Gut Health is Good Health - we've all heard the phrase. But how can we take care of our gut?

In the first episode of The Natural Health Revolution, Dr. Sarah Kelly sits down with renowned Gut Health expert and author of 'Gut Feeling', Lorraine Cooney MSc (The Blackrock Clinic).

In this wide-ranging chat, Lorraine explains how fundamental gut-health is to our overall quality of life and health; gives us tips on how to get kids to eat more fruit & veg; demystifies the processes around IBS treatments; and explains the importance of the gut for our immune system. She also talks us through the significant communications via Gut-Brain axis - linking the gut to emotional and physical cycles (Sleep, Stress, Anxiety).

About: Lorraine has over 20 years experience in the field of Nutrition & Dietetics. She is founder of guthealthmatters.ie and Chairperson of the Gastrointestinal Interest Group at The Irish Nutrition and Dietetic institute (INDI).

Episode 1 - Lorraine Cooney - Gut Health Specialist

Pelvic health is often linked exclusively with childbirth or old age. It is widely - and incorrectly - assumed to be an ‘unfixable’ problem. Why? Because the subject has been limited by the ‘embarrassment’ factor, misinformation, and the belief that it is a ‘woman’ problem. But a strong pelvic floor is key to a life of long-term autonomy and freedom for ALL genders! Groin/hip/lower back/pelvic and abdominal pain all fall under the umbrella of pelvic health, so anyone can suffer the physical, emotional and social implications of pelvic weakness or injury.

So, if you are someone who avoids ‘bouncy’ exercise, dreads social obligations where you don’t know the ‘toilet situation’, are overwhelmed by the mysteries of menopause, or resigned to a lifetime of being woken at night by a bossy bladder… this episode is a game changer.

In a frank and comprehensive conversation, Helen Keeble - a flagbearer of pelvic health physiotherapy - is here to tell you that these pelvic issues are preventable and curable - and it’s much simpler than you think!

Join Sarah & Helen as they explain that it’s never too late to regain the dignity & freedom that comes with a strong pelvic floor. Together they bust the damaging myths around this subject as they cover: the functions of our pelvic health; what a pelvic physio does; how constipation can seriously damage our pelvic strength; the misinformation around exercise and pregnancy, the importance of recovery after childbirth; the taboo around what is considered ‘toilet issues’; the lack of accurate information around women’s bodies; how to strengthen your pelvic floor to prevent or heal injury; the importance of correct toileting; the misconceptions and lack of support around menopause education.

ABOUT:

Helen Keeble is a physiotherapist specialising in pelvic health and the founder of www.umi-health.com - a specialist website that provides women with guidance, practical advice, tailored exercises and offers a community of support for anyone who struggles to navigate their pelvic health. She worked with the Royal Free NHS Foundation trust, before setting up her own clinics in London & Ireland, where she leads a team of specially trained physiotherapists. She also teaches postgraduate students and served as an official physio to the Great Britain Olympic team in London 2012.

Episode 2 - Helen Keeble - Pelvic Health Specialist

Did you know that chronic illness is the biggest growing public health challenge in Ireland? A chronic disease is defined 'a long-term illness' - and can range from diabetes to heart disease, arthritis to cancer. Many diagnoses can mean life-long management of our health/symptoms. Worryingly, as our guest this week Dr Noel McCaffrey tells us: 'Chronic illness is the biggest public health challenge facing our country and many other first world countries. 84% of people over the age of 65 have one chronic illness and 64% have two.' In this episode, Sarah mines Noel's decades of experience in the medical field and delves into his inspiring initiative, Exwell Medical - a community-based exercise programme specifically tailored to those who are navigating chronic illness. Noel tells us of his mission to bring these therapeutic classes to local group settings around Ireland - providing patients with invaluable physical resilience to navigate their disease and becoming strong enough to weather/prevent setbacks. He also points out the surprising - but equally important - impact these classes have had on the mental health and confidence of participants - as well as finding physical independence, they discover confidence and peer support with those who are also finding their way after a life-changing diagnosis. With the worrying rise of chronic illness placing pressure on hospital resources, Noel has found his medical peers to be welcoming of external resources that will emphasise the importance of keeping physically strong outside of hospital care as part of a 'continued care'. Exwell caters to a wide variety of groups - from those who are dealing with long-term illness, to those preparing for surgeries - as well as two dedicated Cancer programmes: 'Cancer Prepare' & 'Move On'. These dedicated programmes provide tailored classes to help people prepare and recover from cancer treatment with the vital emotional & mental support from fellow cancer peers - an equally important element to any cancer journey. ABOUT NOEL: Noel is a medical doctor and specialist in exercise medicine - as well as a former Dublin GAA All Star back in the day - and his initiative, Exwell Medical, are pioneers in providing medically-endorsed community exercise groups for people dealing with long-term illness, preparing/recovering from surgeries and cancer treatment.

Exwell Medical provides pre & post treatment exercise classes for anyone suffering from a chronic illness, as well as dedicated cancer group classes - 'Cancer Prepare' & 'Move On' - that provide specialist-led classes for patients to stay physically active, strong and resilient as they undergo their cancer journey.

Episode 3 - Dr. Noel McCaffrey - Life & Health Beyond Chronic Illness

This week's episode addresses sensitive topics that include: miscarriage, fertility & personal medical journeys. The discussion is for personal/informative purposes only, and does not intend to replace or dismiss the advice of your medical professional. If you are affected by any of the topics covered, you can find a list of supportive resources below


'We're working with fertility clients when they're kind of in the darkness about these things - it's so lovely to be able to say, okay, you can do this and this. And it's almost like they take ownership of it again instead of leaving things up to chance. So it's just so lovely to be able to give them those tools'

Nutritionist and fertility expert, Michelle Hone PhD, has a personal passion fuelling her mission with The Fit Clinic (thefitclinicnutrition.ie) - an online clinic providing a team of specialised nutrition coaches. Using her background in science and nutrition, Michelle transformed her own pain and experience of fertility & miscarriage into a determination to provide support and evidence-based information for those who are caught in the sometimes slow-moving wheels of the medical avenue. Michelle has built a reputation as a trusted and plain-speaking resource to help empower women to understand their own complex bodies and nurture their fertility journey. 

In this episode on Women's Health, Michelle & Sarah explore all the ways that a woman's body has apparently remained a 'mystery' to the medical research field when it comes to the growing prevalence of PCOS, Hypothalamic Amenorrhea, unexplained miscarriage. Michelle highlights the general sense that the medical model can use a 'wait & see' approach to helping women who are struggling to become pregnant and carry to term. But what can women do in the meantime to help themselves? As Michelle explains, this reactive method not only wastes time that further shrinks the fertility window of women in their thirties - but often demoralises, traumatises (and sometimes gives the false impression of a closed-case). Armed with a warm, compassionate intelligence, Michelle blows open the traditional door that has long stood between women and their own medical treatment: providing insight into the myriad issues that can fail to be picked up on by a GP.

This is a discussion that seeks to expand on the knowledge and treatments of the medical field, not replace it - the goal is to help women feel agency during a very difficult emotional/psychological experience by understanding their own specific stressors and health queries that need to be addressed in order to promote higher odds of success.

MICHELLE HONE:
Dr Michelle Hone is the founder of The Fit Clinic, a team of nutritionists and nutritional therapists who provide online nutrition coaching. The Fit Clinic specialise in women's health, empowering women to understand their bodies, female physiology and their hormones, so they attain optimal health. The Fit Clinic works with women looking to change their body composition, get to the bottom of their hormonal issues, and change their relationship with food. They support women throughout all life stages, whether this is feeling and looking their absolute best for their big day, optimising their fertility and supporting them during pregnancy, motherhood and beyond.
- WEBSITE: www.thefitclinicnutrition.ie
- INSTAGRAM: @thefitclinic

RESOURCES:
-  HSE (Ireland) : https://www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/acute-hospitals-division/woman-infants/bereavement-care/bereavement-support-groups/

- UK: www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk

Episode 4 - Michelle Hone - Fertility & Women's Health

It's time to join The Natural Health Revolution!

Dr. Sarah Kelly (PhD) brings you the latest from the fields of health, nutrition, science and wellbeing to help you take care of your long-term health. Each week, Sarah unpacks a topic that affects our everyday health with the latest facts & research from well-respected experts in their field (academia, science, medicine, health).

It can be hard to sift through all the information we are bombarded with when it comes to health - especially when we don't know who to trust. We bring you experienced voices to cut through that noise of misinformation and give you the foundational knowledge you need to make up your own mind. Our goal is to breakdown complicated subjects into the philosophy of 'gentle changes': small steps we can take to create healthy and sustainable habits in the long-term!

A former Assoc. Professor at the School of Health & Human Performance at Dublin City University, Sarah brings her passion & expertise to each conversation - creating casual and easy-to-follow conversations with experts covering Gut Health; Pelvic Health; Menopause; Skincare; Chronic Disease; Heart Health and much more.

No More 'Taboo' Subjects!
The Natural Health Revolution wants to empower people to understand how to take care of their own bodies without embarrassment. Sarah and her guests lead by example with honest conversations about subjects we need to get comfortable with if we want to take care of ourselves and each other.

The Natural Health Revolution by Circle of Light

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