What is Naturopathy?
Naturopathy is a holistic healthcare approach that utilizes natural medicines such as vitamins, diet, minerals, herbal medicine and lifestyle changes to support health and wellbeing.
It focuses on an individual’s needs, therefore consultations are tailored specifically to your unique needs and requirements.
Naturopathic medicine has been around for a very long time and today it combines the best of two worlds; both modern scientific research and lab testing plus traditional teachings on diet, lifestyle, and herbal medicine.
A naturopath's role is to support the body's natural processes and identify factors that may be contributing to poor health.
Many people are told that once they develop a health condition, they simply have to live with it. Naturopathic care takes a different approach by looking at the underlying factors that may be contributing to your symptoms and supporting your health from a whole-person perspective.
Health can be influenced by many interconnected factors, including nutrition, digestion, hormones, stress, sleep, lifestyle and environmental factors.
Naturopathic care looks at these factors to understand what may be contributing to your symptoms and where appropriate, support the body’s natural processes.
Naturopathy is based on 7 principles
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First Do No Harm: Utilise natural, safe, least invasive, non-habit forming and least toxic therapies.
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The Healing Power of Nature: Support the body's natural capacity to heal and restore balance, recognising that our bodies are part of God's creation.
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Treat the Whole Person: View the person as an integrated whole; considering physical, emotional and spiritual aspects.
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Identify and Treat the Root Cause: Look beyond the symptoms to understand the underlying factors that may be contributing to poor health.
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Doctor as Teacher: Educate clients in the steps to achieving and maintaining health.
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Prevention: Focus on overall health, wellness and disease prevention.
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Wellness: A Naturopath's role is to help the client establish and maintain optimal health and wellness, while empowering them to take an active role in their own healthcare.
"My focus is to help get you well and teach you how to stay well. It’s about looking beyond symptoms and supporting simple dietary and lifestyle changes that can add up to better health for your body, mind and spirit.". - Hannah
Naturopathy Diagnostic Testing, Sunshine Coast
Diagnostic Testing
Diagnostic Testing is often an important step of the wellness journey, as the first step to getting better is knowing what's wrong. Generally when people come to see me they have had a diagnosis, but they still have many unanswered questions about what is contributing to their symptoms such as;
What is my thyroid doing?
How are my hormone levels?
Do I have enough vitamins and minerals?
Am I eating the right foods?
Is this problem aggravated by food?
Could I have a food allergy or intolerance?
Could environmental factors such as heavy metals or chemical exposure be relevant to my health?
Could there be an imbalance in my gut microbiome, such as SIBO, Candida or other bacterial or parasitic issues?
Are there genetic factors that may be relevant to my health, such as MTHFR variations?
These are all very valid questions. Where appropriate, I use laboratory testing to help gather more information about your health and identify factors that may be contributing to your symptoms. So we can make a evidince based plan to getting you well again.
Here is a small sample of tests that I can help you complete:
SIBO Breath Test, Pyrroles Test, DUTCH Hormone Test, Hormonal and Metabolic testing, IgG allergy and food sensitivity or intolerance testing, ALCAT food and environmental pollution tests, Parasite testing, microbiome testing, OAT, and many more.
To speak with a naturopath on the Sunshine Coast, contact us by email or call 0474 728 723.
Herbal Medicine
Herbal medicine has been around for a very long time; in fact, it may be the oldest therapeutic medicine known to man. According to archaeologists, the use of medicinal plants dates back 30,000 - 50,000 years.
When you come to see me, I will assess your body for signs and symptoms that indicate the use of certain herbs. I take a comprehensive approach, looking at how each of your organs and glands are functioning as whole, which gives me a deeper insight to which herbs are best for you and enabling me to make up a herbal formula that’s specifically tailored to your health concerns.
How Does Herbal Medicine Work?
Herbal medicine works in a few different ways that combine together - this is known as the synergy of herbal medicine and is a very important aspect to understand.
Plants are part of God's creation and have been used throughout history to support human health. Herbal medicine uses the naturally occurring compounds within plants to support specific physiological processes in the body.
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Many herbs contain active phytochemical compounds that have been studied for their effects on the body and may be used to support areas such as digestion, inflammation, immune function, stress and hormonal health.
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Plants also contain naturally occurring nutrients and compounds, including vitamins, minerals, proteins, polysaccharides and healthy fats, depending on the plant.
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Each herb has its own unique properties and traditional uses. For example, ginger has warming and digestive properties, while other herbs may have cooling, soothing or moistening qualities. I select herbs according to the individual's needs, using both traditional herbal knowledge and current evidence.
I don't believe plants have consciousness or magical healing powers. Their healing potential comes from the way God created them and the compounds they contain, which can interact with the body in specific ways.
Did you know that many pharmaceutical medicines were originally developed from compounds found in plants?
Plants contain a diverse range of naturally occurring compounds that can have significant effects on the human body. Some of these compounds have been isolated, studied and developed into pharmaceutical medicines.
Herbal medicine takes a different approach.
Rather than isolating a single compound, traditional herbal medicine often uses the whole plant or a standardised extract containing multiple naturally occurring compounds. These compounds can work together and may influence different physiological pathways.
This is sometimes described as herbal synergy — the potential for multiple constituents within a plant to work together. The effects of an herb depend on its particular compounds, preparation, dose and the individual taking it, which is why appropriate herbal prescribing matters.
Plants are part of God's creation, and their medicinal properties are a remarkable part of the natural world. I use herbal medicine alongside current evidence and traditional knowledge to select herbs according to each person's individual needs.