Herbalists & Nutritionists: In the Clinic with Camille

Camille Freeman, RH, DCN | Clinical Herbalist

This show is for clinical herbalists and nutritionists in private practice. We discuss tips and strategies for building a private integrative practice, working with herbs and supplements, issues affecting the fields of herbalism and nutrition, and more. My goal is to help herbalists and nutritionists run sustainable clinical practices.  Most episodes are bite-sized. Topics include common questions and dilemmas faced by clinicians: practice management, clinical decision-making, how to make a sustainable living, ethical marketing and promotion, providing excellent clinical care without burning out, approaching clinical situations thoughtfully, safety concerns and fads in clinical practice, supplement safety, professional development, the practice of herbal medicine, how to run an evidence-informed practice, and more.  New episodes weekly. Show notes at intheclinic.com.

  1. Sep 29

    126 | Pink urine, beets, and iron deficiency

    While prepping a class on iron deficiency for the Menstrual Health Intensive that Liane Moccia and I are currently teaching, I stumbled into a rabbit hole: a 1963 BMJ paper linking beeturia - pink or red urine after eating beets - to iron deficiency. Physiology nerds, check out this episode for a quick overview of why iron deficiency might cause red or pink urine in some cases, and why it's more of a clue and less of a clear diagnostic sign.  What I Cover Beeturia basics A 1963 study in BMJ that identified the relationship between beeturia and iron deficiency The working theory about why iron deficiency might cause red or pink urine Why beeturia isn't diagnostic on its own, but might be worth noticing alongside other signs and symptoms Key Takeaways Red or pink urine after eating beets does not mean you (or your client) have iron deficiency - it shows up in roughly 2-15% of "normal" people without ID/IDA Beeturia is more common in iron deficiency, especially when untreated The likely mechanism is an "iron hunger": the gut absorbs iron faster, so less is left in the lumen to oxidize and decolorize betanin before it's absorbed Links and Resources Mentioned Oski, F. A. (1993). Iron deficiency in infancy and childhood. New England Journal of Medicine, 329(3), 190–193. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199307153290308 Wang, Y., Adekolurejo, O. O., Wang, B., McDermott, K., Do, T., Marshall, L. J., & Boesch, C. (2024). Bioavailability and excretion profile of betacyanins - Variability and correlations between different excretion routes. Food Chemistry, 437(Pt 1), 137663. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2023.137663 Watson, W. C., Luke, R. G., & Inall, J. A. (1963). Beeturia: Its incidence and a clue to its mechanism. British Medical Journal, 2(5363), 971–973. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.2.5363.971 Wiczkowski, W., Romaszko, E., Szawara-Nowak, D., & Piskula, M. K. (2018). The impact of the matrix of red beet products and interindividual variability on betacyanins bioavailability in humans. Food Research International, 108, 530–538. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2018.04.004 Menstrual Health Intensive - my class with Liane Moccia, in case you're interested! The 1963 paper is open access; the others may take some scouting to find full text. Stay in Touch If you're not already on my Practitioner Notes newsletter, I send it out every Thursday with things we don't cover here on the podcast. You can sign up at camillefreeman.com or intheclinic.com. Thanks so much for the work that you do!

    126 | Pink urine, beets, and iron deficiency
  2. Sep 8

    123 | Why Ovulation Matters with Liane Moccia

    I'm joined in this episode by my colleague and co-teacher, registered herbalist and fertility specialist Liane Moccia, to talk more about the responses to the question, "Are you ovulating?"  We cover what signs to look for, how to interpret tracking data (cervical fluid, LH strips, temperature), and why ovulation is a vital marker of hormonal and overall health even when someone isn’t trying to conceive. We also discuss practical intake phrasing, common misunderstandings, and introduce our Menstrual Health Intensive: a physiology-focused course with live teaching and case observation groups for clinicians who want to support clients experiencing menstrual health concerns. Key Takeaways Many clients have never been taught to recognize ovulatory signs/symptoms Cervical fluid is a reliable, free marker of rising estradiol, though some clients may mistake it for infection Having a baseline understanding of ovulation before perimenopause makes later changes easier to interpret and may reduce the need for expensive testing Clear, specific wording on intake forms prevents misinterpretation The luteal phase length and confirmed ovulation timing help us place premenstrual symptoms accurately on the timeline Links referenced in this episode: Liane's website: https://lianemoccia.com/  Liane's book, The Herbal Fertility Handbook: https://lianemoccia.com/book/  Menstrual Health Intensive: https://www.camillefreeman.com/menstrualhealth/

    123 | Why Ovulation Matters with Liane Moccia
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About

This show is for clinical herbalists and nutritionists in private practice. We discuss tips and strategies for building a private integrative practice, working with herbs and supplements, issues affecting the fields of herbalism and nutrition, and more. My goal is to help herbalists and nutritionists run sustainable clinical practices.  Most episodes are bite-sized. Topics include common questions and dilemmas faced by clinicians: practice management, clinical decision-making, how to make a sustainable living, ethical marketing and promotion, providing excellent clinical care without burning out, approaching clinical situations thoughtfully, safety concerns and fads in clinical practice, supplement safety, professional development, the practice of herbal medicine, how to run an evidence-informed practice, and more.  New episodes weekly. Show notes at intheclinic.com.

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