Your Health Guide

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the world has experienced fear and confusion due to copious amounts of information surrounding transmission, symptoms, etc. making it frustrating to distinguish fact from fiction. In this episode, Laurence Katsaras provides clarity with easy to understand evidence, supported by clinical research to inform you on the latest developments of COVID-19. Laurence will also talk you through natural ingredients, lifestyle interventions and diet tips to support the immune system. 1:20 - How is COVID-19 different to other viral infections? 4:03 - How many people are experiencing symptoms, and to what degree of severity? 5:45 - How transmission of COVID-19 works. 8:19 - Common symptoms of COVID-19, and how these differentiate from the common flu. 9:21 - Who is most at risk of having severe symptoms and complications? 12:28 - What does this mean for pregnant women, asthmatics and smokers? Are they at greater risk? 15:08 - If you are exposed to COVID-19, how long does it take to show symptoms? How long do they last for, and how long are you contagious for? 17:20 - I’m worried that I have COVID-19, how do I get tested? 18:04 - What testing for COVID-19 involves and how long it takes to receive results. 15:45 - If I suspect I have symptoms but don’t qualify to get tested, what can I do? 19:55 - How you can keep yourself safe from COVID-19. 24:01 - Natural ingredients that support the immune system. 26:10 - Find out how minimising stress and building emotional resilience improves mental health, reduces inflammation and strengthens the immune system. 36:15 - Diet tips for regulating mood and supporting resilience. 38:01 - Feeling overwhelmed? Research shows practicing gratitude improves mood and reduces stress.

In this episode, Laurence is joined by Naturopath, Researcher and host of the Metagenics Clinical Podcast, Nathan Rose to discuss how lifestyle factors, diet, stress and body composition can create genetic programming that’s carried through from the father to their child, impacting the health of the child for its entire life. Learn about how some simple lifestyle interventions, planning and nutritional support on the father’s part, can make a big impact on their child’s life and even future generations. It’s not all about the health of the mother when trying to conceive, men need to be in optimal health as well. The research around the father’s role, and how being a dad starts prior to conception. How a man’s nutritional status has an impact on the child’s metabolic health, neuro response, and immune programming. You are inheriting the memory of your father’s lifestyle patterns. You are what you eat? Well it turns out, you are what you eat, what your dad ate, and what your granddad ate. BUT we still have an opportunity to change this epigenetic expression. Nathan discusses the research and history behind how the father’s nutritional status can impact the child’s health. Nathan and Laurence discuss the factors that can impact the epigenome, for example; how being overweight can have an impact. Nathan shares a study that dived into the drinking habits of the father, and how this impacted the child’s behaviour and even the child’s heart health. The nutritional status of the father – what vitamins and minerals can be beneficial for the father? Preconception care - creating a healthy environment and reducing your stress, can enhance the health of your sperm and assist with conception. What if you’ve already conceived, or you already have children? You can still improve your child’s health outcomes! How men can also experience post-natal depression or a lower mood after the baby is born. Why is this? By looking after yourself, you’re looking after the future generations of your family line!

Laurence is joined by Naturopath and researcher, Joanne McNeill to discuss how a mother's health throughout pre-conception and pregnancy can greatly affect not only the child's health, but the family’s generational health and wellbeing. Joanne and Laurence offer simple lifestyle interventions and what key nutrients mothers, and mothers to be can implement into their daily routine. • Laurence and Joanne discuss recent research into inheritance of genetic expression and health. • Defining environmental exposure and an example of the causal link between environmental exposure and genetic expression- the Dutch Famine. • The critical window for Mothers- 3-4 months prior to conception. • Nutritional status- one of the most important factors of a mother's lifestyle to consider during preconception. Let's consider the connection between weight loss, fertility and the health of your child. • How to approach metabolic health and body composition with your Practitioner, and the benefits of visiting a Practitioner during preconception. Laurence and Joanne also offer a useful resource to easily track your nutrients during pregnancy. • Although looking at nutrition holistically is beneficial, a few key nutrients are worth focussing on throughout pregnancy- Folic Acid, Iron, Folate, B Vitamins, Choline, DHA, Iodine and Vitamin D. • The profound impact of supplementation of EPA/DHAs throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding, including helping the mother go full term and reducing risk of the child developing atopic conditions such as allergies and eczema. • How sufficient Vitamin D intake by the mother can reduce the risk of immune conditions and improve neurodevelopment for the child. • The microbiome of the mother and epigenetics of the baby- will taking probiotics during pregnancy effect the baby? Which strains should you be taking? • If you're considering renovating your home in preparation for your newborn, consider toxic exposure. • How to diversify your child’s microbiome to build his or her immune system –green time, playing with pets, reduce contact with antimicrobials.

In this episode, Laurence Katsaras puts a stop to misunderstood evidence currently circulating around fish oil. Laurence will provide answers to questions such as, why is fish oil significant? Does eating fish have the same benefits as taking fish oil supplements? What is the value of purchasing a more expensive fish oil? Is fish oil beneficial for pregnancy? And much more. This episode will dive deep into the truth about fish oil by answering commonly asked questions and highlighting its significance for good health.

In this episode, Laurence is joined by Naturopath, Nick Breen, to separate the evidence from the hype on the benefits and uses of turmeric – the wonderful spice that continues to gain popularity in treating all sorts of health conditions. However, what should turmeric actually be used for? How does it work within the body? What is it that you should be looking for when choosing turmeric supplements available in the market place? Laurence and Nick will provide clarity on all these questions and more. Special Guest: Nick Breen.

Dr Adrian Lopresti is a well-respected Clinical Psychologist and Researcher, who achieves success with his patients by taking a holistic approach to get to the bottom of why they may be experiencing mood changes. Dr Lopresti is the founder of Personalised Integrative (PI) Therapy, which is a program for mental Healthcare Practitioners, such as Psychologists and Psychiatrists, and trains them on this integrated approach, helping them achieve greater clinical success in mood and psychiatric conditions. In this episode, Dr Adrian Lopresti talks about five physiological drivers that influence our brain health, providing us with a great overview of how our health impacts our mood and why we need to address disorders holistically. Dr Adrian Lopresti shares his research on curcumin (an extract of turmeric) and saffron, which has shown improvements in patients with depression and anxiety. He also discusses other foundational nutritional ingredients that are beneficial to assist mood disorders. At the same time we are reminded – we can’t use a pill for an ill approach and expect that dosing with medications or even natural supplements will fix the problem. Real improvement comes from addressing what caused the problem.

Dr Adrian Lopresti well respected Clinical Psychologist and researcher that achieves success with patients by taking a holistic approach to get to the bottom of why you’re experiencing mood changes. Dr Lopresti is the founder of Personalised Integrative (PI) Therapy, which is a program for mental Healthcare Practitioners, such as Psychologists and Psychiatrists, and trains them on this integrated approach, helping them achieve greater clinical success in mood and psychiatric conditions. Increasing research is showing that diet and lifestyle affects people’s mood. In this episode – Dr Adrian Lopresti is sharing his clinical tips on how he helps people achieve a happier and more balanced state of living and the importance of making dietary and lifestyle modifications to help improve mood. Dr Lopresti raises the question of who do you want to be in 6 or 12 months? And then walks us through tips that can help us get there.

In this episode, Laurence is joined by Naturopath, Nick Breen, to discuss how important magnesium is for your health and how to recognise if you need more of it. Magnesium has many functions, it’s not just used for muscle cramps – and when you don’t have enough of it, you can feel anxious, stressed, strung out, depressed and have trouble sleeping. Laurence and Nick discuss how your body uses magnesium and the many benefits it has – from improving energy levels to balancing blood pressure and blood sugar levels. The guys cover magnesium deficiency symptoms to be aware of and what this means for you if you are deficient. Other topics covered in this episode include; • Foods that are high in magnesium. • When you would need to consider taking therapeutic supplementation of magnesium. • Different forms of magnesium supplements that are available on the market, and which produce the best results. Do you need to focus on getting more of this mineral? Listen to the podcast to find out!

Laurence is joined again by Naturopath and Researcher, Sally Olzack, to discuss the science and research behind the low fat diet, and how recent studies have shown that you can successfully lose weight following a low fat diet. A low fat diet does not mean, eat ‘low fat’ food items. So what does a low fat diet look like and what does it involve? Laurence and Sally talk about the different types of fats found in foods, and the wide range of healthy whole food dietary options that are able to enjoy on the low fat diet. If you don’t like the food options that are available on the keto diet, or you are finding that you are having adverse symptoms while following the keto diet – then the low fat diet could be another option for you. This information is designed to educate and inform – it’s important that you work alongside a Healthcare Practitioner who can help support your weight loss journey and reach your health goals.

There’s a mountain of information out there on low carbohydrate ketogenic or keto diets but what does ketogenic even mean, and what does it entail? There can be a lot of confusion on how to follow the diet, or knowing correct ratios on fat and protein and how low is ‘low carb’ really? Laurence invites Naturopath and Researcher, Sally Olzack, for a deep dive into all things ketogenic. Throughout this discussion, Sally provides clear direction on what the ketogenic diet is, how to know if your body is responding to the diet, how long it can take to start burning fat and much more. This episode provides clear and practical tips to help anyone going through their ketogenic journey. This information is designed to educate and inform – it’s important that you work alongside a Healthcare Practitioner who can help support your weight loss journey and reach your health goals.

Weight loss is not just a battle for the body, it needs support from your mind. Laurence Katsaras sits down with Naturopath, Naomi Danaher, to have a conversation about behavioural changes that will enhance your efforts and help you achieve your weight loss goals. When people think ‘weight loss’, we often think about the diet and exercise components, but equally important are the habits that you create to help adhere to a healthier lifestyle. There are habits that can predict weight loss success, and people who use these techniques lose more weight and manage to keep it off. Laurence and Naomi discuss the science behind creating new habits to facilitate a change in our behaviour. They also discuss the importance of self-monitoring, and explain what you need to monitor, how often you should monitor your weight, exercise and food intake, and provide you with some useful tools on how you can monitor these components. This information is designed to educate and inform – it’s important that you work alongside a Healthcare Practitioner who can help support your weight loss journey and reach your health goals.

Laurence is joined by, Naturopath, Researcher and host of the Metagenics Clinical Podcast, Nathan Rose to discuss all things weight loss. What most people don’t understand when trying to lose weight, is that our bodies have a weight set point that they feel comfortable at. Through poor diet, this weight set point is shifting upwards causing us to become overweight. When we lose weight, if we do it incorrectly, our bodies can resist this by defending the weight set point and will want to put the weight back on. Laurence and Nathan discuss what this weight set point means, why we have a weight set point and why it’s linked to most diets failing. The goal for long term weight loss is to focus on dropping your weight set point through ‘four diet heroes’. As Laurence and Nathan discuss, these diet heroes allow your body to adjust and set a new weight set point. As part of these four diet heroes, Laurence and Nathan discuss the popular Keto diet. How does the Keto diet work and why is it successful? While there are many benefits to a Keto diet, new research has proven that a low fat diet can be just as effective as cutting the carbohydrates. This is an extremely informative episode for anyone looking to begin a weight loss journey and for those who have been struggling to lose weight or keep the weight off. This information is designed to educate and inform – it’s important that you work alongside a Healthcare Practitioner who can help support your weight loss journey and reach your health goals.

Following on from episode 15, Laurence Katsaras and Naturopath, Nick Breen, are back to discuss different lifestyle factors that could be impacting your testosterone levels. Testosterone production naturally decreases with age, however, there are factors that can speed up this process, such as inflammation within the body, nutrient deficiencies, sleep deprivation and poor diet. Testosterone reduction in the body can cause a number of adverse symptoms. Laurence and Nick run through key nutrients and supplements that will assist in supporting healthy testosterone levels, as well as vital exercises to manage stress and improve your insulin sensitivity. The guys also talk about how exposure to toxins in our environment that we may not be aware of, could be impacting our health and mimicking oestrogen activity. This information is designed to educate and inform – if you suspect that your testosterone levels are low, it’s important that you work alongside a Healthcare Practitioner who can help support your hormonal health. To find a Healthcare Practitioner visit - https://www.metagenics.com.au/YourHealthGuide Special Guest: Nick Breen.

Laurence is joined by Naturopath, Nick Breen, to talk about male hormones and the important role that testosterone plays in the male body. Testosterone is often thought of as the male sex hormone, but it has so many other functions, and is crucial for overall good health in the male body. Research shows that testosterone levels have been declining for decades, meaning that, men these days aren’t producing the same amount of testosterone as men were 30 years ago. It’s important to understand how testosterone levels in the body impact can affect your health, and why maintaining healthy testosterone levels is essential. Laurence and Nick discuss how and where in the body testosterone is made and regulated, how your body uses it, and the areas of health that testosterone impacts. If testosterone levels become imbalanced, adverse symptoms can occur. Learn about the signs and symptoms that can help identify low testosterone, how testosterone levels drop with age, and discuss the concept of ‘andropause’, which is the drop of testosterone in the ageing male. This information is designed to educate and inform, if you suspect that your testosterone levels are low, it’s important that you work alongside a Healthcare Practitioner who can help support your testosterone alongside your general health. To find a Healthcare Practitioner visit - https://www.metagenics.com.au/YourHealthGuide Special Guest: Nick Breen.

In this episode, Laurence is joined by naturopath and researcher Asha Bleechmore, who shares some practical dietary and lifestyle tips to help support healthy hormone levels in women. Asha gives some specific recommendations on foods to include to enhance oestrogen metabolism and clearance from the body, as well as foods to avoid that could be contributing to your hormonal imbalances. They also discuss exercises to improve general health that have a direct impact on hormonal status and PMS symptoms. Asha presents some great simple tips that are appropriate for every woman to enhance her hormonal health.

In this episode, Laurence and Asha Bleechmore continue their discussion around factors that can affect female hormonal conditions. Asha explains how components of a woman’s general health can directly impact her hormone levels. Asha relates it to an orchestra and the different elements of the band that need fine tuning to make sure that hormones are all playing in harmony. She also explains how inflammation, digestive health, and stress can impact hormonal conditions.

Following on some episode one; Laurence and Asha walk us through how different symptoms can arise in the menstrual cycle and in what way this can indicate an imbalance in women’s hormones. Together, they dive into detail about oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone, giving a lay of the land as to what each hormone does and when imbalanced, foundational ingredients that can help. Laurence and Asha also touch on the misunderstanding behind Soy, and how this can actually be beneficial to regulate hormone levels.

In this episode, Laurence is joined by naturopath and researcher Asha Bleechmore, who is passionate about translating the science of natural medicine into real-life applications. Asha has just come out of 6 months of researching female hormonal conditions and the best treatments for them and over the next several episodes will share these findings with us.

In episode 5, Laurence Katsaras interviews Naturopath and Researcher, Joanne McNeil on the topic of histamine intolerance, and what it means to have an intolerance to dietary histamines. This episode focuses on histamine intolerance as the loss of natural mechanisms that effectively help individuals metabolise histamine, and addresses why the DEBBI model is necessary to regain the ability to tolerate dietary histamines.

Laurence Katsaras interviews Naturopath and Researcher, Joanne McNeil on the topic of FODMAP intolerance and why FODMAP containing foods can cause IBS-like symptoms in some individuals. This episode focuses on the fermentable nature of FODMAP carbohydrates, why FODMAP intolerances affects digestive dysfunction, and how functional medicine targets the cause of FODMAP intolerance.