If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve already tried a lot of different things to help heal your childs eczema break outs. Different creams, cortisone, antibiotics and the dreaded diet changes. Maybe you’ve even tried cutting out dairy and gluten, struggling to find things your child will eat in the process. And yet… their eczema is still there. Or it improves for a little while, and then flares up again without any obvious reason.

It’s exhausting and confusing, especially when you do ALL the things you’ve been told to by your doctor and paediatrician and nothing works.

I’m here to share with you the good news, that there is another way! Traditionally eczema has been looked at as a skin issue, and treated topically with creams, ointments and bleach baths. And while these can help manage symptoms for a time, they don’t address the underlying drivers. This is because eczema is usually not about the skin, and it isn’t a topical issue. It is an internal issue reflecting on the skin.
 
Eczema and the Gut connection
One of the biggest pieces I see missing in traditional eczema treatment is gut health. The gut and immune system are so closely connected, and the skin is often where this imbalance will show up in children. A big driver of this is microbiome imbalance. Our microbiome is the community of bacteria and fungi that live inside of us, and play a huge roll in immunity, inflammation and digestion. When the microbiome becomes imbalanced that is when we see increased food sensitivities, skin flare ups that are hard to settle, and ongoing inflammation in the body.
 
With microbiome imbalances, certain bacteria may be overgrown, while beneficial ones are lacking. This can then lead to the immune system being on high alert, responding more strongly than it needs to. Food can also trigger symptoms, but often it’s not the root cause. Instead, it’s usually a sign the gut needs support and that there is an underlying low level of inflammation present. Even if the skin looks calmer for a time, the underlying inflammation can still be there.
 
Why Removing More and More Foods Doesn’t Always Work
In clinic I see this a lot. Mums are doing their absolute best to help their child’s eczema, and end up cutting out more foods in the hope of finding the culprit. But the list of no foods keeps growing and things still aren’t improving long-term. This comes down to the gut. If it isn’t being supported the body continues reacting, and this is even to healthy foods.
That’s why a more targeted, supportive approach tends to work better than food restriction alone.
 
Microbiome Testing for children’s eczema
This is where deeper investigation can be really helpful. A complete microbiome Map test looks at the composition of your microbiome, how the body is digesting foods, inflammatory markers, the health of the gut lining and so much more. It helps us to understand what your child’s body is actually dealing with internally. This is the test, don’t guess approach, which gives us test results and a clear path forward based on those results.
 
What Healing Often Looks Like
When we support the body properly, things shift in a sustainable way. This looks like a slow and steady improvement in eczema flare ups, less intense reactions, less and less use of steroid creams over time until you don’t need them anymore, and a more settled and resilient system. It isn’t something that happens immediately over night, but slowly and steadily, which means the body can maintain the changes.
 
If You’re Feeling Stuck on how to heal your child’s eczema
You haven’t missed something, you haven’t done anything wrong and you are definitely NOT alone! Most parents are never shown the full picture of eczema at their GP or Pediatrician's office. But there is always a reason your child’s body is responding this way. When we look deeper, we can understand what that reason is, and how to support your  child properly.
If your child has been stuck in the eczema cycle, and you’re ready to look deeper, this is exactly what I help families work through.

Get in touch here to chat with me further,

​Ally
 

 ADHD & Your Child's Health: What Testing Can Reveal (And Why It Matters)

When it comes to supporting a child with ADHD, most parents are handed a pretty short list: medication, behaviour therapy, and maybe some diet advice. But what if there’s more we can look at — and what if it could make a big difference?
In my clinic, I often see children with ADHD-like symptoms who are dealing with much more than what’s on the surface. Underneath the meltdowns, the restlessness, the trouble focusing — there can be real, measurable imbalances happening in the body.
Here are two powerful tools I use to help uncover them:

1. Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA). HTMA is a simple, non-invasive test that looks at the minerals and metals in your child’s body using a small hair sample. Why is this helpful?

• Low zinc or magnesium can affect concentration and mood
• High copper can drive anxiety, overwhelm and hyperactivity
• Heavy metals like lead, aluminium or mercury can impair brain function and worsen symptoms

These aren’t always picked up in blood tests — and yet they can have a huge effect on your child’s wellbeing.

2. Microbiome Testing. The gut and brain are deeply connected — so it makes sense that when the gut is struggling, the brain can too.
Microbiome testing helps us understand:

• Whether your child has the right balance of good gut bacteria
• If inflammation or leaky gut could be affecting behaviour
• Hidden infections or overgrowths that contribute to symptoms like irritability, tummy pain, and poor sleep

When we bring the gut back into balance, kids often feel calmer, more settled and more in control of their emotions.

Putting the Pieces Together
There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to kids and ADHD. But when we have real data, we can:
✔️ Personalise diet and lifestyle strategies
✔️ Replenish key nutrients
✔️ Support detox pathways
✔️ Reduce the burden on the nervous system
And we can do it in a way that feels gentle, natural and supportive — not overwhelming.

Want to explore this for your child? I offer both HTMA and microbiome testing in the clinic, and I work with families to create plans that actually work in real life — even for fussy eaters and busy schedules.
The clinic is in Bendigo if you prefer in person appointments.
Online appointments are also available.
You'll find a friendly space where you and your child are always understood and welcomed.

​If you're ready to look a little deeper, I’m here for you. Let’s support your child’s amazing brain to thrive,

Ally Chick, ND

Hormones are little messengers that play a huge role in how we feel day to day — from our energy and emotions to how well we sleep and even how much we want to socialise (or not). When they’re in balance, we tend to feel clear-headed, emotionally stable, energetic, and our cycles just flow. But when they’re not... well, it can feel like everything is a bit out of whack.
Let’s take a closer look at what hormonal imbalance might look like — and how you can begin to restore harmony again.

Signs Your Hormones Might Be Out of Balance. Every woman is different, but here are some of the most common signs I see in clinic:

• Mood swings, anxiety or feeling weepy for no reason
• Fatigue that doesn’t lift with rest
• Period pain, PMS, or irregular cycles
• Heavy periods, spotting between cycles, or very light bleeds
• Breast tenderness or bloating before your period
• Trouble sleeping, especially in the second half of your cycle
• Weight gain (especially around the middle) or fluid retention
• Low libido or feeling emotionally flat
• Breakouts or skin changes around your period

It’s not just about your period — it’s your whole month that can be impacted when hormones aren’t in sync.

What’s Really Going On? Your hormones are part of a finely tuned orchestra. Oestrogen, progesterone, cortisol, insulin and thyroid hormones all influence each other — so when one is out, the others usually follow. And while you can throw supplements at the symptoms, true healing comes from understanding the why. That’s where pathology testing and a personalised approach makes a world of difference.

How I Can Help. As a naturopath, I look at your whole picture — not just your period. Together we explore your symptoms, your stress levels, your sleep, your gut health and even your emotional wellbeing.
We test your hormones to get a clear picture of what's going on, and then I’ll create a realistic, holistic plan tailored to you. That might include food and lifestyle tweaks, herbal and nutritional medicines, guidance around rest, stress support, and gentle but powerful tools to help your body rebalance.

What Women Say After Working With Me
"I didn’t realise how much my hormones were affecting everything. After just a few weeks, I felt calmer, I was sleeping better, and my period showed up without all the usual drama."
– Angela S
"I feel like I’ve got myself back again."
– Kristy B

You Don’t Have to Just Push Through. If your hormones are making life harder than it needs to be, that’s a sign your body is asking for support — and you deserve to feel good again. I offer warm, practical, evidence-based care for women at every life stage. Whether you're post-baby, perimenopausal or just feeling 'off' — I’d love to help you get back to balance.


In person appointments are Available Thursdays in Bendigo, or online when it suits. 
💳 Afterpay available. Contact me for this option.
🖥️ You can Book online or reach out with any questions

Alysia Chick
BHSc Naturopathy

Smoothies are one of my all time favourite ways to give my body loads of nutrients, in a way that it can easily absorb. You can put anything you fancy into them, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, yogurts and more.

As a mum, it's an easy thing that I can do for myself to ensure I'm eating well and getting the nutrition that I need. An added bonus is that it does the same for my kids, and they love their smoothies too!

However it's not always easy to start or continue a new habit, so I have some tips for you today in making your smoothie game strong!

Step 1. Pick a delicious smoothie recipe that sings to you. I love to put berries in mine, but maybe you love mango, or maybe you prefer a vegetable based smoothie.
Step 2. Get enough ingredients to make at least 4 of these smoothies, and portion them out into 4 bowls or piles (not the liquid portion)
Step 3. Get 4 zip lock bags. Place each pile of smoothie goodness into a zip lock bag. Label it, and write a note on the bag with what liquid to add to the blender when you make the smoothie, and how much
Step 4. Place these bags in your freezer. Make sure that you haven't added any liquid base at this stage.
Step 5. When you are ready to make your smoothie, grab a bag from the freezer, pop the contents into your blender, and add your chosen liquid.

This method of making up 'smoothie bags' really makes it so easy to get your daily smoothie fix without much effort at all. You can make up bags of different smoothies at the same time, so you have options in your freezer too. This is a perfect hack if you are very busy in the mornings, and it makes your smoothie a really super fast food.

When I do this myself, I usually do 1 cup of berries, 1 banana, a big handful of baby spinach, a scoop or two of seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, chia etc) and a dash of vanilla essence of powder. I'll pop all of this in a zip lock bag and put it in the freezer. On the day i'm making that smoothie I'll add 500ml oat or almond milk, and some yogurt if I feel like it. This will make enough for 2 adults, or 1 for me and 2 smaller ones for my girls.
When we had our first baby I made up a bunch of these for the freezer, and after our baby arrived it made it super simple for my husband to make us smoothies!

Let me know if you try this hack, and what you put in your smoothie bags?

I hope you love it,

Ally xx

Are you a hot chocolate or latte fan? Perhaps you enjoy herbal teas or a warming tumeric or matcha latte. 
My personal favourites are a delicious chai made with fresh herbs and spices, or a lovely ginger and cinnamon style tea. 

As promised I have a delicious muffin recipe coming up for you guys :) These are lip smackingly good, and the recipe is courtesy of Jude Blereau from her book titled 'Wholefood Baking'. This book is amazing, I highly recommend it for all sorts of wholesome baking. Birthday cakes, morning tea slices, muffins, pastries, you name it and you can find it in this wonderful book.

Following on from our last article, today I'm excited to talk to you about Nourishing your Toddlers. Our little people are so important, and what we feed them really can set them up for health and wellness from the beginning.