Helen Ritchie
Registered Nutritional Therapist
A surprising update on my bone health (and what I’ve learned)
After a 2021 diagnosis of osteoporosis, I chose to support my bone health through nutrition, strength training, and targeted supplementation. Years later, a more advanced scan revealed the original diagnosis was inaccurate. This journey highlights the importance of proper testing, consistency, and how diet and lifestyle can powerfully influence long-term bone strength.
Men and Menopause: The conversation we’re not having (but need to…)
Menopause is often seen as a women-only issue, but its impact extends far beyond the individual, affecting relationships, households, and partners too. This article explores what menopause really feels like, highlighting the physical and emotional changes women experience and why these shifts are often misunderstood.
It emphasises that menopause is a physiological transition, not a personal choice, and explains how this can influence mood, energy, and connection within relationships. The article also offers practical ways partners can provide meaningful support, from improving communication to sharing lifestyle changes around nutrition, sleep, and stress.
By bringing men into the conversation, it reframes menopause as a shared experience - one that, with understanding and support, can strengthen relationships and create a more positive health journey for both partners.
Feeling like a menopausal moody bitch? Here’s why it’s important!
This post explores mood swings during the menopause transition as a natural consequence of hormonal change, particularly fluctuating oestrogen and declining progesterone. Rather than framing these emotional shifts as something to suppress or medicate away, it invites a reframe: what if changing hormones are simply removing the “buffer” that once made difficult people, patterns, or situations tolerable?
As progesterone, the body’s calming hormone falls, emotional reactivity can increase, revealing underlying frustrations or unmet needs that may have been ignored for years. The post encourages reflection over judgement, reminding us that humans are biologically designed to experience hormonal cycles, not emotional flatness.
Ultimately, it positions menopause-related mood changes as potential signals for growth and change—a nudge towards addressing what truly matters, setting healthier boundaries, and moving towards a more fulfilled and authentic future.
Life supporting not life threatening: the truth about cholesterol and saturated fat
Cholesterol and saturated fat are very much misunderstood components of our diet and the advice given is often plain wrong and completely over-simplified! Let's examine this important topic!