I've been quiet on here recently, and I felt it was time to share why. A few weeks ago, I found myself in hospital — not as a precaution, but as an urgent medical necessity. What began as the discomfort of an impacted wisdom tooth escalated rapidly into something far more serious:

As many of you know, I take medication to manage my psoriatic arthritis. It's a condition I've navigated for years, and the medication that keeps my joints from flaring also suppresses my immune system. Most of the time, that's a calculated and manageable trade-off. But on this occasion, that immune suppression meant my body simply didn't have the defences it needed to fight what would otherwise have been a fairly routine dental issue.

The infection took hold fast. I couldn’t swallow, I had Lock Jaw and the pain was untouched by routine dosing of paracetamol. Before I knew it, I was receiving high-dose antibiotics via IV infusion over a 48-hour hospital stay. It was frightening, humbling, and — I won't pretend otherwise — exhausting in a way I hadn't experienced before.

The Aftermath Nobody Talks About

I was discharged, and I was grateful. But what followed the hospital stay was its own kind of challenge. Heavy antibiotic use — while completely necessary and life-saving — doesn't discriminate. It wipes out the harmful bacteria, yes, but it also strips away the beneficial microbiome that lives in your gut and underpins so much of your overall health: your digestion, your immunity, your mood, even your energy.

I came home feeling hollowed out. My gut was unsettled, my energy was low, and emotionally — well, there's something about a serious illness that quietly rattles you, even after the physical crisis has passed. A strange mix of relief, vulnerability, and a kind of yearning for the version of yourself that felt strong just days before.

Returning to What I Know: Gentle, Natural Recovery

This is where everything I believe about wellness — everything Elsie & Tom was built upon — came back to me, not as theory, but as lived practice.

Rest, without guilt. I'm not a person who finds stillness easy. Even years of managing chronic fatigue I still find a knock to my health frustrating - but my body made the decision for me. I've been sleeping more, doing less, and learning (again) that rest is not laziness — it is medicine.

Nourishing food. With a compromised gut, I've turned to a clean, paleo-inspired way of eating where I can — whole foods, quality proteins, healthy fats, and plenty of vegetables. No ultra-processed foods, no inflammatory ingredients that could further burden a system already working hard to repair itself. Home-made soups and broth has become a daily staple, along with fermented foods to gently begin rebuilding my gut flora.

My magnesium balm. I reach for this more than ever right now. The emotional waves that come after a health issue are real — the anxious nights, the tension held in the body after such excruciating pain, the low hum of worry that sits just beneath the surface. Massaging our Magnesium Balm into my skin each evening has become a ritual I treasure. Magnesium plays a crucial role in the nervous system and in regulating our stress response, and absorbing it transdermally is one of the gentlest, most effective ways I know to support the body when it needs calming.

It doesn't fix everything. But it helps me feel held.

Why I'm Sharing This

I've always believed in honesty as the foundation of this brand. Elsie & Tom wasn't born from a trend or a business opportunity — it was born from my own health journey, from a real and deeply personal need to find natural ways to feel better in my own body. That origin story matters to me, and so does being real with you when life gets hard.

If you are immune compromised — whether through medication, a health condition, or any other reason — please take dental health seriously. I say this not to alarm, but because I wasn’t and I wish I had listened when I  had been reminded, but like all things in life we are usually the ones that fail to look after ourselves first. The mouth is a gateway to the whole body, and for those of us with suppressed immunity, what might be a minor issue for most can escalate quickly.

And if you're in your own season of recovery right now — whatever form that takes — I want you to know: it's okay to be exactly where you are. You don't have to rush back. Sometimes the most profound act of self-care is simply being gentle with yourself.

Moving Forward, Slowly and Intentionally

I'm not back to full steam yet, and I'm making peace with that. The studio is still here. The candles are still being made. The orders are going out. But I'm doing it all at a pace that honours where my body is right now.

Thank you, as always, for being here — for your patience, your kind messages, and for being part of this community that continually reminds me why I do what I do.

With love and a little more rest than usual,

Emma x

If you'd like to know more about our Magnesium Balm and how it can support your nervous system and emotional wellbeing, you can find it at elsieandtom.co.uk.

Always consult your GP or healthcare professional before making changes to your health regime, especially if you are taking immunosuppressant medication.