Have you always wanted to see a Naturopath or a Nutritionist but haven’t booked in yet? If so you may wonder what motivates people to book in with me.

In almost 13 years of practice in the health and wellness industry, I’ve heard all manner of reasons why people have sought my services.

My clients typically fall into 3 categories:

1) Clients who received a glowing referrence.

By far the most common of my clients are those who contact me because someone they work with or a member of their family or friends recently saw a Naturopath and had great results. Inspired by their story, they book an appointment to get themselves on a holistic health plan and achieve the same great results!

2) Clients who have had enough of the health-merry-go-round.

 These clients also make up a significant proportion of the people that book an appointment with me. After years of seeing lots of different medical practitioners (including specialists) doing tests, taking medications and undergoing surgeries with varied results, they decide to take a different route.

This leads my clients to exploring complementary medicines (nutritional and herbal), dietary and lifestyle advice and learning to take back control of their health.

By educating and empowering my clients to understand what created their health challenges and what dietary and lifestyle habits worsen or improve their health condition, they regain a sense of confidence and enjoyment of life. (Leading them to becoming the referring clients listed above!)

3) The health conscious consumer.

Another big sector of clients that I see are those who are very committed to a healthy diet and lifestyle. Often eating well and exercising, these clients seek out my services to deal with any health challenge that could otherwise involve more invasive medical interventions or the need to take prescription drugs.

So if you have resonated with any of previous clients above then please feel very welcome to join them. However, one word of caution. There is one type of client that may not be a good candidate for my services.

4) The significant other or parent made me do it client.

Thankfully, these clients are relatively rare but they do book in from time to time. Often coming in accompanied by their concerned person, they relay their health concerns under duress.

Whilst I am happy to assist my clients with any health related matters, it’s very important that they are willing to take on board my suggestions and treatment plan without feeling like they were forced into it.

Taking personal respnsibility for your health is key to my client’s success.

So if you are feeling inspired to book an appointment, go to the Contact Us page at gettingwellnaturally.com.au and click on the Halaxy booking icon.

After having worked in the field of natural medicine for almost 13 years, I’ve often thought how awesome it would be able to offer Naturopathic services to more people by providing a service that’s truely affordable.

I’ve spoken to many people who’d love to see a Naturopath but the out of pocket expense it just too much. Sadly, a vast array of consumers are locked out of discovering that they can help themselves with diet, nutrition and natural ways of healing, simply because this appointments are viewed as expensive in comparison to a bulk billed GP visit.

This expense is a reflection of the amount of time spent with each client (1 hr on first visit, 30-40 minutes on repeat visits) the complexity of the cases that we treat and the degree of information that a Naturopath will provide.

It also takes into account business operating costs and continuing education expenses that practitioners have to fund each year.

Unfortunately, without Medicare or Health Fund Rebates for Naturopathy, creating an affordable and accessable natural healthcare service can seem to be just a pipe dream. Or is it?

Many industries have faced the same dilemma. How can we allow more people to access our services by reducing the cost? Virgin Airlines is a fantastic example. Nowadays, we think nothing of getting great rates on airfares. Prior to Virgin, Jetstar and other airlines such as Tiger, consumers had two evenly priced airlines (Qantas and Ansett) to choose from. Low cost carriers opened up the airline industry to a massive new pool of flying passengers. And once Covid-19 is under control, jetset Aussies will once again take advantage of fantastic airline deals.

With the case for reinstating Naturopathic health care rebates the subject of an ongoing government review, we can only hope that the health minister will listen to the Australian public who petitioned in larged numbers against the removal of this service in April last year.

Australians want greater access to Naturopatic healthcare and are prepared to cover a significant portion of the costs themselves, becuase they know the value of being proactive with their health and learning how they can get well and stay well.

In the meanwhile, Getting Well Naturally is providing $99 initial consultations for Naturopathic & Nutrition appointments (normally $130) to clients who want to experience the best of natural healthcare.

Hurry, book online at gettingwellnaturally.com.au or email gettingwellnatually.com.au for an appointment.

Maintaining healthy lungs in toxic air is largely a case of avoiding the outdoors and apply a P2 breathing mask if you do venture out. Smoke inhalation is most often associated with an increased risk of asthma and breathing problems in the elderly and very young. This is especially concerning when you consider that bushfire smoke has the some of the same components as tobacco smoke, just in a different composition.

But aside from the physical symptoms, this bushfire emergency has brought with it feelings of being overwhelmed, saddened, fearful, angry and oppressed.

The recent bushfire smoke haze over Melbourne impacts our health in a myraid of ways. On an emotional level the overcast, smoggy weather can create feelings of depression and anxiety.

When once clear air is replaced with heavily polluted smog, smoke and little visability, it can feel very oppressive. Having to keep our windows and doors closed and taped up to avoid breathing the toxic air and limiting our time outdoors, can make us feel trapped in our own homes.

The light rain and cool temperatures on Sunday only intensified the mental and emotional distress that may Melbournians were experiencing.

For people such as tradies who work in the outdoors this is just one more thing to contend with. Heat, cold, fire, wind, smoke and rain.

Thankfully, Melbourne’s air quality has improved quickly after two spates of smoke haze in the last week. (Not so for Sydney and Canberra who have endured much worse smoke over their cities.)

So what can be done to improve mental health in these conditions?

Firstly, there is a fine line between being ‘aware’ and being ‘alarmed’. Repeated exposure to news stories with almost blanket coverage of our fire ravaged state and country, while necessary, can increase feelings of anxiety and helplessness.

If you live in a fire prone area then you must stay alert to potential fire risk, but in the city it’s usually just dealing with the aftermath, smoke, news, etc. which can be every bit as nerve racking as being on the ground in the bush.

If you are experiencing emotional distress from the bushfires, I encourage you to book an Initial Nutrition or Naturopathic consult to learn how you can fortify yourself mentally and physically through natural means so that you can deal with this situation better.