How Can Elixr’s New Naturopath Help Me?
What is naturopathic medicine?
Naturopathy is a traditional medical system, which the World Health Organization considers “an important and underestimated health resource” to help prevent and manage lifestyle-related chronic diseases.
Modern naturopaths like Elixr’s new naturopath, Kim, are medically trained and blend millennia-old traditions of botanical medicines with nutritional therapies, lifestyle medicine, and current evidence-based scientific research.
Naturopathic medicine treats the whole person. Naturopaths understand that separate body systems interplay with others to affect your health. We also know how stress and mental wellness affects your physical body, so all aspects of your life are considered to help bring you back into balance.
Naturopathy is considered “functional medicine” because it investigates and treats the root causes behind the biochemical processes occurring within your body which are causing discomfort, instead of just blocking the symptoms. That’s like covering a warning light on the dashboard so you can’t see it, but the underlying problem still remains and may cause serious problems over time if not addressed.
When should you see a naturopath?
If you’re sick and tired of being told your blood test results are normal and nothing can be done, it’s time to see a naturopath.
A naturopath will pore over your medical results and ask lots of questions to join the dots and determine the root cause of your health complaint, in order to treat it most effectively.
Naturopathic medicine is particularly powerful at managing long-term health conditions. Chronic and degenerative diseases affect over 50 percent of Australians, and most of these could be prevented with dietary and lifestyle modifications. Naturopathic medicine is better equipped to help manage or even reverse many of these life-threatening conditions than popping ever-increasing numbers of pharmaceutical drugs.
Naturopathic medicine is also preventative medicine, so the ideal time to consult a naturopath is when you first begin to notice a loss of vitality, or before you inherit your parent’s health conditions.
What health conditions can naturopathy help with?
Naturopathy is especially helpful with:
- Digestive complaints like bloating, flatulence, abdominal pain/discomfort, constipation, diarrhoea, IBS, inflammatory bowel disease, coeliac disease, food sensitivities, reflux and gastritis;
- Fatigue and burnout;
- Hormonal issues like PMS, period pain, irregular periods, heavy periods, PCOS, hot flushes and other menopausal complaints, and endometriosis;
- Insomnia and sleep disorders;
- Mental wellness including stress, anxiety, low mood, depression, using natural medicines which have been found equally or more effective for anxiety than pharmaceutical treatment with a better safety profile;
- Skin issues like acne, itchy skin, dermatitis, eczema, rosacea, psoriasis;
- Thyroid conditions;
- Immune conditions like low immunity, autoimmune conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, allergies, and chronic fatigue;
- Weight management;
- High blood pressure;
- High cholesterol;
- Liver and gallbladder complaints like fatty liver, gallstones, and gallbladder pain;
- Diabetes, insulin resistance and high blood sugar;
- Chronic pain, including headaches and migraines;
- Arthritis;
- Fertility (female and male);
- Cognitive function;
- Healthy ageing.
What might a naturopathic treatment involve?
It’s often said that the six best doctors are sunshine, water, fresh air, good diet, rest, and exercise. Preventative medicine is ideal; unfortunately due to our modern lifestyle, we sometimes need additional help. Naturopathic treatment can involve:
- Taking a deep dive into your blood test results to see what’s developing silently in your biochemistry and what’s standing in your way of reaching a state of optimal health;
- Nutritional therapy: using food, dietary modifications and supplements including vitamins, minerals or amino acids to correct deficiencies and influence biochemical pathways to achieve health outcomes;
- Herbal medicine: plant-derived medicine (in many cases the basis for contemporary pharmaceuticals). Herbal medicine is common to all cultures around the world and the basis of traditional medicine systems;
- Lifestyle counselling: including optimising your sleep, reducing stress, and physical activity prescriptions;
- Functional pathology testing such as gut microbiome tests and food intolerance testing if warranted.
Medicines prescribed by naturopaths such as herbal extracts and nutritional supplements are included in Australia’s National Medicines Policy and are listed by the Therapeutic Goods Association which considers them low-risk.
Is naturopathy an alternative medicine?
No, naturopathy is not an alternative medicine, because naturopathy is based on biomedical science just like conventional medicine. Naturopathic treatment aims to improve biochemical processes in the body, just like conventional medical doctors.
Naturopathy is considered a complementary health practice because it works well with the acute and emergency care provided by hospitals and GPs, and is safe to use in conjunction with conventional medicine – often helping it work better.
Kim will work with your doctor and medical team to ensure you receive the best, integrated care. She believes in using the best tool for the job: recommending conventional pharmaceuticals and surgery when required, after first trying to correct the condition using nutrition, lifestyle prescriptions, and safe and reliable herbal medicines.
Are you ready to feel better?
As an opening special, Kim is offering 20% off the price of an initial consultation for appointments booked until January 31. Just use the code ELIXR20 when booking.
Kimberley Porteous
Naturopath and Clinical Nutritionist
BHSc (Nat), MNHAA
https://kimberleyporteous.com
