Frequently asked questions

  • During your consultation, we explore your health from multiple angles, including:

    • Your medical history – including previous diagnoses, medications, family trends, and any overlooked details that may be influencing your symptoms.

      • Your current concerns – from sleep issues and brain fog to bone density changes, weight shifts, mood fluctuations, digestive symptoms, or hormonal patterns.

      • Nutrition and metabolic health – what you’re eating, how you’re absorbing nutrients, your blood sugar patterns, appetite changes, and gut function.

      • Lifestyle and emotional wellbeing – sleep quality, stress load, movement habits, energy, work demands, and mental health.

      • Environmental and life-stage influences – including perimenopausal hormonal shifts, metabolic changes, or osteopenia/osteoporosis risks.

    This big-picture perspective helps us connect the dots and uncover the “why” behind your symptoms—not just the “what.”

    If you have recent blood tests, we’ll review them together, and I may suggest additional testing if it is likely to provide meaningful insight.

    After the session (typically within 24-48h), you’ll receive a clear, evidence-based plan that might include:

    • therapeutic nutrition and meal strategies

    • herbal medicine formulations

    • targeted nutritional supplementation

    • stress and sleep support

    • movement guidance—especially for bone health and metabolic support

    • strategies for improving energy, digestion, and hormonal balance

    • collaborative care with your GP or other practitioners when appropriate

    Every recommendation is tailored to your unique needs, life stage, and health goals.

  • Once you have made a booking for an initial consultation, my intake questionnaire will be sent to you.

    I would really like you to complete this before the consultation and return it to me, as this will help me prepare for our chat and for us to be able to explore your concerns in greater detail. If you have any current blood tests, stool tests or any other test results that could be useful for us to look at, please send them in with the health questionnaire. All information collected, whether collected prior to, during or even post the consultation will be stored securely and will of course remain private and confidential.

  • Naturopathy and nutritional medicine are evidence-informed approaches that focus on both preventing illness and supporting existing health concerns by addressing their underlying causes. While scientific research guides treatment recommendations, clinical naturopaths and nutritionists also take a holistic view—considering diet, lifestyle, stress, environment, and overall wellbeing when assessing symptoms.

    The body has an innate capacity to heal and restore balance when given the right conditions. Our role is to identify and reduce the factors that may be disrupting this balance, and to guide you toward supportive habits such as nourishing nutrition, appropriate movement, stress regulation, and restorative sleep.

    Treatment plans are always individualised. We may use personalised herbal medicine formulations and practitioner-grade nutritional supplementation, alongside dietary and lifestyle strategies tailored to your needs. There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach—every recommendation is designed to support you as a whole person, promoting long-term health and meaningful, lasting change.

  • A naturopathic consultation is a comprehensive, holistic health appointment designed to understand the whole person—not just a set of symptoms. Naturopathic consultations are longer (the initial is 60 minutes), more thorough, and more personalised than standard appointments. Instead of rushing through a list of symptoms, we explore the full context of your health so we can address root causes, not just surface-level issues.

    You’re listened to, validated, and supported with a plan that meets you where you are.

  • You don’t have to be sick to see a naturopath or nutritionist, as naturopaths/nutritionists are also great for preventative care or if you want advice on a health/nutrition related issue, e.g. how to transition to a healthy vegetarian or vegan diet or how/what to eat when you are on a GLP-1 receptor agonist (Ozempic etc).

    At AR Naturopathy & Nutrition, we also support clients with

    • Digestive issues and gut health (IBS, IBD, SIBO, constipation, diarrhoea, bloating, heartburn/reflux, etc.)

    • Women’s health issues (PCOS, PMS/PMDD, heavy or painful periods etc)

    • Stress, ‘burn out’

    • Skin issues

    • Glandular fever/Epstein-Barr virus, chronic fatigue

    • Weight management

  • In Australia, a clinical naturopath and/or nutritionist will have a degree qualification (Bachelor of Health Sciences and/or Masters) in naturopathy or clinical nutrition from a reputable university/college in Australia. This allows them to be accredited by the Australian Natural Therapies Association (ANTA), Australasian Association & Register of Practicing Nutritionists(AARPN)or the Naturopath & Herbalists Association of Australia (NHAA). It is important to check someone’s credentials as the terms ‘naturopath’ or  ‘nutritionist’ are not protected in Australia, which means that anyone can call themselves a naturopath/nutritionist, regardless of what they have studied. The easiest way to clarify whether someone is indeed a clinical nutritionist is by checking whether they are a member of either ANTA, AARPN or NHAA, as these associations only admit practitioners with a recognised bachelor's degree or above.

    A bachelor's degree in naturopathy is a 4-year, full time degree, and in clinical nutrition it is a 3-year, full-time degree. Both cover subjects such as human physiology & anatomy, chemistry & biochemistry, nutritional biochemistry, pharmacology, pathology, nutritional medicine, sports nutrition, public health, basic psychology, nutritional research and others. Naturopathy studies also include herbal medicine, herbal pharmacology and herbal therapeutics. We are also required to work 300 hours (400 for naturopathy) in a supervised student clinic, where we see and treat members of the public.

  • A dietitian has completed a degree in nutrition plus additional accredited training in dietetics. This enables them to work in clinical and hospital settings, provide medical nutrition therapy, and support people with complex medical conditions. Dietitians often work within the conventional healthcare system and are eligible for Medicare rebates when referred by a GP under specific care plans.

    A clinical nutritionist is also degree-qualified in nutritional science and works one-on-one to support people through diet, lifestyle and nutrition education. Clinical nutritionists typically take a holistic and systems-based perspective — meaning they look at how different parts of the body interact, and consider factors such as gut health, stress, sleep, environment, and lifestyle when addressing symptoms. Treatments are evidence-informed and may also include traditional and integrative approaches where appropriate. Clinical nutritionists may also recommend practitioner-only nutritional supplements when indicated.

    Both professions value evidence-based practice — they simply work within different frameworks and healthcare settings, and you may choose based on the type of support and approach that feels right for you.

  • Yes, we are trained to look at a great variety of pathology tests, including functional testing, and how to interpret them. We can’t order tests refundable by Medicare, but we can order all blood tests, stool tests and many functional tests through various laboratories. You will, however, have to pay for these out of your own pocket.

    For basic blood tests, we would provide you with a referral letter to your doctor, so that the tests can be covered by Medicare.

  • This depends on why you have come to see us! If it’s just for a general check and you don’t have any specific concerns, 1-2 visits a year are great.

    If however, you have come to see us for a specific condition, it is likely that you would need to see us for at least 3 months, but ideally 6-12 months as it might take some time to make lasting changes.

  • Yes, we do have some availability for evening appointments. In-person after-hour appointments are available on Wednesdays at the Good Life Clinic in Prahran, Victoria.  

    If none of the available times suit, please contact us through the form on the ‘Contacts’ page for available times.

  • You can pay by direct bank transfer or credit card.

  • No, Medicare does not cover naturopaths or nutritionists.

  • Yes, in Australia many private health insurers cover nutrition services. Check with your health fund if they cover a nutritionist.

    Currently, there are no rebates for naturopathy appointments in Australia. However, the federal government recently recommended that these should be reinstated, so it is worth checking with your health insurer over the coming months whether they have done so.

    It is unlikely that overseas insurers would cover the services of an Australia-based naturopath/nutritionist.

  • There is plenty of street parking around the clinic. Prahran train station is roughly a 5-10 minute walk.