Olga Bowers-Taylor from Sharon Johnston was our resident expert for the month, and she had some great responses to your queries about Naturopathy.
What is a Naturopath? What exactly do they do? What kind of training is required to qualify?
Fully qualified naturopaths study for four years, usually a Bachelor of Health Science. Some go on to do post-grad training in their specialised fields. A naturopath looks at the whole body, to see how each system affects the other, and tries to find the cause of the issue, not just treating symptomatically.
A full explanation of how a naturopath works can be found on our website.
Is Naturopathy generally covered by Health insurance providers?
Fully qualified and registered naturopaths are covered by health insurance and you will be able to get a rebate if you have Extras cover. Because naturopaths are not currently registered in Australia, anyone can actually call themselves a naturopath. Therefore, it is important to always check if the naturopath you want to see is registered with an association, and has a provider number so you can claim with your health fund. Then you will know that they are fully qualified. An easy way to check is simply to ask if you can receive a rebate from your private health insurance, as only fully qualified and registered naturopaths can.
What are the most common misconceptions around naturopathy?
I guess that we are a bunch of crystal loving hippies. This is mostly not the case, a lot of naturopaths are very clinical and use evidence-based practice, some are hippies. It’s important to find the right one for you.
Can you please list the diet (breakfast, lunch and dinner) to control GERD?
GERD or GORD is gastroesophageal reflux disease, commonly known as reflux. For a detailed explanation please click here.
It is most important to avoid trigger foods. These are usually alcohol, spicy food, greasy food, tomato, peppermint, chocolate and coffee. This can be different for everyone, so it’s important to listen to your body and see what is causing it for you. Other really important things are chewing properly, eating smaller and more frequent meals and a very early dinner. Lifting the head of your bed with some books can also be helpful.
An example diet
- Breakfast- omelette with vegetables
- Lunch- tuna salad
- Dinner- roast chicken with roasted vegetables
- Snacks- handful of nuts and seeds and fruit
Are there any vitamins and natural remedies that should not be taken together or when taking some prescription medications?
There are some herbs that should not be taken together with some prescription medications. Herbs, vitamins and other natural medicines are all medications and should ideally be taken under proper naturopathic guidance. There are too many interactions to list, so it’s always best to check with your practitioner. An example of a possible interaction is St Mary’s Thistle. This is a very popular liver herb because it speeds up liver metabolism. Drugs are also metabolised by the liver, so medications such as the oral contraceptive pill may be compromised if taken at the same time.
Is it better to have chia seeds crushed in a blender before using them or can they just be sprinkled on my breakfast?
It is better to crush chia seeds in a blender as this makes their fats more bioavailable. However, if you cannot crush them, it’s still better to have chia seeds uncrushed than to have nothing at all.
You can blend up a batch weekly and store them in a sealed container in the fridge.
Thanks again to Olga for her feedback. it’s always great to be able to tap into our Brains Trust to learn more about Health and Wellbeing and the contractor question about chia seeds got us thinking. Chia Seeds are a fantastic source of Omega 3s and are a rich source of minerals and fibre. So this recipe makes a delicious desk snack that combines chocolate and slow-burn carbohydrates, win-win! (If you don’t have any Almond Butter, Peanut Butter is a quick and easy substitute).
Small changes can make a huge impact on your overall health and wellbeing. This routine has some quick and easy exercises that you can do at your desk (and at home as well) – I did a few writing up the blog and I feel better already!
As always, please let me know if there are any particular topics you would love us to look into for future blogs or you have any queries or concerns.
You can call me on 03 9963 4832 or email me directly.
-Chelsea King
