What is Naturopathy?
Naturopathy is a system or method of treating illness & disease that employs no surgery or synthetic drugs but uses food as medicine, specialised diets, herbal medicine, nutrient therapy (supplements) lifestyle changes and counselling, where appropriate, to assist the natural healing processes of the body in a holistic way, supporting physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
What is Nutrition?
Nutrition is the science that interprets the nutrients and other substances in food in relation to maintenance, growth, reproduction, health and disease of the body. It includes food intake, absorption, assimilation, biosynthesis, catabolism (breakdown) of molecules and the excretion of waste from the body.
What happens in a naturopathic consultation?
In a consultation a naturopath will work to identify the underlying cause/s of your health concerns by investigating your signs and symptoms, goals, past medical history, family history, blood pathology results and body system function including; energy levels, stress, sleep, immune function, reproductive health, lifestyle, digestion and diet. The information gained is compiled together like a jigsaw puzzle to help make sense of why the existing concern/s occurred and to make a plan on how to restore your body back to its optimal function.
Your naturopath / nutritionist will then create a report for you with the recommendations they have made based on your individual needs and may include any of the following; dietary support, supplements, lifestyle, resources, further investigations and a follow-up review time.
How long is a naturopathic / nutrition consultation?
An initial consultation is usually 60 mins.
Follow-up consultations can range from a Standard consult 60 mins to a Short consult 30 mins.
How many consultations will I need?
Naturopath’s work with the natural cycles of your body and base your healing around the length of blood cycles, which on average is about 120 days for every red blood cell in your body to renew itself (roughly 4 months). For this reason it will be likely that you will need to revisit your naturopath for follow-up consultations at certain intervals throughout the 4 month period to make sure your body is on track to reach your health goals. As each person is completely individual there are no set timelines for healing. Some body systems will need longer than others to reach their optimal health and this will be dependent on many factors that your naturopath will discuss with you in a consultation.