Finding your balance with functional medicine
Welcome, friend!
In case we haven’t met yet, I’m Deborah.
I’m a naturopath and mama to one spirited little boy, and I’m on a mission to inspire your health and wellness by getting to the root cause of dis-ease.
I am not an influencer with a sales agenda, nor an expert with my head stuck in the science. Rather, I like to think of myself as your friend with a deep passion for wellness, who’s eager to share what I’ve learned so you can change your health for the better.
♥
INTRO TO FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE
Everything is rooted in Functional Medicine.
Here’s why…
These days, we aren’t taught a lot about how health really works – much less how our daily choices might lead to conditions as simple as acne or as complex as chronic disease. Which is what I want to change!
Functional Medicine is an approach to health that will empower you to become the best version of yourself.
True health is a culmination of your lifestyle habits that you engage in everything from what you consume to what you do. It also includes the way you think, connect and relate to the world around you. Health is dynamic – it constantly changes and adapts to our environment.
That’s why we need to cultivate our health on a daily basis – and why a one-size-fits-all or band-aid approach never works.
I believe the power of functional medicine lies in the ability to analyse how your body functions at an in-depth level, finding the root cause and encouraging your natural regenerative capacity (sometimes with a little extra help) to bring you back into balance.
INTRO TO FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE
Everything is rooted in Functional Medicine.
Here’s why…
These days, we aren’t taught a lot about how health really works – much less how our daily choices might lead to conditions as simple as acne or as complex as chronic disease. Which is what I want to change!
Functional Medicine is an approach to health that will empower you to become the best version of yourself.
True health is a culmination of your lifestyle habits that you engage in everything from what you consume to what you do. It also includes the way you think, connect and relate to the world around you. Health is dynamic – it constantly changes and adapts to our environment.
That’s why we need to cultivate our health on a daily basis – and why a one-size-fits-all or band-aid approach never works.
I believe the power of functional medicine lies in the ability to analyse how your body functions at an in-depth level, finding the root cause and encouraging your natural regenerative capacity (sometimes with a little extra help) to bring you back into balance.
MY HEALTH STORY
Living a healthy life isn’t supposed to be complicated.
But, it’s definitely been a journey to get here. Alongside my autoimmune diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes, I’ve struggled with a lot of gut issues, acne, hormonal issues, disordered eating, toxic overload, food reactions, chronic stress, finding balance, and self-love. Can you relate?
But in the end, my health challenges gave me the motivation to help others and have made me who I am today. The most important lesson I learned as I managed my health issues was this: balance is key.
I think the individuals who are most equipped to come alongside and guide us are the ones who have walked that path before. Which is why I always write about issues I’m familiar with.
I absolutely love sharing a functional medicine-based approach to health and wellness, but I also love sharing my journey in all its messiness and hoping it will give you the courage to share yours with me. I am far from perfect but that’s okay.
My Journey With Functional Medicine (and How it Changed My Life)
My upbringing was a little different than most. Along with my three brothers, I finished most of our education through home-schooling. It was pretty cool – we quite enjoyed our intimate class of just 4 students!
But, my true education in the world of natural medicine began a few years later, in 2009. At this time, my parents took us on a two-and-a-half-year journey around the world. Why? They were on a mission to create a documentary about “holistic cancer treatments”. It was an incredible experience and opened my eyes to the healing power of our bodies and nature.
The documentary included interviews with doctors and experts from all around the globe. These interviews awakened me to invaluable knowledge that ultimately solidified my dream to become the holistic practitioner I am today. In 2019, following my mum’s footsteps as a naturopath, I graduated university with a Bachelor of Health Sciences in Naturopathy.
Over the past several years, I have helped many people find better options for managing their health. I’ve learned that whether we suffer from issues like mild acne or severe chronic health conditions, we all have one thing in common: the power to heal.
Meet You Truly Shine: My Passion Project and Your Guide to Living Well
In 2021, I finally founded my passion project, You Truly Shine, with the launch of my first eBook.
The health industry has turned into quite the money maker – giving you just enough information to keep you coming back or letting you spend hundreds on supplements often without any education as to what they do… To me, that never quite sat right. I personally like being able to make informed decisions about my own healthcare instead of blindly trusting someone with credentials. Does that make me weird? Maybe.
The problem is, a lot of information out there is confusing, overwhelming and a lot, part of some protocol or signature program, or just really complicated…
My goal with You Truly Shine is to educate YOU in a simple, straight forward and practical way.
So that you can find your own root causes – whether you work with a practitioner or not. I believe knowing what causes your health issues is the most empowering gift. These tools to prevent disease will stay with you your whole life, and you will even pass down to your own children.
Like I said before, I don’t think living a healthy life should be complicated. We just need to know what in our daily lives can promote disease and find alternatives to stay as healthy as possible. Living well can be simple. Let’s keep it that way.
Together let’s learn about the amazing human body, understand your unique root causes and ultimately take charge of your health, wellbeing and start SHINING!
Let’s get started!
♥
Deborah
Let’s get personal!
A closer look at what inspires me to live my healthiest life…
I am…
A mama to a beautiful boy and it is truly one of my greatest achievements and joys. I want to be the role model he deserves.
I love…
Growing my own food, cooking being present, time with my son, the outdoors, laughing with my family, and going on adventures!
I live…
In Tasmania, Australia, on a small 5 acre hobby farm. It’s a place where the mountains and beach are within a close distance.
I believe…
In integrity. Living in alignment with what I teach is extremely important to me.
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A little reminder of all the different types of rest… True balance comes from embracing all forms of rest – physical, sensory, mental, emotional, spiritual, social and creative. It’s about honouring your whole self and finding harmony in every moment of pause 🫶
One whole year getting to know and love my best friend. Watching you grow is the greatest gift I’ve ever been given ♥️ #firstbirthday #motherhood
Hey there! Let’s talk about your amazing nervous system – it’s all about regulation, like tuning an instrument. And just like tuning, it’s a daily practice, not a one-time fix. 🎵🎸
Here are tips to optimize your morning and evening routines for your nervous system. 🫶
Morning:
1️⃣ Start your day by nurturing your mind with activities like journaling, deep breathing, or diving into a good book. These practices set a positive tone for the day ahead. Remember to avoid checking your phone immediately upon waking to reduce stress and set a peaceful tone for your morning. 📖📵
2️⃣ Get your body moving with stretching, a brisk walk, or a workout session to shake off any mental fog and boost dopamine levels. Morning sunlight is also beneficial for regulating your circadian rhythm and improving sleep quality. 🌞🏋️♂️🌻
3️⃣ Don’t forget to fuel up with a balanced breakfast to provide your body with the nutrients it needs for stable energy and optimal brain function. Aim for a combination of protein, fiber-rich carbs, and healthy fats to keep your blood sugar levels steady and reduce inflammation. 🥦🫐🍊🥬🥕
Evening:
1️⃣ As bedtime approaches, dim the lights and steer clear of screens to signal to your body that it’s time to wind down. Blue light from screens can disrupt your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle and suppress the production of melatonin, making it harder to fall asleep. Opt for warm-toned lighting instead to create a cozy, relaxing atmosphere. 🌙✨
2️⃣ Incorporate calming activities into your evening routine, such as the legs-up-the-wall pose or humming in the shower, to activate your body’s relaxation response and reduce stress levels. These soothing rituals can help improve sleep quality and leave you feeling refreshed in the morning. 💧🎤
Remember, cultivating these small daily habits can make a big difference in your nervous system health over time. 🌿
P.S. photos from another life - haven’t had time to do a new photoshoot since becoming a mama 🫠
Just because you’re great at handling stress mentally doesn’t mean your body is cool with it. Stress will show up in the body in a lot of really sneaky ways, and one of the most common ones is with bloating and digestive issues 🌀
You might’ve heard about the whole “dysregulated nervous system”, and it’s really just a fancy way of saying that your body doesn’t handle stress very well.
Psychological stress is like when you’re stressed about your job or your relationship, and physical stress is when your body is swinging too far one way or another, meaning you could be working out too much or too little, eating too little or eating too much 😣 🏋️♀️🍽 Things that are just causing a lot of dysregulation in the body.
When both mental and physical stress team up, your nervous system is out of whack and it causes issues in your digestion. 🍃 when your stress response is chronically activated… it slows your digestion wayyy down. It’s one of the top causes of bloating and digestive issues. When people experience these symptoms, they typically jump to “what’s wrong? “what supplements can I take?” “should I start a cleanse?” in order to fix the issue. But that’s usually the opposite of what you actually need.
Often there’s nothing actually wrong except for the fact that you need to slow down and focus on the foundations of health, making sure that you’re responding well to stress. That does not mean stress will be absent. It just means your body is able to handle it with more ease. 💪🌿
Do you bloat / get tummy issues when your stressed?
#stress #bloating #nervoussystem #mindandbody #foundations #rootcause
Let’s talk about the things we often forget in the hustle: eating well, moving our bodies, getting enough sleep, connecting with nature, managing our stress, reducing toxin exposure, and smart supplementation.
These aren’t just optional extras; they’re literally the foundations of our well-being. It’s easy to overlook them when life gets busy.
Trust me, as a new mum it’s the first time I’ve actually understood how easy it is to run on a lack of sleep, be totally stressed out, trying to keep up with my to do lists and be too tired or overwhelmed to even workout.… but when this happens we realllllyyy feel it. Our energy dips, our mood / emotions go all over the place, we struggle from digestive issues and our immune system can take a hit.
However, when we get these basics right,
the difference you feel is huge!!!
So… 5 weeks into 2024! What have you struggled with the most?
P.S. can’t believe this photo was taken in 2022… how time flies!
