Natural Wellness for Measurable Improvements that Boost Health

Deirdre’s story, qualifications, treatment aims, and specialties.

What is my background?

My medical background began with a nursing degree, specializing as a midwife in maternity nursing. From those early years I had always held an interest in nutrition, reading the works of pioneering nutritionist, Adele Davis.  My experiences in nursing revealed that there are also psycho-emotional roots of disease. I completed a Bachelor Social Science degree in psychology.

For fifteen years I travelled a lot and have worked in many hospitals in many different fields of nursing. Those opportunities have given me an appreciation of the benefits of orthodox medicine, but at the same time ignited my passion for healing the natural way. After completing my studies in naturopathy in 2004, I have been working towards further blending the best of medicine with the best of naturopathy.

Aims of Naturopathic Treatment:

Do you want to feel better, eliminate health problems, live longer, understand yourself, resolve digestive issues, become stronger and healthier, and basically solve the cause of the problems that you feel need addressing?

“The road to health is one that begins with an understanding and commitment to cleanse and detoxify the body, to restore balance, peace and harmony.”

Dr Bernard Jenson D.C.ND Ph.D

What do you, the client, need?

As a client seeking to find solutions to their health issues, it is important to get an understanding of what lies at the bottom of the problem. It is not enough to treat the symptoms of an illness without getting to the underlying cause. Sometimes a disease process began many years before the current symptoms appeared.  One example of this is when a patient tells me they “have never been quite as well since a bout of flu or stomach bug they had 5 years ago”. Their treatment may have included some antibiotics or steroids that did seem to relieve their symptoms, but then other problems arose, or the previous symptoms returned. Food allergies, for example, are a very common cause of sinusitis, dermatitis, irritable bowel, and even depression. Food plays a major role in both health and disease! 

Knowing how the body works has always held a fascination for me. As a nurse, I have studied it from a medical point of view, and then further from a naturopathic angle. As a naturopath it is my role to explain to my patients how their body works, and how to help it heal. I love teaching and have taught nursing subjects at Prince Charles Hospital in the 80s and lectured at the former College of Natural Therapies at TAFE in naturopathic health science subjects including iridology, anatomy, and nutrition.

What do I specialize in?  

I specialize in holistic health for men, women and children. Once they understand that no part of their body is isolated from the rest, they realise that a good practitioner treats the whole body, not simply specializing in one part. All bodies, whether young or old, male, or female, benefit enormously from the same effective holistic treatment.  I have had nearly 40 years’ experience in the medical profession, initially as a registered nurse and midwife, and then as a naturopath. During these years I have continually updated my knowledge through regular seminars and courses. 

Specialties:

• Preventative health and whole-body wellness
• Weight loss programs
• Diagnosing and managing food allergies
• Hormonal imbalances, menopause, PMT, PCOS, and fertility problems.
• Thyroid issues, Hashimoto’s
• Nutritional and herbal support for depression, anxiety, panic attacks
• Pyrrole Testing and evaluation
• Chronic fatigue
• Immune deficiencies
• Digestive disorders, including reflux, SIBO, leaky gut, dysbiosis, and IBS.
• Food allergy testing
• Skin disorders and allergies
• Detox programs

Feeling passionate about bringing health and wellbeing to my patients, I derive great pleasure in sharing all that I have learnt. This is the primary aim of naturopathy, i.e., to teach you, the client, how to manage your own health and wellbeing.  

It is interesting to note that the Latin meaning of doctor is “to teach”!

What techniques do I use to help you heal?

Apart from traditional herbal medicine and nutritional advice, I also use homeopathy, iridology, and kinesiology. Herbal and homeopathic medicine can extremely effective, and with very few side effects. Your initial consultation will include a thorough review of your current problems and of the possible causes that have built up over the years. Blood tests might be requested if necessary to diagnose any problems with cholesterol, blood sugar regulation, hormone levels, thyroid function, vitamin D levels, immune function, food allergies, and nutritional deficiencies. If you have concerns with hormonal issues, I will organise specific hormone testing through functional pathology.

Services

Kinesiology

This is a form of muscle testing used to identify the appropriate herb, supplement, or homeopathic remedy that your body needs. I have been trained in the Three in One Concepts method of tracking through the Behavioural Barometer. This technique is useful for picking up underlying emotional issues. While this method of testing is not for everyone, I do find it extremely beneficial for specific cases.

Food Allergy Tests

These are done by a blood test, at a recommended pathology centre, not a skin prick test.  They range in price and number from testing for 5 main foods to the complete 96 food panel. Food allergies are so common nowadays and are an underlying cause of many skin problems, reflux, bloating, constipation, IBS, some asthmas. Many people are surprised to hear that food allergies can cause respiratory symptoms such as asthma, sinusitis, persistent coughs, and ear infections. They are more surprised again to learn that food allergies can be a major cause of mood and personality disorders!

Blood type testing for immune diet

Lectins are found in all foods, but in different amounts and types. There has been some evidence to correlate intolerance to different foods according to blood typing and lectin sensitivities. I have studied the theories presented by Dr D’ Adamo, on eating for your blood type, and have found that the basic principles are a very helpful guideline for most clients, even though it hasn’t been thoroughly accepted by mainstream dietetics. The most common blood type is the O Blood group. Nicknamed “the lean mean fight machine”, if you have the O blood typing you are advised to base your diet on meat and veg, and to reduce the amount of floured products such as breads, cereals, pasta. If you are an A Blood type, your diet is best dominated by vegetables and fruits, and you need to reduce the amount of meat, except for fish and chicken.  B blood group and AB groups also have specific needs and “avoids”. As diet is the underlying cause of many disorders, it is useful to know your blood type, and your specific food sensitives.

Hormone Testing 

“I think it’s my hormones!” is a common complaint from many of my patients. These are functional pathology tests to diagnose causes of problems with hormones, thyroid, and insomnia. The reproductive hormones, mainly oestrogen and progesterone, are more accurately tested this way. Blood tests only measure the amount of hormone in the blood, but not how much of the hormone has actually reached the cells. Salivary hormone testing and dried urine (DUTCH) testing is far more accurate. The urine or saliva specimens are collected during the day at home, and then posted to the path laboratory.

Treatments

Naturopathic Consultation:

As a former lecturer in anatomy, physiology and nutrition, I love to be able to answer all your questions about how your body works and heals.

Weight reduction diets:

I do not believe in stress! Stress causes your body to produce excess of the cortisol hormone. This hormone actually puts on weight! Therefore, I like to analyse your particular dietary likes and dislikes and model a diet that suits you naturally. Food is meant to be enjoyed! Diet resistant obesity is a real challenge to treat, and I believe it can be handled by a good detox program, proper diet, and treatment of underlying imbalances in the body such as hormonal, thyroid insufficiency, auto-immune disorders, and food allergies.

Detoxification Programs:

Liver and gut detoxification is always beneficial. However, it can be quite exhausting! Therefore, it is often necessary to be done very slowly, starting as a light detox, as many of us would not cope with a rapid strong detox program. Homeopathics are my favourite choice of detox aids, along with diet and herbal medicine.

Herbal Medicine:

I have completed 3 years of herbal medicine study, and now use a range of Western Herbal Medicine and Ayurvedic herbs, in combination, according to your specific needs. Sometimes I find it necessary to select alcohol free herbs for those who are sensitive to alcohol. 

Homeopathy:

Like iridology, this form of healing dates back to the 1800s. It was used by many doctors back then and is still used extensively by some doctors in Europe. It is the one form of medicine that can be given without affecting other pharmaceutical medications. Homeopathy heals the three layers of our being, the body, the mind and the emotions.

Health Tests include:

• Blood Analysis
• Food Allergy and intolerances
• Hormone testing including the “Dutch Hormonal Assay
• Hair mineral analysis including mercury testing
• Gut microbiome testing for leaky gut, parasites, digestive insufficiencies
• MTHFR methylation
• Kryptopyrroles, Zinc and copper ratios
• Alkaline pH testing
• Blood typing and diet analysis
• Wellness Genetic Profile
• Carb Choice testing