The MediHerb Podcast

Natalie Pickering - Optimising Conception Outcomes: The Importance of Engaging Male Patients

In this episode, we’re joined by naturopath Natalie Pickering, who sheds light on the often-overlooked role of men in the fertility journey. Natalie highlights the lack of attention paid to men’s health and sperm quality, particularly in cases where women are undergoing intensive fertility treatment without a full picture of their partner’s contribution.

Natalie emphasises that men are 50% of the fertility equation, yet are frequently under-assessed and under-supported in clinical settings. She discusses why it’s essential to engage men early, conduct proper screening, and consider the significant impact of sperm health on conception, pregnancy outcomes, and the health of future generations.

Listeners will also hear practical insights into how sperm health can be rapidly improved with targeted herbal, nutritional, and lifestyle interventions, and why this presents a powerful opportunity for practitioners.

 

Bio: Natalie has been a naturopath since 1996 and specialises in women’s health, natural fertility, and pregnancy care with qualifications in natural fertility management. She has spent over 2 decades helping women with fertility. Her expertise includes IVF support, miscarriage prevention, postpartum care and child health. She founded the Fertility Focus School and created the highly successful Create Conception fertility programme to support couples struggling to conceive. While her practice is centred on women, she also has a deep passion for working with babies and children.

Dr Lucy Caratti - Understanding Modern HRT in Integrative Practice

Integrative GP Dr Lucy Caratti explores the evolution of HRT from older synthetic hormones that sparked safety concerns, to today’s bio-identical options that more closely mimic the body’s natural hormones. She addresses historical safety concerns and discusses the benefits of appropriate use to support patients experiencing significant menopausal symptoms.

 

She highlights the widespread, systemic impacts of menopause across cardiovascular, neurological, musculoskeletal, and urogenital systems and discusses how HRT, when prescribed thoughtfully, can play a powerful role in mitigating these effects. Concomitant use of herbs, nutrients, and lifestyle interventions for a holistic prescription are also discussed.

Instagram: @drlucycaratti

Check out Lucy's podcast: Goddess Era on Spotify/Apple podcasts etc.

 

Bio: Dr Lucy Caratti is an integrative doctor with 15 years of clinical experience specialising in women’s health, including menopause, gut health, metabolic diseases, and hormonal imbalances.

 

She takes a root cause approach, combining medical expertise with evidence-based integrative medicine to empower women at every life stage. Holding a Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Western Australia. She’s a fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, and has additional training in child health, psychology, nutrition, and mental health biochemistry.

 

Dr Lucy co-founded the Western Australia charity Be Giving and Expand Wellbeing, a school program for girls health, education and actively participates in initiatives supporting women’s wellness.

Angela Hywood - Nourishing the Nervous System: Overlooked Herbs & Tailored Blends

In this episode, we welcome back naturopath and herbalist Angela Hywood to explore the powerful role of herbal medicine in supporting the nervous system. Angela highlights some often-overlooked herbs for nervous system health and explains how to differentiate between various types of nervous system herbs, including adaptogens, nervines, and more. She also shares expert insights on blending different herbs effectively to create complementary formulations tailored to individual needs. Whether you're looking to refine your herbal prescribing or deepen your understanding of nervous system botanicals, this episode is packed with practical wisdom.

Bio: Angela Hywood is an experienced naturopathic clinician with over 26 years of clinical experience, specialising in integrative endocrinology, women’s health, fertility and pregnancy care. Angela is a well-known speaker at complementary and integrative medicine conferences in both Australia and internationally and has published articles in complementary medicine journals in Australia and USA.

Professor Kerry Bone - The Bowel Flora Protocol: A Deep Dive

In this episode, we take a deep dive into the Bowel Flora Protocol with Professor Kerry Bone. From its origins to its clinical application, Professor Kerry Bone unpacks the science and strategy behind this powerful approach to restoring gut health. He explores each phase of the protocol, sharing some of his top herbal choices for optimising microbial balance and addressing dysbiosis. He provides key clinical insights on when and how to apply the protocol and touches upon biofilms. Whether you're new to the Bowel Flora Protocol or looking to refine your approach, this episode delivers expert guidance to enhance your practice.

 

Bio: Professor Kerry Bone. Kerry is the co-founder and innovation driver at MediHerb as the Director of Research & Development; practicing Herbalist and Naturopath with 38 years of experience; a lecturer in Australia and overseas; a prolific author with 7 published Herbal Medicine texts and over 40 scientific papers on herbal research including original research and Systematic Reviews.

Dr Elizabeth Steels - Pathology & Screening: Best Practices for Clinicians

In this episode, Dr Elizabeth Steels explores the essentials of pathology testing and regular health screenings, providing healthcare professionals with the knowledge to guide their patients toward optimal testing accuracy and meaningful results. Elizabeth discusses the core set of pathology tests recommended for different age groups, key companion tests for deeper clinical insights, and the importance of regular screenings such as DEXA scans.

We also dive into the practical considerations that can significantly impact test accuracy, including fasting requirements, hydration, time of collection, and other factors that practitioners should educate their patients about. Additionally, we touch on the evolving field of epigenetic testing and its potential role in preventative healthcare.

Integria also has a 4 part webinar series on pathology coming up in April, for more information visit the Integria Practitioner Education Center website: https://practitioner.integria.com/upcoming-events

 

Bio: Elizabeth is a clinical biochemist and nutritionist with over 30 years experience in clinical practice, research, clinical trials, formulation and regulatory affairs. She runs a consulting and research clinic in New Farm, Brisbane. She is also an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, School of Pharmacy, University of Queensland, and has a growing team of clinical naturopaths enrolled in MPHIL and PHD students, also becoming researchers to further support natural health research. The projects vary from metabolic disease and diabetes, pain and peripheral neuropathy, GIT health, candida overgrowth, to probiotics for bone health in menopause. She is well published and often speaks at academic and industry events.

Rachel Arthur - Kidney Clarity: Early Signs & Smart Strategies

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is often a silent condition, progressing unnoticed until it reaches the later stages. In this episode, we sit down with naturopath and registered nutritionist Rachel Arthur to shed light on the early warning signs of kidney dysfunction. We explore the pathology markers that can serve as early screening tools, helping practitioners identify those at risk before significant damage occurs.

Rachel also unpacks both well-known and lesser-discussed risk factors for CKD, offering a comprehensive understanding of how kidney health can be compromised. Finally, we dive into nutritional and dietary interventions that can help support kidney function, prevent progression, and optimize overall health.

Mentoring with Rachel:

Rachel is renowned for her transformative programs in the fields of diagnostic interpretation, comprehensive case workups and most recently, nutritional prescribing:

The Nutrient Prescriber’s Program - a structured process for creating prescriptions that’s systematic, scientific and more likely to produce successful outcomes.  You’ll gain a reliable and robust framework to answer key questions such as:  Which form? How much? How often? And, for how long?

https://rachelarthur.com.au/the-nutrient-prescribers-program/

Cracking the Case – Comprehensive workups of real clinical cases, providing an opportunity for accelerated development of your clinical competency and practice prowess.  Gain skills in complex cases, condition specific knowledge, prescription decisions and pathology interpretation.

https://rachelarthur.com.au/cracking-the-case/

MasterCourse I: Comprehensive Diagnostics - realise the true value we can extract from the most commonly performed labs (ELFTs, FBE, WCC, Lipids & Glucose).

https://rachelarthur.com.au/mastercourse-comprehensive-diagnostics/

MasterCourse II: Thyroid & Adrenal Diagnostics – View thyroid and adrenals through a new lens as ‘first responders’ and be able to elicit from patients’ results deep insights regarding their big picture health story. 

https://rachelarthur.com.au/mastercourse-ii-thyroid-adrenal-diagnostics/

 

Bio: Rachel Arthur is a seasoned naturopath and registered nutritionist with a specialisation in integrative nutrition and diagnostics. With three decades of experience spanning clinical practice and educational settings, Rachel has established herself as a leading educator in the field of nutritional medicine. Her work is deeply rooted in evidence-based practices, contributing to renowned texts such as the award-winning Herbs & Natural Supplements – An Evidence-Based Guide across all four editions.

Delivering advanced training and mentorship to a wide range of healthcare professionals, including doctors, pharmacists, dietitians, and naturopaths, her educational initiatives, such as the popular Update in Under 30 podcast, reflect her dedication to providing practical, actionable insights that empower clinicians to integrate nutritional strategies into their practice effectively.

With a passion for integrative health and an ongoing dedication to professional development, Rachel's presentations are not only informative but also transformative, making a significant impact on the practitioners she mentors.

 

Tina Taylor - Herbal Medicine for Children: Safe and Effective Practices

In this episode, we sit down with Tina Taylor, an experienced naturopath, lecturer, and PhD candidate, to explore the art and science of safely prescribing herbal medicine for children. Tina shares her wealth of knowledge on tailoring treatments to suit the unique needs of young patients, ensuring safety and efficacy at every step. She also highlights some of her go-to herbs for addressing common childhood conditions, offering practical tips and insights to build confidence in supporting this cohort of patients in clinic.
 
Bio: Tina holds a BHSc in Nutritional Medicine and BHSc in Naturopathic Medicine and has been in clinical practice since 2008, supporting individuals with diverse health issues and goals and children's health. She also holds a Graduate Certificate in Academic Practice from SCU, a Diploma in Integrated Somatic Psychotherapy, and is currently a PhD Candidate at UTS researching 'Patient-focused public health information shared by Traditional Complementary and Integrative Medicine practitioners in clinical encounters and patient engagement.’  With over 12 years of teaching experience at Endeavour College of Natural Health, Tina supervised Naturopathy and Nutritional Medicine student clinics for 7 years and contributed to teaching and supervision at the Australian College of Natural Therapies (now Torrens University). She continues to supervise Naturopathy clinics at Torrens University, combining her extensive expertise with a passion for mentoring future practitioners.

Katelyn Gray - Endometriosis and Trauma: Navigating Care with Compassion

In this episode, we speak with Katelyn Gray, about the complex and often misunderstood condition of endometriosis. Katelyn delves into the emerging research linking trauma to the incidence of endometriosis and offers practical advice on how practitioners can approach this sensitive topic with care and compassion. She also shares her expertise in staging treatment, ensuring that support is introduced in a way that respects and prioritizes the needs of patients already coping with significant stress.

 

Bio: Katelyn was driven to make naturopathy her career after Having successfully utilised natural medicine for her own health and the valuable role her own naturopath played. Katelyn completed a Bachelor of Health Sciences degree from Southern School of Natural Therapies and is now a busy clinician specialising in female reproductive health.

 

Katelyn’s mission is to empower women and get to the underlying cause of real and debilitating presentations often ignored and considered “normal” due to which women can suffer for the majority of their reproductive lives. She aims to remove the stigma attached to these conditions and works with her clients to achieve long lasting health benefits.