How will i work with you?
I use a combination of ...
✓ Extensive patient (you!) history - tell me your story!
✓ Diet history and other lifestyle factors
✓ Clinical signs and symptoms
✓ Pathology results - from your GP, specialist, or functional pathology we can order
✓ If indicated, gene expression testing
Your treatment may involve ...
✓ First and foremost, ‘Food as Medicine’
✓ Evidence-based lifestyle solutions/interventions including movement and stress reduction
✓ Evidence-based nutritional and/or herbal medicine to correct nutritional deficiencies and/or biochemical imbalances
✓ Support and coaching for you to do this, because …
this is your body, & your changes to implement, for life
see below for the process we’ll work through together
My approach to wellness means working with your unique concerns to develop a wellness plan that is bespoke to you, achievable, and aims to have you waking each day with clarity, purpose & energy.
How Does it Work?
My nourishing process to support you back into your happiest & healthiest self
Naturopathic medicine can complement and support conventional care.
I’m very happy to work alongside your GP and anyone else in your healthcare team, in a coordinated, integrative, holistic way, with you in the centre, being (as you should be), the CEO of your own health.
This process below is for “1 to 1 plans” - if you’re taking advantage of a programme, we will decide together on follow-up appointments, but generally you should expect to catch up fortnightly initially, moving to 3 weekly or 4 weekly depending on your needs, and how you’re getting on with your Wellness Plan.
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Although not compulsory - feel free to book straight in - this is free and gives you a chance to see if you’re “coming to the right place” and also for me to ensure that your challenges are within my scope of practice. If not I may refer you to someone more appropriate. Let me know a little about what’s worrying you, and together we’ll decide on the best course of action.
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Go to “Clinic Services” to chose your package, and book from the relevant button, or go straight to “Book Consult” where you’ll see the options listed. Payment is required upon booking - less hassle for me of course, but also is the first step in prioritising and investing in yourself (perhaps for the first time in a while?)
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Upon booking you will be emailed an Initial Health Questionnaire & a Comprehensive Symptom Questionnaire. When considering your answers, remember we look at things holistically, so what you think may not be relevant, may very well be connected. There may also be things that you’re just taking for granted now, or blaming on ageing - you can include those too.
Please complete these, and get them back to me at least a day before our consultation (consult), so I can have some background before we meet. The more you can tell me, the better the use of our consult time together.
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This is where we get to know each other, and you really get to tell your whole story, and have someone listening (8 minute GP-session, anyone? I think not!). I’ll be taking a detailed case history
We’ll go through your health questionnaire and chat about:
your health concerns and symptoms, including your emotional health
your health history (and that of your family’s)
your energy, stress, and daily routines
your eating habits
any exposure to toxins or mould
your elimination and detoxification processes
we’ll also go deeper into particular areas of concern
You can also think about what your health goals are - perhaps prioritising your top two to focus on initially.
Please bring with you any recent reports or test results from your doctor or other healthcare providers. In addition a list of (or simply bring with you) any supplements you’re taking (you will have listed any medications on your health questionnaire).
You’ll likely leave with:
some initial advice, and/or resources
probably some homework
maybe an initial prescription for either herbs or supplements, as indicated
We will also discuss any pathology (testing you can get at your GP) or functional testing, if I feel they may help identify areas of dysfunction, that we can work on together. These can be expensive, and are by no means necessary, but sometimes can get us back on track with your health faster.
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I will research your current situation, and develop your bespoke Wellness Plan. This will recognise your current health issues, identify and begin to address underlying causes, to address your initial goals, and determine when we need to see each other next.
It may include some recommended testing as discussed above. It may also include a Prescription for natural supplements or herbal medicine.
Ideally we will book this about a week following your initial consult. At this follow-up you will be presented with your plan, along with other tools or resources as necessary.
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These are to support you to achieve your goals, to review your progress, make adjustments as necessary, and to tailor the next stage of your sustainable health journey. We’ll generally book these a month following the start of your Wellness Plan, but can do two weekly if you feel you need more support to stay on track.
It’s also to keep you accountable - making changes can be tough on your own, but I’ve got your back. Think of yourself as the CEO of your health and I am happy to be your 2IC (second in charge).
It may be that we’re working through a phased treatment - for your maximum success, supporting you like this means it’s less likely to be overwhelming, and changes are more likely to be achievable, hopefully enjoyable, and ultimately successful.
I can support you for as long as necessary. As a general rule of thumb it will like take 3 months, plus for every year you’ve had a health issue, add a month for us to aim for resolution. Remember there are no magic pills (although certainly plenty that are very powerful). We are not just ‘putting a bandaid on’ - we are addressing underlying causes.
You may like to get into the habit of booking an Annual checkup, once we have your body and systems back into balance.
So what is Naturopathy?
Naturopathy is a holistic individualised approach to healthcare, treating you as a ‘whole person’ - not just your physical, but emotional, mental and spiritual components, as well as the environmental and social factors that play a part in your unique health picture.
Our genes can certainly play a part, but as the saying goes: “Genetics load the gun, but environment pulls the trigger” … meaning the way we eat, drink, exercise, think (yes even think!), manage stress, as well as exposure to environmental toxins, and infections for example, all play a critical part in how our genes are expressed.
Modern Naturopathy combines the best of traditional medicine, with evidence-based science. It shifts the focus from the traditional disease-centred focus, to an individualised patient-centred approach, empowering you as patient, and me as your practitioner to work together, to address your underlying causes of disease - not just your set of symptoms, but your whole body systems - to promote your optimal wellness.
Naturopathy emphasises disease prevention and healthy lifestyles, with the understanding that in many circumstances, the body has the ability to heal itself, and bring itself back into balance.
Our practise is informed through traditional knowledge, health science and the growing body of research, with foundational studies in pathophysiology, biochemistry, symptomatology, traditional diagnostics as well as allopathic (your GP or standard Western Medicine) and functional pathology. We also make a commitment to keeping up to date, with continuing education in all of these fields, and with emerging research, which is happening at lightening speed, especially in the last few years.
Naturopath
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Functional Nutritionist
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Medical Herbalist
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Naturopath ✺ Functional Nutritionist ✺ Medical Herbalist ✺
These 6 principles are FOundational when a naturopath takes your case, develops a wellness plan, and offers long term support along your health journey
Principles of Naturopathy?
first do no harm
We choose the most non-invasive, least toxic treatments
The Healing Power of Nature
We recognise that with support, the body has an inherent ability to heal itself
Identify & Treat the Cause
We seek to identify, address and remove the underlying causes of symptoms and dis-ease
Treat the Whole Person
The body is intricately connected within, but we also consider other elements of our patients’ life
diet, lifestyle, genetics, family history, physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social, and environmental
Naturopath as Teacher
Educating and supporting patients to manage their own health, is a key part of our role
Prevention
We promote a focus on overall health, wellness, vitality, and disease prevention
Just as an aside, this is one of my favourite places in the world … Wainui Beach, in the glorious Gisborne. Those are my two furry friends too - Jess & Ned who also think it’s “pretty neat!”
You are not your condition or disease - and how you got there will be different to someone else.
Dis-ease is often (well, usually) Complex!
What you’ll hear as the ‘diagnosis’ or ‘condition’ is only the end-point, of a set of often similar or shared signs and symptoms - an umbrella term, if you like.
The reality is however, that one condition can have many different causes, and on the other side, one cause may result in many different conditions.
Consider these examples to the right →
This is why, as Naturopaths we seek to
target the specific manifestations of dis-ease
in each individual
Let’s get you feeling motivated & hopeful in your wellness journey
How we can work together:
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1:1 Naturopathic Consultations
From Foundational Programmes to discover your underlying issues and set you on the right course, through to comprehensive options to really commit to true and lasting change … the choice is yours.
Are you ready to make an investment in your most precious resource - your health?
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Small Group Programmes
Maybe you’re not sure about working 1 on 1 with me yet, and would like to try it on for size, with some friends, family or workmates.
Check out the foundational course I’ve put together for you to do as a fun group, motivating each other.
“From Blah to Spa - Your 6 Week Health Makeover”
Or email me with your requests, and time permitting, I can build something especially for you and your friends or family or workmates.
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Workplace Wellness Solutions
Presentations are ideally pitched at workplaces for Workplace Wellness programmes. Happy, healthy staff take less sick days, show less “presenteeism”, and (tell your boss) providing such programmes is a real value-add to staff packages, encouraging loyalty.
Workshops will be offered from time to time - sign up to the waitlist to be the 1st to know, or get a group of 8 or more and book a PRIVATE session. Email me any time with special requests for your group.
Or Go Shopping Instead
Give yourself the gift of knowledge, and work through things at your own pace, in your own space.
Check out the Workshops, Courses, or ‘Gift’ Health to a loved one. eBooks are coming soon, & who knows what other exciting things!
Ready to Nourish from within?
Kind Words
“It was so refreshing to have a person really listen to our story and not dismiss details as insignificant. Caro’s ability to record information accurately was exceptional. Caro demonstrated an empathy towards Eliza’s feelings by providing reassurance through the process.
This experience provided practical tools for Eliza to incorporate into her day to day life which was extremely empowering for her. I would have no hesitation in recommending Caro to friends and family”.