Wellness by Designs - Practitioner Podcast

Vaginal dryness, burning, recurrent UTIs, painful sex, chafing, tearing, “something feels off” but it’s hard to describe. These aren’t niche complaints, and they’re not something we should shrug off as “just ageing”. We’re talking about genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), the very real tissue and microbiome changes that can arrive through perimenopause, menopause, and beyond, and why so many patients don’t mention them until they’re truly miserable.

We are joined by degree-qualified naturopath Jessie-Anne, who specialises in menstrual, hormonal, and sexual health. Together we map the physiology: the oestrogen drop that reduces glycogen in vaginal tissue, the knock-on loss of lactobacilli, the pH becoming more alkaline, and the increased risk of irritation and infection. We also talk about the clinical reality: shame, taboo, and why practitioners need clear, confident questions to uncover what’s really happening.

Then we zoom in on one of our hero ingredients: sea buckthorn oil. We unpack what makes it unique (hello omega-7 and omega-9), the broader nutrient profile (beta-carotene for vitamin A, vitamins C and E, antioxidants and polyphenols), and what the human research actually shows. Jessie-Anne shares the key outcomes from a randomised controlled trial using 3 g per day orally over 12 weeks, plus emerging data on intravaginal use, and how we think about topical vulval application in real-life practice (including the very practical staining warning). We finish with how we monitor outcomes, when we reassess, how sea buckthorn can sit alongside oestrogen cream or MHT, and when symptoms suggest a need to refer and investigate further.

Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review so more practitioners can find the show. What’s one GSM symptom you wish more people felt comfortable naming out loud?
Shownotes and references are available on the Designs for Health website

Register as a Designs for Health Practitioner and discover quality practitioner- only supplements at www.designsforhealth.com.au

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DISCLAIMER: The Information provided in the Wellness by Designs podcast is for educational purposes only; the information presented is not intended to be used as medical advice; please seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional if what you have heard here today raises questions or concerns relating to your health

AI has made health marketing ridiculously fast, but compliance hasn’t gotten any easier. If you’re a naturopath, nutritionist, integrative GP, or you run a clinic and you’re using AI to write social posts, blogs, emails, or website copy, there’s a new reality to face: the same AI that helps you create content can help regulators find it.

We sit down with Chris Sarandis, founder of CompliGuard, to break down what’s actually happening in Australia right now across TGA advertising compliance, AHPRA advertising guidelines, and Australian Consumer Law. Chris explains why this is no longer just a “knowledge problem”, it’s a velocity trap, and why enforcement is shifting from complaint-driven to proactive scanning. We also walk through high-risk scenarios practitioners deal with every week: gifted products and unboxing posts that quietly become testimonials, how to use the ARTG to stay inside approved indications and disclaimers, how to talk about PCOS and other conditions without linking claims to products or services, what to avoid when sharing functional testing, and why before and after content is so fraught.

We also unpack the practical side: a simple five-step workflow for safer publishing, and how CompliGuard fits inside your content process by rating risk, flagging the exact clauses at issue, suggesting compliant rewrites, storing an audit trail, and offering human escalation for nuanced cases. If you want to try it, you can set up an account and access two free reviews, and our listeners can use the code DFH for three months at half price.

Subscribe, share this with a practitioner friend, and leave a review so more clinic owners can market with confidence and stay compliant.
Shownotes and references are available on the Designs for Health website

Register as a Designs for Health Practitioner and discover quality practitioner- only supplements at www.designsforhealth.com.au

Follow us on Socials
Instagram: Designsforhealthaus
Facebook: Designsforhealthaus

DISCLAIMER: The Information provided in the Wellness by Designs podcast is for educational purposes only; the information presented is not intended to be used as medical advice; please seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional if what you have heard here today raises questions or concerns relating to your health

You’ve probably heard kiwifruit mentioned for constipation, but the real story is bigger and more precise. We’re joined by Ping Ong, Nutritional Scientist and Researcher for Livaux at Energenics, to explore how a patented New Zealand gold kiwifruit powder is being used as a precision prebiotic to support keystone bacteria and the metabolites that drive real gut function.

We unpack why Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (FPR) keeps showing up in the research as a marker of a healthy gut microbiome, and why it’s so hard to target with standard probiotic approaches (it’s extremely oxygen sensitive). From there, we follow the butyrate trail: how this short-chain fatty acid fuels colon cells, supports mucus and tight junctions, and helps regulate inflammatory signalling pathways that can influence far more than digestion. We also talk about what it means when symptom improvement lines up with measurable microbiome change, and why that combination can give practitioners and patients more confidence than symptoms alone.

If you work with IBS, bloating, or sensitive guts, we get practical about fermentation speed, gas production, and why complex kiwifruit pectin may ferment more slowly across the colon than inulin, FOS, or GOS. We also discuss dose and compliance, supply chain quality control (including sourcing from Zespri-approved orchards), and how Livaux may pair with probiotics to support butyrate production and a more favourable gut environment.

Subscribe for more evidence-informed gut health conversations, share this with a practitioner or friend who’s curious about targeted fibre, and leave a review with your biggest question about precision prebiotics.
To learn more, visit: 
www.livaux.com
www.anagenix.com 
 
Shownotes and references are available on the Designs for Health website

Register as a Designs for Health Practitioner and discover quality practitioner- only supplements at www.designsforhealth.com.au

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DISCLAIMER: The Information provided in the Wellness by Designs podcast is for educational purposes only; the information presented is not intended to be used as medical advice; please seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional if what you have heard here today raises questions or concerns relating to your health

Weight loss advice is everywhere, yet most people feel more confused than ever and a lot of practitioners quietly avoid the topic altogether. We wanted to change that, so we invited sports nutritionist and naturopath Kira Sutherland to map the real landscape of metabolic health, fat loss and body composition change, with the clinical nuance that generic plans miss.

We dig into the mistakes we see most often, including being too vague, under-prescribing, and forgetting that individual biology changes the rules. Kira shares how she thinks about body type patterns, sex-specific physiology, and chrononutrition, then links that to the realities many women face in perimenopause. We talk thyroid and overall metabolism, sleep disruption, cortisol, and why leptin and ghrelin signalling can make “willpower” feel impossible when the nervous system is stretched.

We also unpack what to prioritise when clients are using GLP-1 medicines: protecting muscle mass, hitting protein targets even with low appetite, building fibre for gut motility, and using movement intelligently. You’ll hear our take on NEAT as a powerful lever for fat loss, why plateaus happen through adaptive thermogenesis, and how mindset, boundaries and coaching keep the plan sustainable. Kira also runs through practical supplements she uses often, including creatine, magnesium, collagen, and OEA for appetite support and “food noise”.

If you want clearer clinical thinking for metabolic health and sustainable fat loss, hit play, then subscribe, share this with a practitioner mate, and leave a review so more people can find the show.
Shownotes and references are available on the Designs for Health website

Register as a Designs for Health Practitioner and discover quality practitioner- only supplements at www.designsforhealth.com.au

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DISCLAIMER: The Information provided in the Wellness by Designs podcast is for educational purposes only; the information presented is not intended to be used as medical advice; please seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional if what you have heard here today raises questions or concerns relating to your health

Colostrum used to be a staple for gut and immune support, but if you’ve noticed product quality drifting, labels getting vague, or patients reacting poorly, you’re not imagining it. I sit down with Dr Chris Warner from Proliant Health and Biologics to unpack why Immunolin has become one of my preferred tools when I want consistent results and better tolerability, especially for people with fragile digestion.

We break down what Immunolin actually is in plain terms: a serum-derived bovine immunoglobulin protein isolate, manufactured to deliver a standardised, high-IgG powder. From there, we get practical about what matters in clinic, including why raw material consistency changes everything for dosing, and why issues like lactose content and even endotoxin contamination can make some colostrum products a poor fit for patients who are already dealing with bloating, diarrhoea, gut inflammation, or suspected permeability problems.

The most fascinating part is the mechanism. Chris explains how IgG can bind and neutralise antigens like LPS (endotoxin), helping reduce translocation across a “leaky” gut barrier and interrupt the inflammation loop. We also talk through where this may fit across IBS, IBD, SIBO, Crohn’s and other hard-to-treat cases, plus how dosing can shift from a short “get you back on track” phase to longer maintenance. We finish by exploring the gut-brain axis, microbiome modulation, and why Immunolin can work alongside probiotics, prebiotics, and other microbiome strategies rather than replacing them.

If you’re a practitioner, or a curious patient who wants the why and the how, this is a grounded, research-informed listen. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave us a review so more people can find the conversation.
For more information or to get in contact with Dr. Chris Warner:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-warner-phd/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/phb1/
https://phb1.com/
Shownotes and references are available on the Designs for Health website

Register as a Designs for Health Practitioner and discover quality practitioner- only supplements at www.designsforhealth.com.au

Follow us on Socials
Instagram: Designsforhealthaus
Facebook: Designsforhealthaus

DISCLAIMER: The Information provided in the Wellness by Designs podcast is for educational purposes only; the information presented is not intended to be used as medical advice; please seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional if what you have heard here today raises questions or concerns relating to your health