This Endolife

Okay so today we’re talking about the all-important migrating motor complex.Let’s start with what the MMC, which is just what’s it usually abbreviated to for ease, actually is.The migrating motor complex is a wave like emotion that occurs in the small intestine, not large, between meals and overnight. This wave motion clears out any old food debris and bacteria once food has already passed through into the large intestine, so basically, see the MMC as the washing up, once all the leftover food has been cleared off the dinner plates. Now, the MMC is crucial for good gut health and when it slows down, we get a build-up of bacteria and old food, this means that not only is there a constant supply of food debris in the small intestine for bacteria to munch on, but every time food enters the small intestine, that food will be munched too. Read moreLet's get social! Come say hello on Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.My cookbook This EndoLife, It Starts with Breakfast is out now! Get 28 anti-inflammatory, hormo

Today we’re talking about the endo belly, but more specifically, constipation.Firstly, let’s quickly look at what the endo belly is.The ‘endo belly’ is not actually a medical term, but instead is a name the community has coined in reference to the severe bloating we often experience. So, there isn’t technically a set definition, but it is generally thought to be severe bloating/swelling that tends to be attributed to endometriosis and is sometimes accompanied by pain. Some experts, articles and endo patients also include gut problems within this term too, but not always.My definition, from my training and from seeing so many clients with these symptoms is that the endo belly is exaggerated/severe bloating, often accompanied by gut symptoms, pain or discomfort - but it is not always caused by endometriosis directly (there are normally contributing factors behind the endo belly).Read moreLet's get social! Come say hello on Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.My new Nutrition for Endo Masterclasses are out now

Okay, so today is my last instalment on my series about endo and our hormones and today we’re talking about testosterone. Now, you might think that testosterone doesn’t matter to people with ovaries and a uterus, but it really, really does. Whilst testosterone is much higher in people with testes, it actually plays a significant role in ovulation.So, let’s take a closer look.So, remember how we previously talked about the importance of oestrogen? Well, without enough testosterone, you won’t have enough oestrogen. Why? Because most of the testosterone that we make is converted into oestrogen, by an enzyme called aromatase.  Read moreLet's get social! Come say hello on Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.My new Nutrition for Endo Masterclasses are out now and are on special offer. Get one masterclass for £29.99 (full price £40) or both for £50. Find out more here.My cookbook This EndoLife, It Starts with Breakfast is out now! Get 28 anti-inflammatory, hormone friendly recipes for living and thriving with endo

Okay, so today I am bringing you a special bonus episode. I woke up this morning to this incredible video from one of my previous Live and Thrive with Endo course students sharing her story.Her transformation moved me so much and made me so happy that I wanted to put it out as a podcast episode for you today, especially as you all seem to really enjoy these real life stories.I remember how Sarah was when she came to the course. She was very, very fatigued and really desperate for help. She had a lot going on with her symptoms and was really struggling to cope. Some of the severe symptoms she was suffering with were: Chronic fatigue PMDD Chronic full body pain Depression Anxiety Excruciating period pain Heavy menstrual bleeding Within a matter of days, Sarah started to experience alleviation in these symptoms. Really! She is now in a place where she can live a full life, enjoying her time with loved ones and also taking care of the responsibilities she has in her life. Every single symptom has improved, and he

Okay, this week’s episode is a nice, quick boost of positivity, hope and inspiration. Today’s episode is Sam’s story. Sam is one of my previous Live and Thrive with Endo course students and is a current membership member. In this episode, I ask Sam how her symptoms have changed from doing the course, which changes she put in place and which ones she felt have been the most effective and her advice for people just starting out on their own endo journey. Sam is in Australia and we really struggled to find a time for us both, so instead of an interview, I asked Sam some questions and she recorded herself, so you’re just going to hear Sam talking today rather than myself. To give you a brief intro on what to expect, Sam came to the course with really severe inflammation issues, symptoms from ovulation onwards, level 10 pain and huge endo belly problems. Sam has now gotten to the root of her endo belly and her period pain is a level 1/2 on the pain scale - and these are just some of the incredible changes, but I’l

Today I want to share a story to inspire and lift you up. I know sometimes it can feel hopeless, and that’s why I love to share these client stories: because they offer hope, they show us what’s possible, they give us faith. In this conversation, Aamina, who is one of my past Live and Thrive with Endo course students and a current membership member, shares with us her story of transformation, from despair and desperation to empowerment and hope. Aamina came to my course with nausea and vomiting around her period, severe pain during menstruation and ovulation, and nerve and leg pain pretty much all month long. She now no longer suffers with nausea or vomiting, and has dramatically reduced her pain all the way down from an 8 to a 2 on the pain scale. This conversation was originally recorded as part of a testimonial for my course, rather than a podcast interview, so you’ll hear Aamina referencing to the course and testifying to it throughout, but within all of this, she peppers in her story, her wins, her progr

Okay so we’ve been taking about hormones and how to improve our periods for a few weeks now, so I thought it would be helpful to give you a quick run down on what the menstrual cycle actually is and what is happening with your hormones throughout all four stages, plus, what a healthy menstrual cycle looks like.Now of course, having endometriosis, you period probably doesn’t look healthy to you. Maybe you have really heavy bleeding, prolonged periods or a lot of pain. And wahilst we have to take into account that yes, our cycles and periods in particular will probably look different from others, we shouldn’t dismiss these differences as just because of endo and that there’s nothing we can do about it. In truth, there’s probably a lot you can do!Read moreLet's get social! Come say hello on Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.Sign up to my free workshop Creating a Roadmap to Endo Healing in 2022: The Foundations Workshop here.Sign up to the wait list for my course, Live and Thrive with Endo here.My new Nutriti

So last week we talked about oestrogen, and so today, clearly I’m going to move onto the other predominant hormone in the menstrual cycle, progesterone So, let’s get started.Progesterone is famous for ‘fluffing’ up the uterine lining in the second half of your menstrual cycle, which occurs after ovulation, and this phase is called the luteal phase. When we say fluffing up, progesterone is essentially further preparing the uterine lining to allow for implantation of a fertilised egg, whilst halting oestrogen’s effects of  cell-proliferation which thickens the uterine lining.  If the egg is fertilised, it will begin stimulating a steady blood supply to the lining to nourish the egg, via the formation of new blood vessels and additionally will trigger the release of nutrients from glands hidden in the endometrial lining (which is just another fancy word for uterine lining). It will also prevent uterine cramping so the egg can stay nice and secure and plays an absolutely essential role in maintaining the endometr

We talk a lot about oestrogen on this show, and so today, I want to give you a complete low down on oestrogen – what it does, how it benefits you and how it can affect you when things go wrong. Now, before we go ahead, I just want to share a trigger warning – I talk about reproduction and pregnancy in this episode. It’s not a huge part of it, but it’s there, so please feel free to skip this episode if you need to.Another trigger warning in this episode is that I talk about the connection between oestrogen dominance and obesity. If this feels triggering for you, please skip! It is the final point on the causes of excess oestrogen/oestrogen dominance, and comes after the point on endocrine disruptors.Read moreLet's get social! Come say hello on Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.Sign up to my free Ease Endo Tea Challenge here.Sign up to the wait list for my course, Live and Thrive with Endo here.My new Nutrition for Endo Masterclasses are out now and are on special offer for Black Friday. Get one masterclass

So, following on from last week, where I shared the most effective strategies, I’ve tried from the past seven years of managing endo, today I want to share what I do on my period to avoid a pain flare. Essentially, what I do on my period that allows me to experience either low pain levels or no pain at all, and if for some reason my levels do start to creep up, how I get them back down quickly and prevent them from getting worse. Go back to last week’s episode if you haven’t listened to it already, but for context, before I started managing my endometriosis, my periods were excruciating. I would take pain killers upon pain killers with little to no relief at all. I couldn’t stand, sleep, walk, eat – pretty much anything. Read moreLet's get social! Come say hello on Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.Sign up to my free Ease Endo Tea Challenge here.Sign up to the wait list for my course, Live and Thrive with Endo here.My new Nutrition for Endo Masterclasses are out now and are on special offer for Black Frid

Okay so as it’s the start of a new year I thought I’d do a reflective type episode. I’ve been doing this podcast for a couple of years and many of you have been with me on this journey of transformation with my endometriosis, but I realised I’ve not really done an episode where I’ve shared my biggest needle movers in terms of endo strategies. I recently did a live on my key go-to daily strategies and this is a bit similar, but this is all about the things I am certain have made the biggest changes to my symptoms. Now, they’re not the only changes – supporting my liver, improving my gut health, adhesion work, physiotherapy and many more strategies have made a big difference too, but if for some crazy reason my life depended on it and I had to give just four strategies that I think made the biggest difference, it would be these.Read moreLet's get social! Come say hello on Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.Sign up to my free Ease Endo Tea Challenge here.Sign up to the wait list for my course, Live and Thrive

Today’s episode is part of an end of year special series. I am resharing some of my most actionable episodes to help you reduce pain on your period and pain flares in general, and to balance your hormones for better periods, less PMS and healthier cycles. I am sharing these episodes because this time of year is often when some of our endo management strategies can go out of the window (and understandably so!). We might have more sugar, less sleep, more alcohol and more blood sugar dysregulation, and as a result, these can all raise inflammation and give our bodies a hard time when it comes to clearing old and excess hormones. So come January or maybe sooner, we tend to have more PMS, worse periods and more pain.So these episodes are designed to provide you with some tips you can quickly implement if you’re worried about your upcoming period, or you’re feeling rough and need some tips to improve your symptoms. Now of course, it’s natural that we want to indulge a bit over Christmas, and so these episodes are n

Today’s episode is part of an end of year special series. I am resharing some of my most actionable episodes to help you reduce pain on your period and pain flares in general, and to balance your hormones for better periods, less PMS and healthier cycles. I am sharing these episodes because this time of year is often when some of our endo management strategies can go out of the window (and understandably so!). We might have more sugar, less sleep, more alcohol and more blood sugar dysregulation, and as a result, these can all raise inflammation and give our bodies a hard time when it comes to clearing old and excess hormones. So come January or maybe sooner, we tend to have more PMS, worse periods and more pain. So these episodes are designed to provide you with some tips you can quickly implement if you’re worried about your upcoming period, or you’re feeling rough and need some tips to improve your symptoms. Now of course, it’s natural that we want to indulge a bit over Christmas, and so these episodes are

Today’s episode is part of an end of year special series. I am resharing some of my most actionable episodes to help you reduce pain on your period and pain flares in general, and to balance your hormones for better periods, less PMS and healthier cycles. I am sharing these episodes because this time of year is often when some of our endo management strategies can go out of the window (and understandably so!). We might have more sugar, less sleep, more alcohol and more blood sugar dysregulation, and as a result, these can all raise inflammation and give our bodies a hard time when it comes to clearing old and excess hormones. So come January or maybe sooner, we tend to have more PMS, worse periods and more pain. So these episodes are designed to provide you with some tips you can quickly implement if you’re worried about your upcoming period, or you’re feeling rough and need some tips to improve your symptoms. Now of course, it’s natural that we want to indulge a bit over Christmas, and so these episodes are

Today’s episode is part of an end of year special series. I am resharing some of my most actionable episodes to help you reduce pain on your period and pain flares in general, and to balance your hormones for better periods, less PMS and healthier cycles. I am sharing these episodes because this time of year is often when some of our endo management strategies can go out of the window (and understandably so!). We might have more sugar, less sleep, more alcohol and more blood sugar dysregulation, and as a result, these can all raise inflammation and give our bodies a hard time when it comes to clearing old and excess hormones. So come January or maybe sooner, we tend to have more PMS, worse periods and more pain. So these episodes are designed to provide you with some tips you can quickly implement if you’re worried about your upcoming period, or you’re feeling rough and need some tips to improve your symptoms. Now of course, it’s natural that we want to indulge a bit over Christmas, and so these episodes are

Today’s episode is part of an end of year special series. I am resharing some of my most actionable episodes to help you reduce pain on your period and pain flares in general, and to balance your hormones for better periods, less PMS and healthier cycles. I am sharing these episodes because this time of year is often when some of our endo management strategies can go out of the window (and understandably so!). We might have more sugar, less sleep, more alcohol and more blood sugar dysregulation, and as a result, these can all raise inflammation and give our bodies a hard time when it comes to clearing old and excess hormones. So come January or maybe sooner, we tend to have more PMS, worse periods and more pain. So these episodes are designed to provide you with some tips you can quickly implement if you’re worried about your upcoming period, or you’re feeling rough and need some tips to improve your symptoms. Now of course, it’s natural that we want to indulge a bit over Christmas, and so these episodes are

Today’s episode is part of an end of year special series. I am resharing some of my most actionable episodes to help you reduce pain on your period and pain flares in general, and to balance your hormones for better periods, less PMS and healthier cycles. I am sharing these episodes because this time of year is often when some of our endo management strategies can go out of the window (and understandably so!). We might have more sugar, less sleep, more alcohol and more blood sugar dysregulation, and as a result, these can all raise inflammation and give our bodies a hard time when it comes to clearing old and excess hormones. So come January or maybe sooner, we tend to have more PMS, worse periods and more pain. So these episodes are designed to provide you with some tips you can quickly implement if you’re worried about your upcoming period, or you’re feeling rough and need some tips to improve your symptoms. Now of course, it’s natural that we want to indulge a bit over Christmas, and so these episodes are

Do you get full body pain? Does it affect your muscles, nerves or joints? Do you find that you need to rest after walking or find you tired more easily than others? It might not just be endometriosis. Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is a group of 13 conditions which all affect connective tissue (collagen) in the body. Most are rare, but one type called hypermobility EDS is common - and out of those with this type of EDS, 6-23% have endometriosis. But that’s not where the connection ends… 32-77% of those with EDS have vulvodynia and or pain with sex. 33-75% have heavy menstrual bleeding.  73-93% have painful periods. Additionally, histamine intolerance caused by Mast Cell Activation Syndrome is a co-condition of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and we also know that overactive mast cells play a role in endometriosis. Not only can this cause more painful periods, but it can also create problems like allergies and eczema to name a few. Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is also a huge risk factor for SIBO, and as you may now know,

Do you suffer with the endo belly? Is it accompanied by bloating, diarrhea, constipation or abdominal cramping? Whilst I’m all about getting to the root cause and find out WHY you’re suffering with the endo belly (not to mention, healing the root cause) I also understand the need for short-term symptom relief whilst we’re on that journey. Today’s podcast episode offers just that. I am sharing the most effective supplement options that help to relieve endo belly flares in the moment. These are the tools and strategies we use in our SIBO training with Dr. Siebecker, but are safe if you don’t have SIBO but do suffer with IBS symptoms. You will find all the dose references in the show notes, but remember - as a health coach I cannot prescribe you a treatment protocol, this is education only and the aim is for you to take this information away to discuss your options with your doctor. Full credit to my tutor Dr. Allison Siebecker for teaching and providing us with these strategy relief tools!   Activated Charcoal

This episode is an IG live where I discuss the endo management habits that are a part of my everyday life and I pretty much couldn’t live without!Now, it’s definitely not as simple as ‘do these habits and your symptoms will be sorted’, that’s not what this live was about - this was just a little peak into some of my daily habits. When it comes to endo it’s about understanding and treating/managing the root causes behind your symptoms and that will differ for every person. BUT these are habits that have profoundly changed my experience of endo, and I also see work wonders for clients. They are:Anti-inflammatory nutritionBlood sugar managementMagnesium spray/bathsOmega 3 fatty acid supplementationAn extra good quality, evidence-backed anti-inflammatory supplement (quercetin, curcumin, glutathione, etc)Daylight in the morningsUnderneath these it’s also of course important to have the foundations of good health:SleepMovementStress managementGood nutrition (but that’s covered above)Stress managementHydrationConnec