it is to in and actually get like investigative surgery. It's called laparoscopy. You can actually look and see if it's there. So it's very invasive. It's not invasive, but it's like, you're not going to get in a blood test to diagnose. It's kind one of all those things you have to go in and be put in the system and the s surgery is the last step.
00:39:52
Speaker
So... Basically, in a sandwiched condition caused by, I would say, autoimmune, gut health is really important. Like, we're kind of looking at the research of endo. They're finding and women have more imbalanced gut bacteria with endometriosis. And what that would mean is, like, that affects their immune response and how their body coves with inflammation and pain and all that kind thing. So when I see lives at endo, we're really focused on gut health and supporting that as best as possible.
00:40:16
Speaker
And then we have to focus on hormones because a hormone called estrogen, okay? So estrogen, I would say, makes it happy and horny, which is what we want. or estrogen causes happy periods, sore boobs and that kind of thing. And with endometriosis, so interested in the tissue is this tissue that's growing in the wrong place. So normally if you think about your period, your period tissue is on the eutron lining and that tissue responds estrogen, which makes our period grow.
00:40:40
Speaker
And then when our hormones drop, when progesterone drops, you get your period. That tissue comes out through your period. It comes out obviously through the tissue vagina. Whereas if that tissue is growing on this mopein tube in the uterine wall,
00:40:52
Speaker
in the ovary it responds each in the same way then it can't go anywhere and then things like cysts start to form which obviously can go really really painful so the interesting thing with endometriosis it's the same tissue as our period so diet can usually the chasenab we just spoke about there and like I'd always look at chasenab for my clients with endometriosis supporting gut health, especially things like constipation. Like if you're someone who's constipated, and this is really tricky because it often goes hand in hand, like many women I would see who've just been misdiagnosed with IBS, tell for years, oh, you've IBS, it actually is just endo.
00:41:22
Speaker
Constipation means your body's not eliminating estrogen as efficiently. so it's the number one thing like when see clients with painful periods heavy periods or enemy choices or actually can't anything wrong if you actually I'm like we need to get you pooing straight away so digestive issues often go hand in hand so supporting breaking down eating chain supporting digestion super important for endo but it can be really hard like I think I've whole podcast on endo like it's actually an hour podcast but it can impact women's lives so much because it's so it can really cause so much pain like and the pain can be any like we're obviously maybe getting a bit of pain around our period but this can be any time in the morning it can affect their bowels it can affect
00:41:57
Speaker
their mood in fact their immune system like it's a really tough condition to have and it's not easy like like obviously not as you've just said not easy to get diagnosed when you are diagnosed is there a solution like is can you become pain free relatively quickly when you know what you're dealing with or is this a really tough long slog to to tackle To be honest, my frustration with NMEG is there's very little and but to integrative medicine, I'd say. So like in Ireland, you go in, you get your surgery, they remove the tissue.
00:42:28
Speaker
For some women, that is literally like night and day and it's amazing and the pain is gone and that's brilliant and fabulous. But certain people, they might not be able all the tissues. So some of the pain might be gone, but maybe other pain is still there.
00:42:38
Speaker
what frustrates me is there's no follow-on advice. So like they don't look at diet, they don't look at supplements, they don't look at estrogen levels, they don't look at mugs, they don't look at how your body's functioning. And to me, that's even more important. I'm like, we have so much research on estrogen, we have so much research on inflammation body. Like, why is that for someone who's such a,
00:42:57
Speaker
it's a disease. Like it is a disease, like such a severe disease. Why is it no complementary medicine? That, okay, I'm so pro-surgery. I'm like, let's get the s surgery. Let's get rid of the tissue. That's something I'll never be able to do with herbs or with diet. Like I can't remove someone's earlobe by giving them herbal medicine. So thank God we have the medicine and I'm so, or the surgery and I'm so pro-surgery.
00:43:16
Speaker
But then follow-on advice just falls down. And what you're going to see is women might feel fine after surgery for a few years. And then it's Three, four years later, the tissue's growing back. They're back in from another surgery. The pain's growing back again. So I think lifestyle is so, so important. We'll talk about endometriosis alongside medical field as well.
00:43:36
Speaker
Yeah. I suppose that's the case really for for most things, isn't it? And it's the one area that frustrates me in like medical situations for no matter what diagnosis we're talking about, whether it's hormone related, whether it's di in different area of health is I understand that it's so important to seek medical help for different things.
00:43:56
Speaker
But then it's it's like, here's a pill or here's a, you know, here's a surgery. This will fix it. And then it's like you there's no changes made in the lifestyle side of things.
00:44:07
Speaker
And then it recurs and it becomes chronic when it's like, yes, it's fantastic that we have access to medication that can help us get better. Like if I use my mental health, for example, you know, I suffered from really bad chronic anxiety for years in my early 20s and I needed medication. I couldn't get to the level.
00:44:25
Speaker
of clarity to be able to work on what needed to be worked on, you know, and like not to go down a rabbit hole, but in relation to like, you know, weight loss drugs, for example, they are a reality in our society if we use it at the minute. And I know I'm going on a tangent, i'm going to bring it back around, I promise.
00:44:38
Speaker
But, you know, they are a reality and... they have their place. You know, if someone's food noise is so bad that they cannot get the same starting point as everyone else for their health, they play a part alongside the lifestyle stuff.
00:44:52
Speaker
But it's not instead of, you know i mean? And that's what's important it with any type of medication, any type of medical intervention. And I do think it's what's missing in our system that it's like, know, even like my poor mom, you know, how she's having loads of issues with her digestive system at the minute.
00:45:09
Speaker
She hasn't once been referred to a dietitian, you know what I mean? Like, and yeah, to help figure out what's going on and like what's triggering it and what can we focus on. So I just like, I'm so glad that you you say that, that like, you know, medical intervention is so important and it can be really dangerous if we're anti- doctors and anti-medicine because it's really, really
Integrating Medical and Lifestyle Changes
00:45:28
Speaker
important. You know, like you don't want to end up making like things getting really bad inside you because you haven't gone to the doctor because you think the doctors don't know anything. The doctors do know things and we need to go to them.
00:45:38
Speaker
But it's the attitude that, and it's not our fault, I think as a society, it's it's, you know, it probably is a bit kind of, you know, we're being driven by a big pharma, take these pills and do this. And, you know, there's a lot, a lot of that, but it's,
00:45:51
Speaker
Getting that balance and being like, we have to also take ownership for our lifestyle. And if we need help for it, we need to advocate for ourselves and look for help with the lifestyle side, because it is the magic key to freedom from it all.
00:46:06
Speaker
Yeah. I think it's important to understand like your GP is not a dietitian. It's not, he's not a nutritionist. Like they you don't have that qualifications. They can't expect them. You can't go into them being and like, I apply testosterone. We don't want my formula. I don't want the pill.
00:46:18
Speaker
Like what else can I do? You're not going to be like, okay, well you need to eat 2.5 grams protein, blah, blah. They don't know that. So we can't expect them to, you can't be annoyed then when you come out be like, oh, you're offering with drugs.
00:46:29
Speaker
generally so you have to know their limitations but also they need to know their limitations and I find sometimes it's just resistance it's just kind like us versus them and I'm like hold on a minute we're all in the same we just want to help people that's what I presume want to do that's what I want to do that's what doctor wants to do like we're all singing from the same hymn sheet here it's just a different song that we're singing right so I think being respectful of each other's areas of expertise. Like I would never say someone like don't take that but let's say you can go back to key service for example. You walk in, you've no cycle, your acne is really bad and I have clients tell him he'll fix it and it does but it doesn't actually fix it. It just switches off your hormones.
00:47:03
Speaker
It masks. Yeah. It masks. Or I have clients come to me and don't realize that women in literally their 30s put on a pill at 17 for irregular cycles. Now they want to get pregnant. They're no, my cycle used to be irregular, but now it's irregular with the pill.
00:47:16
Speaker
And I'm like, you know, the pill is not a real theory. It's just pill bleed. You're not actually ovulating. That you think that it's regular, but actually you haven't ovulated 15 years. That isn't explained to people. So... It's having the understanding of of why, when you take a drug, how is it working? How is it benefiting me? What inside of sex?
00:47:33
Speaker
What else is driving it? What else I need to focus on? So, enemy chose, for example, like the marina coil can be brilliant in this scenario as well because marina coil can stop you having a bead every month. Like, you know, some women and have a great 10 days of the month they're absolutely crippled the week for their period, the week of their period, and it's just ah half the month. It's really difficult to make lifestyle changes when we feel so depleted. So, I'm very pro marina coil for it.
00:47:57
Speaker
things like endometriosis because then of a sudden you can really focus on getting yourself well focusing on diet getting doing a bit of exercise taking your supplements like you know like i have clients kind of go to work with endometriosis let alone getting up and taking their vitamins or go for a walk and meal prepping like you have to realistic as well so in certain situations thank god we have medicine but it's out of all the things i'd see endometriosis frustrates me because i have seen and women just get on amazing with lifestyle changes within a couple of weeks. Like it can just make such a big difference in their life.
00:48:27
Speaker
Not saying that it will never cure it, but it can just be the difference in night and day for some women. And the fact that that's not the standard for every single person that's seen when they go through the system and get surgery just absolutely baffles me.
00:48:39
Speaker
And can you imagine like if we had a healthcare system where, you know, if you went to your your GP and there was this like multidisciplinary disciplinary system where it's like, okay, yes, we think that you possibly have endometriosis. And then, you know, if wouldn't be like the the specialists have like big long waiting lists, but you know, in the meantime, someone to help you with your lifestyle, like you know, like yourself, like myself, where there's so many different areas that can support.
00:49:05
Speaker
And I know like our generation, We have access to it because we're on social media. We, you know, like the the information is out there and it's so great to see so many women being really proactive with their health.
00:49:16
Speaker
And, you know, especially like like menopause, for example, being such a huge, like, and like it's so out in the open now compared to like 10 years ago, it really wasn't like, so that's so amazing to see that. we yeah We have access to this information. We're educating ourselves. We're advocating for ourselves.
00:49:30
Speaker
And like, and it just makes me so happy to see these changes being made. Then if I look at like my parents' generation, like the only people that they'll actually take advice from is the GP, the GP and RTE.
00:49:43
Speaker
It has to be the TCE or the RTE. And like, so i I try and give them advice about something and they'd be like, no, no, Kate, no, you don't know. No. and Like and I was talking them about resistance training for a long time and they were like, yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever. and They heard it on RTE.
00:49:57
Speaker
They're both resistance training now, but it's not because of me. yeah that Yeah, yeah. ah Definitely, our generation can definitely last two things a little bit more. It'd interesting to see the next generation, because feel like I would say like our generation were very much the guinea pigs. Like we were put on the pill for 15 years and I feel like we're also the ones that struggling with fertility, maybe more so than any other generation, potentially.
00:50:17
Speaker
I don't think our kids will have the same thing. Like I think we'll be more hyper aware of you putting on your teenage daughter on the pill for 15 years. you know what I mean? We were already told, like our parents didn't do that. So it'd be interesting to see the next generation and what that looks like in terms of hormones and fertility and female wellness and like when we when were more educated on
Generational Shifts in Women's Health Awareness
00:50:35
Speaker
it. The thing is, they just didn't know this thing as well. They just didn't know. We grew up in Catholic Ireland.
00:50:39
Speaker
Things were so... like, you know what I mean? Controlled. And like our our poor parents didn't, it was the priest or she and your doctor really liked it. But I even remember that my own childhood, like access to information, you're probably not quite as old as I am, but like, I remember like all the information we got was from magazines or what we were watching on TV. The minimum amount of channels you had on, like we had like nine channels on our TV.
00:51:03
Speaker
And it was like, yeah, I'd like get my pocket money at the weekend. I go and buy like whatever the team magazine was. Yeah, yeah, definitely. Like that's where got all our information prompts. Okay. Let's actually talk about what you do within your clinic around herbal medicine.
00:51:18
Speaker
What herbs do you work with? What do you treat? What different conditions, I presume it's what we've been talking about, for example, that you treat?
Herbal Medicine in Practice
00:51:27
Speaker
And i suppose just ah tell us a little bit about this world.
00:51:31
Speaker
Yes, world. So it is bit random. Like I know people look at me and make me look like a herbalist, right? But I just love the science behind it. I love how things work. So my brain is very much like biology, science. I again, love that side things. But as a herbalist, we trained in like traditional Chinese medicines. It makes no sense in terms of science.
00:51:47
Speaker
We look things like the tongue, for example, your tongue tells me so much about what's going on inside your body. Now, take with a pinch of salt. I'm not going to be like, no, sorry, Kate, your tongue says X, Y, D. And you're like, I actually want to say them. So it's just an extra tool for us to be like, okay, this potentially is what's going on inside your body from a herb medicine perspective.
00:52:03
Speaker
Each herb has kind of different, unique properties. hey They're called herbal actions. Some herbs are great for supporting digestion. Some herbs are nerve ions that help calm the nervous system. Some herbs are nourishing the blood and energy. Some herbs are for adrenal support.
00:52:17
Speaker
They all different actions. And in Ireland, we stocked 300 different herbal tonics. hey So the ones you're going to know things, for example, lavender, chamomile, peppermint, nettle, oats.
00:52:30
Speaker
passionflower, lemon balm, like there's one's thyme, like there's this herbs that you you use all the time and kind of cooking, like we rosary in there, like, and they all have different kind of properties. So we have those ones, but then we use Chinese herbs as well, which you probably wouldn't know of. So you probably heard of like ashwagandha before, that's probably one, ginseng or what other ones might you know?
00:52:49
Speaker
and Vitex, Agnes Castors, that's another one that should be playing to Hornelife might of chaseberry, like just certain herbs people might know. So we stocked 300 of them, okay? And when we see clients, they literally put you in a bottle.
00:53:03
Speaker
So you kind of said there, like know talk about enemy jokes, you're saying pizza, you ask, to be honest, a herb can literally treat any condition. Actually, even say treat, I say support. You never say we're treating something, we're supporting the system.
00:53:13
Speaker
Anything. Do you name anything there's a herb for us? Absolutely. And my belief, like when I study herb medicine, there's so much like we do, like this chemistry and it's a looking at like the structures of them and things like that. Like I just like nature is giving us everything that we need. Since herbs, we call schedule three herbs that we actually don't stock.
00:53:29
Speaker
I don't stock myotonic, but their herbs are poisonous herbs, for example. There's herbs, but to me, again, that's like, again, nature is giving us everything that we need. Like when you look at this, there's nothing that doesn't exist in herbal medicine that can do different things in the body. It's just so interesting that I'm like, you know, the university, the nature has provided what we need.
00:53:47
Speaker
So that's in my personal tonic. I have something in my herbs. That's my most recent tonic. Energy, low iron, stress, increasing progesterone, hormones, and liver support.
00:54:00
Speaker
What else is that one? Most thing I think is the one I'm supposed to be a tonic. So depending on your symptoms, you basically put like you in a bottle. Do you know what I mean? and Everyone is so different. That's why it's hung as though, where it's people coming to me,
00:54:12
Speaker
And even someone talking they can look in the mirror when you're in the car or wherever you're listening to it. Some people I see have a really swollen tongue. It looks like they have little ridges on the edge of their tongue. It's actually the teeth marks. Their tongue is swollen and they have their teeth is resting on their tongue. And this can often make a lot of digestive issues, lot of motoring, a lot of constipation.
00:54:30
Speaker
Some people I see their tongue is really, really red. It feels very dry. My throat feels like it's on fire. So those two tonics be completely different. People need completely different herbs. Some people I see their tongue being really, really wet as well, like it kind of slimy. So we could have a ah big yellow coating at the back their tongue, which kind intubates infection. So when you're sick, you might find your tongue's reeks well might kind of be yellow coating on it, for example. So we give specific herbs for that, right? he So the tonics look like that, just to show you what talking to.
00:54:58
Speaker
So in that bottle, you might put... maybe 10 different herbs offer different things. So I just love the herbs because they're literally you in a bottle. that You can go in buy multivitamin, you can take an iron supplement, whatever it is, so can everyone else.
00:55:12
Speaker
But the herbs have never been made up for anyone else the same way. And they're based on a consultation, they're based on your symptoms, they're based on your tongue, they're based on your blood test. So they're very bad. personal So i I love these men alongside nutrition and supplements. They're not for everyone, but for certain people, they can be absolutely Amazing.
00:55:28
Speaker
They're great for things like, if you're someone who chronically has UTIs, sinuses are unbelievable herbs and taste horrible for sinuses, but they are amazing. Chronic infections, like immune system issues that you just can't get over yourself you're constantly on antibiotic after antibiotic. This is where herbs can be absolutely brilliant because have like natural, like I mentioned thyme a few minutes ago, probably not echinacea as well, something that people would know.
00:55:49
Speaker
We have herbs that act like they're like natural antibiotics in terms of like heal bacterial infections. And it's one of these things that you can get over an infection once yourself without having to go and get an antibiotic. That will stand to you so much. And so for people that are chronic illnesses, especially things like more like immune system, not talking about like Crohn's disease or like, you know, really severe autoimmune conditions, but just general day to day, feel like you're always sick. Herbs can be absolutely brilliant because there's some specific, you're targeting like specific illnesses and infections.
00:56:17
Speaker
So if i was to if I was to come to your clinic, okay, and, you know, be like, just just out like out of curiosity, if I was to come to your clinic, no and there's nothing particularly wrong with me. Now, there probably is. There's probably loads wrong with me. God love me.
00:56:29
Speaker
But, you know, there's nothing life-changingly wrong with me at the minute. And I come to your clinic just, you know, out of curiosity to, like... what And I came and was like, Aisling, I just, I really do want to optimize my health and I just would love to just, you know, see what you think.
00:56:46
Speaker
I haven't had bloods done in a while. but like So I come to your clinic, we have an initial consultation. What does the process look like then after that? I mean, in some of me like, I'm actually grand, I just want to know what can I do just make myself as healthy as possible. I actually would always recommend blood because I'm big advocate for blood to be optimal or definitely not just balancing within range. Like doctors are trained to flag C's or deficiencies. So for example, if you're an O and R and you're an E-Myth, right?
00:57:12
Speaker
The range for iron goes from five to 30. So the optimal range would between 20 and 30. So if you were told, oh yeah, your iron is fine and it's 11 and you're like, oh, that's just like a sense. So that's something to think about, like with blood, number one, making sure everything is on the optimal range.
00:57:26
Speaker
i So get blood done, obviously look at diet. Supplements, I think there's been so much, like my kind of stuff like this, there's so much, don't know, focus on supplements at the moment. And as you know, probably who work with clients, like people are like, I'm taking, so for example, I see clients taking magnesium for anxiety and stress, right? They're having three coffees day.
00:57:43
Speaker
Like the irony of, like spending money on dandy supplements and completely like they're skipping meals, their blood sugars are over place, they're stressed through the roof, they're not sleeping, three coffers a day and then they're taking supplements for anxiety.
00:57:57
Speaker
Like it's just so ironic. So I think supplements are great but sometimes they kind of give people that like, you know, feel like they're doing something when they don't actually stress the elephant in room is what they're actually eating and what they're doing. So I do love supplements but they're very individual based. I'm not, wouldn't be giving people 20 supplements.
00:58:11
Speaker
It's all very much on what you need. And then the herbs, I mean, if you're just like, I just want to feel better, I probably wouldn't be giving me a tonic. If you're like, I'm doing great, but I just feel so stressed. I just need something to support my nervous system. Like I have a lot of herbs in my tonic for adrenal stress because i'm always just so busy.
00:58:26
Speaker
Yeah, like that would be me. Like I am constantly, even when I'm like not busy anymore or I'm not stressed anymore, it's like my nervous system hasn't caught up with myself and I'm just like tense. and i And I find myself rushing when I don't need to be rushing. I'm just like...
00:58:38
Speaker
And I have to like, you know, and I do a lot of yoga. Like I really tried to get into a little bit of breath work as well to try and let my nervous system catch up. But yeah, like so stuff like that. I find it amazing. Or even me. And it's funny because like I'm obviously suspicious I what I'm talking about. Like if I don't take my herbs, my periods, I was really short. might come like 24 days cycle, which means it's from stress. It's like it's progesterone.
00:59:00
Speaker
So the herbs. allow, kind like pick up the slack just because I'm just on the go. Like super busy, like work gestorers being depleted by stress and the herbs pick up the slack, which isn't ideal because really I should be addressing the lifestyle factors.
00:59:13
Speaker
But this moment in my life, I have to just do, I have to do. this now There's no wiggle room. So I have to just able to function at the capacity and function at. And thank God I have herbs pick up the slack. Do you get me? And sometimes it's like we, yeah, we address the issue and we change the lifestyle and we're like, oh no, I really am focusing on slowing down and stress.
00:59:28
Speaker
But it it can, like it's it's like, a delayed reaction I find you know that like the body feels it after you've consciously slowed down yeah you're so used to kind of going up on them yeah at this moment I can feel like and lot people I see they're just like like a girl last week and she has work shift work and she's like I'm saving for a wedding I'm saving for a mortgage of no other option So i was like, okay, so this, I'm like, she's she's so tired. She's so wrecked. But was like, this is situation that we're in. What can you do to support your adrenals? Because you can't quit your job.
00:59:59
Speaker
So let's see what we can do. And like a lot of like nerve iron herbs, adrenals support herbs for magnesium. So it's kind of just damage control until you can change the lifestyle thing that's causing a battle. It's proactive, isn't it? Like, and it's kind of like you, if you feel like you're focusing on what you can manage and then that will lead to the next thing when you're ready. And it it takes away the overwhelm and the the feeling of of powerlessness, I suppose.
01:00:23
Speaker
Yeah. And I think as well as moms, like, I'm like, for me, I'm like, thank God I help my herbs. Because I'm like, even if I do nothing else, take my tonic today. It just gives, definitely feel, a daaf and fear know I know, obviously I'm such a big believer in herb medicine, but I do feel such a difference that it just gives up at a bit nourishment, helps my adrenals. Like, even if you hold the rest your day and just goes out the window, I'm like, thank God I have my herb search, you know what mean?
01:00:43
Speaker
So yeah, I find them amazing. And such a missing piece, like in terms of like the Western world that you live in now, it's just such a forgotten way of living. Like Chinese medicine obviously huge in like, you know, in Asia. Like it's one of the main uses, not of the main medical use, but it's way more there where in Ireland it's like, oh, it is furbulous. And my mom, so my mom left her job. She left her job as a midwife and a nurse.
01:01:06
Speaker
she left her job as a midwife and a nurse in 1994 and set up her medicine clinic. And she four kids at home. Now, Naomi, looking back, I'm like, oh my God, that's insane. Like, let them know me talk about her medicine. Imagine her, what, 35, 30 years ago talking about it.
01:01:22
Speaker
People had me like, oh my God, Roads gone absolutely mental. Like, it's true. All her birth. But she was such a big believer in them. And she's had her doing She's still working now. And that was 34 years ago, maybe.
01:01:34
Speaker
So, One years ago. So she never, like, I feel like she did so well because they just work so well that, like, you know, people who got on wow with herbs was house and he tried to tonic and she's always had studies during my business utahs she just believes and no um yeah because it works yeah and life and like we get on we're looking if from a real science perspective like i want to know the more is what's going on in your body and then looking at it from a completely different perspective than chinese madison i'm to the people who medicine can't hit the mound ahead. So you come in like, got these foods done.
01:02:05
Speaker
I don't know what's going on. I just feel really off. Herbs can be brilliant because we look at it from a different perspective. Again, your tongue can tell us a lot. You know, even like you can look, and my mom does this more than I would like, feel people's pulse.
Engagement and Next Steps
01:02:16
Speaker
In Chinese medicine, pulse is really important as well. And That kind of gives an idea of what herbs need. So sometimes when medicine makes no sense, herbs can really step in and nourish your body in a different way.
01:02:26
Speaker
no I'm actually really intrigued. i'm like, like how um how far you gals are booked up and I might make an appointment and just come in. that corrects ra Tell me what needs to be fixed. But Aisling, thank you so much. This has been so lovely to to read. i like And I really think we hit the nail on the head here. We got really specific.
01:02:44
Speaker
There's so much value in this conversation. Thank you so much. Is there any, thing that you would like to put out there to draw people towards? Is the website the best place like you were saying last time? No, it's online booking. So AOC Nutrition is our website and I have brilliant practitioners. I'm booked up a little bit. I'm usually booked up like three months a time but we have amazing, I have such a good team of practitioners here. So We have gut health clinic as well. So like we have an amazing practitioner player who specializes in things like H. pylori and SIBO and digestive issues and celiac and also the client has like really like chronic gut issues and like she does a lot of gut testing. So that's just not an area that I'm interested anymore. Like I love like my fertility and that sort of thing. So she's amazing. If someone's listening and like we could go into a whole gut health consultation and we haven't hit the nail on the head with that, definitely look, look me, Mcclair.
01:03:29
Speaker
But yeah, going on to her website, you can obviously pop me an email. Maybe you gave my email there in show notes and yeah, You might taste me and maybe try some herbs. yeah gets untoned You could do the herbs and I'll do it on a couple of times. You're like, Kate, I've done the herbs now for three months. How are feeling?
01:03:44
Speaker
ah Definitely. Yeah. my Like a day for my husband will think I've lost a lot. be like, what in God's name is in this bottle. yes Yeah. ah Thanks so much for this. This has been amazing. Yeah. Thank you so much for having me again. It's so good, John.
01:03:58
Speaker
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01:04:11
Speaker
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