Helicobacter pylori, known as H. pylori, is a pathogenic bacterium that lives in the gut of more that half the world’s population. It’s been around for at least 200,000 years and for most of us, at microscopic levels it causes no issues. However, 10 – 20 percent of people will develop unwanted symptoms from its…

Mercury toxicity and heavy metal toxicity are more common in Australia than one might think.  There are three common ways we are exposed to mercury – through dental fillings, ingestion of contaminated fish or occupational exposure. The World Health Organisation (WHO) considers mercury as one of the top ten chemicals or groups of chemicals of…

Breast augmentation is the most popular elective cosmetic surgical procedure in the world. Approximately 20,000 women undergo this procedure each year in Australia, with 75% for cosmetic augmentation and 25% for reconstruction after breast surgery, such as a mastectomy. [1] Although considered to be relatively safe by the mainstream medical community, a correlation between breast…

Gallbladder disease can include inflammation, infection, stones or blockage of the gallbladder. Gallstone disease is a very common problem in Australia, with around 25% of the population developing gallstones before the age of 50. Research tells us that inflammation in the gut and leaky gut can be caused by gallbladder issues, and in turn, poor…

We now know that the health of our gut microbiome is linked to our overall health and more and more research is revealing the extent of its importance for our immune system. In fact, about 70% of the body’s immune system is actually located in the gut, meaning that taking care of the good bacteria…

Both the functioning of the intestinal barrier and the gut microbiome impact the health of your gut, causing gut inflammation and a host of other issues throughout the body. A functional medicine health practitioner can get to the root cause, or causes, of your gut inflammation and help you to take steps to heal. Let’s…

The functional medicine approach to osteoporosis is to look at the body’s interconnected systems to understand the causes of deteriorating bone health, build bone strength and improve overall health. Osteoporosis means ‘porous bones’. It is a condition where bones become thin, weak and fragile and even a minor bump or accident can cause a bone to break,…

We generally understand that eating fewer calories and burning more calories is how we lose weight: calories in versus calories out. However, many people find that although they exercise regularly and eat well-portioned, low-calorie meals, the weight just does not seem to come off. In fact, as we get older, the weight gets increasingly hard…

Biofilms are the barriers that form around infections, tumours, injury and illness in the body to prevent their spread. In this sense, they protect us from disease. But these barriers can also prevent the immune system, medications and therapies from reaching these areas when they are needed, meaning that you won’t get better until the…

FODMAP, which stands for fermentable oligo-saccharides, di-saccharides, monosaccharides and polyols, are different types of starches and sugars. In addition to balancing a person’s gut bacteria, following a low FODMAP diet is one of the most effective methods to reduce symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBS), small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and other gastrointestinal disorders. What…