Brilliant Post by one of our leading Aussie health crusaders - you are gonna love her....please welcome Nat Kringoudis who I hope will be appearing on the Paleo Way Tour in Melbourne and Adelaide...Over to you Nat.... I’m Nat Kringoudis and I’m a bona fide hormone revolutionist. I am an author, speaker and Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner and my mission in life is to make Women’s hormones sing happier than a Pharrell Williams hit. Not even one bit joking! Over 10 years ago I opened my practice The Pagoda Tree, with the intention of specialising in gut health - I thought it seemed like a good idea at the time, until I was hit with an influx of women wanting fertility care. Now I, as much as the next practitioner didn’t necessarily feel called to helping women with their hormones at the time - let’s face it, hormones are not only tricky, but they create for some interesting emotions! I wasn’t up for (or so it seemed at the time) dealing with crazy hormonal women! I wanted ease, and the gut seems like a simple specialist area. But something switched over inside and I decided if I was going to help women be the best version of themselves, I was going to be the best practitioner at that job, and I set out to learn everything I could about fertility and hormones which lead me to my first e-book, Fertilise Yourself. Not long after I finished the book, I again had to reassess my take on womens’ health - because I didn’t actually need to convince those wanting a baby that they needed to be the best version of themselves, but rather I needed to take a step back because women of a younger age were being diagnosed with issues in their early reproductive years (long before they wanted a baby) and being prescribed medications (aka the pill) that wasn’t actually fixing the problem. Fixing problems when they arose seems like a logical thing to do, however in the midst of a diagnosis and traumatic symptoms of those suffering, this appeared to be pushed aside as emotions took over and often these women made decisions around their treatments out of fear - fear based on a lack of education. So I decided to step up and to make a lot of noise. To show women that diet and lifestyle lay the foundation, no matter what. To show women that there are many ways to treat hormone imbalance and that the signs and symptoms they were seeing are just their body’s way of telling them that there is a deeper issue that needs immediate attention. Using a band-aid approach like the pill or even surgery may have been useful short term, but could never actually fix the crux of the matter. Because simply removing the evidence of the problem isn’t actually treating it. And of course if we sat back and did nothing about the situation, how did we actually expect our bodies to change? My vision, is for all women to understand their bodies on a deeper level. I believe we aren’t taught enough about ourselves from an early age and that for the most part, what we are taught in high school is a far cry as to what actually happens within us as women. We are taught that we collectively ovulate on a certain day of the month as do we menstruate on cycle day 28 - all great in a perfect world, but far from the world that we are actually living in. So many influences affect how our hormones interact and if women actually came back to understanding their own bodies alongside the signs and symptoms it was presenting, we could again take it another step closer in removing the fear. I’ve recently had the opportunity to step into schools and start to spread this message of healthy hormones from the teen years. It’s been one of the most challenging experiences alongside earning respect of those in the medical field. But when I come back to what I ever so firmly believe, we all want the same thing - to create a healthy future and overcome illness - not necessarily by use of medicines however, but by understanding the vital things that our bodies crave - nutrients from food and drink and living a happy and healthy lifestyle. Our ancestors got something right - otherwise you or I wouldn’t be here. Taking it old school is the way forward as confusing as that sounds. Of course if women were given the opportunity to heal themselves from the onset of illness, it would make the world of difference. Hormone imbalance is constantly hitting us in the face by way of Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), Endometriosis, thyroid troubles, infertility, cysts, fibroids, depression and so on. What if, rather than reaching for the most complicated means of treating these conditions first up, we started with the foundations? What if say, rather than treating endometriosis with surgery as a first option, we move away from foods and habits that were fuelling it and see? And what happens if, even though we might choose the surgical option, we actually do this alongside diet and lifestyle changes. I see this countless times, women opt for surgery but do not change one element of their day to day living. I live by the saying, do nothing, nothing changes. If we are only using surgery as a means to treat illness, what’s stopping the condition from reoccurring? We must get savvy around what our bodies actually need to really be able to create a change. Beautiful thing is, it isn’t difficult - nature provides this for us everyday. For me, my patients and followers, coming back to basics is the only way toward future hormonal wellness, whole foods with a lifestyle to match. Stress is coming at us like a steam train and we aren’t really savvy around how it’s impacting our hormones. As if they are a dog on a lead toward imbalance of epic proportions. Countless patients have reaped the benefits of paleo inspired living. My inbox is flooded with emails of how women have ‘healed’ (or at least no longer show evidence of) their PCOS and Endometriosis, period pain, amenorrhea, infertility, overcome anxiety and depression all from changing their diet and mindset and adapting the ‘can do’ attitude. We must look at simple solutions regardless of the end results – whether you need surgery to fix your condition or not, you still need to address your diet and lifestyle to propel your body toward wellness, ongoing. Actually, I was that girl. I was that girl sitting on the bathroom floor screaming out from pain due to endometriosis, vomiting and passing out from menstrual cramps. I was overweight and my hormones were at that time, a mess. I’d not long left living under the same roof of my parents and I was living a life of KFC and diet coke. Eventually, I realised something had to give and only I could do something about it; that in actual fact, relying on somebody else to do the work for me was much more than ambitious, it was ridiculous. I had a choice, it was up to me to propel my body towards health or stay stuck month after month experiencing the same excruciating symptoms. Only I had control over what I put in my mouth and the way I loved my life (and the only true way to that was through balancing hormones, not through super human self control). I have to ask, how long will it take for us to wake up to simplicity? How long must we endure symptoms, premature (and sometimes dangerous) treatments. At what cost? No matter what, allowing diet and lifestyle to be your spring board can only ever properly you towards the health you are aiming for, and to sit back and accept anything less is a disaster. Thanks so much Nat - if you want to follow Nat then jump onto her Facebook page and like her at https://facebook/nataliekringoudis and her web is natkringoudis.au If you are keen to join the TRIBE and be included in the paleo way 10 week activation program- then please sign up at thepaleoway (you will love it!) if you are keen on coming to one of the events then jump onto earthevents.au to grab your tix (they make a great xmas present too) this is where we are going and we still may add some more locations. Tag your mates and share!! More xmas recipes coming tomorrow! 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Posted on: Wed, 10 Dec 2014 19:31:19 +0000
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