Looking after your gut, skin and wellbeing: Naturopath Leila DiQuinzio.

Firstly, what is a naturopath?

They’re trained practitioners who focus on the body having an innate ability to heal itself, with some help along the way. 

So, let’s say you go and see a naturopath about your itchy skin. Instead of providing a band-aid solution — they dig deep, looking for the root cause of your symptoms. 

Their favourite word is ‘why’. Why is the body behaving in a certain way? Is it the food you’re eating? Your external environment? Hormones? Stress? The bigger picture. 

Leila’s been a naturopath for around twelve years. She grew up with parents who saw them, and, to quote her: 

“There were a few situations where I thought — wow, this is magic.” 

She now co-owns Aēsara Health, a multi-modality clinic in Northcote with 16 practitioners. GIRL. BOSS.

I’m dealing with general gut and/or skin issues. Where do I start?

Leila says to start with a GP or naturopath. A lot of the time, if someone hasn’t seen a GP yet, she’ll refer them to one anyway for pathology, assessment, or a specialist referral. Results you can bring back to learn more. Naturopaths work super cohesively with other modalities — it’s all about creating a team for yourself.

The gut and skin. Why are they so connected? 

When you start thinking like a naturopath — you’ll realise everything is connected. That pizza you had last night, stressful emails at 8PM, a traumatic experience from ten years ago: they all can affect the body. 

Think of it this way: your skin is your external barrier to the world. The gut is like your internal barrier. You’re exposed to the things in your environment, as well as what you put in your body. 

The body has to communicate to know what’s good and what’s bad, and then the immune system responds. 

“A big part of this is leaky gut, which is super common. It’s intestinal hyperpermeability.” 

We’ll explain. Believe it or not, the gut barrier is a single layer of cells with a mucous layer. If these cells separate, it's called leaky gut. Unwanted particles from the digestive system can enter the bloodstream when they shouldn't usually be able to. They can travel all ‘round the body and create inflammation.

Skin is really multifaceted - it’s affected by so many different parts of our system. Because it’s our largest elimination organ, if you’re not eliminating properly through gut, liver, kidneys, lymph, there are toxins that can come out of your skin as well. 

Plus, if your gut isn’t functioning properly, you’re probably not absorbing nutrients properly. Some of these nutrients are VITAL to the gut, and the skin. 

I’m just feeling gaslit by my health experience. I don’t know what to do.

It’s hard, but we promise there are amazing people out there. GP’s, derms, naturopaths, specialists, plus more. It’s all about creating a team of people for yourself that will help you get to the root cause. 

Leila’s tip: if you haven’t considered it yet, psychology with a trusted professional is so important. Dealing with your health can be really stressful, which is also a huge trigger.

Plus, you can help to address stress through mindfulness and the little things. Like: 

1. Reduce your screen time, especially before bed. Blue light is even worse. Try and put practices into place to help the nervous system calm down and switch from sympathetic to parasympathetic. It’s not good for our bodies to be switching from flight or flight to sleep too quickly, we need to reach the ‘rest and digest’ stage too. 
   
   
2. Get enough sleep! Trying to fall asleep before midnight is so important for our circadian rhythms. Every hour you get before 12am is soooo good for you.

I’m a bit scared to see a naturopath for the first time.

Ok. Here’s the rundown. The first appointment is all about a big chat, a thorough hour-long consult. 

First, you'll flesh out the main concern, and then delve into other systems that contribute. Things like your gut, sleep, hormones, diet, exercise. Questions like are you working too much? Are you having enough fun? 

Then, your practitioner might order testing. Either with a GP (like pathology or bloods) or through naturopathy (ie: gut testing). 

After they come back, you’ll look at a treatment plan. Leila likes to create a collaborative one that doesn’t feel daunting, or unachievable. Whatever you feel is possible without feeling overwhelmed — whether that’s two changes or 20. 

More on my story with Leila.

When I went to see Leila a few years ago, I was VERY unsure what I was dealing with. I was eating healthily, but always felt sick and was constantly throwing up. 

We had a huge chat, and when she heard that mushrooms were growing out of my old rental’s floorboards, it rang huge alarm bells. 

After testing, we realised that I had SIBO — small intestinal bacterial overgrowth — which was most likely caused by the mould exposure. EEK. 

I was eating seven foods, and couldn’t tolerate any herbs. So, Leila put me in touch with the integrated GP who saved my life. 

"I hated passing people along. I’ve only done that 3 or 4 times in my whole career. Your case was a big part of what inspired me to do further training in SIBO". 

Now? Leila specialises in functional digestive disorders like SIBO (and does a darn good job at it). 

You can learn more about Leila's clinic here. The Aēsara Health team have reviewed this blog and approved the information. x

PSA: We have no affiliation with Leila or her clinic, Aēsara Health. She’s been so incredible to myself, my team, and my friends — that we truly recommend her to people who are keen to see a naturopath. This is all based on my experience. This is not medical advice, always consult your healthcare team before making any changes.