Yes. Naturopathy follow-up consultations with me are available by online video or phone, and they run for the same 30 minutes and the same $130 fee as an in-person follow-up. Initial naturopathy consultations are held in person at the clinic in Alexandria. That is a requirement of the telehealth rules that apply to my registration: after a face-to-face first consultation, follow-ups by video or phone are available for the next 12 months before another in-person visit is needed.
Many of the people I see live or work around Alexandria, Redfern and Waterloo, but plenty do not. Some travel for work, some have moved further out, and some simply cannot get to Botany Road on a weekday. Video follow-ups exist so that the plan we started together keeps moving even when a visit is not practical. If you have not yet had a naturopathy consultation with me, that first hour is where we build the picture the follow-ups depend on.
What a video follow-up covers
A follow-up, in person or online, is a working session. It is not a general chat about how things are going. I use the 30 minutes to look at three things.
- Progress review. How the last few weeks went against what we set out to do. Sleep, meals, digestion, energy and stress, in the same terms we used at the first visit.
- Your herbal prescription. Whether the formula stays the same, changes in dose or changes in makeup. This is the part that most often shifts between visits.
- Diet and lifestyle. The one or two practical changes that are realistic for the next fortnight, rather than a long list.
Because the questions are the same as an in-person follow-up, most of the consultation translates well to a screen. I can see you, hear you and go through the notes you bring, which is the bulk of what a follow-up relies on.
How herbs are supplied after an online visit
If your prescription changes at a video follow-up, the new formula can be collected from the clinic or posted to you, and we arrange which before the session ends. If you are running low, say so early in the session so we can sort it out before the time is up. You can read more about how a formula is put together and adjusted on the herbal medicine page. The short version is that the prescription is written for you, not for a label, and it is reviewed each time we talk.
What you need for a video consultation
Very little, but the little matters.
- A quiet spot where you can talk openly for half an hour. A parked car is fine. A busy office kitchen is not.
- A phone, tablet or laptop with a camera and a reasonable connection. Test it a few minutes before we start.
- Notes on how the weeks went. A few lines a day is plenty: sleep, meals, bowel habits, energy, anything unusual. Memory is unreliable in a 30-minute window, and written notes make the session far more useful.
- Your current bottles or packets to hand. I will ask what you are taking and how much is left. Having them in front of you saves guessing.
- Your medication list, including anything new since we last spoke.
If you keep a food or symptom diary in an app, have it open. If you prefer paper, hold it up to the camera. Either works.
When in person is better
Video suits a follow-up that is mostly conversation and prescription. It does not suit everything.
- Anything that needs hands-on assessment. If part of the picture is a physical concern I would normally examine, a visit to the clinic is the right choice.
- Acupuncture, cupping, gua sha or moxibustion. These are in-person by nature, so if your plan combines naturopathy with any of them, book in at Alexandria.
- The first consultation. That hour is where I take a full history and, where relevant, use traditional observation such as the tongue and pulse. It sets up everything that follows.
If you are unsure which to book, choose in person. It is always possible to move to video later once we both know the plan is stable.
Booking a video follow-up
Online video follow-ups are booked the same way as any other appointment: through the online booking page, by phone on (02) 9341 5775, or by email. Choose the naturopathy follow-up and note that you would like it by video or phone. I use Google Meet, and the link is sent to you by text message and email before the appointment. If anything about the link or timing is unclear, the contact page has every way to reach me, and I would rather answer a quick question than have you miss the session.
The naturopathy page has the full rundown of fees and what a first visit involves, if you are starting from the beginning.
Ready to book?
If you are an existing naturopathy patient and a visit to Alexandria is not practical this month, book a video follow-up through the online booking page or call (02) 9341 5775. If it is your first visit, book an initial consultation in person and we will decide together whether video follow-ups suit your plan.
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.