These days there is a lot more awareness about menopause. We no longer have to suffer in silence and put up with symptoms of menopause. And yet, whilst treatments - mainly hormonal - are available from our normal healthcare provider, they still may not address our particular problem fully.

Menopause can affect us physically and emotionally. The so-called "sex hormones", oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone, are much more than just sex hormones. They are life hormones. Hormonal changes affect our body and mind and can lead to mood swings, agitation and anxiety, depression, low energy, low libido, insomnia and can cause physical symptoms, such as digestive health issues, jaw clenching and tinnitus, hot flushes and, of course, intimate health issues, such as vulvovaginal atrophy, pelvic floor dysfunction and urinary problems, such as leaking, urgency or incontinence as well as an increased susceptibility to urinary tract infections.

Whilst hormone treatment can support a lot of women in much of this, you may still want or need additional support. Or maybe you know that this is the time to invest in your health and wellbeing to ensure a healthy later life. This is the time to look at exercise, diet and lifestyle to support your health, fitness and wellbeing.

Exercise, nutrition, lifestyle changes and herbs can all support us during and post-menopause and help us stay fit and active.

Movement and exercise support our physical and emotional wellbeing. Physically, they can help us maintain healthy muscles, bones and joints. Tailor-made exercises can also support a healthy pelvic floor, urinary continence and intimate vaginal health. Movement also supports healthy digestion, circulation and immunity. Some movement practices can even moderate the inflammatory response. And, of course, exercise can increase vitality and improve sleep.

But that's not all. Mindfulness and mindful movement practices like Yoga, Chi Gong, somatics and Feldenkrais can also support us emotionally, increase vitality and presence, help us to find a sense of safety and comfort, accept and love ourselves as we are. They can also help us reconnect to pleasure and intimacy, increase our libido and a sense of connecting with others and with life. At their deepest level they work on a psychobiological level to support emotional wellbeing.

But we may also need to address lifestyle issues and dietary choices to support a healthy body and mind during this time. They can support hormonal status and also offer a range of other benefits for issues that can arise as a result of the changes. Herbs and supplements can also support hormonal balance and can help with common conditions that arise at this time, such as urinary, digestive and intimate vaginal and vulva health issues. Diet, supplements and herbs support the organs and their specific microbiome and as well as general detoxification, reduce inflammation and support immunity.

As a movement therapist and medical herbalist, I offer the option of movement only support as well as herbal and general lifestyle support. I have specialist qualifications in intimate, psychosexual, urinary and digestive health and coaching so I can support you with a full treatment plan.

You don't have to put up with discomfort or problems. There is much that can be done to support health. Contact me if you want to discuss how a treatment plan can support your health and wellbeing.  

Hormones can affect our brain. Many of us notice this in peri-, post or during menopause but hormone fluctuations also affect us throughout our reproductive cycle or in pregnancy.

Hormones - or the lack of them - can lead to forgetfulness, affect energy levels, enthusiasm and libido. Depression, agitation, anxiety and even fear, mood swings and emotional upheavals are more common in and post menopause. That is because so called "sex hormones", oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone affect our brain. They are "neuroprotective", preventing cognitive decline and maintaining our ability to learn and change (neuroplasticity). In and post-menopause we are more likely to be in sympathetic ("fight-flight-freeze") mode rather than in parasympathetic ("rest-and-digest" mode) caused by our hormone status.

But that's not all: our gut microbiome also has been shown to have a direct effect on our mood and brain. Studies have shown that a healthy gut seems to be linked to lower rates of anxiety, depression and other mood disorders. Diet and lifestyle as well as targeted supplements support a healthy gut. Regular movement and exercise is also important for a healthy gut and benefits the brain and mood. Even meditation and mindfulness, both of which have long been linked to improved emotional and cognitive health, have recently been shown to improve our gut microbiome.

As a movement therapist, medical herbalist and coach I offer a holistic approach to menopause. Exercise, mindfulness, meditation, herbs, diet and lifestyle changes have been shown to support the "menopausal brain". Contact me if you want to find out how I can help.

Do you find it hard to go to sleep? Or do you wake during the night, and find yourself ruminating, unable to go back to sleep? Or maybe you seem to sleep "like a log", as the saying goes, but when you wake up in the morning you feel drained and without energy?

Sometimes our mind just can't switch off and our sleep suffers. Life itself might be the problem: a stressful job, upheavals in our private lives, a break in our routine, a new baby.... Not just bad things affect our sleep but even something exciting and wonderful can mess with our natural rhythm.....

If you are going through menopause, are post-menopausal, a new parent or even find that your sleep is affected by your menstrual cycle, the likelihood is that your hormones are to blame (yet again - I apologise for repeating myself....!). It has been shown that even in the absence of night sweats, women in peri-, post and during menopause have lower quality sleep due to hormonal changes.

Hormonal change can affect our sleep. And yet sleep is one of our best medicines to buffer the effects of hormonal changes and stress. Stress and lack of sleep have been shown to underlie many medical health issues. And, of course, many medical health issues affect our sleep...

Sleep is also affected by many other issues, such as our gut microbiome (a bi-directional relationship: sleep can improve our gut and our gut can improve sleep) and diet and liver detoxification.

If you have problems sleeping, suffer from bad quality sleep or wake up exhausted despite sleeping, help may be at hand. As a qualified sleep and relaxation coach with training in somatic practices, such as Feldenkrais, restorative yoga, Yoga for Sleep and other mind-body therapeutic approaches I can help you return to a better rhythm of vitality and relaxation. As well as a medical herbalist and integrative health professional I can support you with gut microbiome health and healthy detoxification to get back on track with your sleep.

Feeling good about yourself can change your life! Feeling good about ourselves is not about being perfect or about achieving goals (although research indicates that when we feel good about ourselves we are more likely to achieve our goals). Feeling good is linked to self-compassion, allowing ourselves to be who we are!

The good news is: feeling good is not just an emotional state that we do or don't have. Self-compassion, happiness and feeling good can be practiced: practiced just like learning the piano or a dance sequence. Happiness practices have been shown in academic studies to work. They include mindfulness, mind-body practices but also simple strategies that are easy to learn and to implement in your daily life.

But, of course, it's not always as easy as that. Our hormone status can severely affect our mental wellbeing, our confidence and that sense of wellness. Many women lose that sense during menopause or post-menopause. We may lose that sense of power, joy and libido as our hormones change. We may start to feel depressed, more anxious or even feel shame.

Mindfulness, mind-body practices, lifestyle factors, exercise, diet and herbs can all support a sense of wellness and increase our body confidence. Contact me to discuss your issue and how I can support you. 

Healthy Weight and a toned body is more than just looking good, especially during menopause and post-menopause. Healthy weight and body tone is about being healthy; maintaining muscle mass and reducing adipose tissue can help our metabolism, our blood sugar levels, our hormonal balance, support our mental and physical health.

Take muscle mass: As we age, we lose muscle mass. That affects our metabolism as well as our blood sugar levels. Healthy blood sugar levels are vital for our physical and emotional health. Blood sugar levels incidentally are also affected by hormonal changes (and by muscle tone!), as is our sense of satiation, that sense of feeling full after a meal.

Hormones also affect where our fat is stored. During menopause we often notice that our waistline expands. This is the area where we don't want adipose tissue. Intra-abdominal, visceral fat, has a multitude of health problems associated with it, ranging from heart health to insulin resistance. Adipose tissue also produces the "unhealthy" form of oestrogen (estrone) instead of the healthier forms that support physical and brain health. It also increases inflammation.

Just knowing that a healthy weight and toned body is important isn't going to keep us inspired on a weight loss diet. Often quite the opposite. We can feel overwhelmed and give up easily at the first hurdle. I am a qualified behaviour change coach and can support you in keeping motivated.

A tailormade coaching programme, designed for you, designed to keep you motivated, a programme that combines mindfulness, mind-body practices, lifestyle factors, exercise and diet can help you reach your goal. Contact me to discuss your issue and how I can support you. As a qualified Eating Psychology Coach and am GP referral qualified for obesity and diabetes I have specialist qualifications that support a healthy weight loss.

Libido is complex - if you are suffering with lack of desire you know! Libido and desire can be stirred or dampened by physical, emotional and sensory input. Anything can turn us on - but anything can also turn us "off"!

Desire and libido can be affected by hormonal changes, stress, health conditions - either those related to our vaginal health or to any general health problem. Libido can also be affected by life in general, say when we have a stressful job or home life. Sometimes that loss of libido suits us well and we just want support to accept this without feeling shame or anxiety. But sometimes the loss of libido and desire feels like a big gap in our life and we want to get back to desire, to sensuality, increase our libido and return to a fulfilled intimate life.

There are many things we can do to support our libido, ranging from diet, herbs, movement that increases pleasure to mental, psychological support. As a trained medical herbalist, movement therapist and health coach with a certificate in psychosexual counselling, I can help you find an individualised approach to rekindle desire and libido.

Why is an individualised approach so important?

We grow up thinking that desire and libido are a normal part of life; always there, ready at the push of a button. And yet that is not true for the majority of us. Libido and desire need the same care and attention that we invest in our career, a hobby, our appearance or our physical and emotional health and wellbeing. Some of us are lucky and these things just seem to happen naturally to us but the majority of us have to work at it!

Libido and physical health: Our physical health affects our libido. Think back to the last time you had a cold or flu, a headache or backpain: the last thing on your mind was probably intimacy. Health is a foundation of libido. Now that's not just your overall health; changes in libido are often related to particular health issues. The best known are hormones and circulation, especially pelvic circulation, but even inflammation, gut health and microbiome have been shown to have a very powerful effect on our libido and lead to arousal dysfunction. Some common medications can also severely reduce our libido.

Nutrition and herbs as well as lifestyle changes and targeted exercises can help to support and reset your physical health for more vibrancy and libido. As a medical herbalist and intimate ecology health practitioner I can support you with lifestyle and dietary coaching as well as herbal medicine.

Mindfulness has been found to support libido. A general mindfulness class is great but a targeted, tailormade approach can support you more specifically for this issue. I researched this for a MSc in Mindfulness that I am presently taking.
 
Exercise and Libido: The right amount of exercise can stimulate our libido. Sometimes we just need those endorphins and the extra bit of circulation to feel aroused. But that is not always enough because arousal doesn't automatically lead to intimacy. We may need movement practices that can also help us to unlock our sensuality and feel more connected.

Feldenkrais and somatic practices, like Yoga and Chi Gong, teach mindfulness and attention that can help us to rediscover pleasure, touch as a way of communication and support intimacy. Additionally, pelvic floor exercises can improve circulation and the ability to orgasm. Movement practices can also be designed to release physical and emotional blockages from past trauma which can affect our arousal mechanism and turn it from excitement to avoidance, low arousal or even revulsion.

Understanding sensuality, desire, libido and arousal: We can learn to reconnect to sensuality and pleasure and rekindle libido and desire.

For a start we need to understand that we have different arousal preferences. Once we understand what works for us we can use these preferences to support our and our partner's libido. An individual approach - or even working as a couple - is usually best as it means you can explore your particular issue in more detail and find solutions that work for you.

If your desire and libido are healthy but you find penetrative sex difficult due to dryness, atrophy, pain or other issues, please read the sections below.

I hold a certificate in psychosexual counselling and am presently enrolled in a MSc in Mindfulness where I am researching mindfulness for women's sexual issues. Sexuality is a part of intimate health that we may look for but may be too embarrassed to talk about. Let's start the conversation and move back to health!

Intimate health issues affect many of us, especially in peri-, post- or during menopause.  Intimate health is more than just the pelvic floor. Intimate health also includes vulvovaginal health, a healthy vaginal environment and vulva.

Atrophy, itching, thrush and pelvic pain are common issues that affect many women and yet are rarely talked about. They can affect our everyday life as well as our sexual health and wellbeing. So if you are looking for help for your pelvic floor, incontinence, itching, atrophy, pelvic pain, vulvodynia or other intimate health issues including lack of libido, let's start that conversation with an in-depth consultation and possibly some tests so that we can find out what is going on and how to support your intimate health.

Treatment usually includes lifestyle changes, dietary support, herbs and supplements as well as movement and mindfulness practices. What can these practices offer?

Mindful somatic movement practices allow us to sense into our body and find solutions that support our health and wellbeing. They are important parts of an overall treatment plan. In addition, I am trained in pelvic floor and intimate health physical rehabilitation practices, including fascial pelvic floor rehabilitation and hypopressives.

However, for many issues, they only work as part of a comprehensive treatment plan that includes lifestyle and dietary changes and herbal or medical support.

As a medical herbalist and intimate ecology practitioner I also bring a wide understanding of the range of health issues that can affect our intimate health beyond exercise. As an intimate ecology practitioner I have been trained to support the vaginal microbiome. The vaginal microbiome is rarely talked about but is a vital component to address in discomfort and disease and even libido. The microbiome can be supported through a wide range of strategies that include lifestyle, diet and, of course, movement and mindfulness.  

I hold a certificate in psychosexual counselling and am presently enrolled in a MSc in Mindfulness where I am researching mindfulness for women's sexual issues. Sexuality is a part of intimate health that we may look for but may be too embarrassed to talk about. Let's start the conversation and move back to health!

Urinary Health is pelvic floor health but also includes urinary tract infections. Whether you suffer from leaking, urgency or incontinence or have an increased susceptibility to urinary tract infections, the pelvic floor may be involved (if you want to find out how the pelvic floor may be a contributory cause to urinary tract infections, read this blog).

Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) and their treatment can be extremely debilitating. They can cause pain and discomfort. Many women find that their lives are severely impaired. Some avoid social events as they feel a constant sense of urgency and discomfort or because long term use of antibiotics has led to gas or bloating. Others avoid intimacy for fear of infection (many women find that penetrative sex is their main trigger for UTIs) or because long term urinary tract infections may have led to pelvic pain, vulvodynia or vaginismus. Recurrent urinary tract infections can also lead to anxiety, shame and fear.

Urinary tract infections are much more commonly reported by women than men. It is often said that this is due to the fact that our rectum is closer. However, nowadays we know that the vaginal microbiome can also affect our bladder. So a healthy vaginal microbiome can protect our bladders too!

In general practice, urinary tract infections are often treated with antibiotics. Whilst this can be a successful strategy - especially for highly mobile microbes that can infect the kidneys, some women find that they do not respond to antibiotic treatment, have recurrent infections and rely on antibiotics. This disturbs our vaginal and gut microbiome, can cause candida and stomach upsets and may never resolve the urinary tract infection, especially if the microbe responsible for the urinary tract infection does not respond to antibiotics (as many of them don't)

A comprehensive approach to urinary tract infection can support return to health, a comprehensive treatment plan that includes lifestyle and dietary changes, herbal or medical support should also include mindful movement and relaxation techniques as well as ideas of how to return to life and intimacy. In my practice, I have found that women benefit from mindful movement practices as some continue to experience pain and discomfort or pelvic floor issues after their urinary tract infection has healed (see my blog with a short taster exercise video).

As a movement therapist with special trainings in women's intimate and pelvic floor health as well as a medical herbalist and intimate ecology practitioner I bring a wide understanding of the range of health issues that can affect our intimate health beyond exercise. As an intimate ecology practitioner I have been trained to support the vaginal microbiome. The vaginal microbiome is rarely talked about but is a vital component to address in discomfort and disease and even libido. The microbiome can be supported through a wide range of strategies that include lifestyle, diet and, of course, movement and mindfulness.  

Pelvic pain, vulvodynia and vaginismus (these days known as genito-pelvic pain penetration disorder) need a comprehensive treatment plan that includes relaxation techniques and gentle movement practices but also a deeper understanding of what may underlie this condition.

Mindful somatic movement practices allow us to sense into our body and find solutions that support vulvovaginal health and wellbeing. Recent insights suggest that interoception, the sense of sensing inward, is particularly important if these conditions are linked to pelvic floor tension. Whilst mindful, somatic movement practices are important parts of an overall treatment plan they alone may not be enough to completely deal with pelvic pain.

Pelvic pain, vulvodynia and vaginismus may be linked to other conditions, such as candida, inflammation, lymphatic drainage or circulation problems. They may even be a neural response to any vulvovaginal, urinary or digestive condition that happened in the past. Anyone suffering from these conditions benefits from a comprehensive treatment plan that includes mindfulness, relaxation, somatic interoceptive movement as well as lifestyle and dietary changes but generally also needs comprehensive herbal and/or medical support.

As a medical herbalist and intimate ecology practitioner I also bring a wide understanding of the range of health issues that can affect our intimate health beyond exercise. As an intimate ecology practitioner I have been trained to support the vaginal microbiome, work with inflammation, candida and other vulvovaginal health issues and how to support them with lifestyle, diet and, of course, movement and mindfulness.  

I hold a certificate in psychosexual counselling and am presently enrolled in a MSc in Mindfulness where I am researching mindfulness for women's sexual issues. Sexuality is a part of intimate health that we may look for but may be too embarrassed to talk about. Let's start the conversation and move back to health!

Candida is an intimate health problem that affects many women. It is often linked to hormonal changes so you may notice changes throughout your monthly cycle. It also affects post menopausal women on HRT or local oestrogen. Candida may also be caused by blood sugar level imbalances or immune issues. To understand what may be going on, I advise an in-depth consultation and possibly some tests.

Candida needs a comprehensive treatment plan that includes lifestyle and dietary changes and herbal support as well as advice on sex can bring long-term changes. Recurrent candida will take time to change.

As a medical herbalist and intimate ecology practitioner I also bring a wide understanding of the range of health issues that can affect our intimate health beyond exercise. As an intimate ecology practitioner I have been trained to support the vaginal microbiome and have training in candida support.

I hold a certificate in psychosexual counselling and am presently enrolled in a MSc in Mindfulness where I am researching mindfulness for women's sexual issues. Sexuality is a part of intimate health that we may look for but may be too embarrassed to talk about. Let's start the conversation and move back to health!

Hormones can affect our digestive health: we may develop bloating, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation or other digestive health issues as our hormones change. Our sex hormones are so important that oestrogen actually has its own set of microbiome in the gut! But it's not just oestrogen that affects the gut. All our sex hormones affect it. And it's a two-way relationship: a healthy gut microbiome supports our hormone status. So maintaining gut health is particularly important for women as our hormones fluctuate with every cycle and also throughout our lives. We can support the gut microbiome in a variety of ways; through diet, lifestyle, movement, meditation and mindfulness as well as herbs and supplements.

Digestive issues don't just affect our body, they also affect our mental wellbeing. There is a lot written about the microbiome and mental wellbeing these days and I often see improvement in mood, sleep and much more in clients when we focus on a healthy microbiome. The microbiome is not just affected by food but also by stress (negatively) and in a good way by mindfulness and meditation, so mindful movement and stress release techniques can support a healthy gut. As a movement therapist and medical herbalist I can help you address problems and support the gut through movement, herbs, dietary advice, relaxation techniques and mindfulness.

Digestive health is also linked to intimate, pelvic  health. Nutrients needed for vulvovaginal health need to be absorbed by our digestive tract. And that's not all: Recent studies on sexual health and wellbeing suggest that the vagus nerve supports orgasm via the digestive system. Another good reason for supporting a healthy gut for some of us!

As a qualified medical herbalist and digestive health movement therapist I know how important digestion is for overall health and well-being. Whether you are suffering from bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, IBS, reflux or any other digestive health issue, I can support you and your medical treatment. I have specialist training as a Yoga for Digestive Health practitioner. Yoga and Feldenkrais can support your return to health from digestive health issues. I offer individual treatment as well as group courses.

If you are curious on how movement can benefit your digestive health issue, I have written numerous blogs about this, many with sample exercises you can easily practice on your own. Click here to find my collection of blogs on healthy digestion. 

Women are more likely to be affected by osteoporosis and osteopaenia than men. This is largely due to the fact that our oestrogen levels drop at menopause. I have special training and expertise in these conditions and have personal experience, having been affected myself by loss of bone density after cancer treatment.

I have many years experience teaching classes for Bone Health: Yoga for Bones, Bones for Life (Feldenkrais-based), Buff Bones Pilates. I also love using functional fitness, gym exercises and small weights to support bones. When I developed my own bone health issues I trained as a gym instructor and nowadays teach regular functional Pilates classes that support bone health classes.