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How do I find a good Naturopath?
When choosing a practitioner, it's important to consider a number of different factors. Without rebates available, it can be a considerable investment for some people, especially those on lower incomes and it's important to ensure you are seeing the most suited practitioner.
Ask about their qualifications.
Often people assume that Naturopaths are regulated to the same extent as other health professionals. In Australia this isn't the case. That means that anyone can call themselves a Naturopath in this country even if they haven't done any study in the area. The person may have done a short course of a matter of weeks and call themselves a Naturopath.
Qualified practitioners really should state their qualifications on their websites as well as the member number of their association. This information can be used to go to the associations website and check to ensure the person is registered with them.
If they are qualified, associations such as the Australian Traditional Medicine Society will register them as members. By doing so, the Naturopath agrees to operate under the code of ethics of the association. Some practitioners who studied years ago may have an advanced diploma and spent many years upskilling with professional education, but recent Australian graduates from 2019 onwards should have a bachelor's degree in health science (Naturopathy).
For example, my degree was a four-year degree, and I took five years to complete it. My degree involved a number of student clinics, where we saw patients in a clinical setting, and had access to a herbal and nutritional medicine dispensary.
Unfortunately, I have been seeing a number of misleading courses advertised such as "Naturopathic Coaching" courses. A short course is in no way sufficient to be giving any sort of health advice. Many people have complicated health histories and require a practitioner to have the ability to take their case properly and assess how all of the signs and symptoms relate, understand biology, pathology, biochemistry, dietary influences, lifestyle and genetic factors to develop a holistic picture of what is going on. You will not find this in an online mini course or "certification".
People who do these courses are also not eligible for association membership. This means that they won't have TGA exemption to prescribe practitioner products and won't be able to legally formulate individual herbal medicines.
Is a functional medicine practitioner the same as a Naturopath or Doctor?
A doctor or Naturopath may have completed a functional medicine course and use this term, however other health professionals may have also completed one of these courses and don’t necessarily have any clinical experience such as student clinic hours using nutritional and herbal medicine. I would suggest asking them how long their course went for and how many hours they spent treating patients in a supervised clinical setting.
As naturopaths we have our own special principles on how to practice to serve the best interests of the patient. If you want to see a person educated in finding and treating the cause with a high level of knowledge in nutritional and herbal medicine, I recommend seeing a Naturopath. Most Naturopaths such as myself, love to work with our patients' medical teams for the best care and outcomes for the patient.
Should I get health advice from Facebook or social media?
It sure may be easier to post a question and ask total strangers of unknown education for health advice, but it is very risky. Keep in mind that qualified Health Professionals most often won’t give treatment advice on social media forums, so the people interacting are usually people with limited knowledge. Offering individual treatment advice is not permitted by the associations due to the risk of doing harm and I'm not insured to do so either.
Everything I post on social media is general in nature. For instance, I may post that zinc helps with wound healing, and if someone asks me how much they should take for their individual health needs, I can't answer that. The person may be on other drugs which interact with zinc. They also may be taking a number of different supplements already which contain zinc. Then there should be a balance between zinc and copper in the body just to name a few points.
The person asking for advice could be on a raft of different medications for disease and treatment advice could interact with those medications and land the person in hospital. When I work with clients, I ask them not to ask random strangers on internet groups for health advice. It becomes confusing to the clients to have people who generally have read one paragraph about someone's health issue and recommend products which may have helped them or their family.
They may have a completely different issue or causes to their complaints and possibly other health conditions entirely. If clients who are under my care would like a second opinion on something I have suggested, I'm more than happy to refer them to another suitably qualified practitioner.
I liken it to someone posting about how to fix their car on social media. Would you describe a noise your car is making and ask total strangers what you should buy to fix it? It's not really likely is it. You know that you could be up for hundreds of dollars to buy a part to fix it yourself and it may not even fix the noise which may have a number of different potential causes. So much better to take it to a professional to assess what going on. Your body is also far more complicated than a car, so it's important to get the right care.
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Why are consults so long?
Because I'm aiming to find the source of your current issues, and to do that I want to know all of the signs and symptoms which includes not just your physical body, but also your thoughts, emotions and how you deal with day-to-day life. I also want to get some in depth info on your diet, lifestyle, occupation, hobbies, work and living environment as they may be contributing to your present health complaints.
Naturopathy is all about finding the cause and treating the cause. This differs from a conventional medicine approach of finding a disease state and medicating it. Sometimes natural medicine can be used like this of course, to give short term symptomatic relief or in an acute condition, but I still will think why did they get sick in the first place? Why is their system weakened? What is toxic to them? What is missing in their diet or lifestyle?
Can naturopaths order blood tests?
Naturopaths have access to a wide range of blood tests and other functional tests. The range will depend on which laboratories the naturopath has accounts set up with. Our training also covers pathology analysis. The blood tests are not covered by Medicare though, so patients need to pay for their blood and functional tests.
Do I have to take heaps of supplements?
Sometimes supplements might be required. This is especially the case when there is a dietary deficiency or absorption issue. A few examples of this are when a woman has excessive menstrual bleeding causing iron deficiency. Another example may be headaches caused by insufficient magnesium in the diet, or low B12 on a vegan diet or due to pernicious anaemia.
Personally, I prefer to minimise the amount of supplements I prescribe, I don’t want my patients to be long time supplement takers. It can indicate that the causes of disease either haven’t been found or removed. It also depends on how willing the patient is to address the cause.
If a person is unwilling to change their diet for instance, more supplements might be required. My end game is for a patient to return to a state of health so the diet can provide the nutrients required for health.
How much are all these supplements going to cost?
That depends on your individual case and what supplements are required. I wish I had an exact figure to be able to tell you. I always ask about budget constraints when it comes to collating a treatment plan, and if there is an equally effective supplement which is a cheaper over the counter alternative, I will inform you. If you are seeing another practitioner, please tell them how much you can afford to spend. The principle of ""do no harm"" includes trying to avoid financial harm to patients.
You need to feel safe and comfortable with the practitioner you choose
It's vital that you feel safe and heard by your chosen practitioner. This is where a discovery call can be really helpful. The purpose is to ascertain whether you feel you can be open and free to share your cares and concerns with the practitioner. You will be able to tell whether they truly hear you and understand what you need. I encourage booking discovery calls with the practitioner you are thinking about seeing. It can really help you make a more informed decision. Sometimes when I see Facebook posts of people asking strangers for health advice when they are under the care of a practitioner, I wonder if they feel truly comfortable asking the questions they want answered.
Another example is in retail, where customers have a long list of supplements and ask for cheaper brands. Sometimes they weren't asked what their budget is in the consult and haven't felt comfortable asking. If you choose a practitioner your feel comfortable with, these questions become easy for you because you feel supported and know you can ask anything.
Hi! I'm Rachel, and I help people with persistent symptoms causing disharmony in their body and impacting their quality of life. If you are looking for answers, I'm ready to help you find the cause of your problems and develop a treatment plan for you to move forward into a life of harmony. Nature is here to help you and so am I.
"By removing the obstacles which no longer serve you, and replacing them with things that do, it creates an internal garden for vibrancy, peace and health to grow."
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Disclaimer: While Rachel attempts to provide the visitors to this site with the most helpful, accurate and pertinent information, she cannot know each visitor's individual and personal health circumstances, medical conditions, potential allergies, intolerances or sensitivities. The contents of this website, including the blog, webinars, courses and other related content do not constitute medical advice or a practitioner/client relationship. Always seek individual consultations with your healthcare practitioner of choice before you take action regarding your health including but not limited to diet, lifestyle, supplements or herbal remedies.