What Happens When You Have a Cold?
Most of us know the story of a cold before it has even properly begun. We wake with a scratchy throat, perhaps a runny nose or a heaviness in the body, and almost automatically declare, “I’ve caught a cold.” From that moment, an entire belief system swings into...
Menopause and Andropause: A Different View of Hormones
There comes a point in almost every woman's life when the conversation changes. Friends begin talking about hot flushes, interrupted sleep, mood swings and hormones. Men, although generally quieter about it, start noticing they don't recover as quickly, their energy...
The Microwave Mentality
Isn't it interesting that nobody expects a baby to arrive at three months, yet many of us become frustrated when our signs and symptoms are not gone as quickly as we'd like? We seem to understand the value of time in every area of life except when it comes to our own...
The Adaptive Human
The human body is adaptive, not fragile. This distinction is important because much of what we are taught about health assumes the body is constantly under attack, vulnerable, and in need of intervention and support. Yet when we step back and observe nature, a...
Mitochondria: The Spark of Energy Inside Every Cell
At Vital Wellbeing, we often say the nerve system is the master communicating system of the body. Every thought, movement, heartbeat, digestive process, hormone release and healing response relies on messages being sent throughout the body. For those messages to occur...
Trace Minerals vs Heavy Metals: What Your Body Actually Needs
We often hear the term “metals” interchanged with the term "minerals", as if they are the same. They’re not. In fact, understanding the difference between metals (especially heavy toxic metals) and trace minerals is one of the simplest ways to make sense of why some...
Stress, the Nervous System and Chiropractic Care
April is recognised internationally as Stress Awareness Month, highlighting a growing reality in modern health care: chronic stress is one of the most significant contributors to reduced health expression across all age groups, including children, infants, and babies....
What If You’ve Missed the Most Important Piece of Your Child’s Health?
If you’re a parent watching the rapid rise in developmental and neurological challenges in children, you’re not imagining it. More children today are struggling with focus, sensory processing, emotional regulation, immune challenges, and developmental delays than ever...
Brain Health Starts In The Gut
When I was in my teens and first stepping into the health arena, I believed the brain was separate from the rest of the body – protected, highly specialised and largely unaffected by what was happening elsewhere. To me, the brain stood apart as its own independent...
The Real Cost of Lost Sleep
Did you know 2/3 of adults in developed countries don’t get the recommended eight hours of sleep? Most people know that sleep is for rest and repair, but not many realise just how many areas of health are affected when sleep is consistently cut short. Given that we...
Rethink the Cholesterol Script
For decades, cholesterol has been cast as the villain in the health story. We’ve been taught to fear it, suppress it, and monitor it obsessively. But what if the cholesterol narrative we’ve been fed isn’t the whole picture? What if, instead of being something to...
Tune In To Your Back Talk
At Vital Wellbeing, we always look at the body through the lens of the 3Ts: Thoughts (THINK), Trauma (MOVE), and Toxins (EAT). This triad is the foundation for understanding how the body expresses health. When your body, for example your lower back, starts chatting...
What Allergies Reveal
Allergies are often viewed as inconvenient reactions to seemingly harmless substances like pollen, pet dander, certain foods but they are far more than random responses. They’re not accidents, and they’re certainly not health challenges you “catch.” An allergy is a...
From Injury to Insight
Dr Randall's Story. My first encounter with chiropractic care came at the age of 29. At the time, I was heavily involved in fitness—training for triathlons and competing in 5km fun runs. Cardiovascularly, I was at my peak. I felt fit, strong, and committed. But...
Headaches: A Different Perspective
Headaches are among the most reported of health challenges. From the occasional tension-type to more complex cluster headaches, many experience headaches without understanding their true origin. Conventional models often pathologize headaches; a "health" system that...
Are We Outsourcing Our Health Awareness to Devices?
In a world increasingly dominated by data and devices, wearable health technology—like FitBit fitness trackers, sleep monitors, apple watches and health apps—has emerged as one of the biggest trends of 2025. These devices promise insight, optimization, and control...
Immunity And Your Natural Killer Cells
At Vital Wellbeing, we view the body not as something to be “fixed” but as a dynamic, intelligent system always working toward balance. One of the key players in your body’s self-regulating system is the Natural Killer T cell—a unique type of immune cell that bridges...
Your Nerve Systems Role In Your Health
The role of the nerve system in health is truly profound. Acting as the central communication network, the nerve system governs every aspect of our health and life. The nerve system is critical in adaptation, healing, regulation, regeneration, repair, control,...
True Health Begins When You Stop Managing Disease
For the next year are you going to focus on disease management or chose to look at health differently? The way you think about health has long been shaped by a focus on disease management. And how you express health is directly proportional to the way in which you...
Your Health Allies: Camu Camu, Colloidal Minerals, and Magnesium
In today’s fast-paced world, maintaining optimal health can feel like an uphill battle. With stressors at every turn and a barrage of information on health trends, it's easy to lose sight of what truly matters. The key to long-term vitality lies not in quick fixes,...
The Power of Humic Acid on Detoxing Graphene Oxide
The presence of environmental toxins is increasing, that we know for sure, and for many, if not all, detoxification of the body is essential for maintaining optimal health. One toxin that has gained attention is graphene oxide, which when ingested can accumulate in...
Take the Plunge!
We all love to live in comfort essentially being warm whenever we want by putting on a fire or turning on a heater. Our adaptation to this warm comfort has occurred over generations but it would appear we've lost the art of being in the cold and understanding the...
Commercial Toothpaste: Do we need it?
Growing up we used Colgate toothpaste and I am pretty sure they had the market captured in our city. The tube was metal and you could role it up from the bottom making sure you got everything in the tube. I even remember being growled at for squeezing the tube from...
Your Body’s Wisdom & Allergies
An allergy occurs when your immune system reacts to something it identifies as foreign. This could be bee venom, plants, pet dander (e.g. skin, fur or feathers) or a food. Your immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues, organs and systems that work together...
What’s Your Tongue Telling You?
One of the most important and busiest muscles in the body besides the heart and the diaphragm is the tongue. Tongue movement is crucial for talking, breathing and eating, but the tongue is also imperative for taste, digestion, immune function and in our developmental...
Your Nose Knows
We often don’t see the nose as a vital organ in our body. We see it more as an aesthetically pleasing, or unpleasing, addition to our face. However, there is so much the nose does that you may not have thought about or perhaps may have taken for granted. The nose is...
Conventional vs Food Supplements
Just like conventional foods there are conventional supplements - mass produced in a laboratory and synthetic in composition. And just like there is wonderful organic, whole foods there too are wonderful whole food supplements. Supplement means ‘that with which...
Warning: Do you know what’s in your Vitamin C?
Whilst there is no argument against Vitamin C being important for the body there is however a jury out on what form of Vitamin C is the best – capsules, tablets, powder, laboratory made or naturally sourced. Vitamin C consumption via Ascorbic Acid has a covert warning...
Fever: A Sign of Sickness or A Signal of Health
Fever in Latin comes from the word febris meaning ‘to warm or to heat.’ And in Greek it comes from the word pyros meaning ‘fire or burning fire.’ A fever can be defined then as an increase in body temperature in relation to something within the body. Typically, the...
The Asch Experiment – How would you respond?
When studying psychology, all those decades ago, a lecturer touched on the very pertinent subject of herd mentality. The understanding that humans tend to adopt beliefs and behaviours favoured by one’s peer group, instead of thinking independently. In an interview...
Kaizen Will Change Your Life
When I started writing The Vital Truth back in 2004, I had no idea where to start. I certainly didn’t know it was to become an international best seller, sold in over 34 countries and collect a literary award for ‘Non-Fiction Writer of the Year’ just after it...
Twenty Things We Keep Teaching Our Kids
We wrote this a couple of decades ago when our kids were just little and it is truer today than ever. Most people want to teach their kids respect, kindness, empathy but for us we wanted to teach them different things that kids are not usually taught. For us respect,...
The Benefits of Chiropractic in Rugby
For most kids in NZ the pathway to becoming an All Black, Silver Fern, Black Cap, Tall Blacks or another national sport is fairly straightforward – play school, play club, get noticed by your provincial selector, play consistently and catch the eye of national...
The Genius of the Unborn Child
The power that made your body has the power to heal your body. Period. Imagine the difference if everybody in the world adopted this knowledge and lived by it ― wouldn’t the world’s illness and diseased rates be very different? No longer would we be blindly putting...
The Power of Water
In 2004 I came across a gentleman by the name of Masaru Emoto when watching his documentary “The Hidden Messages in Water.” I also wrote about his incredible ground breaking research in my first global selling book The Vital Truth (2006). Something back then struck...
Fluoridation: A Mass Prescription Drug
I have written on prescription drugs before specifically excipients as well as medical obedience. But fluoride is one I have gone back to many times on our social media over the decades - 2013, 2015, 2016 and again now. And I have a similar feeling that what I write...
Raising Healthy Kids Outside the System
I get asked this question a lot... how do you raise healthy kids? And it really starts with what you think health is? You cannot raise healthy kids if you don't start with asking yourself that question. If you 'define' health by how you feel than you'll be taking your...
Recharge Your Body’s Batteries
Our body is made up of energy which also means it can get depleted. Just like using your phone all the time there comes a time when you have to recharge the battery. Learning how to recharge our body's batteries for longevity, health and balance would be a wise thing...
19 Ways to Use Vital Food’s Organic Colloidal Minerals
When people think about getting their daily intake of minerals, they generally think about a tablet – it’s quick and easy but it’s not the best source. Besides being made in a laboratory they are usually filled with binders, flavours, additives and stabilisers. More...
The Assault on your Pineal Gland.
Recently the pineal gland has been getting some airplay and more so on the side of the assault it is under. Has your mum or dad ever said to you ‘I have eyes in the back of my head?’ Mine used to! That ‘eye’ has to do with your pineal gland sometimes referred to as...
The Neurological Benefits of Hugging
Hugging has immense neurological benefit - it helps to strengthen your immune system, increase your circulation and calm your sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve systems as well as give you a sense of belonging and a feeling of being safe. And... the longer you hold...
Why I Stopped Wearing Sunglasses
In 2022 I decided to ditch the sunglasses… just stop wearing them. I did it because I asked myself this question. Why am I wearing them? I remembered when I was young and mum got some sunglasses I put them on and immediately took them off saying ‘how can you wear...
Butter Is Better Than Margarine!
Hands down butter is better than margarine. Prior to moving we used to have a share in a cow which gave us pure, raw, unpasteurised and unhomogenised cream from which we would make nutritious and delicious butter! Butter with salt and dulse flakes, basil and garlic...
30 WAYS To Use Vital Food’s All Natural Liquid Magnesium
When people think about magnesium they generally think about a tablet. It's not often that people look to food or natural sources of magnesium to boost their intake. Let's face it the diets of the standard person around the world is lacking in magnesium and one of the...
Homemade Organic Deodorant
What is it about commercially bought deodorants that people are attracted to? Is it the smell or that 'it works.' I don't know about you but I ask our kids friends, especially the boys friends, to not spray their deodorants in the house because we all get immediate...
Healthy Benefits of Cacao Nibs
How many times have you been told chocolate is not good for you? I bet many times. However, the number will also depend on what 'healthy' circles you move in. Those that know... know that chocolate is loaded with wonderful health properties which can benefit the body...
Sports Drinks, Electrolytes and Your Health
If only more parents knew how to make their own sports drinks for their kids, packed full with electrolytes, from nature, their kid’s performance would no doubt be better and they’d recover faster! So… we are going to share a secret that we haven’t shared before.....
Nuts About Nuts
In our house we are nuts about nuts! There is never a jar far away that is filled with different nuts and it honestly feels like I am refilling them every couple of days. Nuts are our go to food for a quick top up, or to take the hunger away until dinner - especially...
The Magnificent You
It is not often that we sit and reflect on the internal workings of the body. When was the last time you thought about your heart beating or your food being digested? In fact some people never think about it. I would like to share with you the...
The Wonders of Coconut Oil
Who remembers those summer holidays walking past people on the beach and smelling the delight of coconut oil? I do and to this day the smell of coconut oil transports me back to my childhood. Coconut oil was fashionable back in the day at the beach or anywhere the...
Medical Obedience
When my blinkers were on I thought health was about how you felt … period. If your body looked and felt taut, tight and terrific and no signs or symptoms were present then, according to my world and the books I read, you were ‘healthy’. How naïve I was back then. I...
Iron Deficiency + Vitamin C
Iron deficiency is a very real health challenge for vegans, vegetarians, women with frequent and heavy menstrual cycles, pregnant women and those with a poor diet. Low iron contributes to a decrease in energy because less oxygen carrying red blood cells are produced...
Magnesium the Miracle Mineral
Magnesium is a mineral found in the sea, earth, plants and animals and has many vital roles in the human body. It helps plants with photosynthesis and acts as a metabolic reaction in animals. In our body the majority of magnesium is found in our bones approximately...
Zinc and the Common Cold
Zinc is an essential mineral in our body and is the second most abundant one to Iron. When you think zinc, you might think common cold and so only think of increasing your zinc intake every so often and perhaps usually on those seasonal changes. However, zinc is...
Why Colloidal Minerals are so Important to your Health?
If it’s not in the soil it’s not in your food! Colloidal Minerals lost from our farming lands leave our crops devoid of essential minerals required for good health. Now that we know the minerals are not in our food, where do we look to supplement our body needs? A...
Kids Health: What I Discovered
I remember almost a decade ago before nodding off to sleep I asked a simple question ‘If a child is in their physical body for the first 7 years of life, what comes next… after the physical body?’ I drifted off with an open and curious mind and woke in what seemed...
Nutrient Rich Goodies from the Ocean
Begin the year with some nutrient-rich goodies from the ocean. New year, new you?! Yep, it’s the time of year for New Year’s resolutions and after all the over-indulging of the holiday season it might just be time to look at how we can get some healthier foods back...
My First Trip EVER to a Medical Doctor at 17
I bet you were expecting Dr Sarah, my mum, to write this one but instead I am. I’m Dr Sarah and Dr Randall’s eldest boy and seeing this story is about me I thought why not be the one to write it! A little over a week ago a possibility was presented to my mum that...
Proprioceptive Walking and your Nerve System
To engage fully with your environment, you need to use all your senses… including a sixth one. We know all too well about the five senses – sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch but what about your sixth sense? Do you know what it is, how to stimulate it and how to...
The Invisible Danger: EMF’s and your Nerve System
With Apps, mobile phones and the faster 5G network coming out this generation of kids, and the ones that follow, are going to get bombarded with EMF’s. It’s important for us as parents to stay abreast of the changes and know the impact to their nerve system and our own.
Salt and your Nerve System
In our house we LOVE salt, we are salt junkies, we have it on almost everything we eat! However, if there were a top-10 list of minerals that have gotten a bad rap, sodium would be close to the top of that list. There are numerous reports and articles that malign this mineral to the point that people try desperately to rid it completely from their diet which is a dangerous action to take.
Sick or Health Expression?
Prior to bringing kids into the world my husband and I were living a great life – travelling and eating in great restaurants for close to eleven years. When we decided to have kids, we wanted to make sure we were congruent in our health beliefs and our health...
Are your hormones getting to you?
Here comes the hot flush! Those in the know understand what I am talking about. Perimenopause and menopause are like birthing, you don’t know what it’s like until you actually go through it! And when you are going through it you want your best friends on your side to...
The Oxymoron of Junk ‘Food’
I was writing an article the other day and whilst writing it prompted me to ask myself ‘what is food?’ Remember the quality of your life is based on the quality of your questions and so I went digging to see if I can bridge this gap between what food actually is and...
Diabetes: What’s the missing leg?
Diabetes is getting a lot of airplay with the ever-increasing obesity rates and subsequent diagnosis. However, is it all to do with genetics, sugar, junk food and perhaps a lack of movement? When I was growing up in the 60’s and 70’s diabetes was little known, you...
Vital…it’s all in the word!
The word “vital” is one I find myself using daily, and not just because it’s in our business name (Vital Wellbeing), but because it sums up so much about what we do and the philosophy by which we live our lives. But what exactly does it mean? And why is it so...
The Souvenir Sonogram
It doesn’t look like the Ultrasound industry is going to ‘die off’ anytime soon. Indeed, the industry is forging ahead with its new 3D imaging wanting to capture those ‘first moments’ for you and for a few dollars more they’ll put the images to video with lullaby music. For once I agree with the FDA that this is a potential health hazard for women and child.
Nutritious Food whilst Traveling…in the Air!
Once you have made the firm decision to change your eating habits, you will find many little tests along the way. These situations like parties and restaurants can present challenges however the biggest challenge of all lands when you decide to travel…by plane!
‘Raw Milk Fake Milk’
My sister and I used to walk to school, and as a treat to ourselves on the walk home we would visit the Clydesdale horse stables which were almost on the corner of Malvern Road and Glenferrie Road in Melbourne. It was a large stable with blue cobble stones and we'd...
7 Ways to Support a Well-functioning Immune System
Winter: time to rejuvenate. What? Usually people are encouraged to 'deaden' themselves in winter! We're told to get flu shots and trust in over-the-counter medications, yet this means the cold, cough and flu hang around for longer than needed. So, yes, rejuvenate....
To Sneeze, Blow or Plug your Nose
When you look at the body as an intelligent being you'll see there are many patterns as to why people create opportunities to grow. For example, when growing up I was told to wear shoes and rug up when going outside in the cold or I would likely 'catch' a cold. As a...
Vital Wellbeing Top 10 Traditions With Kids!
Traditions are, for many of us, the things that mark the seasons of our life. For some, the traditions are an anchor to their family line and something to be cherished and passed on. However, there’s is a fine line between traditions and indoctrinated systems. If...
Words matter. Are you speaking the right words to communicate HEALTH to yourself and your child?
It's long been said that words are powerful, able to build up or cut down an idea in a heartbeat. Everything we create begins with a thought that is then communicated through words, actions or an image. With our health, it is valuable to consider that what we speak is...
Health: what are you teaching your children ?
Would you like to be healthier in the next 12 months? I’m hedging my bets you said ‘yes!’ However, do you have a plan to get there? We’re all good at wanting to write goals, but do you achieve them? For the majority of people, goals become a distant dream as...
Breast milk… ‘FOOD’ tailored to your child
Most mothers understand that breastfeeding is a natural, healthy choice for their child. Some mothers have no difficulty getting into the rhythm of breastfeeding, while others encounter challenges and may consider formula as an option. However, I know some mothers...
“Ear infections…glue ear….grommets…or wisdom?
When your little one is in pain with a recurring ear infection, your natural instinct is to find the quickest solution that seems to be effective.One option the medical profession offers is to have grommets inserted in your child's ears. Grommets are little PVC rings,...
Big Pharma or Self-sufficient?
Life's getting more convenient every year and statistics about increased life expectancy and 'stamping out disease' are proudly quoted. But is it really getting 'better' because of the pharmaceutical industry? Today, as parents, we have incredible choice in the way we...
Mummy Overwhelm
No matter how you look at it, being a mum changes your life. And what an amazing thing it is to care for another human being as they grow from infant to toddler, through childhood and the teenage years, and then to get to know them as an adult. Yet for a growing...
Why Lice Make Their Home In Your Child’s Hair!
"How can I get rid of lice… it is so annoying!" I bet my bottom dollar that as a parent or a health professional you have asked or been asked this question… many times. It's the same question asked by parents in different countries around the world – Australia, NZ,...
5 Ways to Double Your Health and Vitality
Let me ask you a question: "What controls everything in your body?" Hopefully, you answered the brain - that amazing computer in your skull that is made up of hundreds of billions of nerve cells. Every second of every day, your brain is sending and receiving thousands...
I’m Doing This For The Rest Of My Life…Will You?
I was told as a young tacker to eat my veggies because they were good for me; I did and still do. I was told to exercise because it was good for me and I still do that too. I ate and still eat my fruit because I was told it was good for me. I was also told to just...
You Don’t Medicate Your Children…Really?
For years I thought health was about how you felt. I would, as a child, be taken to someone to get something to take something away. Interestingly, however I was also taught by my father at the age of seven that I had all the answers inside of me all I had to do was...
The Significance of the “Wibbly” Tooth!
I’ve been guest blogging lately for a couple of sites and I’ve found myself speaking about teeth a lot hence the prompt to write down our Vital Wellbeing thoughts on teeth in a health alert. I have been mostly writing about a child’s transition from their physical...
Is Life Like The Truman Show? The Normalising Gaze
I was first introduced to the normalising gaze when I was very young, I just didn’t know it. As I progressed through life I continued to be unaware that it existed… until now. In 2013 I was on a tram in Melbourne. As I sat I noticed a community newspaper close by, so...
Yuck Wash Your Hands!
I was prompted to write this after a Face Book discussion on germs. I thought it futile to comment in the thread as there just wasn’t enough space! Most were alluding to germs being nasty, disgusting and need to be gotten rid of. It's understandable that parents wish...
The Bully or The Bullied What I Taught My Children
I have had people of late either emailing me or private messaging me on our Vital Wellbeing Facebook page about bullying. All correspondence had an underlying theme of "what do I do to support my child." Interestingly we recently had two bullying situations created...
What Your Child’s Behaviour Teaches You About Yourself!
Have you ever found yourself wondering where the child you once knew went? One day your child can make a decision and the next day they won't. Or one day they can tell you what they want for breakfast and the next day they can't? Have you ever wondered why this...
Teach Your Child To Read The Ingredients!
At times I feel like a giant ogre with my kids as I harp on about food and making wise choices. I am sure as a parent you have felt this at times too. I unapologetically say "No!" in front of people now if I feel the food offered is not appropriate. I'm no longer...
A Fence or An Ambulance?
This poem I first read back in 1998 and it has stuck with me. My memory of it was triggered the other day when having a conversation with a mum who was chasing symptoms rather than looking at the cause of the health expression she had created. It is a great reminder...
Are You In A Rush To Get Your Health Back?
Every process we go through requires time. Whether it is the aging process, the birth of a child, job promotions, graduating, or learning new skills like walking, talking or riding a bike. Reaching new milestones and new levels in understanding takes time. I imagine...
Birth Dystocia What You Need To Know!
When you're pregnant you get a whole lot of unsolicited information pouring your way, right? When I was towards the end of my pregnancy with my eldest I found myself listening to a lady in the aisle of our local Hy-Vee supermarket in the USA, rambling on to me about...
The Sun Are You Tired Of Being Told How Bad It Is?
As summer is fast approaching here in the southern hemisphere I thought it would be a great opportunity to write about sunscreens. It's certainly a great time to evaluate what's in the tube BEFORE you put it on! Did you know the Cancer Council of Australia in 1980...
Nature, Birth, Butterflies and Babies
A man watched a butterfly emerge from its chrysalis. He watched intently and noticed the butterfly struggling with the process. The man thought: I should help the creature birth. Taking a pair of scissors, he cut through the chrysalis in the hope that it would help...
I had to have a Caesarian…
C-section rates are sky-rocketing and so too are the reasons people are being told to have a caesarean; major abdominal surgery. I have heard everything from: 'Your pelvis is too small', or 'too twisted' 'The baby is small and won't have the strength to birth...
What Keeps You Functioning?
So what keeps you functioning? I don't mean the "what" part of this in reference to a person that is keeping you organised. I mean what is "it" that keeps you functioning… on the inside? Have you ever thought about what "it" is? Most people think "it" comes to them...
Drug pushers are closer than you think!
In this Vital Wellbeing post I give you my "tell it like it is" approach in Drug Pushers are closer than you think. This is not an article for the faint hearted but one to "alert" you to the fact that they are right there. This may even spark some conversation, which...
Swelling And Ice Might Not Be So Swell!
This Vital Wellbeing blog is about physical injuries and bites! You might be saying what do they have in common. The answer… ice! How many times have you been bitten by an insect or a spider and how many times have you sprained something let’s say an ankle for the...
Water and Electricity the Two Don’t Mix or Do They?
There are many myths about water consumption and how much exactly we should drink. There is however one missing piece which I have not seen any one talk about which makes this Vital Wellbeing blog post unique in and of itself. So let's explore water… How much do you...
Got a cut? Lick your wound!
I am sure as a parent you've done the internal "Ouch!" as you've seen your child skidding off a bike! All children create opportunities for cuts and abrasions; whether it's falling off a bike, a scooter, a rock, from a tree, a skateboard or a surfboard. How you handle...