Naturopath Blue Mountains and Surrounds

Explore Herbal, Naturopathic and Nutritional Medicine Consultations in a Blue Mountains based clinic.

What is naturopathy?

Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, is a unique and dynamic philosophy and system of healthcare that emphasises prevention, the self-healing process, and the promotion of health and wellbeing through the use of natural therapies. Naturopathy is both as ancient as healing itself and as modern as the latest medical breakthrough. It integrates the best of traditional healing wisdom and practice with current health research drawn from peer-reviewed journals in a variety of disciplines, including medicine, nutrition, phytotherapy and psychology.

Naturopathy does not “diagnose” or “treat” disease; its emphasis is on identifying and addressing the underlying causes or patterns of illness, better managing symptoms so as to improve quality of life, and supporting the body-mind-spirit to return to a state of optimum balance in which the self-healing process can occur. Natural therapeutic modalities used in naturopathy to enhance health and wellbeing may include herbal medicine, nutritional medicine, dietary and lifestyle modification, energetic medicine such as flower essences, and complementary modalities such as Yoga.

Why visit a naturopath?

There are so many reasons to see your local naturopath! You may wish to see a naturopath if:

• You feel pretty healthy already! You are proactive about your health and wellbeing, and interested in personalised dietary and lifestyle recommendations to maintain your good health, now and in future;

• You’re not exactly sick, but you’re not exactly well either... Perhaps you’ve had some testing done and been told “there’s nothing wrong with you”, but you want to feel better. You want to buffer yourself from the effects of stress, and have more energy and vitality each day;

• You are struggling with the symptoms of a diagnosed medical condition. You’d like to try some natural, non-invasive remedies and strategies to improve your quality of life and restore your health to a more balanced state;

• You’d like to complement your current medical treatments with some natural supports e.g. to address the side effects of your medication;

• You’ve been injured or you have surgery scheduled and you’d like to support your body's natural healing process and improve your recovery time;

• You want to review your family’s risk factors for disease and reduce these if possible;

• You’d like to achieve a specific goal e.g. to better manage your weight or to train for a sporting event. You’d like a personalised meal plan with recipes and shopping lists to make this easier for you;

• You’d like to age well and remain healthy and active in your sixties, seventies, eighties and beyond!

How can naturopathy improve my health and wellbeing?

Your naturopath can provide you with personalised advice and support for a broad range of health symptoms, conditions and goals. Conditions commonly encountered in clinic include:

• Nervous system: Fatigue, exhaustion, stress, anxiety, depression, burnout, sleep disturbances, chronic pain, headache and migraine, neuralgia, sciatica, and dementia.

• Digestive system: Bloating, indigestion, reflux, constipation, diarrhoea, IBS, IBD (Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis), food intolerances, Coeliac disease.

• Immune system: Seasonal and food allergies, autoimmune conditions (e.g. Rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, Psoriasis).

• Dermatological system: Ezcema and dermatitis, skin infections, acne.

• Genitourinary system: urinary tract infections, PMS, irregular/painful/heavy periods, endometriosis/PCOS, perimenopausal/menopausal symptoms, e.g. hot flushes, fertility issues, benign prostatic hyperplasia.

• Musculoskeletal system: Joint pain, osteoarthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, sports injuries.

• Respiratory system: Asthma, bronchitis, respiratory tract infections.

• Cardiovascular system: Elevated cholesterol, hypertension, irregular heartbeat, varicose veins, haemorrhoids.

The following six principles are the foundation of naturopathic care:

What educational qualifications do naturopaths have?

Naturopaths qualifying in Australia today complete a four-year Bachelor of Health Science (Naturopathy) degree program, in addition to any traditional training they may have undertaken. This degree includes basic medical sciences, such as anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology and clinical diagnosis, and pharmacology. In addition, naturopaths study profession-specific sciences which emphasise wellness promotion and disease prevention, such as herbal medicine, nutritional medicine, and counselling and communication skills. In the final two years of a naturopathy degree program, students practice their skills in a supervised clinical setting, and must pass an OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination, used in many health science degree programs including medicine, physical therapy, pharmacy, etc.) to assess their clinical skill performance and competence as a requirement of graduation.

Licensing and regulation of naturopathy

At present, naturopathy is an unregulated health profession in Australia. Unfortunately, this means that anyone can claim and use the title of “Naturopath”, regardless of their educational qualifications. Clients seeking naturopathic care should ask their prospective practitioner if they have completed a naturopathic educational program recognised in Australia (currently a Bachelor of Health Science degree, or an Advanced Diploma of Naturopathy for practitioners who qualified prior to 2018), and if they are a current member of a relevant Professional Association, such as the NHAA (Naturopaths and Herbalists Association of Australia).

Frequently asked questions about the Blue Mountains Clinic:

What should I expect for my initial naturopathic consultation?

Your first consultation with your naturopath, Sonya, will likely be much longer than with a conventional medical practitioner - about 90 minutes. I want to hear your story, and to understand the context of your health and your life! As a naturopath, I recognise the importance of this process and allow you the time and space to share what’s important to you. Together, we will review and discuss your health history, define your health and wellbeing goals, and co-create a sensible and realistic plan to help you achieve them! Pathology and other test results if available will be considered in conjunction with your health history, and physical exams may be conducted, in order to obtain a holistic picture of your health and to help determine the most appropriate healing path for you. There will be plenty of time to answer your questions and you may be offered a herbal tonic to take home with you on the day. Your individually tailored health and wellbeing plan, with dietary and lifestyle recommendations and any suggested herbal, nutritional or other remedies - will then be emailed to you after your consultation. This will give you a record of our discussion and the actions you will implement, and time to consider any product recommendations, and will help you to feel engaged in your healing journey. A follow-up consultation will be scheduled approximately two weeks later, to assess your progress toward your goals and to make any necessary adjustments to your plan.

How many consultations will I need?

This varies greatly, according to your health symptoms, conditions and goals, as everyone is individual and so is the level of support they require/desire! After your initial and follow up consultations, you may like to schedule regular appointments if you have a chronic/complex health condition and prefer a high level of support. Or, if you are stabilised and feeling better, you may like to schedule a check in only occasionally, or if an acute problem develops e.g. a cold or a flu.

Clinic hours (subject to change):

• Friday: 8am - 6pm (online)

• Saturday: 8am - 6pm (in clinic)

Appointments and fees:

You can book your appointment and see a schedule of fees here: https://app.simpleclinic.net/public/diary/index/MZQ

Alternatively, email sonyabyronnaturopath@gmail.com or call 0426 733 727 to request an appointment.

How much will any recommended products cost:

Again, this varies greatly, as I don’t follow set protocols, everyone’s prescription is as unique as they are! We will discuss your budget and what’s appropriate for you during your first consultation. Rest assured that, regardless of your budget, I will work with you as much as possible on healthy dietary and lifestyle recommendations, as these are the foundation of good health, and no herbal or nutritional supplement can really help you if you haven’t got the basics right! I’ll then aim to prescribe as minimally as possible to achieve the best possible results/health outcomes for you. This approach is better not only for your budget, but for the planet’s resources too, and even if you have no budget constraints, who wants to be swallowing handfuls of pills everyday?

Payment and payment methods

Please note that fees are due on the day of consultation. I accept payment by credit card (Mastercard, Visa) or cash.

Private health insurance rebates

Private health insurance companies in Australia currently do not provide rebates for naturopathy consultations, however, this decision is under review, and further information will be provided when available.

Appointment changes/cancellations, missed consultations and associated fees

Please be respectful of my time and enable me to assist to as many clients as I can by attending your appointments as scheduled. A minimum of 48 hours’ notice is kindly requested to change or cancel your appointment. Please be aware that it is difficult to fill appointments cancelled with little or no notice, and this really impacts my capacity to support other clients who may be waiting for an appointment, as well as on my capacity to make a modest living. A cancellation fee of the full value of the scheduled appointment will therefore be incurred for late cancellations/missed consultations.

What if I can’t afford naturopathic care?

If you’d like some naturopathic support for your health but you are unable to afford a consultation, I offer complimentary naturopathic consultations to low income members of my local Blue Mountains community. Please note that due to high demand, this service is only available to people receiving Commonwealth Government income support payments e.g. JobSeeker, Aged Pension etc. If you do not meet this criteria but a naturopathic consultation is still beyond your budget, please contact Sonya to discuss your individual circumstances and sliding-scale consultations.

As a Blue Mountains Naturopath, based at Lower Mountains Health & Healing in Blaxland, NSW, I offer in clinic naturopathic consultations to clients in the Blue Mountains suburbs of Lapstone, Glenbrook, Blaxland, Mt Riverview, Warrimoo, Valley Heights, Winmalee, Yellow Rock, Springwood, Faulconbridge, Linden, Woodford, Hazelbrook, Lawson, Bullaburra, Wentworth Falls, Leura, Katoomba, Medlow Bath, Blackheath and Mount Victoria. I also see clients from nearby Western Sydney suburbs including Emu Plains, Emu Heights, Leonay, Penrith, Jamisontown, Glenmore Park, Kingswood, Cambridge Park, Cranebrook, Jordan Springs and Werrington. Book a consultation in the Blaxland NSW clinic or online for thosenot local to the area.