For anything new, sudden or worrying, see your GP first. A GP can diagnose, prescribe, order tests and refer, and none of that is something a naturopath or a dietitian does. Once that is settled, the question of who else to see depends on what you are looking for, and the three roles are more complementary than competing.
I am asked this at the clinic most weeks, usually by someone who has been told to “see someone about their diet” and is not sure which someone. This is a plain map of the three roles as they exist in Australia, including the honest limits of my own. If you want to know what happens inside one of my consultations, I have written separately about what a naturopath actually does.
Your GP: the first stop
Your general practitioner is the one member of this trio who can diagnose a condition, prescribe medicine, order pathology and imaging, and refer you to a specialist. Visits attract a Medicare rebate. If something has changed in your body and you do not know why, or if a symptom is severe, persistent or frightening, the GP is where to start.
A GP is also the person who coordinates the rest of your care. If you see me, or a dietitian, or a physiotherapist, your GP should know, and I encourage everyone I see to keep their GP in the loop.
An accredited practising dietitian
Dietitians are university-trained in nutrition science and medical nutrition therapy, which means planning food and nutrients around a diagnosed medical condition. An accredited practising dietitian (APD) has met the training and continuing education requirements of the profession’s accrediting body.
Dietitians often work inside hospitals and medical practices. When your GP refers you under a GP chronic condition management plan (previously called a chronic disease management plan), a limited number of dietitian visits attract a Medicare rebate. If you have a diagnosed condition where food is central to the medical management, a dietitian is the right person, and I will say so if you ask me.
A naturopath
A naturopath looks at the whole person rather than one system or one nutrient. A consultation with me covers the concern you came with, but also sleep, digestion, energy, stress and history, because from a naturopathic perspective those things shape each other. The tools are herbal medicine (drawing on both Chinese and Western traditions), nutrition and lifestyle, with prescriptions adjusted at follow-ups.
Naturopathy at my clinic in Alexandria runs alongside your medical care. It does not replace it, and I do not offer it as a replacement.
Two facts about the profession are worth stating plainly:
- Naturopathy is not a registered profession in Australia. There is no national board and no protected title, so a practitioner’s training and professional association membership matter more than they would in a registered field. My own qualification is a Bachelor of Health Science (Naturopathy) from Endeavour College of Natural Health, and I am a member of the Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association (AACMA).
- Fees are $180 for an initial consultation and $130 for a 30-minute follow-up, in person or by video or phone. Whether your fund rebates a consultation depends on your policy, so check before you book if that matters to you.
My acupuncture and Chinese medicine practice is a different matter. That profession is registered, and I am an AHPRA-registered acupuncturist and Chinese medicine practitioner.
When I send people back to their GP
I refer people to their GP regularly, and I regard it as part of the job. The common reasons:
- Something in the consultation needs a diagnosis, and diagnosis is not what I do.
- A symptom is new, unexplained or getting worse.
- Pathology would tell us more than conversation can.
- A medication question arises that should be decided with the prescriber.
- A person has not had a check-up in a long time.
If your GP wants a note on what I have prescribed, I am happy to write one.
Seeing more than one of us
Most people I see are also seeing a GP, and some are seeing a dietitian or physiotherapist as well. That works. The three roles ask different questions and use different tools, and none of them needs the others to be wrong. What matters is that each practitioner knows what the others are doing, especially where medication and herbal medicine meet, which is why I ask about everything you take at every visit. More on how I work with other practitioners is on the frequently asked questions page.
Ready to book?
If you would like a whole-person consultation alongside your medical care, you can read more about naturopathy at the clinic in Alexandria, book online or call (02) 9341 5775. No referral is needed.
Ahil Naturopath/Acupuncture is a clinic located near Redfern, Alexandria and Waterloo. We also service areas across Sydney including Botany, Camperdown, Darlinghurst, Erskineville, Eveleigh, Mascot, Newtown, Rosebery, Surry Hills and Zetland.
We offer Acupuncture, Naturopathy, Herbal medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Cupping, Gua Sha (Scraping) and Moxibustion services in South-East, Eastern and Inner City of Sydney.
This article is general information only and is not a substitute for individual advice from a qualified health practitioner. If you have a health concern, please see your GP or book a consultation.