March 1, 2025 • 36 mins
Do you know how much alcohol impacts our gut health, hormones, peri and menopause symptoms, contributes to increased inflammation levels, stress management and drastically reduces our energy levels? Do you want to know what steps you can take to heal your body after drinking? Trish Tucker May joins Bella's Alcohol Revolution 6 Week Program as a guest speaker and shares her insights on the liver’s role in hormonal balance and offers practical strategies for nurturing both gut and liver health. (NOTE: * Q&A at the end omits questions from program participants to protect privacy but includes Trish's brilliant answers so stay tuned.)
This episode is a master class in hormones, gut health and alcohol (and more) and includes:
- Importance of gut health in managing peri and menopause symptoms
- Understanding the liver's role in hormone metabolism
- Practical lifestyle changes to support liver and gut health
- Practical tips for anxiety relief
- Highlights of functional testing for tailored health solutions
- Tips for creating a balanced diet and managing stress
If you enjoyed the content, please don't forget to rate, subscribe or leave a review about this podcast. Your support helps us reach those who might need to hear it!
LEARN MORE ABOUT TRISH
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MEG
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BELLA
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Insta: @alcoholcounsellorisabella
Bi-Yearly 6-Week Small Group Challenges: Learn more: https://www.isabellaferguson.com.au/feb-2025-challenge
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Free HOW DO I STOP DRINKING SO MUCH Masterclass: https://resources.isabellaferguson.com.au/offers/7fvkb3FF/checkout
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
What I'm really interested in is that
correlation between the liverand the gut, because we
metabolize our hormones throughthe liver, and so if we have not
done any liver work, then thecongested liver can look like
aching joints, insomnia, sugarcravings, salt cravings, brain
(00:21):
fog.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Welcome to the De-Stress for Success podcast.
Did you know that we inheritour stress response from our
parents or carers or generationsbefore?
But we can also train our brainto respond to stress
differently.
It's all about brain health.
I'm Isabella Ferguson and I'mhere to deliver to you the most
(00:43):
up-to-date, evidence-basedmethodologies on how to find
some calm.
In my early 40s, I bowed out ofa 20-year legal career.
Decades of running on highanxiety and drinking alcohol to
cope had taken its toll on mynervous system and I was burnt
out.
Now, as a 48-year-old corporatespeaker, counsellor, coach,
(01:05):
I'll interview the experts, askthe questions you wish you had
the time to ask and I'll deliversome practical tips to you.
I'm glad you tuned in.
Now let's de-stress.
Today.
I'd love to welcome TrishTakame, who is a functional
nutritionist and gut healthexpert.
(01:25):
Trish has also recently writtena book called Nourish your Gut
for a Positive Menopause, whichprovides a step-by-step guide to
transforming your health.
And, of course, as a womanthat's turning 50 next year,
who's noticed a bit of anxiety,a bit of bloating weight gain,
(01:46):
that's me.
This book really caught my eyeand I know that a lot of our
listeners are really going tobenefit from all you have to say
Trish.
So a big welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm 54 and I'm right in themiddle of the menopause.
Right now, I think anxiety andstress has been my biggest
symptoms all in my head, mymenopause symptoms, all in which
means I just, yeah, overwhelm,low self-esteem, anxiety, stress
.
I know a lot about that sort ofstuff Teenage boys, aging
(02:22):
parents living in a foreigncountry, yeah, and I thought it
was a good idea to write a bookabout the menopause.
During the menopause, followinga global pandemic Taught me a
lot about stress.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Okay, the first question that I normally ask all
of our guests when they come onhow do you know when you are
feeling stressed and what areyour go-to ways of de-stressing
Right?
Speaker 1 (02:47):
My number one symptom for being stressed is waking up
at 4.30 in the morning withheart palpitations and not being
able to get back to sleep.
Now that used to be 3am when Iused to drink wine I don't drink
wine anymore because I had tolike it really stopped loving me
(03:08):
back, but that you know thatdisrupted sleep.
When I wake up and I just feellike I am, my heart is racing
and my mind is racing and it's areally discombobulating feeling
.
I really don't like it.
So I've got quite a few toolsin my toolkit for managing the
(03:31):
heart palpitations and theracing thoughts, and some of the
best things that I found likeone of the best things that I
found is cold water therapy.
So I'm currently living inEngland and it is still really
cold.
I did my first ice bath with WimHof in a community festival
(03:53):
with Russell Brand two years agoand I absolutely loved it.
Like I tell you, after a minutein an ice bath I felt
everything slow down, mythoughts slow down, my breathing
slow down and my heart ratesslow down, and it was just such
(04:13):
a brilliant feeling.
So now I have an ice bath in mybackyard and this morning when
I got in the ice bath.
It's three degrees and I cansit in there for a minute and
sometimes I'll do a meditationand I can sit in there for a
minute and sometimes I'll do ameditation and I can sit in
there for up to four minutes.
But after a minute I can reallyfeel everything slow down and
(04:34):
that is a real deliberatestrategy for me to help combat
stress and anxiety.
I found it really I find itreally immediately soothing and
really restorative anddefinitely helps with anxiety.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Can I ask Trish because I'm fascinated about
cold water exposure and in factI've got somebody lined up to
come on the pod to talk aboutthis very topic Does that good
feeling of calm, does that lastfor a long time?
Speaker 1 (05:01):
for you, it can do Like if I, some mornings, and I
just feel, you know when you'vegot that, feeling like you've
had 20 coffees, like I don't, Ihave one coffee a day but I have
a decaf right but sometimeseven before the coffee I feel
like I've had 20 coffees, likemy heart's racing, my mind is
racing.
Yes, what the ice bath does isit sort of compensates, like
(05:27):
it's a compensatory relaxationresponse and it triggers the
body's natural fight and flightresponse and in doing so it it
just has this reduction inanxiety symptoms because we're
teaching the body to learn howto handle stress more
effectively.
And I do find that that racingheart for me is a real first
(05:48):
thing in the morning, feelinglike cortisol is running through
the body.
And cortisol is designed tokeep us awake when we're meant
to be awake.
It's designed to help us runfrom the tiger.
But we don't have the tigerliving around the corner anymore
.
We have the phone, the kids,the mom, the you know all of
those demands, clientsparticularly.
And I get really nervous beforeseeing clients, like I, really
(06:12):
like I put so much into my workbut I get really quite a bit
anxious before seeing clients.
So that racing heart for me isthat first thing in the morning
response.
And yeah, getting in the icebath like it just tends to
really work for me and then Idon't have that for the rest of
the day and it means I do sleepbetter and I find that I like
(06:33):
recovery from like, I loveboxing as well and recovery from
boxing getting in the ice bathreally helps as well.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Thank you for giving us a bit of an insight there
into your morning practice, andit's a little encouragement for
me to really delve deeper intocold water exposure.
Now, moving on to this topicthat your amazing book is all
about, can I just ask what areyour?
You know some of the mainsymptoms that you see in women
(07:06):
that come to you that are sortof common menopausal symptoms.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Obvious gut symptoms because I'm a gut specialist so
I see bloating, ibs,constipation.
I do see a lot of symptoms ofSIBO, which is a small intestine
, bacterial overgrowth or leakygut or candida.
So they're the obvious gutsymptoms.
But what I'm seeing now like Ithink there's 55 common
(07:34):
menopause symptoms exhaustion,tiredness, having to nap during
the day, aching joints, sugarcravings, the head stuff like
the brain fog, the overwhelm,the stress, the anxiety, low
self-esteem but then thephysical symptoms.
(07:55):
So we're finding that frozenshoulder or problems with the
wrists, the hands, the knees,the hips, the feet, aching
joints, that sort of thing.
Brain fog is really common.
Yeah, yeah, it's such a myriadof sleep problems.
A lot of my clients are notsleeping very well and then
(08:16):
consequently they're feelingreally tired and then they're
reaching for the wrong foods andthen they've got sugar cravings
, which is sort of feeding intothat bad or the unhelpful
imbalance in the microbiome andyeah, and all those symptoms
sort of feed onto each otherbecause you're so chronically
exhausted and not sleeping welland feeling really low and then
(08:38):
not moving the body enough, soit's aching joints and that you
know that chronic tiredness.
But what I'm really interestedin is that correlation between
the liver and the gut, becausewe metabolize our hormones
through the liver, and so if wehave not done any liver work,
then the congested liver canlook like aching joints,
(09:01):
insomnia, sugar cravings, saltcravings, brain fog all of those
symptoms can be indicative of asluggish liver, and we
metabolize all of our hormonesthrough the liver.
So doing the work on the liveris so, so important, and a
natural place to start would behave a break from alcohol, have
a break from refined sugars.
(09:23):
Have a break from refined,heavily processed foods to give
the liver a bit.
Have a break from refinedsugars.
Have a break from refined,heavily processed foods to give
the liver a bit of a break.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Thank you for running through all of those symptoms
and saying to talk a little bitabout what we can do in terms of
liver support.
I could have been a candidatethat ticked all of the boxes,
including the frozen shoulder,so I want to talk to you about
that offline.
But when you're getting allthese symptoms, of course life
(09:51):
is really busy.
You're feeling overwhelmed andit's exhausting and it can be
really difficult to reallynavigate what to do with your
diet to support your gut andyour liver.
Would you mind telling us howwould you go about that?
What would that look like foran average woman in terms of
what they can do to supporttheir liver and their gut more
(10:13):
to alleviate those symptoms?
Speaker 1 (10:15):
Yeah, absolutely.
I think one of the first thingsfor me is to get tested.
I use functional nutritiontests, so I use a Dutch test.
I use hormone tests tested.
You know, I use functionalnutrition tests, so I use a
dutch test.
I use hormone tests,comprehensive microbiome stool
tests, blood tests.
So when it takes out theguesswork, we know what we're
dealing with.
And then listing out all thesymptoms.
(10:36):
So that is a really, reallygood place to start, even if
you're just listening at home tolist out all the little niggles
like the body whispers a longtime before it starts to shout.
So start by getting a bit ofpaper out and starting at the
head and working all the waydown through the body and write
down all the little whispers,all the little niggles.
(10:58):
So you might have dry eyes, youmight have a scratchy throat,
you might have occasional sinusproblems, you might have brain
fog, you might have a bit of afeeling like a lump in the
throat.
You might have a thickening ofthe neck which could be thyroid
problems.
You might have heartpalpitations.
You might have bloated,distended stomach, feeling like
you're six months pregnant atthe end of the day, slowly
(11:20):
working your way down throughthe body, and sometimes it can
be little things like achingfinger joints, aching hand
joints, aching wrists, you knowall those sorts of things.
It's very interesting becausewhen we do the work, when we do
maybe an eight-week guttransformation program, we can
look back on all of thosesymptoms and go, oh wow, I
(11:42):
completely forgot I had that.
So it can be the subtle thingsthat can give us a few hints as
to what's really going on interms of your thyroid, in terms
of your adrenals, in terms ofyour gut health, in terms of
your blood sugar balance andyeah.
So write down all of thosesymptoms and that can also give
you motivation to go right.
(12:03):
I really need to do some workand getting tested is really
insightful.
So I do do tests in Australia.
I use a couple of companies inAustralia that do you know food
sensitivity tests or microbiometests or the hormone tests,
because then that takes out theguesswork.
If we know that you're estrogendominant and you've got really
(12:26):
low testosterone and you're notmetabolizing your hormones
really well, then we know whereto start in terms of nutrition
and lifestyle and possibly somesupplements that can help to
metabolize those hormones betterand that can really help drive
what we need to do in terms offood, because if we're dealing
with candida or leaky gut, thosesituations differently with
(12:50):
food.
We might have to go arestrictive, low FODMAP diet for
a little bit of time, which isreducing the
fructooligosaccharides and thedisaccharides in your diet which
can really feed a dysbiosis oran overgrowth of bacteria.
So getting tested is a verygood investment.
It is an investment.
(13:11):
Some of these functionalnutrition tests can be quite an
investment but very insightful.
If you've been struggling with amyriad of symptoms for a very
long time, then it's worthtaking out the guesswork and
with a lot of my clients, I'dalways start with having
(13:32):
focusing on reducing highlyprocessed foods.
So what I mean by highlyprocessed like?
There's a lot of processedfoods out there, but highly
processed they might have a tonof ingredients that you can't
pronounce, for example, wheretheir food manufacturers are
replacing fats, carbohydratesand proteins with synthetics
(13:56):
which are really not food andthey are very harmful to the
body.
They're very inflammatory tothe body.
So looking at you know, gettinglabel savvy and looking at the
ingredients in certain foods,and if you cannot say it and you
cannot imagine it as a food inyour cupboard, then that's going
to be inflammatory and it'sgoing to cause problems to your
hormones and your gut health.
So that's a good place to startand then also think about
(14:20):
changing your relationship withalcohol, because alcohol is very
inflammatory and it's verydamaging in the perimenopause
and the menopause years.
I mean, we know that there's nosafe usage of alcohol, but we
become very sensitive to alcoholand to processed foods and
processed sugars in theperimenopause and the menopause
to alcohol and to processedfoods and processed sugars in
the perimenopause and themenopause, because we have that
(14:43):
swing in estrogen andtestosterone and progesterone.
It makes us more sensitive sowe can become suddenly allergic
to foods that we've been havingfor quite some time.
Like I found that that's whathappened with me with alcohol.
I used to love my wine, but itreally stopped loving me back in
my perimenopause years.
So you know it had to go.
It was interrupting my sleepand I just thought, oh goodness,
(15:04):
no, I just have to.
You know, I have to change afew things in my lifestyle and
that was an obvious, obvious,big win, I think, to take
alcohol out.
And then, you know, look atother highly processed foods.
And then, you know, look atother highly processed foods and
(15:29):
I think you have to be verysavvy now with discerning what
is a food that's going to becausing you inflammation, and
sometimes it can be things thatyou really, really, really have
loved for a long time butthey're no longer really helpful
.
So if you're heavily reliant onprocessed wheat and processed
dairy, then that can be really abit problematic and a bit
inflammatory at this point inyour life.
(15:49):
So, yeah, but working with anutritionist can help you work
out what those foods are thatare helpful to you.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
Yeah, thank you so much for giving a rundown of all
of those bits and pieces.
I also noticed at the.
I noticed at the start youmentioned that you have decaf
coffee.
Is going caffeine freesomething you would recommend
for most people or is it just ona case by?
Speaker 1 (16:13):
case basis.
I'm quite sensitive to coffee,so I would.
I would never have more thanone full strength coffee a day.
It's very interesting.
It is in your genes, for howwill you metabolize caffeine and
alcohol actually?
So it's down to a specific geneand if you've got that gene,
(16:37):
you would probably know thatfueling on caffeine makes you
feel really good.
Yeah, if I have too many coffees, I just feel jittery and wired
and frazzled and you know it hasthat bigger cortisol effect on
me, so I'm quite sensitive to it.
So you'll probably know inyourself whether you can
metabolise caffeine well or not.
(16:57):
Like, does it make you jitteryand anxious or does it make you
feel really amazing and alert,like my husband could have a
coffee in the nighttime and notand still sleep.
Well, he's probably got thegood ability to metabolize
caffeine, whereas I don't.
It makes me quite sensitive.
So, yeah, yeah, does it makeyou jittery, wired and tired and
(17:19):
frazzled, or does it make youfeel really good and clear
headed and like you could run,you know, 20 miles without a
problem?
Yeah, got you?
How does it make you feel is thebest question?
Speaker 2 (17:30):
And Trish.
I'm really curious about thisnext question, which is, you
know, sometimes when you embarkon this kind of relationship
with a gut health expert, youcan come away with an
overwhelming list of supplementsand foods that you suddenly
(17:51):
need to source and stock up on,and that in itself can be
stressful.
What would you say?
Well, what's in your cupboardand sort of daily routine in
terms of must-dos, in terms offoods and supplements that, um,
are really just the basics thatmight make it sort of easier to
(18:13):
improve your health and your gutyeah, what a great question.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Real food yeah.
So I do have quite a lot ofseeds and good oils in my
cupboard, so lots of hemp seed,sunflower seed, pumpkin seed,
sesame seed I love my hemp seedsyeah, flax seed, so I use a lot
of linseeds or flax seed.
I use really good oils, so Ihave hemp oil, avocado oil,
(18:39):
olive oil, coconut oil.
They're a good staple.
The rest is I don't have a lotof processed grains, but I do
love quinoa and probably my onelike.
And then the rest is lots offruit and veg and organic if
possible, and homegrown evenbetter or locally sourced at the
farmer's market Amazing.
(19:00):
And then, in terms ofsupplements, I love adaptogens,
so I love ashwagandha,particularly for higher stress.
Yeah, my B vitamins like I knowfrom my tests that I run quite
low on my B vitamins and I'malso prone to being a bit
(19:22):
deficient in magnesium andvitamin D, particularly here in
the UK because it's crap weatherat the moment but once the sun
comes out.
Like I know again from my testsI've done genetic testing and I
do fairly regular full bloodpanel tests that I know that I'm
(19:42):
a little bit.
I have a greater need for b12and I have a greater need for
omega-3 and I also have agreater need for vitamin d, so
my genetic profile really isMediterranean.
Yes, I have this romanticideation that I am Spanish
(20:02):
descent, even though my familyis properly Irish.
I think, oh yeah, the Spanishinfiltration in Ireland.
But I know that I need moreomega-3 and B12 and vitamin D.
But one of my absolute go-tosand this is particularly for
anyone who's struggling withlong COVID or is low in energy
(20:26):
is CoQ10.
So coenzyme Q10.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
So I take a supplement that has a few of
those things together.
So it's like got ashwagandha,ginseng, coq10, alpha lipoic
acid, so it's a really goodliver energy complex that I find
is really helpful.
So they're probably my go-to.
And if I find that I'm overlystressed like when I recently
(20:54):
come back from Australia and Iwas a bit jet lagged and I was
quite deplete being in Australiasorting my mum's care out and
sorting a few things out, and Icame back and I was quite
deplete being in Australia andsorting my mum's care out and
sorting a few things out, and Icame back and I was really quite
deplete.
I could feel my adrenals were.
You know, it took me a while toget my sleep pattern back in.
I really upped the magnesium andthe B vitamins and that CoQ10
(21:16):
alpha lipoic acid combinationand I noticed the difference,
like some supplements you take,and you think, oh, actually I
don't notice any difference intaking this and I think, well,
what am I taking it for?
But the other thing I reallyreally, really love is organic
protein powder.
So I have my protein powderagain.
It's got the adaptogen, likethe medicinal mushrooms, like
(21:38):
cordyceps, lion's mane, reishi,turkey tail yeah, cordyceps.
I said that, yeah, it's got amixture of all of those
mushrooms in it and it's anorganic protein powder that's
derived from sprouted greens andthat sort of thing and I find
(21:59):
that really good.
So when I when I do my boxingin the morning, I really I love
having a scoop of that with myother supplements.
So that's my go-to and I andthat again.
If I don't, if I don't have that, then I really notice the
difference and then and then Iget, like I get most of my
prebiotics and probiotics mostlyfrom fermented foods like
(22:24):
kimchi, sauerkraut, um, water,kefir, kombucha type drinks and
that sort of thing, um and so.
But occasionally I will take aprobiotic.
So at the moment I'm taking aprobiotic that's a it's it's a
biome breathe, it's an activatedprobiotic that's very good for
around hay fever time, because Idon't really get hay fever
anymore.
But with the change of seasonhere and I usually rotate
(22:46):
through my probiotics, so Idon't stick to one specific
brand, I rotate and I getdifferent strains.
But I try and get the majorityof that from food and like most
of my nutrients, like, like Iwill eat maybe between 70% 85%
organic if I can, but that willvary each week, depending on
(23:07):
what's available, and I do growmy own veg as well, but not
massively because it's stillquite cold here.
I've got leafy greens growinglike chard and kale, but that's
about it, and chives in thegarden, some herbs.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
So the greens are a bit low.
So, yeah, get what I can fromfood, but definitely topping up
on some of the supplements.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Thank you, trish, and we touched on what I'm now
understanding is reallyimportant when it comes to
alleviating your menopausalsymptoms through working on your
gut and your diet and nutritionis to support your liver as
much as possible.
So that's a big takeaway for me, which here in this
(23:56):
conversation, which I didn'treally connect the two,
menopause and liver.
So, of course, alcohol free oras limited as possible, maybe
limit your caffeine intake.
What might be, some other sayyour top three tips that you
might do, bearing in mind that Iunderstand that you probably,
(24:19):
if you want to take a deep dive,you need to do all your blood
tests and things like that toreally understand what's going
on.
But what might be your topthree to five tips that women
could take away from thisconversation that they could do
relatively easily?
Speaker 1 (24:35):
Yeah, great, we're looking after the liver, like
obvious things like drink plentyof water, get a good night's
sleep, because it's when we'reyou know, I think it's those
hours before midnight that are,like I said to my clients,
they're like triple points, youknow, they're getting a really
good, solid sleep routine,because that's when we're
(24:57):
repairing and rejuvenating andrebuilding ourselves and that's
when the liver gets to do somereally important work.
And then thinking about alsogiving your digestive system a
rest every now and then, somaking sure you're not
constantly snacking, having areally good space in between
your meals, can be very good forthe liver, can be good for the
(25:21):
whole of digestive systems.
So doing the occasional fastingcan be really beneficial, yeah.
Or doing a little mini livercleanse, where you could do
maybe a three-day juice cleanse,can be really beneficial.
It will definitely get thatspring back in your step.
And doing that around thechange in the seasons so
certainly at the end of summerand at the end of winter, maybe
(25:44):
around the equinox, maybethinking about doing a little
juice cleanse and a period offasting can be very beneficial
for the immune system, very goodfor the liver.
And finally, I would say, have alittle bit of a look into
techniques that could supportthe lymphatic system.
(26:06):
So you know, the lymphaticsystem doesn't have a pump like
the heart, so the lymphaticsystem needs gentle movement.
So moving your body is really,really important.
But thinking about lymphaticmassage or dry skin brushing can
be very, very beneficial forhelping to detoxify the body.
Because when the lymph glandsbecome sluggish, you know that
(26:29):
main route of elimination thatinvolves the liver, the cell,
the liver, the lymphatic system,the blood, the small intestine,
the large intestine, the colon.
That all works well when thelymphatic system is working
effectively and you know we have.
You know a lot of us aresitting a lot.
You know we're sitting lot.
You know we're sitting for work, we're sitting driving, we're
(26:50):
sitting in front of the couch.
So our lymphatic system may notbe getting that stimulation
that it needs.
So and it's, you know, that'shard to get into the day for
some people.
So dry skin brushing could be areally good way of just
supporting that gentlysupporting that lymphatic system
on a daily basis.
Yeah, that could be quite easyto incorporate.
You know, a couple of minutesbefore a shower or jump in an
(27:13):
ice bath, that's very good forthe lymphatic system.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
I love dry skin brushing.
I think it, and I always forgetto do it, but it's often when
I'm on a bit of a health kickthat I think, oh, I'm just'm
gonna pull it out and, um gosh,it makes your skin so feel so,
so good, doesn't it?
So, trish, besides from buyingyour amazing book to really get
(27:38):
that step-by-step guide toreally, I guess, alleviate your
symptoms of menopause with gutsupport and all of those
beautiful recipes that you'vegot in your book, how can people
out there work with you?
You just have such a wealth ofknowledge around all the
(28:01):
symptoms and what we can quiteeasily do with nutrition to
alleviate them.
So what's the best way thatpeople can get in touch with you
and to do some of yourcoursework?
Speaker 1 (28:12):
Yeah, so the best way probably is my website, which
is trishtuckermaycom.
But I do have an eight-week guttransformation program and in
that program we do touch onhormones, we do touch on energy
and sleep and we focus onnourishing the body, cleansing
(28:33):
the body and then restoring andredesigning, restoring balance
and possibly even redesigningyour life.
So it goes quite deep in thoseeight weeks but there's a lot of
energy work in there as well.
So we do focus on some chakracleansing and, you know, some
beautiful rebalancing techniquesthat are easy to do.
(28:54):
There's a ton of beautifulrecipes and meal plans and
shopping lists in that program.
There's some beautiful videosand some beautiful meditations.
So it's a it's an easy programto do.
It's an easy one to start withthat really does focus on the
hormones and the guttransformation.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Wonderful.
Thank you, trish.
And just as a parting question,because I know this is actually
a question that a lot of myclients ask.
So I work with people who arewanting to give up alcohol, for
example, and they're reallyworried about um well, you know
that where their bloods are at.
Is that something that?
And I know that primarily, youwould go through your gp here,
(29:37):
but if you really wanted to geta more of a broader spectrum, to
delve into hormones and thingslike that, is that something
that you would coordinate fromyour end?
Speaker 1 (29:47):
yeah, yeah, absolutely.
So.
I do work with clients to doprivate blood work and hormone
tests in Australia using acouple of different companies.
There also food sensitivities.
But yeah, the Dutch test isprobably the gold standard when
it comes to hormone testing.
And what that does is it testsall your hormones.
It tests your sex hormones.
It tests your sex hormones.
(30:07):
It also tests your stresshormones, your cortisol response
.
But it shows you how well you'remetabolizing your hormones as
well, and that's the key thatwe've got to make these hormones
, we've got to use them up forwhatever bodily function,
whether that's hair, skin andnails, metabolism, body
temperature, you know your sexhormones, even cardiovascular
(30:30):
health.
But we need to metabolise thosehormones.
And if you're not metabolisingthose hormones well, that can
show up in unwanted hair, inplaces which are so like facial
hair or acne or belly weightthat we just can't lose adipose
(30:51):
tissue in the belly and the bumbody odor when we're not
metabolizing our hormones.
That's how that shows up.
So the Dutch test shows us whatyour preferred pathway is for
metabolizing those hormones andexcreting them from the body,
and that's a really importantpart of hormone production and
it can you know it can reallyshow where those hormones might
(31:12):
be getting stuck and reabsorbed,and reabsorbed into adipose
tissue and then that's the bellyweight that's really hard to
get rid of.
So Dutch test is veryenlightening and for anyone
who's considering, you know,going on HRT or anything, it's a
very enlightening.
And for anyone who'sconsidering, you know, going on
HRT or anything, it's a veryenlightening test because you
know, and I think, one thatideally every woman should do,
(31:35):
particularly, you know, asthey're navigating the
perimenopause, because you knowit tells you exactly what's
going on in terms of thatbalance between estrogen and
progesterone, what's going onwith the testosterone, which is
such an important hormone aswell.
It gives us that get up and go,resilience and motivation.
So if we're really low intestosterone, often that can
(31:56):
play out in really low mood andreally low motivation and it's
really interesting and there's alot that we can do in terms of
diet to support our hormones.
So it's a very interesting test.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
This discussion has been so incredibly informative
for me and I know will resonatea lot with our listeners.
Makes me want to go out to allthe health food stalls and start
buying up with lots of lovelygrains and seeds and healthy
foods, but also I feel like Ineed to reach out and get this
(32:29):
blood test.
I just want to say a huge, hugethank you, Trish, for sharing
your knowledge with us.
Speaker 1 (32:39):
Oh, you're so welcome .
It's such a pleasure to have achat.
And yeah, look, if you'relistening, reach out to me.
Feel free to reach out ifyou've got some questions.
I'm really happy to answer.
And yeah, if you're listening,reach out to me.
Feel free to reach out ifyou've got some questions.
I'm really happy to answer.
And yeah, thanks for having me.
Thank you, trish Tucker-Mae.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
Thank you so much for listening to this episode.
If you enjoyed the content,please don't forget to rate,
subscribe or leave a reviewabout this podcast.
These three things really helpto get this podcast out to
people that might need to hearit.
You can find me atwwwisabellafergusoncomau.
(33:22):
Jump on my website.
Check out all the resourcesI've got there about alcohol,
stress and burnout.
You can also book in a freeintroductory call.
It's a 30 minute confidentialchat.
If you are looking for acounselor or a coach to support
you to drink less or to manageyour stress, I'm always here to
(33:47):
chat.
If you've got a question,please do not hesitate to reach
out.
I hope you have a really goodday.
See you later, thank you.
What I'm really interested in is that
correlation between the liverand the gut, because we
metabolize our hormones throughthe liver, and so if we have not
done any liver work, then thecongested liver can look like
aching joints, insomnia, sugarcravings, salt cravings, brain
(00:21):
fog.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Welcome to the De-Stress for Success podcast.
Did you know that we inheritour stress response from our
parents or carers or generationsbefore?
But we can also train our brainto respond to stress
differently.
It's all about brain health.
I'm Isabella Ferguson and I'mhere to deliver to you the most
(00:43):
up-to-date, evidence-basedmethodologies on how to find
some calm.
In my early 40s, I bowed out ofa 20-year legal career.
Decades of running on highanxiety and drinking alcohol to
cope had taken its toll on mynervous system and I was burnt
out.
Now, as a 48-year-old corporatespeaker, counsellor, coach,
(01:05):
I'll interview the experts, askthe questions you wish you had
the time to ask and I'll deliversome practical tips to you.
I'm glad you tuned in.
Now let's de-stress.
Today.
I'd love to welcome TrishTakame, who is a functional
nutritionist and gut healthexpert.
(01:25):
Trish has also recently writtena book called Nourish your Gut
for a Positive Menopause, whichprovides a step-by-step guide to
transforming your health.
And, of course, as a womanthat's turning 50 next year,
who's noticed a bit of anxiety,a bit of bloating weight gain,
(01:46):
that's me.
This book really caught my eyeand I know that a lot of our
listeners are really going tobenefit from all you have to say
Trish.
So a big welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm 54 and I'm right in themiddle of the menopause.
Right now, I think anxiety andstress has been my biggest
symptoms all in my head, mymenopause symptoms, all in which
means I just, yeah, overwhelm,low self-esteem, anxiety, stress
.
I know a lot about that sort ofstuff Teenage boys, aging
(02:22):
parents living in a foreigncountry, yeah, and I thought it
was a good idea to write a bookabout the menopause.
During the menopause, followinga global pandemic Taught me a
lot about stress.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Okay, the first question that I normally ask all
of our guests when they come onhow do you know when you are
feeling stressed and what areyour go-to ways of de-stressing
Right?
Speaker 1 (02:47):
My number one symptom for being stressed is waking up
at 4.30 in the morning withheart palpitations and not being
able to get back to sleep.
Now that used to be 3am when Iused to drink wine I don't drink
wine anymore because I had tolike it really stopped loving me
(03:08):
back, but that you know thatdisrupted sleep.
When I wake up and I just feellike I am, my heart is racing
and my mind is racing and it's areally discombobulating feeling
.
I really don't like it.
So I've got quite a few toolsin my toolkit for managing the
(03:31):
heart palpitations and theracing thoughts, and some of the
best things that I found likeone of the best things that I
found is cold water therapy.
So I'm currently living inEngland and it is still really
cold.
I did my first ice bath with WimHof in a community festival
(03:53):
with Russell Brand two years agoand I absolutely loved it.
Like I tell you, after a minutein an ice bath I felt
everything slow down, mythoughts slow down, my breathing
slow down and my heart ratesslow down, and it was just such
(04:13):
a brilliant feeling.
So now I have an ice bath in mybackyard and this morning when
I got in the ice bath.
It's three degrees and I cansit in there for a minute and
sometimes I'll do a meditationand I can sit in there for a
minute and sometimes I'll do ameditation and I can sit in
there for up to four minutes.
But after a minute I can reallyfeel everything slow down and
(04:34):
that is a real deliberatestrategy for me to help combat
stress and anxiety.
I found it really I find itreally immediately soothing and
really restorative anddefinitely helps with anxiety.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Can I ask Trish because I'm fascinated about
cold water exposure and in factI've got somebody lined up to
come on the pod to talk aboutthis very topic Does that good
feeling of calm, does that lastfor a long time?
Speaker 1 (05:01):
for you, it can do Like if I, some mornings, and I
just feel, you know when you'vegot that, feeling like you've
had 20 coffees, like I don't, Ihave one coffee a day but I have
a decaf right but sometimeseven before the coffee I feel
like I've had 20 coffees, likemy heart's racing, my mind is
racing.
Yes, what the ice bath does isit sort of compensates, like
(05:27):
it's a compensatory relaxationresponse and it triggers the
body's natural fight and flightresponse and in doing so it it
just has this reduction inanxiety symptoms because we're
teaching the body to learn howto handle stress more
effectively.
And I do find that that racingheart for me is a real first
(05:48):
thing in the morning, feelinglike cortisol is running through
the body.
And cortisol is designed tokeep us awake when we're meant
to be awake.
It's designed to help us runfrom the tiger.
But we don't have the tigerliving around the corner anymore
.
We have the phone, the kids,the mom, the you know all of
those demands, clientsparticularly.
And I get really nervous beforeseeing clients, like I, really
(06:12):
like I put so much into my workbut I get really quite a bit
anxious before seeing clients.
So that racing heart for me isthat first thing in the morning
response.
And yeah, getting in the icebath like it just tends to
really work for me and then Idon't have that for the rest of
the day and it means I do sleepbetter and I find that I like
(06:33):
recovery from like, I loveboxing as well and recovery from
boxing getting in the ice bathreally helps as well.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Thank you for giving us a bit of an insight there
into your morning practice, andit's a little encouragement for
me to really delve deeper intocold water exposure.
Now, moving on to this topicthat your amazing book is all
about, can I just ask what areyour?
You know some of the mainsymptoms that you see in women
(07:06):
that come to you that are sortof common menopausal symptoms.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Obvious gut symptoms because I'm a gut specialist so
I see bloating, ibs,constipation.
I do see a lot of symptoms ofSIBO, which is a small intestine
, bacterial overgrowth or leakygut or candida.
So they're the obvious gutsymptoms.
But what I'm seeing now like Ithink there's 55 common
(07:34):
menopause symptoms exhaustion,tiredness, having to nap during
the day, aching joints, sugarcravings, the head stuff like
the brain fog, the overwhelm,the stress, the anxiety, low
self-esteem but then thephysical symptoms.
(07:55):
So we're finding that frozenshoulder or problems with the
wrists, the hands, the knees,the hips, the feet, aching
joints, that sort of thing.
Brain fog is really common.
Yeah, yeah, it's such a myriadof sleep problems.
A lot of my clients are notsleeping very well and then
(08:16):
consequently they're feelingreally tired and then they're
reaching for the wrong foods andthen they've got sugar cravings
, which is sort of feeding intothat bad or the unhelpful
imbalance in the microbiome andyeah, and all those symptoms
sort of feed onto each otherbecause you're so chronically
exhausted and not sleeping welland feeling really low and then
(08:38):
not moving the body enough, soit's aching joints and that you
know that chronic tiredness.
But what I'm really interestedin is that correlation between
the liver and the gut, becausewe metabolize our hormones
through the liver, and so if wehave not done any liver work,
then the congested liver canlook like aching joints,
(09:01):
insomnia, sugar cravings, saltcravings, brain fog all of those
symptoms can be indicative of asluggish liver, and we
metabolize all of our hormonesthrough the liver.
So doing the work on the liveris so, so important, and a
natural place to start would behave a break from alcohol, have
a break from refined sugars.
(09:23):
Have a break from refined,heavily processed foods to give
the liver a bit.
Have a break from refinedsugars.
Have a break from refined,heavily processed foods to give
the liver a bit of a break.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Thank you for running through all of those symptoms
and saying to talk a little bitabout what we can do in terms of
liver support.
I could have been a candidatethat ticked all of the boxes,
including the frozen shoulder,so I want to talk to you about
that offline.
But when you're getting allthese symptoms, of course life
(09:51):
is really busy.
You're feeling overwhelmed andit's exhausting and it can be
really difficult to reallynavigate what to do with your
diet to support your gut andyour liver.
Would you mind telling us howwould you go about that?
What would that look like foran average woman in terms of
what they can do to supporttheir liver and their gut more
(10:13):
to alleviate those symptoms?
Speaker 1 (10:15):
Yeah, absolutely.
I think one of the first thingsfor me is to get tested.
I use functional nutritiontests, so I use a Dutch test.
I use hormone tests tested.
You know, I use functionalnutrition tests, so I use a
dutch test.
I use hormone tests,comprehensive microbiome stool
tests, blood tests.
So when it takes out theguesswork, we know what we're
dealing with.
And then listing out all thesymptoms.
(10:36):
So that is a really, reallygood place to start, even if
you're just listening at home tolist out all the little niggles
like the body whispers a longtime before it starts to shout.
So start by getting a bit ofpaper out and starting at the
head and working all the waydown through the body and write
down all the little whispers,all the little niggles.
(10:58):
So you might have dry eyes, youmight have a scratchy throat,
you might have occasional sinusproblems, you might have brain
fog, you might have a bit of afeeling like a lump in the
throat.
You might have a thickening ofthe neck which could be thyroid
problems.
You might have heartpalpitations.
You might have bloated,distended stomach, feeling like
you're six months pregnant atthe end of the day, slowly
(11:20):
working your way down throughthe body, and sometimes it can
be little things like achingfinger joints, aching hand
joints, aching wrists, you knowall those sorts of things.
It's very interesting becausewhen we do the work, when we do
maybe an eight-week guttransformation program, we can
look back on all of thosesymptoms and go, oh wow, I
(11:42):
completely forgot I had that.
So it can be the subtle thingsthat can give us a few hints as
to what's really going on interms of your thyroid, in terms
of your adrenals, in terms ofyour gut health, in terms of
your blood sugar balance andyeah.
So write down all of thosesymptoms and that can also give
you motivation to go right.
(12:03):
I really need to do some workand getting tested is really
insightful.
So I do do tests in Australia.
I use a couple of companies inAustralia that do you know food
sensitivity tests or microbiometests or the hormone tests,
because then that takes out theguesswork.
If we know that you're estrogendominant and you've got really
(12:26):
low testosterone and you're notmetabolizing your hormones
really well, then we know whereto start in terms of nutrition
and lifestyle and possibly somesupplements that can help to
metabolize those hormones betterand that can really help drive
what we need to do in terms offood, because if we're dealing
with candida or leaky gut, thosesituations differently with
(12:50):
food.
We might have to go arestrictive, low FODMAP diet for
a little bit of time, which isreducing the
fructooligosaccharides and thedisaccharides in your diet which
can really feed a dysbiosis oran overgrowth of bacteria.
So getting tested is a verygood investment.
It is an investment.
(13:11):
Some of these functionalnutrition tests can be quite an
investment but very insightful.
If you've been struggling with amyriad of symptoms for a very
long time, then it's worthtaking out the guesswork and
with a lot of my clients, I'dalways start with having
(13:32):
focusing on reducing highlyprocessed foods.
So what I mean by highlyprocessed like?
There's a lot of processedfoods out there, but highly
processed they might have a tonof ingredients that you can't
pronounce, for example, wheretheir food manufacturers are
replacing fats, carbohydratesand proteins with synthetics
(13:56):
which are really not food andthey are very harmful to the
body.
They're very inflammatory tothe body.
So looking at you know, gettinglabel savvy and looking at the
ingredients in certain foods,and if you cannot say it and you
cannot imagine it as a food inyour cupboard, then that's going
to be inflammatory and it'sgoing to cause problems to your
hormones and your gut health.
So that's a good place to startand then also think about
(14:20):
changing your relationship withalcohol, because alcohol is very
inflammatory and it's verydamaging in the perimenopause
and the menopause years.
I mean, we know that there's nosafe usage of alcohol, but we
become very sensitive to alcoholand to processed foods and
processed sugars in theperimenopause and the menopause
to alcohol and to processedfoods and processed sugars in
the perimenopause and themenopause, because we have that
(14:43):
swing in estrogen andtestosterone and progesterone.
It makes us more sensitive sowe can become suddenly allergic
to foods that we've been havingfor quite some time.
Like I found that that's whathappened with me with alcohol.
I used to love my wine, but itreally stopped loving me back in
my perimenopause years.
So you know it had to go.
It was interrupting my sleepand I just thought, oh goodness,
(15:04):
no, I just have to.
You know, I have to change afew things in my lifestyle and
that was an obvious, obvious,big win, I think, to take
alcohol out.
And then, you know, look atother highly processed foods.
And then, you know, look atother highly processed foods and
(15:29):
I think you have to be verysavvy now with discerning what
is a food that's going to becausing you inflammation, and
sometimes it can be things thatyou really, really, really have
loved for a long time butthey're no longer really helpful
.
So if you're heavily reliant onprocessed wheat and processed
dairy, then that can be really abit problematic and a bit
inflammatory at this point inyour life.
(15:49):
So, yeah, but working with anutritionist can help you work
out what those foods are thatare helpful to you.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
Yeah, thank you so much for giving a rundown of all
of those bits and pieces.
I also noticed at the.
I noticed at the start youmentioned that you have decaf
coffee.
Is going caffeine freesomething you would recommend
for most people or is it just ona case by?
Speaker 1 (16:13):
case basis.
I'm quite sensitive to coffee,so I would.
I would never have more thanone full strength coffee a day.
It's very interesting.
It is in your genes, for howwill you metabolize caffeine and
alcohol actually?
So it's down to a specific geneand if you've got that gene,
(16:37):
you would probably know thatfueling on caffeine makes you
feel really good.
Yeah, if I have too many coffees, I just feel jittery and wired
and frazzled and you know it hasthat bigger cortisol effect on
me, so I'm quite sensitive to it.
So you'll probably know inyourself whether you can
metabolise caffeine well or not.
(16:57):
Like, does it make you jitteryand anxious or does it make you
feel really amazing and alert,like my husband could have a
coffee in the nighttime and notand still sleep.
Well, he's probably got thegood ability to metabolize
caffeine, whereas I don't.
It makes me quite sensitive.
So, yeah, yeah, does it makeyou jittery, wired and tired and
(17:19):
frazzled, or does it make youfeel really good and clear
headed and like you could run,you know, 20 miles without a
problem?
Yeah, got you?
How does it make you feel is thebest question?
Speaker 2 (17:30):
And Trish.
I'm really curious about thisnext question, which is, you
know, sometimes when you embarkon this kind of relationship
with a gut health expert, youcan come away with an
overwhelming list of supplementsand foods that you suddenly
(17:51):
need to source and stock up on,and that in itself can be
stressful.
What would you say?
Well, what's in your cupboardand sort of daily routine in
terms of must-dos, in terms offoods and supplements that, um,
are really just the basics thatmight make it sort of easier to
(18:13):
improve your health and your gutyeah, what a great question.
Speaker 1 (18:18):
Real food yeah.
So I do have quite a lot ofseeds and good oils in my
cupboard, so lots of hemp seed,sunflower seed, pumpkin seed,
sesame seed I love my hemp seedsyeah, flax seed, so I use a lot
of linseeds or flax seed.
I use really good oils, so Ihave hemp oil, avocado oil,
(18:39):
olive oil, coconut oil.
They're a good staple.
The rest is I don't have a lotof processed grains, but I do
love quinoa and probably my onelike.
And then the rest is lots offruit and veg and organic if
possible, and homegrown evenbetter or locally sourced at the
farmer's market Amazing.
(19:00):
And then, in terms ofsupplements, I love adaptogens,
so I love ashwagandha,particularly for higher stress.
Yeah, my B vitamins like I knowfrom my tests that I run quite
low on my B vitamins and I'malso prone to being a bit
(19:22):
deficient in magnesium andvitamin D, particularly here in
the UK because it's crap weatherat the moment but once the sun
comes out.
Like I know again from my testsI've done genetic testing and I
do fairly regular full bloodpanel tests that I know that I'm
(19:42):
a little bit.
I have a greater need for b12and I have a greater need for
omega-3 and I also have agreater need for vitamin d, so
my genetic profile really isMediterranean.
Yes, I have this romanticideation that I am Spanish
(20:02):
descent, even though my familyis properly Irish.
I think, oh yeah, the Spanishinfiltration in Ireland.
But I know that I need moreomega-3 and B12 and vitamin D.
But one of my absolute go-tosand this is particularly for
anyone who's struggling withlong COVID or is low in energy
(20:26):
is CoQ10.
So coenzyme Q10.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
So I take a supplement that has a few of
those things together.
So it's like got ashwagandha,ginseng, coq10, alpha lipoic
acid, so it's a really goodliver energy complex that I find
is really helpful.
So they're probably my go-to.
And if I find that I'm overlystressed like when I recently
(20:54):
come back from Australia and Iwas a bit jet lagged and I was
quite deplete being in Australiasorting my mum's care out and
sorting a few things out, and Icame back and I was quite
deplete being in Australia andsorting my mum's care out and
sorting a few things out, and Icame back and I was really quite
deplete.
I could feel my adrenals were.
You know, it took me a while toget my sleep pattern back in.
I really upped the magnesium andthe B vitamins and that CoQ10
(21:16):
alpha lipoic acid combinationand I noticed the difference,
like some supplements you take,and you think, oh, actually I
don't notice any difference intaking this and I think, well,
what am I taking it for?
But the other thing I reallyreally, really love is organic
protein powder.
So I have my protein powderagain.
It's got the adaptogen, likethe medicinal mushrooms, like
(21:38):
cordyceps, lion's mane, reishi,turkey tail yeah, cordyceps.
I said that, yeah, it's got amixture of all of those
mushrooms in it and it's anorganic protein powder that's
derived from sprouted greens andthat sort of thing and I find
(21:59):
that really good.
So when I when I do my boxingin the morning, I really I love
having a scoop of that with myother supplements.
So that's my go-to and I andthat again.
If I don't, if I don't have that, then I really notice the
difference and then and then Iget, like I get most of my
prebiotics and probiotics mostlyfrom fermented foods like
(22:24):
kimchi, sauerkraut, um, water,kefir, kombucha type drinks and
that sort of thing, um and so.
But occasionally I will take aprobiotic.
So at the moment I'm taking aprobiotic that's a it's it's a
biome breathe, it's an activatedprobiotic that's very good for
around hay fever time, because Idon't really get hay fever
anymore.
But with the change of seasonhere and I usually rotate
(22:46):
through my probiotics, so Idon't stick to one specific
brand, I rotate and I getdifferent strains.
But I try and get the majorityof that from food and like most
of my nutrients, like, like Iwill eat maybe between 70% 85%
organic if I can, but that willvary each week, depending on
(23:07):
what's available, and I do growmy own veg as well, but not
massively because it's stillquite cold here.
I've got leafy greens growinglike chard and kale, but that's
about it, and chives in thegarden, some herbs.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
So the greens are a bit low.
So, yeah, get what I can fromfood, but definitely topping up
on some of the supplements.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Thank you, trish, and we touched on what I'm now
understanding is reallyimportant when it comes to
alleviating your menopausalsymptoms through working on your
gut and your diet and nutritionis to support your liver as
much as possible.
So that's a big takeaway for me, which here in this
(23:56):
conversation, which I didn'treally connect the two,
menopause and liver.
So, of course, alcohol free oras limited as possible, maybe
limit your caffeine intake.
What might be, some other sayyour top three tips that you
might do, bearing in mind that Iunderstand that you probably,
(24:19):
if you want to take a deep dive,you need to do all your blood
tests and things like that toreally understand what's going
on.
But what might be your topthree to five tips that women
could take away from thisconversation that they could do
relatively easily?
Speaker 1 (24:35):
Yeah, great, we're looking after the liver, like
obvious things like drink plentyof water, get a good night's
sleep, because it's when we'reyou know, I think it's those
hours before midnight that are,like I said to my clients,
they're like triple points, youknow, they're getting a really
good, solid sleep routine,because that's when we're
(24:57):
repairing and rejuvenating andrebuilding ourselves and that's
when the liver gets to do somereally important work.
And then thinking about alsogiving your digestive system a
rest every now and then, somaking sure you're not
constantly snacking, having areally good space in between
your meals, can be very good forthe liver, can be good for the
(25:21):
whole of digestive systems.
So doing the occasional fastingcan be really beneficial, yeah.
Or doing a little mini livercleanse, where you could do
maybe a three-day juice cleanse,can be really beneficial.
It will definitely get thatspring back in your step.
And doing that around thechange in the seasons so
certainly at the end of summerand at the end of winter, maybe
(25:44):
around the equinox, maybethinking about doing a little
juice cleanse and a period offasting can be very beneficial
for the immune system, very goodfor the liver.
And finally, I would say, have alittle bit of a look into
techniques that could supportthe lymphatic system.
(26:06):
So you know, the lymphaticsystem doesn't have a pump like
the heart, so the lymphaticsystem needs gentle movement.
So moving your body is really,really important.
But thinking about lymphaticmassage or dry skin brushing can
be very, very beneficial forhelping to detoxify the body.
Because when the lymph glandsbecome sluggish, you know that
(26:29):
main route of elimination thatinvolves the liver, the cell,
the liver, the lymphatic system,the blood, the small intestine,
the large intestine, the colon.
That all works well when thelymphatic system is working
effectively and you know we have.
You know a lot of us aresitting a lot.
You know we're sitting lot.
You know we're sitting for work, we're sitting driving, we're
(26:50):
sitting in front of the couch.
So our lymphatic system may notbe getting that stimulation
that it needs.
So and it's, you know, that'shard to get into the day for
some people.
So dry skin brushing could be areally good way of just
supporting that gentlysupporting that lymphatic system
on a daily basis.
Yeah, that could be quite easyto incorporate.
You know, a couple of minutesbefore a shower or jump in an
(27:13):
ice bath, that's very good forthe lymphatic system.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
I love dry skin brushing.
I think it, and I always forgetto do it, but it's often when
I'm on a bit of a health kickthat I think, oh, I'm just'm
gonna pull it out and, um gosh,it makes your skin so feel so,
so good, doesn't it?
So, trish, besides from buyingyour amazing book to really get
(27:38):
that step-by-step guide toreally, I guess, alleviate your
symptoms of menopause with gutsupport and all of those
beautiful recipes that you'vegot in your book, how can people
out there work with you?
You just have such a wealth ofknowledge around all the
(28:01):
symptoms and what we can quiteeasily do with nutrition to
alleviate them.
So what's the best way thatpeople can get in touch with you
and to do some of yourcoursework?
Speaker 1 (28:12):
Yeah, so the best way probably is my website, which
is trishtuckermaycom.
But I do have an eight-week guttransformation program and in
that program we do touch onhormones, we do touch on energy
and sleep and we focus onnourishing the body, cleansing
(28:33):
the body and then restoring andredesigning, restoring balance
and possibly even redesigningyour life.
So it goes quite deep in thoseeight weeks but there's a lot of
energy work in there as well.
So we do focus on some chakracleansing and, you know, some
beautiful rebalancing techniquesthat are easy to do.
(28:54):
There's a ton of beautifulrecipes and meal plans and
shopping lists in that program.
There's some beautiful videosand some beautiful meditations.
So it's a it's an easy programto do.
It's an easy one to start withthat really does focus on the
hormones and the guttransformation.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Wonderful.
Thank you, trish.
And just as a parting question,because I know this is actually
a question that a lot of myclients ask.
So I work with people who arewanting to give up alcohol, for
example, and they're reallyworried about um well, you know
that where their bloods are at.
Is that something that?
And I know that primarily, youwould go through your gp here,
(29:37):
but if you really wanted to geta more of a broader spectrum, to
delve into hormones and thingslike that, is that something
that you would coordinate fromyour end?
Speaker 1 (29:47):
yeah, yeah, absolutely.
So.
I do work with clients to doprivate blood work and hormone
tests in Australia using acouple of different companies.
There also food sensitivities.
But yeah, the Dutch test isprobably the gold standard when
it comes to hormone testing.
And what that does is it testsall your hormones.
It tests your sex hormones.
It tests your sex hormones.
(30:07):
It also tests your stresshormones, your cortisol response
.
But it shows you how well you'remetabolizing your hormones as
well, and that's the key thatwe've got to make these hormones
, we've got to use them up forwhatever bodily function,
whether that's hair, skin andnails, metabolism, body
temperature, you know your sexhormones, even cardiovascular
(30:30):
health.
But we need to metabolise thosehormones.
And if you're not metabolisingthose hormones well, that can
show up in unwanted hair, inplaces which are so like facial
hair or acne or belly weightthat we just can't lose adipose
(30:51):
tissue in the belly and the bumbody odor when we're not
metabolizing our hormones.
That's how that shows up.
So the Dutch test shows us whatyour preferred pathway is for
metabolizing those hormones andexcreting them from the body,
and that's a really importantpart of hormone production and
it can you know it can reallyshow where those hormones might
(31:12):
be getting stuck and reabsorbed,and reabsorbed into adipose
tissue and then that's the bellyweight that's really hard to
get rid of.
So Dutch test is veryenlightening and for anyone
who's considering, you know,going on HRT or anything, it's a
very enlightening.
And for anyone who'sconsidering, you know, going on
HRT or anything, it's a veryenlightening test because you
know, and I think, one thatideally every woman should do,
(31:35):
particularly, you know, asthey're navigating the
perimenopause, because you knowit tells you exactly what's
going on in terms of thatbalance between estrogen and
progesterone, what's going onwith the testosterone, which is
such an important hormone aswell.
It gives us that get up and go,resilience and motivation.
So if we're really low intestosterone, often that can
(31:56):
play out in really low mood andreally low motivation and it's
really interesting and there's alot that we can do in terms of
diet to support our hormones.
So it's a very interesting test.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
This discussion has been so incredibly informative
for me and I know will resonatea lot with our listeners.
Makes me want to go out to allthe health food stalls and start
buying up with lots of lovelygrains and seeds and healthy
foods, but also I feel like Ineed to reach out and get this
(32:29):
blood test.
I just want to say a huge, hugethank you, Trish, for sharing
your knowledge with us.
Speaker 1 (32:39):
Oh, you're so welcome .
It's such a pleasure to have achat.
And yeah, look, if you'relistening, reach out to me.
Feel free to reach out ifyou've got some questions.
I'm really happy to answer.
And yeah, if you're listening,reach out to me.
Feel free to reach out ifyou've got some questions.
I'm really happy to answer.
And yeah, thanks for having me.
Thank you, trish Tucker-Mae.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
Thank you so much for listening to this episode.
If you enjoyed the content,please don't forget to rate,
subscribe or leave a reviewabout this podcast.
These three things really helpto get this podcast out to
people that might need to hearit.
You can find me atwwwisabellafergusoncomau.
(33:22):
Jump on my website.
Check out all the resourcesI've got there about alcohol,
stress and burnout.
You can also book in a freeintroductory call.
It's a 30 minute confidentialchat.
If you are looking for acounselor or a coach to support
you to drink less or to manageyour stress, I'm always here to
(33:47):
chat.
If you've got a question,please do not hesitate to reach
out.
I hope you have a really goodday.
See you later, thank you.
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