Meet Mike

Mike is a Bachelor Qualified Naturopath who studied at Endeavour College of Natural Health in Melbourne, graduating in 2021. He has a passion in making health as simple and uncomplicated as it can be. His interests lay in:

metabolic health conditions
physical health
gastrointestinal health
cardiovascular health
male health

His aim is to outreach to as many people as he can and provide healthcare as well as provide knowledge to help people be a better them as simply as possible.

How I Discovered Naturopathy

From a young age I always enjoyed playing with plants, mixing things together and imagining they were potions while I explored the backyard vanquishing imaginary foes with my childhood neighbour. It was all fun and games, thinking that I would mix something that would help us in our make-believe battles. I never believed something like a childhood game could become a reality.

Years later, we became adults and our childhood games were replaced with the reality of the world we really live in. I saw sickness in family and friends, and decided to pursue a career in medicine; which was short-lived as I watched my father with illness deteriorating while relying solely on medicine. For months, he continued to get worse and nothing seemed to be working. It may have been simply the timing of when he started improving, or it may have been the new addition to his health regimen that he began implementing - he began seeing a naturopath.

Within weeks my dad began returning to his normal self, walking from room to room without being out of breath, colour started returning to his face and, weeks later, he returned to work. This was my first introduction to Naturopathy. A medicine that I believed only existed in my imagination was giving my dad the strength to continue to strive to face new battles.

Naturopathy isn't as basic as mixing potions like I was doing in the backyard as a kid. And sure, we don't live in a world where we constantly go out to battles with monsters, but I believe we are battling constantly with our lives, with ourselves and with the world we live in. Naturopathy, to me, is a way to help us stay in the fight and be the best that we can be.

What Is Naturopathy?

Naturopathy is a complimentary therapy that can work hand in hand with other allopathic modalities. It strives to improve the health and wellbeing of the individual and not simply target an ailment or disease. By addressing internal and physical weaknesses the body can be in a better state to resolve illness and adapt to any challenges it may face.

The initial consultation is an importantly long appointment designed to gather as much possible information to help create a personalised treatment plan. Follow-up consultations are important to build upon the first appointment, gather how well your body responds, alter the treatment and provide the client with further information to benefit their health journey.

After each appointment (within 48 hours) you will receive an individualized treatment plan with the information on how to progress towards your health goals along with patient handouts and aids to help. This will also explain to you the purpose of any prescribed nutritional supplements or herbs along with the dosage and instructions on how to take.

How does Naturopathy work?

Naturopathy uses the science of nutritional biochemistry as well as herbal pharmacology to benefit the individual in their health journey. It employs the use of herbal knowledge from thousands of years ago combined with the advancements of the 2000s. Naturopathy is founded on 6 tenets called the Principles of Natural Medicine

The 6 Tenets of Naturopathy

1. First Do No Harm

If therapy is needed for the body, use the least invasive and least toxic tools first.

We don't want to harm the body any further than it may already be damaged. We use herbs and nutritional supplements that have low risk of damage to the body. This tenet can also go both ways, however. If we cannot treat something aggressive or outside of our scope, the referral and collaboration with a GP becomes the necessary treatment to reduce further risk.

2. The Healing Power of Nature

The body is capable of healing most things itself. It does it all the time! If the body is put into a beneficial state of health it can further promote its self-healing ability.

Sometimes a simple deficiency is blocking what your body needs to heal itself. Sometimes its a chemical stressor or a burden like lack of sleep. these things can stop your body's vital force - the strength and ability to resolve itself back to its better state. Naturopathy aims to seek any weaknesses and support them and thus, support the body healing itself.

3. Identify and Treat the Cause

Look beyond just the symptoms. Address what is causing the symptoms.

Without knowing what is causing your health issues we can't really address them. We need to look deeper into the body and address the issues at its root cause. Naturopath work both inwardly and outwardly, managing symptoms while also focusing and what's happening inside.

4. Doctor as Teacher

Educating people in how to health is the best way to achieve health.

Prescribing medications or herbs or supplements can be great to fix issues currently at hand, but the true treatment comes with giving people know knowledge they need to take health into their own hands. Whether that be in the form of a dietary alteration or a lifestyle review, giving people the tools they need to better themselves will be what keeps people healthy in the long run.

5. Treat the Whole Person

The body is not individual organs and systems jammed together to work. It is one system with multiple parts working all together to form life.

Understanding that everything is linked and connected can better help people's healing journey. Removing a burden from one part of the body can benefit the rest of the body. Disease generally doesn't come from one place. It comes from multiple parts of the body compensating and then falling under the pressure.

6. Prevention

Prevention is better than cure!

Finally, the most important facet of health is maintaining health in the beginning. Your body won't have the burden of trying to fix itself if it's resilient and strong.

These tenets hold the basis of all treatments in Naturopathy and are fundamental to the growth and health journey of every individual

We believe that the body is not just the physical, but a complex of the physical, emotional and spiritual. To improve health, focus on all three is important.