Best Naturopathic Clinic Gold Coast – What to look for…
When looking for the best Naturopathic Clinic on the Gold Coast, you may set out to Google accredited Naturopaths near me. Though, when looking deeper into each website, it can become overwhelming when deciding who truly fits with you. When you start your Google search, you might start with ‘Best Naturopathic Clinic Gold Coast’. You’ve taken the first steps and are rewarded with a list of results. What comes next?
What to Look for in a Gold Coast Naturopathic Clinic?
One of the most important factors when making your decision on a Gold Coast Naturopathic Clinic is ensuring the clinic has accredited naturopaths. At a minimum, a qualified Naturopath should have a quality higher education bachelor’s degree, and experience in clinical practice. As an accredited Naturopath, I believe qualification, and experience combined with someone who adopts a person-centred approach and, who takes the time to really understand you. You, as an individual, as a whole person rather than a set of symptoms can go a long way to truly grasping what your health needs are.
Naturopathic Experience Matters
While a credible qualification is certainly essential for setting the foundations for ethical and effective health care, nothing beats experience. After 12 years in the industry in varying roles, I take pride in the experience I have obtained. From working with Pharmacists to determine effective prescriptions for patients with a wide range of conditions and economical circumstances, to being part of a research team in the production of Naturopathic products, to engaging in private practice. The experiences I have taken with me along the way have shaped me into the dedicated practitioner I am today.
Special Interests and Clinical Experience
Naturopath’s can support many ailments, however, usually there is a special interest and area of expertise, here are mine:
- gut conditions
- anxiety, depression, low energy
- hormone management
- metabolic and inflammatory conditions.
I have worked extensively in disability, particularly in the areas of neurodiversity including autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and ADHD and their associated health challenges.
What Qualifications should an accredited Naturopath have?
Did you know that anyone can call themselves a Naturopath in Australia? The term is not protected here in Australia, so anyone who has completed a short course, can, call themselves a Naturopath despite having limited scientific and clinical practice training. Why is this a problem? This can be dangerous when we factor in chronic diseases, potential pharmaceutical interactions and ethical practices. Any Naturopath you choose to work with should have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in naturopathy and be part of a membership body that requires a higher standard of practice.
When I was completing my bachelor’s degree, I was required to undertake 1,280 hours of client facing clinical practice. This provided in depth experience in prescriptions, managing interactions and supporting a wide range of health conditions with people of all ages. This was completed under the supervision of highly experienced Naturopath’s. The depths of my theoretical health science studies, combined with the clinical practice experience gave me the confidence to effectively treat the patients I see today.
Beyond formal qualifications, your chosen Naturopath should engage in Continued Professional Education (CPE). CPE maintains knowledge of the latest scientific evidence with the health industry as a whole, but particularly in the scope of herbal and nutritional prescribing and naturopathic and mainstream treatments of health conditions. Lifelong learning is not only a requirement to be part of an association, it continues to drive a practitioners passion for their work and supporting the people they treat.
What does a Qualified Naturopath do?
A Qualified Naturopath will use evidence-based practice to treat your presentation. The philosophy in treating Naturopathically is to ‘treat the whole person’ and ‘identify and treat the cause’. The body is deeply connected. When one organ or body system is ailing, other parts of the body are likely ailing too. It is my job as a Qualified Naturopath to investigate, identify and support the whole body to bring the ailing parts to an equilibrium. While there is some work on symptom management, ideally, treating the underlying cause is the focus of treatments.
Taking Your Case
From your initial case, you will feel completely heard and understood with a thorough health history taken across 90 minutes. Everything from your nutritional intake, pathology review, your lifestyle, family history to considering how your medications support or play into your presentation. As well as the effectiveness or requirement of any herbs or supplements and their possible interactions with prescribed medications.
Evidence-Based Prescribing
All food, herbal and nutrient prescriptions are based on evidence-based prescribing combined with clinical experience. Because everyone is different, a qualified naturopath will tweak herbal and nutrient prescriptions to meet your presentation to adjusted to improve effectiveness or adjust down or pivot where improvements are seen.
Less is More
When you are working with a qualified and ethical naturopath, less is more. This means that a good prescription that requires less herbal/nutrient medicine for the most effect. An ethical naturopath’s goal is to aim to have patients on herbal medicines only for the time it takes to support or manage a presenting condition. The ultimate aim is to not need any herbal/nutrient medications at all by the completion of treatment. While this is not always possible for every presentation, it is strived for to allow the body to learn the heal and regulate itself and to conserve finances for the patient.
Why Choose a Local Gold Coast Based Nutritionist?
A Gold Coast local Naturopath has a good knowledge of local allied health practitioners who may compliment your care. With this knowledge, referrals based on their effectiveness and quality of care can be provided in support of treatment outcomes.
A Gold Coast based Naturopathic Clinic can help coordinate several aspects of your health with other care providers to streamline your journey. The Gold Coast is a beautiful place to live. As a local, I love to utilise the strengths of this beautiful coastal city to advantage my local patients in all things health and wellness. It is undeniable that an understanding of access to local foods and prescriptions, the local lifestyle and weather as well as health trends can improve the overall value of your treatment.
Complete Transparency
When you commit to working with a Naturopath, you are committing yourself physically, mentally and financially. Having complete transparency in your treatment can relieve some of this burden. Before your consultation, you will be advised via email of expected fees. During your initial consultation, together, we will discuss expected treatment timelines, your own budget constraints and herbal medicine options while ensuring that there will be no expectations or over-prescribing.
Using Functional Testing to Guide Treatments
Along the way, functional testing can help to create benchmarks and guide ongoing treatment as well as advise on effectiveness of nutritional and herbal protocols. Functional testing can support treatments associated with:
- Gut conditions such as, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), Ulcerative Colitis, Coeliac Disease, SIBO, Crohn’s, Absorption Issues, Constipation, Diarrhoea, food intolerances, Candida (thrush).
- Hormonal conditions including, male and female (PCOS, Endo, Low Testosterone, Menopause/Perimenopause)
- Fatigue, Low Energy and Stress Hormones
- Metabolic Conditions
- Inflammatory Conditions
- Heavy Metal Toxicity
- Methylation issues
Making Treatment Plans that Suit You
When it comes to treatment plans, in my experience, everyone learns and responds differently to different strategies. Some people thrive off a very detailed and complete treatment plan. This plan type provides strategies they can work towards and tweak as needed across follow up appointments. This allows them to see the bigger picture and tick off goals at their own pace.
Others find it easier to be drip fed information, with just a few goals to focus each week and build on the treatment as time goes on.
There is no right or wrong. I adapt my style to suit your needs, learning and commitment capacity. This ensures you get the most out of your treatments. What I do promise is every treatment plan is practical, individualised to suit preferences and lifestyle and realistic with effectiveness tracking. Together we ensure your treatments are working for YOU, not what should work for MOST people.
What You Should AVOID When Choosing a Naturopath
There are some red flags when it comes to choosing the right Naturopath. No credible qualifications, remember, the minimum should be a bachelor’s degree in health science naturopathy. Guaranteed cures, no one should be claiming to ‘cure’ anything. This is simply unethical. If you are being prescribed any multilevel marketing products or in any chase prescribed excessive amounts of herbals or nutritional supplements.
Preparing Yourself for an Initial Consultation with a Naturopath
Having the tools needed for a smooth initial consultation can help to streamline the time it takes to receive your treatment plan and allow your Naturopath to provide some on the spot pointers. Firstly, ensure your intake forms are complete before entering the consultation. This will include:
- Patient Intake Form
- Food diary
- Consent forms
Paper forms are available; however, I find electronic forms to be a quick and easy way to have everything pre-done. This allows you to concentrate on your consultation when you get to your appointment. Secondly, have any recent pathology ready and available to show your Naturopath. You can also email these prior to your appointment. Next, leave the needs of your work and family at the door for the 90 minutes, switch off your phone and allow the time to be completely about YOU.