It Takes Heart
It Takes Heart is an unmissable podcast where healthcare workers share their honest and unique experiences from Australia’s frontline.
Discover real-life stories of passion and purpose, insight and inspiration from people on the inside and tales that are equal parts heart-warming, heart-wrenching and hilarious. It Takes Heart is co-hosted by cmr | Cornerstone Medical Recruitment CEO Samantha Miklos and Head of Talent and Employer Branding Kate Coomber.
It Takes Heart
What Your Body’s Been Trying to Tell You with Dr Anthea Todd – Part 1
What if dry skin, headaches or exhaustion weren’t just annoying symptoms, but messages your body’s trying to send? In this two-part episode, we sit down with Dr Anthea Todd, women’s health expert and author of What’s My Body Telling Me, to explore the space between: that frustrating place where test results are “normal,” but you still don’t feel well.
Drawing from her background in chiropractic care, women’s health and functional medicine, Anthea shares why common doesn’t mean normal and how conventional healthcare often overlooks chronic, low-grade symptoms. Her Fundamentals Framework flips the script: focus on what every cell in your body needs, through four pillars - nervous system, metabolism, nutrients, and blood sugars.
Stay tuned for Part 2, where we explore how to bring this framework to life.
Language warning: This episode contains occasional strong language.
Special offers from Dr Anthea Todd:
• Get 10% off your own hair test with code CMR at femalefundamentals.com.au/test-your-female-fundamentals
• Explore her Practitioner Training Program (half-price already applied at checkout): femalefundamentals.com.au/Practitioner-Training
Follow Anthea on Instagram and TikTok.
It Takes Heart is hosted by cmr CEO Sam Miklos, alongside Head of Talent and Employer Branding, Kate Coomber.
We Care; Music by Waveney Yasso.
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We're so excited to have this episode out with Dr Anthea Todd. Since reading her book what's my Body Telling Me, we have been obsessed. Have you ever found yourself stuck in the space between your?
Anthea Todd:body is telling you with these symptoms. We've become disconnected, we don't trust it. And then we have the little warning signs and they build up and then we don't really know what to do with them. Or they might be welcome to the space between. This is sort of like the wellness space, which has no order.
Sam Miklos:Like what do you do when?
Anthea Todd:you're in the loss in the space between You've been to the doctor. You have fatigue. They say nothing wrong with your thyroid. You don't have an infection, your iron's fine. I've done all the tests Great, no, thank goodness, cancers.
Sam Miklos:Now what? Where does it leave you? There was so much information that we had to cut it across two episodes. Your body has never been the problem. It's always been the solution. Stay tuned to find out how.
Kate Coomber:Don't forget to hit follow and subscribe so you never miss an episode. And if you want to see more of behind the scenes with this particular episode, definitely hop over to it Takes Heart. On Instagram. You may even see Sam riding a skateboard.
Sam Miklos:So Dr Anthea Todd is a women's health expert with a background in chiropractics. She's a podcast host, a keen skateboarder and best-selling author of what's my Body Telling Me. She's the founder of the Fundamentals Framework helping women see their symptoms as messages, not problems. Helping women see their symptoms as messages, not problems. With a dual master's in women's health medicine and reproductive medicine, anthea blends science, functional care and energetic wisdom. Her fundamentals framework is transforming how we experience healthcare. We have so much to talk to you about that this might end up over like a part A and a part B, but welcomed, it takes heart. Can I just say when I started the book book, I had to check because the first, the first chapter is my mum always says never go straight for the clitoris. Now, my mum always said if you tell a lie, we'll catch you out. So I feel like we had different experiences growing up. Why, what does that mean and how does that reference to? What's my body telling me?
Anthea Todd:so it's. It's, I think, believed it's from um john cleese, who's like the monty python so I think she she didn't make it up, but she's like would use it and she trains a lot of health practitioners. They have a chiropractic business. So she would often say to new grads starting, you know what's going on, but like, don't just go straight into the patient like this is what's going on. We need to do this, like you need to warm up the environment. Yes, same as yes straight for the clitoris.
Anthea Todd:Yes, and you have to get all of the different wisdom coming in. Yeah, and that's what it really means is like listening in lots of different ways to what the body's actually trying to tell you, not just like that's what, it is, quick fix, just do that. It's like actually no, that doesn't get you the pleasure.
Kate Coomber:Yes, yeah. So I remember I was like texting you going have you started yet We've got the right book.
Sam Miklos:I was like I'm still on the first page.
Kate Coomber:So something that really resonated with me was when you talked about Jane early on in the book and all of the symptoms that we just fix and we will have them, we go straight to so you know, you've got a headache, we jump straight to paracetamol. You've got dry skin, we're chucking moisturiser on. You know, scaly scalp, anti-dandruff Tired coffee.
Sam Miklos:I'm exhausted. Oh, I need to wind down. I need a drink, All the things. Which is that straight to the clitoris? Or as we go straight, we think we know what it is.
Kate Coomber:Why do we do that?
Anthea Todd:Oh, that could be an existential question, but I think we are conditioned to not be in any pain or discomfort, or we see it as a bad thing instead of seeing it as oh, this is my body trying to tell me something. Like being curious as opposed to like run away from this discomfort. It's not good. Your body is the problem. But when we actually flip it and we go oh, we get curious. We go, oh, actually it's trying to tell me something. And that's where I help people listen to their body differently, using those different methods, because sometimes it's like OK, well, for instance, with a headache and paracetamol, maybe you have a really important meeting and you cannot focus and you need to have that Great. But also you need to then consider why did I have the headache in the first place? Like, is my body actually saying whatever's in this meeting I really don't want to do?
Kate Coomber:So is it that we're really busy as well and we almost have to get the quick fixes because we are going into the next meeting or we're doing something and we need to be able to be on, and so we're finding the quick fixes?
Sam Miklos:Or is it also because sometimes those little things, if I was like dry skin, I wouldn't go to the doctor or I wouldn't think to go and speak to someone about that, you just think?
Anthea Todd:Or because you think it's normal?
Sam Miklos:Yes, and we're functioning.
Anthea Todd:Yeah, because so many people have it.
Kate Coomber:That's right.
Anthea Todd:It's the difference between common and normal and dry skin. It's not life-threatening Exactly dry skin. It's not life-threatening, exactly like. Medical doctors are amazing.
Anthea Todd:You go to them if you have something that's life-threatening and you need medication or surgery for, and we know that subconsciously. So you're like this dry skin, it's not killing me, it's fine. But then, like if your skin gets really bad and it's red, raw, and you can't think, you can't sleep, you can't do anything with that. It's like, well, I'm going to go to the doctor, yeah, but maybe there was little whispers before that that you missed because you thought they were normal, because they were so common. So this is where we need to understand actually what the baseline of health is and like what is actually normal and feeling amazing and having energy coming from within you is actually the norm. But so many people don't feel like that. Like if you jumped out of bed in the morning being like, wow, so excited, like today's gonna be amazing and you've got so much energy, you be like what is this person?
Sam Miklos:on, like some people might even go.
Anthea Todd:Does this person have a brain tumor like? What's actually happening, like their person, like that doesn't make any sense.
Anthea Todd:Yeah, which is crazy yeah it just goes to show how messed up society is. That it's like, oh my gosh, okay. Well, if you are going to jump out of bed like that, then you better make sure that you have your red lenses at night time. You've done your infrared, you get up for circadian health and make sure you don't have coffee until it's this time, and then you're eating this and you're just like looking after your body just feels like a full-time job.
Kate Coomber:It kind of does yeah, I can resonate with that. Yeah, feeling like it's too hard to start so yeah, and I think because that's what really I got from the book is just because it's common doesn't mean it's normal which has made me just kind of reframe everything of everything we've ever experienced. Like everyone I know is going through the same thing yeah, what?
Anthea Todd:and particularly for women, it's like where do you get your education on what your period's meant to be?
Sam Miklos:oh, my mum had heavy painful periods yes that's what it is.
Anthea Todd:Yeah, that's normal. And you could go into the whole history of lack of research and medical fields and being gaslit and all these different things that basically just go. Well, your body's the problem and we need to fix it by giving you this quick thing like let's cut that out, let's give you this pill, let's do that and that's what's going to fix it, and just be quiet.
Sam Miklos:But if it doesn't show up on a test, then there's nothing wrong it's like and the other thing you talk about too is that concept with a space between where we might not feel great and then we go and have blood tests and everything comes back and it's okay yeah I remember being told it's like I'm tired and we did all the blood.
Kate Coomber:and then you, you get result and I remember just feeling what do you mean? That there isn't a quick fix. It's like, well, you've got kids, yeah.
Sam Miklos:You work full time. You've got two kids.
Kate Coomber:You're busy. That's the diagnosis. Yeah, you've got kids.
Anthea Todd:And then it ingrained you into thinking like well then, but I really love my kids and I love my family and I love what I'm doing. Why do I feel?
Kate Coomber:so drained.
Anthea Todd:Does that mean I have to give up one of them and then I can't live?
Kate Coomber:the life that I wanna live, but then also, on the flip of that, almost hoping that there was something 100% so that I could take medicine and feel better. You want a diagnosis. How weird is that? Give me a diagnosis.
Anthea Todd:Give me the diagnosis, and that's what the space between is. The space between is where you have symptoms, or you have a diagnosis but no answers. So they might give you like oh, you have chronic fatigue syndrome. Yeah, you have fibromyalgia, you have whatever. It's like multiple sclerosis maybe. Like, put any diagnosis of a chronic condition, yeah, but why do I have it? You've given me the diagnosis. Now, if we think about how the medical field is set up, give a diagnosis so then we can put different codes in for funding and we can also give you a medication which is I'm not saying that it's, I'm not negating the medical system. It is amazing and so helpful when you need it. But if you're someone that's like okay, I got this diagnosis and initially I felt great because I was like okay, I'm not going crazy, yeah. But then I'm left going. But why?
Sam Miklos:Is that even happening? Like what do I even?
Anthea Todd:do Like I don't want to be destined for a lifetime of medication because that's really what I'm being told is there and there's no. Oh, you're going to get better. It's just like this is what we're managing and this is who you are, and then we can go into the whole psychology of well, now you have an identity around that diagnosis, and then that's fulfilling that same prophecy. So there's this whole thing of going okay, if you have a diagnosis and no answers, or you have symptoms and no diagnosis, that means you're lost in the space between. So that's where we need to look at your body through a different lens.
Kate Coomber:How do we do that? You know, when you've got. We're trying to put our trust in the medical professionals that we're seeing, but maybe, as you said, it's all having to go to a code and how to build, and it's all based on the system what do you do? Well, this is what I, this is why I do, and you are one person.
Anthea Todd:Yeah, you know, it's this it's. The system is great for a certain type of person, but it's letting down a vast majority of people. So I started my career as a chiropractor. Both my parents are chiropractors. Amazing, I always wanted to be one from when I was like four years of age. I found this letter that I wrote to myself in very beautiful handwriting that I could hardly make out.
Anthea Todd:So I thought this is going to be amazing. Started working Was great. I went through cycles of burnout because I was very busy and all the different things. But I realised I'm like, okay, I get these people that are coming in with, say, hormonal migraines or heavy periods or gut issues, can't sleep dry skin Insert the symptom.
Sam Miklos:Yeah.
Anthea Todd:And they're not something that you typically go to your chiropractor for, like you're not going to your chiropractor for, like you're not going to your chiropractor for dry skin. They're also what you said earlier. They're little whispers, yeah, but as a chiropractor and from my upbringing, my mentality- has always been oh, what's your body trying to tell you? Like we would be driving I mentioned in the book like we'd be driving down the main street of melbourne. Yeah, my parents would be like that person. What's going on with them? And and?
Kate Coomber:you'd be like oh, they've got an L5 nerve root lesion, I've got a foot drop here and I've got this and it's like, oh okay, like bring me another case.
Sam Miklos:Like I'd love it.
Anthea Todd:Four of my five siblings are chiropractors and one isn't, so we obviously all sort of liked it.
Kate Coomber:That's hilarious. You know we're playing spotto in my car. We did all the things. They've progressed.
Anthea Todd:Diagnose the person. Yeah, I found that I was like, okay, there's these people that are lost in this space between, because they would come in with these issues. And I'd say, okay, I'm going to do what I was trained in and I'm going to refer you to your medical doctor to go get tests done. We have to see whether you're iron deficient or what's happening with your thyroid or all these different things. And the majority of times people would come back and say they said there was nothing wrong. And I would see the look of defeat on the patient's face and I'd be like, well, I know that there's something going on and you know, but I don't have answers for you. I need to figure this out. And then it's like you're listening to podcasts, reading books, trying to figure it out. And then I was like, okay, I'm gonna go study medicine. I'm gonna study that because I was living in a country town in Victoria and I thought, well, maybe you know, we don't get like the biggest and brightest medical people down here, like it's not like a sought after place that you want to go work at, so maybe they just don't know what they're talking about, which is a very that's not at all the case. They're very, very bright and smart.
Anthea Todd:But when I went and studied on the medical side, it made me realise, oh, just, the whole system's broken. These people are so incredible and amazing, like if I was bleeding persistently and I couldn't stop it. And, yes, I needed to address why that was happening, but for the time being, I need to stop it Absolutely. Like I need to go see someone that can give me a medication or a surgery to do that. That's great, great. But what I learned from that side was that what I was taught is oh yes, these are the parameters for this diagnosis. If that, if I don't fit that, then there's no issue, or they need to consider seeing psychologists.
Anthea Todd:Like it's in your head in a way I'm like, okay, that doesn't make any sense, no, and that's awful yeah, to experience but that's that what I was like it was just a really like oh okay, like I get to see both sides, like how I was trained as a chiropractor, and like the innate wisdom of the body and how amazing it is and how what we do is we basically remove interference, so then the body can function how it needs to. And then, on the other side, the undertone was oh okay, we can help people when they're really bad, in this case but then if they don't need us, then there's nothing wrong. But really it's sort of like well, we don't actually want to need you unless, like, we've been in an accident or something.
Anthea Todd:So this is where, societally, like, you could go into so much detail, but I think having medicine as the pinnacle and like the top thing is like yes, they will always know. I think is dangerous, because if you've had a car accident, absolutely do not go to your chiropractor, do not go to your naturopath.
Sam Miklos:That is a dumb decision.
Anthea Todd:Right, go to your medical doctor. But it's like oh, if you have fatigue, tiredness, and your doctor says that there's nothing wrong, it doesn't mean there's nothing wrong, it means you saw the wrong person. It's like when you're building a house and the toilet's clogged, you don't call the painter. Yeah, you need to call the specialist. The painter's amazing, the plumber's amazing. But we need to understand who we need when. And I think that's where the system lets us down. But also we let ourselves down because we're not listening to our body and trusting it.
Sam Miklos:And we're probably not having enough conversations, though, like this that would encourage someone to listen to their body.
Anthea Todd:Yeah.
Sam Miklos:Because that's a really different concept, even the older generations.
Anthea Todd:Yeah.
Kate Coomber:You know toughen up and off, you go and move on, or have a lie down, all those things. It's a really different concept. What do you think about this profession? Do they know as much about this, and is it part of the degree? Not necessarily no, as much about this, and are they? Is it part of?
Sam Miklos:Are they open to this? Is it part of the degree?
Anthea Todd:and is it? You know Not necessarily no.
Kate Coomber:Because I've spoke about nutrition. Yes, With doctors in the past. Just family, friends and, you know, barbecues and things.
Anthea Todd:Well, it's not what they're trained in. It's sort of like saying to a plumber well, how would you paint that architrave and do?
Sam Miklos:this they oh, I can sort of tell you because I've been around but like tell me how to plumb a toilet in Okay, great.
Anthea Todd:So it's knowing who the right person is at that time, like you want someone who is going to be able to care for you when you need them in that space. And I think it is also the pressure put on medical doctors too, like from a societal standpoint of, well, you have to know the answer, fix me. So then, if you're like, okay, well, I have to find the answer, and if I am always the one that knows the answer and I have to uphold that image from society that's been put on me, and I've done all the tests, I've done all the things that I've been trained in there's nothing on there. It must just be that there's nothing wrong, because I'm the one that always knows, not that they necessarily internally have that, but they might internalise that pressure from society.
Anthea Todd:So there's a lot of this misconstrued perceptions on this person is going to tell you exactly what it is. But really, what I try and do and help people with is you know, your body is telling you with these symptoms. It's been telling you all along. It's just we've become disconnected, we don't trust it, and then we have the little warning signs and they build up and then we don't really know what to do with them, or they might be welcome to the space between. This is sort of like the wellness space which has no order like what do you do when you're?
Anthea Todd:in the lost in the space between yeah you've been to the doctor. You have fatigue. They say nothing wrong with your thyroid, you don't have an infection, your iron's fine. I've done all the tests. Great, no, thank goodness, cancers.
Sam Miklos:Now what? Where does it?
Anthea Todd:leave you. And then you're like, okay, cool, chat, gpt, naturopath, chiropractor, osteo, chinese medicine, and it's all amazing. I'm not saying that we need that.
Kate Coomber:It's confusing to say where do we start. It's like where do.
Anthea Todd:I go and oh, okay, but someone told me it was my gut and like do I need to do a detox or it could be a parasite that I picked up in Bali?
Sam Miklos:That's exactly right. What about mold? Is it heavy metals?
Anthea Todd:It's like holy shit, I have fucking whiplash.
Sam Miklos:I don't know if you can swear on this, but literally Whiplash is exactly it. It's yeah, so if go, all right, well, I'm in that space. What do they look up for? Who do they see? Is it a doctor? That's something like what is the specialty that they should be looking for?
Anthea Todd:And this is exactly where I found myself. When I was both personally, but also after I'd studied the medical side, I was like, okay, I'm missing a gap here.
Sam Miklos:You were in the space between.
Anthea Todd:I'm missing a gap. I'm like, okay, I've learned that side. That's really great. I'm very I love now that I know, okay, when someone hits these things they need medicational surgery. And I know that. Now I'm not like, oh, I'm a bit foggy. Is it just that their GP doesn't really know when I need to refer them to another GP, or they actually just don't need the medical side.
Anthea Todd:Then I was like, okay, so then I went and studied functional medicine like okay because often most people, when they're lost in that space between, might go I need to go to see an integrative doctor. I have I don't know about you guys, but I have a lot of friends now that are like oh, do you know an integrative gynecologist, an integrative GP, an integrative? I'm like everyone should be integrative, like that should be functional health so functional health.
Anthea Todd:That's sort of like the other lens that I do. So I use this framework for anyone that is feeling lost in the space between. I use this fundamentals framework, which is what I've put together from all of my study across the fields. So, basically, you have an issue and it might be something that is like really causing a lot of distress for you. So it's not necessarily the dry skin. It might be like it's the dry skin that keeps me up at night and I can't stop scratching and all the things right.
Anthea Todd:So we might go, okay, well, I'm gonna go see the doctor. It might be a new thing that's out of the ordinary, or it might be something that's been there and it's not going away and you're like, oh, I'm just a bit concerned about this. You go see the doctor, they run the tests. Hopefully there's nothing wrong. We actually want there to be no diagnosis from them, because if there is, then they go, okay, well, your symptoms are bad enough to need medication or surgery. So we don't want that ideally, particularly when we're talking about chronic things, and then we're lost in that space between.
Anthea Todd:So then we use the functional lens, and this is where it's. Who do you see? The naturopath, the Chinese medicine, all the things. This is where we we become in control of our own health. We're the decision maker. We're not like, oh my gosh, I'm just flying at a whim of my Instagram algorithm and trying all these different things so imagine your algorithm so much more is accessible now, like this, yeah that's actually a really good point, because it is.
Kate Coomber:It's flooded with. And how is no? Do it this way. No, don't eat carbs.
Sam Miklos:Yes, eat carbs don't eat protein like the amount of things you send me the gcs.
Anthea Todd:Do that yeah so this is why we come back to the fundamentals. So what I learned from the functional medicine side is it's amazing. But also you can get like specialties in that, like you could specialize in the microbiome, you could specialize in endocrinology, you could specialize in like we. Again, then, we're being integrative because we're looking at basically functional is we're looking at all the systems and how they tie in together. Like what does your body, what does your physical body actually need? That's what we want, because that's how it functions. It's sort of like how does your car function?
Anthea Todd:yeah, well, we need to make sure that the car has everything it needs to function. So that's the same with your body, and it can be overwhelming because you're like, okay, well, maybe it is. Do I need to look after my thyroid? Or what about my sleep? Or is it my gut function? Or what's happening with all stress?
Anthea Todd:right, and then you're stressed thinking about what the hell is going to do so this is where I came up with the four fundamentals to help with that, because what we're doing is we're not going into okay, it's the thyroid, or it's my adrenal glands, or it's my gut what are all those things made of?
Kate Coomber:yes, so what? Can you talk us through those? So you've got what are the four fundamentals? Yes, part of the framework.
Anthea Todd:Yes, so all of those components of your body are made of cells. That's it. So I just want you to think of okay, if I could give my cells exactly what they needed? And this comes back to your body literally is the solution, not the problem? If you can give your cells exactly what they need, then you move out of the body's way and knows what to do. So those four things that it needs is to balance your nervous system, metabolism, nutrients and blood sugars. So those are the four fundamentals. When you can care for them, the body has what it needs, the cells have what they need. So then everything works in unison, because sometimes and your instagram algorithm might be filled with do this vagal nerve reset. Everything's to do with your nervous system. It's all to do with your nervous system. Everything is that. Don't worry about anything else.
Anthea Todd:Anyone else is saying yeah then you might have it with like it's fasting, everything is fasting, or it might be, like glucose. Goddess, everything is blood sugars. It's light, everything is light. It's like. Actually your cells need these four core things because they all interact with each other. You could be gandhi and like the coolest cucumber so chill, so calm. Your nervous system is so regulated you have lots of distance between your stimulus and response. Amazing. But what happens if you're inside all day, haven't ever seen any sunlight? What happens if you're not hydrated properly?
Kate Coomber:So you can't just focus on one. You have to have all four because they all impact each other.
Anthea Todd:What happens when you're stressed? Your body goes. We better mobilize fuel to be able to combat whatever this stress is. It might be that you have a stressful meeting, it might be that you haven't slept well. It might be that there's a literal tiger in the corner, so your blood sugars go up. That is literally what our body does to adapt. So our body is always adapting. We want that, but when we support all four of them together, that is when our cells have what they need, because we could be missing one and the other ones are adapting to try and compensate for that one.
Anthea Todd:Well, sometimes you could be missing all four if you're not supporting them, yeah, and if you are missing all four, to combat that overwhelm like where do you start?
Sam Miklos:Can you pick one to combat that overwhelm Like where do you start?
Anthea Todd:Can you pick one? Can you chip away at one? Yeah Well, that's often. This is where I've, since launching the book last year, I've been working with patients with this and I'm seeing what works and what doesn't work, because some people are like I'm full in gun in Give me everything.
Sam Miklos:Sounds like you.
Kate Coomber:Let's do it all, which is I'm like I could only do one right now Just drip, feed a few.
Anthea Todd:So, with behavioural change and how our brain works as well, we need to do things that are sustainable, because a lot of the times when you're like give me everything.
Anthea Todd:Yes, I'm like pumped up this thing that I've been feeling I'm so annoyed I'll do anything to change it. And then what happens a year later? Yeah, it's so. It's about having your life. Your fundamentals are balanced in your life. It's not something again that feels like a full-time job. It's just the way that you've set up your life is in alignment with these, and that's a big reset.
Kate Coomber:Yeah, so you just do one thing at a time To even think about that.
Anthea Todd:Yeah, because it's your life. Like what are we rushing towards the? End of what your life? It's a journey. Your life just, it's a journey. We just do one thing at a time. So I have a quiz, sort of a conditional logic quiz, that helps people understand what would be their main fundamental, that's contributing to them, and also hair testing. I do a lot of hair testing, which you girls have done as well, but you'll be able to see then objectively.
Anthea Todd:oh okay, this is the main fundamental of mine. That is the one at play, and I've done five hair tests myself over the last four years and the first one I got I was like, oh, I've got these. Really high levels of mine was really high copper. We don't have to get into the details. But I was like I'm gung-ho, I'm going to get rid of them.
Kate Coomber:Give me all the supplements, give me the vitamin C infusions, give me all this different stuff, Because also when you're like a certain type of personality, you know whether you're A-types, you're like I've got to win, yeah, I've got to do it, let's go.
Anthea Todd:And I've got to bring this back into check and I've got to be great and I've got to score an A.
Sam Miklos:I wouldn't say that I'm an A-type but yeah, you might not be but I am. But yes, it's sort of like I just want to get rid of yes, oh, I failed, so hang on a second, let's just stop for a minute.
Anthea Todd:So why do we do a hair test and how is that different to a blood test? Great question. So blood test for the vast majority of blood tests. There are some exceptions, like a HbA1c for blood sugars, a snapshot in time. They're like okay, what's happening right now? You could take it in the morning, you could take it at night, it's the same thing. You could take it after food, like we know that there's a lot of blood tests that we have to be fasted for. Yes, because that's going to impact what the levels are doing. So it's looking at snapshotting time. So if you're really bad, like you're out of the parameters, it's not going to matter when you take it.
Anthea Todd:It's like well, yeah, you really need medication or surgery but if there's these patterns that are going on underneath the surface, that we're missing, the whispers, the functional side, the things that we think of as normal because they're so common Then but we're sort of like, oh okay, this is sort of getting a bit more annoying. This is where a hair test can be great, because if you think about your hair follicle grows from a blood supply so it's exposed to your blood, but it's sort of like a record tape of what's been going on in your blood for the last three months, because you take three centimetres closest to the scalp so it's looking at, okay, what's actually been going on in my blood for the last three months, an average. So then it's not just like snapshot in time that can tweak and change. So this is where we can really see strong patterns and it doesn't say like this is your insulin level, this is your estrogen level. It's not looking at that, it's looking at what's underneath that, because that's actually what surprised me is.
Kate Coomber:I thought it would say that.
Anthea Todd:Well, it does, but when you understand how to read it?
Kate Coomber:Not in language that I understood.
Anthea Todd:But that's the thing, right, Lots of people will say to me. So it's going to tell me my estrogen levels.
Anthea Todd:It's going to tell me why estrogen levels are doing what they're doing. Because, for instance, estrogen, where's it released from, largely, the ovary, okay, great, but how does estrogen get released? Well, there's this connection between the brain and the ovary and all the organs in between the adrenal glands, the liver, the gut, the pancreas. All of them have to be working well for that connection to be working well and the estrogen to be produced. So it's not just like, oh, I feel like I've got estrogen dominance and it's a hormonal thing. I'm like, okay, cool, but why? And this is where we look oh, okay, these are the patterns underneath that are making these messages slightly tweak to make it lower or higher. So this is where we're looking at what does the cell have? Let's give the cell what it needs and then all of the organs between the brain and the ovaries have what they need. Everything's working in unison. So we're not going, oh, it's a thyroid thing, it's a this thing, it's a this thing.
Sam Miklos:We're taking the pieces, we're really going back to.
Anthea Todd:They all integrate.
Kate Coomber:Let's just go way back to the cell and make it a lot simpler. Stay tuned for part two of this conversation coming soon. We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land of which we meet who for centuries have shared ancient methods of healing and cared for their communities. We pay our respects to elders, past and present.
