A naturopath is a health care practitioner who takes into account the whole person, when investigating underlying cause(s) of ‘dis’ease or ill health and uses the power of nature to induce healing. Modern naturopaths combine traditional healing approaches with contemporary evidence-based health knowledge.

Naturopathy is an age-old discipline dating back to 400BC and was first used in the Hippocratic School of Medicine. Naturopathy is included in the World Health Organisation’s Traditional Medicine Strategy, which aims to strengthen the role traditional medicine plays in keeping populations healthy.

As part of the 4yr health science naturopathy degree we are trained in the following, incorporating biomedical science, research and traditional knowledge, with the goal of safe and effective prescribing.

• Anatomy and Physiology: the structure and functioning of the body and mind;
• Biochemistry and nutritional biochemistry; 
• Pathophysiology: processes that occur in the body leading to disease;
• Pharmacology: the scientific study of drugs and their use in medicine;
• Botany and western herbal medicine;
• Human nutrition throughout the lifespan; 
• Clinical assessment and testing;  
• Therapeutics: use of nutrients, herbs, energetics including homeopathy and flower essence, food, and lifestyle to induce healing. 

Naturopaths work collaboratively with other health care practitioners, are regulated by professional organisations, with prescribed herbal and nutritional therapeutics regulated under the therapeutics goods authority (TGA).