Natural Therapies are becoming increasingly popular in Australia as more people look to care for their bodies in a natural and holistic way. We offer various natural therapy options at SAIT, including Naturopathy and Nutrition. Both of these therapies focus on using your body’s natural healing abilities, and looking at what you need – whether through diet, lifestyle, exercise, or something else – to heal and function the best you can. Both therapies will assist you towards better general health and well-being.
HOW DO I DECIDE WHETHER TO SEE A NATUROPATH OR A NUTRITIONIST?
One of the best ways to decide is whether to come in for Naturopathy or Nutrition is to look at the particular practitioners and see what they focus on treating. Both Nutritionists and Naturopaths can treat a wide range of conditions and symptoms, but often practitioners focus on particular problems as this is where they have the most experience and knowledge. To find out more about what our therapists focus on treating, scroll to the bottom of this page to find out more about Ebony and Michelle.
What is the difference between Nutrition and Naturopathy?
Nutritionists and Naturopaths both work with the body holistically. Both investigate the cause of your health issues, through conversations and testing, and use natural methods to improve your negative symptoms. They both intend to improve your life and wellbeing through better health. They also both look at medical history, lifestyle, and dietary habits to inform their decisions. Nutritionists and Naturopaths also often use test results, such as blood tests, hormone testing, iron levels, and more, to inform their decisions.
Nutritionists work with diet, lifestyle, and nutritional supplements that are personalised to you and your needs. Nutritionists focus more on using food as medicine as much as possible. Nutritionists may look more at your digestive and immune system function or your body composition. From these things, as well as questioning and analysis,
Nutritionists create a balanced, fully customised dietary program that outlines all the nutrients that are essential for you to restore balance to your body and lessen negative symptoms.
Naturopaths use similar elements, but include herbal medicine as part of their treatments and can prescribe specific natural herb remedies for particular ailments.
What is Naturopathy?
Naturopathy is a type of natural medicine that focusses on using your body’s ability to heal itself. Using various techniques and treatment methods, such as food, exercise, self-care, and more (see below), tailored to your unique needs, Naturopathy aims to support your healing and holistically improve your body, mind, and emotions – improving your current conditions and your general well-being.
Naturopathy combines evidence-based medicine with traditional practices. Naturopathy is based on using food as medicine, looking to heal you naturally and with the least intervention possible. Naturopathy works through making helpful changes in your diet and lifestyle to assist with a variety of problems and conditions.
Naturopathy is a preventative approach, allowing you to manage your illness or condition and stop it from reaching an unbearable point. It treats the underlying cause of your symptoms and leads to medium to long-term management of the cause to prevent you from experiencing symptoms again.
What is Nutrition?
Nutrition is the study of nutrients that are essential to supporting your body and your health, and how food/drink effects our bodies. The WHO explains nutrition as “a critical part of health and development”.
Good nutrition and a healthy, personalised diet is linked to better growth and development, helps with healthy ageing and body weight, strengthens your immune system, reduces risks or symptoms relating to chronic diseases, and promotes healthy pregnancies.
Nutrition leads to better general health and well-being.
Michelle, our Nutritionist, focuses on assisting those with endometriosis, pelvic pain, and menstrual conditions through nutrition. She has had great personal success by using nutrition to improve her own endometriosis symptoms, and is passionate about helping others with the same condition.
What treatment techniques are used in Naturopathy?
- Lifestyle modifications
- Meal plans and recipe development (tailored to your needs/body type/energy requirements)
- Stress management techniques
- Natural skin care routines
- Reduction of household and environmental toxins
- Exercise recommendations
- Self-care practices
- Creams and lotions (for skin care, eczema, acne, fungal infections, and warts)
- Herbal teas and tonics.
Ebony will also provide nutritional medicine and herbal medicine as required.
Test results are often required by naturopaths to see various indicators and signs of deficiency. The different types of testing you may require are hormone testing, levels of vitamins/minerals, allergies, thyroid testing, cholesterol markers, inflammation, iron deficiencies, food intolerances, and more.
So what does a
Nutritionist do?
A Nutritionist helps you understand your body, your conditions, and how you can improve your life through your diet, personal health and wellbeing. Nutritionists advises on nutrition and the effects that it has on your body, and creates an individualised plan for you to receive the full benefits of good nutrition.
The tasks and methods of a Nutritionist include (but are not limited to):
- Explaining nutrition in a personalised context and answering any nutrition questions you may have.
- Planning personalised diets and meal plans, with cost and preferences in mind.
- Helping you implement your treatment plan and monitoring if it is working for you.
- Adjusting your treatment plan based on your response and changing needs.
- Focussing on the nutritional value of foods in your meal plans.
- Educating you on your body and condition, and how your personalised treatment plan will help.
- Keeping up with the latest nutritional advice and scientific research.
- Promoting a healthier lifestyle and better eating habits.
What is a typical
consultation like?
Treatments with both Ebony, our Naturopath, and Michelle, our Nutritionist, are very similar.
The right treatment approach for you is determined by in-depth conversations and test results. The conversations happen in a safe, non-judgemental space. Ebony will develop a trusting relationship with you, and everything you tell her (and you can tell her anything) will be kept completely confidential. Ebony will provide you with a comprehensive treatment plan that includes lifestyle recommendations and information about the food and nutrients she recommends.
A typical session with Michelle, our Nutritionist, will be a good chat. The first consult will include some questions about your medical history and your family’s medical history. She will also ask about your current lifestyle and eating habits, your bowel movements, and how you feel your current health and wellbeing is going. Michelle will educate you on the current state of your body and help you to understand yourself and your condition better.
Michelle then uses all the information from your chats to discover which areas of your body or health are out of balance. She will create a personalised dietary plan to help you restore balance, which will include all of the nutrients that you require. She may also suggest lifestyle recommendations that you can also use to improve your health and wellbeing. Michelle will explain your treatment plan in detail, so you feel empowered to put it into action. She will also send you away with relevant information and fact sheets for you to read up on at home.
Your follow-up sessions will be used to ensure the treatment plan is right for you, and both Ebony and Michelle will adjust it or provide further help as necessary.
Why should I see a
Naturopath at SAIT?
Naturopathy can benefit everyone. Some specific conditions or lifestyles that naturopathy can help you through include:
- Skin conditions (eczema, psoriasis, adult acne)
- Gastrointestinal health (irregular bowels, IBS, food intolerances)
- Nervous system support (emotional support, stress, anxiety, fatigue, insomnia)
- Children’s health (ASD, ADHD, food allergies/intolerances, fussy eating, constipation, diarrhoea, eczema)
- Dietary requirements (coeliac disease, allergies, food intolerances, vegan/vegetarian lifestyles)
But you don’t need a problem, condition, or change in circumstances to come and see a naturopath – Ebony can also help you improve your general health and wellbeing. Naturopathy can help those just looking to improve their lifestyle; whether you just want a healthy meal plan, a few helpful self-care practices, or a better skin care routine.
Why should I see a
Nutritionist at SAIT?
Our Nutritionist, Michelle, has a special interest in women’s health, in particular endometriosis and menstrual health conditions. Michelle has extensive experience as a Nutritionist, and currently educates in schools throughout the week about period pain, pelvic pain and endometriosis.
Michelle was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2019 and has done a lot of research about endometriosis, pelvic pain, and hormones, and has trialled many different treatments on herself. This allowed her to find what works with these conditions and get her symptoms under control naturally.
Michelle is very passionate about helping others find solutions to their chronic health problems naturally. She understands how important it is to have a supportive practitioner that you can trust, and who has been through something similar to what you are going through.
THE PRACTIONER.
Ebony Pfeiffer
Ebony Pfeiffer (BHSc Nat) is our resident Naturopath, Nutritionist and Herbalist guru.
Naturopathy is an evidence-based practice that aims to prevent illness and disease by treating the whole person – taking into account mental and physical health, diet, lifestyle, and environmental factors.
Ebony’s areas of interest and expertise include:
- Skin conditions (eczema, psoriasis, adult acne)
- Gastrointestinal health (irregular bowels, IBS, food intolerances)
- Nervous system support (emotional support, stress, anxiety, fatigue, insomnia)
- Reproductive health (hormonal health, PCOS, endometriosis, cycle awareness)
- Children’s health (ASD, ADHD, food allergies/intolerances, fussy eating, constipation, diarrhoea, eczema)
Naturopathic medicine aims at supporting the body’s innate ability to heal through natural therapies. Each treatment plan is personalised to your specific health concerns and goals – using herbal and nutritional medicine, flower essences, hydrotherapy, and dietary and lifestyle interventions.
Naturopathic medicine aims at supporting the body’s innate ability to heal through natural therapies. Each treatment plan is personalised to your specific health concerns and goals – using herbal and nutritional medicine, flower essences, hydrotherapy, and dietary and lifestyle interventions.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor of Health Science (Naturopathy)
- Registered with the Naturopaths and Herbalists Association of Australia (NHAA)
- First Aid with CPR Certificate
- Able to provide referrals to General, Functional, and Genetic Pathology Testing
Able to provide referrals to General, Functional, and Genetic Pathology Testing
Michelle Nielsen
Michelle is an Accredited Nutritionist and Low FODMAP Diet Practitioner with over 10 years of experience in the nutrition world. She is a passionate gut health advocate, endometriosis & menstrual health educator, and home-style cook.
During this time Michelle was diagnosed with endometriosis and was struggling with pelvic pain. . She got her condition under control naturally with Nutrition, and she is now passionate about helping others to do the same. For more information on Michelle’s endo journey, visit the Nutrition page.
Michelle has extensive experience and a particular interest in treating:
- Endometriosis, pelvic pain and menstrual conditions,
- Gut issues and IBS,
- Low FODMAP diets,
- Autoimmune diseases,
- Food sensitivities,
- Immune support,
- Hormonal imbalances, and much more.
When she’s not at SAIT, Michelle helps young people understand period pain, pelvic pain, and endometriosis, through education sessions in schools.
Outside of work, you will find Michelle practicing yoga, scouting out the best cafes in town for brunch, riding her bike, cooking and spending time in nature.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor of Health Science (Nutrition) – Queensland University of Technology 2010
- FODMAP Diet for IBS Health Professional course – Monash University 2020
- Accredited with the Australian Natural Therapists Association (ANTA)
Online sessions available via Telehealth or Zoom.
client testimonial
I cannot speak highly enough of Andrew and the team at SA Integrated Therapies. Andrew is a genuine healer and he has assembled a team of like minded professionals who really care and want to help you. Andrew has significantly improved my quality of life
Michael
Do yourself a favour and go and see the team here. You’ve put that niggling pain off too long.
Can not recommend enough. Therapist are extremely knowledgeable and explain every step of the way. Self service cafe area so you can flex your barista muscle if you feel the need.
After dealing with chronic back pain for nearly 10 years, in only two sessions I feel like a new man.
Many thanks Andrew and co!
Lewis
Have been attending Integrated Therapy for many years. I can’t stress enough how they have helped me with my back problems. for
this l am so gratefull. I have managed a normal life and continue to still work. All five stars have been honestly earnt.
Suzanne
I love the space and the vibe it gives off. I always feel calmer when I’m in there.
Bailey
The team at SAIT is a friendly, helpful unit, making one feel confident in the treatment offered by professionals.
Berenice
Always a good experience and good result. I love the atmosphere when I enter the building
