What do Naturopaths Do?

As a naturopath I see my role as helping people with their health issues – and those health issues tend to fit into one of the following categories,

  • A person who doesn’t feel right and has a variety of symptoms such as fatigue, stress, anxiety, hormonal issues, digestive issues, and weight gain, their symptoms often mean that though they have been for tests everything says there is nothing wrong and yet they don’t feel right.
  • A person who has been diagnosed with a health issue and is either: looking for alternative answers; looking for support from side effects of medication; or maybe they are following the medical route and are not happy with the results they are getting; or have read the side effects of the medication and are  looking for alternative strategies.
  • A person who has had some sort of health warning and now knows that they have to do something to change their life – it could be a heart attack or cancer warning, and it may have happened to them personally or maybe to a sibling or close friend. Sometimes it will be someone looking to prevent a disease that may run in their family.

So what happens during a consultation?

Your first appointment will take about an hour and begin with questions about yourself, your symptoms and you and your family’s health history including medications, surgeries and major illnesses. You have a story about your health and it is important to understand this to help you on your journey to health. It is also important to help understand what your priorities are so that we can work to address those as soon as practical.

Usually health issues have been going on for a while and getting back to real health is not just about taking a pill, it is about initially relieving symptoms and then about making sure they don’t return. This may take a little longer to attain. So if you have a nail in your hand it hurts – so we can give you a pain killer and that will take away the pain however it doesn’t stop the pain from coming back. We really need to remove the nail, and additionally find out how it got there so that we can stop it happening again. So it is the same with disease – it is easy to give something to make it look like the symptoms no longer exists – and not stop it coming back.

So how do we do that?

I look for additional information displayed by your tongue and iris. I look at your tongue to get an indication of nutrition deficiencies and take a photo of your eye. I will then explain what your eye is telling you about your health. Your eye is your blueprint of the areas of your body that need support and will help identify areas that

need attention and help. Then we will discuss how to go about improving your  health and wellbeing.

I also consider thing such as

  • Adrenal overload and stress
  • Emotional trauma
  • Food and beverage choices
  • Food intolerances
  • Heavy metal toxicity
  • Leaky gut syndrome
  • Level of activity or inactivity
  • Nutrient deficiencies
  • Parasites
  • Poor digestion leading to absorption issues or even hormonal issues
  • Post viral syndrome
  • Sleep hygiene
  • Toxicity and chemical overload

So how do I help people with their health problems?

Many people already know things that they can do to improve their health and wellbeing — however they need motivation or help to get started — and that is my job. Sometimes it is things like not having enough energy to start exercising, or being time poor and needing help with ideas for quick healthy meals, or needing some herbs to help cope with anxiety or stress load, or being low in nutrients and this is contributing to health issues.

I look at what foods and drinks are taken in and how that can be made healthier, sometimes that is through small changes and other times more radical changes are needed. I believe what we put into our bodies either adds or takes away from our health. I may also include the use of nutrients to help rebalance, refuel and repair the body. In today’s society our soil is nutrient poor which means that our food supply is nutrient poor, and this can contribute to a variety of issues. Additionally many people suffer from digestive issues that can mean even the best quality food will not be well absorbed, and so healing the digestive system becomes a priority.

Lifestyle choices are another area that I look closely into, stress is a huge factor in our lives today. Stress is so normal for many of us that we don’t realise we are under stress! Symptoms of stress include obvious ones like irritability, fatigue — being too tired to enjoy life, being snappy with loved ones to more obscure  symptoms such as weight gain, insomnia, poor immunity and digestives distress. Discussing ways to relax and unwind is a very important part of the healing journey.

I may also use Flower Essences to help you on your health quest. Flower Essences work on a vibrational level and are used to treat emotional disharmony such as anger, fear, lack of confidence, low self-esteem and loneliness. The most well known Flower Essence is Rescue Remedy which is a combination of five Flower Essences and has been used long term to help with stressful situations such as exams, doctor or hospital visits, accidents or emotional upsets. There are many more essences that can be combined to make a blend specifically to help you.

Can Naturopathy help you?

If you aren’t feeling your best but can’t seem to put your finger on the reason why, you may be among the millions of people accepting life at a sub-standard level of health. As a naturopath I can help you get back on track and feel revitalised and ready to be excited about what the world has to offer you.

As a naturopath I can help with most health conditions including:

  • Digestive problems including heartburn, indigestion, bloating, wind, constipation, diarrhoea, or Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  • Emotional issues including depression, feeling irritable or anxious
  • Fatigue and energy issues including chronic fatigue syndrome, post viral syndrome, and lack of zest and vitality
  • Immune issues including allergies, breathing problems, frequent colds , hay fever, sinus and flu and autoimmune conditions
  • Menstrual and menopausal problems including irregular periods, difficulty getting pregnant, premenstrual syndrome, hot flushes and night sweats
  • Pain including migraines and headaches
  • Skin condition including eczema, dry scaly skin and poor wound healing
  • Sleep issues
  • Stress including anxiety, irritability and loss of enjoyment of life
  • Thyroid conditions including hypo and hyperthyroidism, Grave’s disease and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis

As a naturopath, I assist with a lot of long term or chronic health issues — the type of things that we often put up with because they are not life threatening just life zapping.

One of the things that is awesome about what I do is that I see a lot of women – and through helping them take care of themselves I am also changing the lives of the rest of their family. By helping the mum feel better, children and partners are going to have better lives too. Through educating mums about diet and lifestyle and helping them make healthier choices then I am also helping the whole family become healthier and happier, and everyone wants that!

I have also chosen to work in a chiropractic clinic as I believe that spinal care is an important factor in health care too. If you eat the best diet in the world and your spine is not right, then this can affect how you feel, as well as how well you absorb nutrients. If your spine is right and you eat rubbish you will also feel like rubbish

— I believe the two work hand in hand.

So book your appointment today and start feeling better sooner.