Tag: nutrition

I have put some extra information in here due to discussions in class. If you are a quick reader maybe 5 mins… but more likely a bit longer.

• Intro
• What does a Holistic Cleanse look like
• Hot and Cold Therapy
• One further thought with Cortisol Spikes and Inflammation
• Upcoming Events
• Some information about Frequency and Cellular Health
• Breathing through Winter
• A follow up with the Vagus Nerve – this actually adds another 5 minutes of reading to the above estimate 🙏🏼. It is worth it though!

Just as the trees let go of their vibrant foliage to prepare for winter’s rest, autumn offers us a powerful season for healing and detoxification—not just for our bodies, but for our hearts and minds too.

Autumn, is the perfect time to gently cleanse on a physical level while creating space for emotional renewal, releasing old patterns, stored emotions, and anything that no longer serves our highest good.

Whether you’re craving deeper clarity, inner peace, or simply more energy as the days grow shorter, embracing an autumn release can support your body’s natural healing processes while nurturing your emotional wellbeing.

What does a Holistic Cleanse look like?

A holistic cleanse in autumn is far more than just a juice fast or strict diet — it’s a gentle, whole-person approach to renewal that honours the body, mind, and emotions in harmony with the season.

Physically, it might include warming, liver-supportive foods like bitter greens, root vegetables, and herbal teas, along with increased hydration and gentle movement to aid the body’s natural detoxification pathways. As you know I have had great results with Epsom salts/ bentonite clay foot baths, foot patches, castor oil compresses used across monthly practices.

On the emotional and mental level, it involves creating space for release through practices such as journaling, breathwork, meditation, or quiet reflection, helping you let go of stored emotions, limiting beliefs, and old patterns that weigh you down.

Spiritually, it invites stillness and reconnection with nature — perhaps through bush or beach walks or simply pausing to witness the falling leaves — so you emerge lighter, clearer, and more aligned with your authentic self as you prepare for the deeper rest of winter.

For anyone who is interested in Heavy Metal Release Program which educates on cleansing, releasing, detoxing and detox binding and removal, feel welcome to read more here.

Hot and Cold Therapy

As promised here is a very brief overview that hopefully clarifies when to use heat or ice packs as therapy.

When it comes to supporting your body’s natural healing during an autumn detox and any time of year, understanding ice versus heat therapy can make a gentle yet powerful difference in how you manage inflammation, tension, and emotional stress.

Ice therapy (cold packs, cold showers, or brief cold exposure) is ideal in the acute phase of injury or when swelling and sharp pain are present — typically in the first 48–72 hours after strain or during inflammatory flare-ups.

By constricting blood vessels, ice numbs the area, reduces swelling, and calms overactive tissues, which can also help soothe an agitated nervous system.

In the early morning hours, when cortisol naturally peaks as part of your body’s awakening response, a short burst of cold therapy can assist in avoiding an exaggerated cortisol spike. The cooling stimulus promotes a more balanced autonomic response and may help prevent the amplification of stress hormones.

Heat therapy (warm compresses, heating pads, baths, or gentle saunas) shines when you’re working with chronic stiffness, tight muscles, or lingering emotional holding patterns that manifest as physical tension. Heat increases blood flow, relaxes soft tissues, eases joint stiffness, and supports the release of stored emotions by encouraging the body to let go rather than constrict.

However, applying heat before going to bed, can sometimes magnify the natural cortisol rise. As you are resting/ sleeping and the heat pack decreases in temperature, your body tries to maintain the heat that was comfortable and creates more inflammation to the area to maintain the heat that was relaxing, which long term creates more inflammation and higher cortisol levels than needed.

For more detailed information about heat and ice therapy, read more here:

Benefits of Ice Packs: Reduce Swelling, Numb Pain, and Speed Healing After Injury | Port Stephens Chiropractic & Yoga

One further thought with Cortisol Spikes and Inflammation

In our modern world, constant exposure to electromagnetic radiation (EMR or EMF) from phones, Wi-Fi, laptops, and other devices can quietly act as a hidden stressor, subtly disrupting our body’s natural balance. Especially when using prior to sleep or having devices in your room.

Research suggests that chronic EMR exposure may contribute to elevated cortisol levels by activating the body’s stress response (HPA axis) and increasing oxidative stress, which in turn can fuel low-grade chronic inflammation through elevated inflammatory cytokines and impaired antioxidant defenses.

This ongoing cycle can leave you feeling wired yet exhausted, emotionally reactive, or physically heavy. By mindfully reducing EMR in your environment, such as using airplane mode at night, grounding practices, blue light filtering glasses, etc, you support your body’s detoxification pathways, help regulate stress hormones, and create more space for emotional release.

For your information, Defender Shield are the products that I have used for our family. Radiation-deflecting phone cases, the air tube headphones and blue light filtering glasses have been a compulsory health investment from me in safety equipment for my young people and ourselves. They are premium products from America (expensive) and have no real quality comparison or effective competitors at this time.

If you want to have a look at their various products, here is their link Defender Shield. They do have a Mother’s Day sale at the moment.

Upcoming Events

Rejuvenate Together Talks

Each month I will commit to a small group coaching event where you can bring your questions, concerns and we can work through the information that needs to be clarified and shared.

Health across mind and body including injury recovery, detox, brain health – anything and everything. Any subject – just bring your questions.

Tuesday 12pm-1.00pm

May 19th, June 23rd, July 21st

Cost is $35 (or a pass off your class pass for VIPs)

Held at Cascade Walk Arcade: Port Stephens Chiropractic

To book – text me.

I will go ahead as long as I have at least one in attendance. 🙏🏼

Body, Heart and Soul Alignment

It is that time of year and season change where energy attunements are extremely beneficial.

Through gentle, intuitive touch I connect with your body’s wisdom and receive clear guidance to support your healing on every level—physical, emotional, and soul.

During the session, I may bring awareness to what needs attention, release stuck energy, or make subtle corrections.

Many people leave feeling noticeably lighter, clearer, and more at ease, often with reduced pain and a deep sense of wellbeing.

This is not Reiki. It is a unique, heart-centered energy attunement tailored specifically to you. If you’re ready to feel lighter, clearer, and more aligned in body, heart, and soul — I’d love to support you.

To Book text me.

Each week over autumn and winter, I have limited availability Monday, Tuesday and Thursdays.

At Cascade Walk Arcade 90 minutes $150 cash only.

Some Information to fill the space in a conversation…

Recently I read a discussion where Sound Practitioners were debating whether sound, tuning of bowls and frequency are important or something that is ok to overlook.

Meaning, should a Practitioner just play bowls and tuning forks in a way that sounds lovely or is there a reason to ensure their tuning, frequency and resonance.

In the discussion, the good old “pseudoscience” term got thrown around with statements that – frequency does not matter and is only relatively new as a concept and idea.

This got me thinking and I wanted to share with you why frequency does matter and why I would like you to be informed.

Our cells are naturally vibrational. Every part of a cell — from the tiny powerhouses inside them to the outer membrane. Each cell has its own natural rhythm and can sense and respond to sound waves or electromagnetic frequencies from outside. These vibrations can gently influence important cell processes like sending signals, turning genes on or off, making proteins, producing energy, and even helping cells move or change — all without creating heat.

This concept is far from new: ancient civilizations, including the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and indigenous cultures, employed sound, music, and vibrations (via instruments, chanting, or rhythmic motion) for healing wounds, pain, and mental states, recognizing the body’s responsiveness to frequency long before modern science.

As a tangent, there is a beautiful documented medical case of a cat purring and saving the life of a premi baby. Here are some interesting facts about cats purring (not necessarily a cute cat video).

While frequency is often dismissed as fringe or pseudoscience in some circles, contemporary medicine routinely harnesses targeted frequencies in proven treatments—such as therapeutic ultrasound for tissue heating and repair, shockwave therapy for breaking kidney stones or stimulating tendon healing, pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy for bone regeneration and pain relief, and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for neurological conditions. So as you can see, frequency-based interventions are an established part of evidence-based care.

Holistic Musicians embody an understanding of frequency that assists grounding how frequency can heal and support cells. I have seen so many examples of healing with holistic frequency in my professional career and the one takeaway you could take from all this information is –

Be mindful of the sounds, frequencies (light and sound), aromas, images and words that are in your immediate environment. The frequency does influence you on a cellular level.

Breathing Easily Through Winter

Please let me know if you need to restock on any Young Living Oils.

Basil Essential Oil – I use with opening airways quickly and effectively.

Retail $61.70 / VIP discounted to $50 cash or $55 EFT

or

Aroma Siez – the one I use in most classes and events

Retail $78.65 / VIP discounted to $65 cash or $69 EFT

If there are others that you are after, just let me know as I have a huge collection at home and the office.

Normal Reejuv Fusion for May – June

Monday 4.15pm

Tuesday 8.55am

Thursday 10.45am

All at Corlette Hall

Just when you thought the information should be finished….

Here is one more important discussion…..

The Vagus Nerve

A follow up post Tuesday’s class – an extra 5 minutes of information. (It could actually be 10 minutes as I might have gone a little extra to make it as simple and straightforward as possible.)

The vagus nerve (pronounced VAY-gus, from the Latin for “wandering”) is the longest cranial nerve in your body and a superstar of your “rest-and-digest” nervous system.

Where it is….

It starts in the brainstem (the lower part of your brain), exits through the skull, and travels down both sides of your neck (near the carotid artery), through the chest (passing the heart and lungs), and deep into the abdomen where it branches out to the stomach, liver, spleen, and most of the intestines. Think of it as a long, meandering cable that connects your brain directly to many of your major organs.

Why it is important….

The vagus nerve is the main highway of your parasympathetic nervous system — the calming opposite of the fight-or-flight stress response. It:

• Slows your heart rate
• Helps you digest food properly
• Lowers inflammation
• Regulates breathing
• Sends information back and forth between your gut and brain (about 80% of its fibres are “listening” to your organs)

In simple terms, it helps your body switch out of emergency mode and into recovery, repair, and calm mode.

Relationship to overall wellbeing….

Good “vagal tone” (how well and efficiently the nerve works) is strongly linked to:

• Lower stress and anxiety
• Better mood and resilience
• Improved digestion and gut health
• Stronger immune regulation
• Better sleep and recovery

When the vagus nerve is toned and active, you feel calmer, digest better, and recover faster from stress. Poor vagal tone is associated with chronic stress, inflammation, digestive issues, and mood struggles. Simple things like slow deep breathing, humming, singing, yawning, cold exposure, or laughter can stimulate it…. (Alas my distractions to assist your laughter 😂)

Spinal health connection

The vagus nerve itself doesn’t run inside the spinal column, but it passes through the neck right near the upper cervical vertebrae (C1–C3 area). Neck tension, poor posture, or upper cervical instability can irritate or compress the nerve and reduce its function.

On the flip side, good spinal mobility and posture support better vagus nerve signalling.

Gentle neck and spinal work can indirectly help vagal tone.

Pelvic floor health connection

The vagus nerve does not directly innervate the pelvic floor muscles or pelvic organs (those are mainly controlled by nerves coming from the lower spine — sacral nerves). However, there is a strong indirect relationship:

• When you’re stressed (sympathetic dominance), the pelvic floor often tightens or “guards” as part of the whole-body tension pattern.
• Activating the vagus nerve promotes overall relaxation, which makes it easier for the pelvic floor to release and function normally.
• Lateral Thoracic breathing (which strongly stimulates the vagus nerve) coordinates beautifully with pelvic floor movement — they work together like a piston.
• Better vagal tone can reduce pelvic pain, ease tension-related bladder/bowel issues, and support sexual function by calming the nervous system.

In short: a happy vagus nerve helps create the calm internal environment that your pelvic floor (and whole body) thrives in.

Just in case you need a visual…. here you go….

Chiropractic Care and the Vagus Nerve

Chiropractic care can support vagus nerve function by correcting misalignments (subluxations) in the upper cervical spine (particularly the C1 and C2 vertebrae), where the nerve exits the brainstem and travels down the neck. This can be as gentle as their advanced trigger point, not always manual adjustment.

These gentle adjustments help reduce irritation or interference along the nerve pathway, potentially improving vagal tone — the measure of how effectively the vagus nerve activates the body’s “rest-and-digest” (parasympathetic) response.

Better vagal tone helps reduce adrenal overload and is linked to lower stress and anxiety, improved heart rate variability, better digestion, lower inflammation, and enhanced overall wellbeing.

Studies suggest that optimising spinal alignment in the neck region helps the vagus nerve communicate more freely between the brain and major organs, promoting relaxation and recovery. This approach works well alongside other vagus-stimulating habits like our breathwork, mindful movement and postural awareness.

As you know, I am a huge advocate for Chiropractic Care to support nervous system function and to support the body to maintain cellular strength and overall vitality. If you have any questions about suitability for you, just come along and have a chat.

I feel that if you are reading this sentence – I would love to give you a big hug and say – well done!

I hope you enjoyed the information 🤗

~ Best Wishes Always ~ Maree