FAQs.
Acupuncture
No, it does not hurt. Your acupuncture session should never be painful. Our gentle style of acupuncture helps to give you the most health benefits with no irritation.
Our initial appointments are 60 minutes long and follow up appointments are 60 minutes long. During your initial appointment, your acupuncturist will spend some time talking through your medical history and assessing you before the acupuncture starts.
No, it is important to know that acupuncture and dry needling are two very distinct modalities.
Dry needling is based upon the western medicine paradigm. It is used for soft tissue correction, which involves inserting extremely fine and painless needles into muscle fibres, causing a local twitch response. This, in turn, helps to deactivate and resolve trigger points in the muscle and release constriction. Many health professionals use dry needling as a method for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain, including myotherapists, physiotherapists, podiatrists and even some GPs.
Acupuncture, on the other hand, is based on the principles of traditional Chinese medicine and the stimulation of Qi (pronounce Chi). Acupuncture diagnoses using complex theories, meaning only a qualified and registered Acupuncturist or Chinese Medicine practitioner can treat with acupuncture.
Yes, acupuncture complements other treatments and therapies quite well. You can have acupuncture alongside your naturopathic care or if you also have massage or physiotherapy. Acupuncture is safe while pregnant, while in recovery and also in conjunction with medications. Be sure to tell your acupuncturist what other treatments you are having so that they can complement them.
Your acupuncturist will take your medical history and find out what medicines you are taking, as well as any other treatments you’re receiving so that it complements what you are already doing. Shift at Brisbane Natural Health is a collaborative practice and we like to work collectively with other health modalities to ensure the best outcome for you.
As we move through the weeks, each new concept will build on the last, giving you a week to really master what you have learnt and put it into action. We suggest that you choose a day of the week (normally a Sunday or Monday) where you’ll have the time to read through the content, make notes, ask questions and then use the next 7 days to apply your learning. If you have a question at any time, you can ask it within the program module (and we’ll respond within 48 hours) or via the private Facebook group.
How does a naturopath know what to prescribe?
Shift at Brisbane Natural Health naturopaths decide to prescribe you certain medicines based on a number of factors:
- Your specific symptoms
- Your family history
- Your body signs, such as tongue and nail analysis and iridology.
- Your blood or other pathology results
Your naturopath will use all of this information along with their training and clinical experience to decide on what medicines will be best for you. No two treatment plans are the same as each individual has specific needs and will respond to different treatment to someone else.
What medicines might a naturopath prescribe?
A naturopath may prescribe herbal medicines in a liquid or tablet form, nutritional supplements, food supplements, flower essences or other natural remedies to correct wellness.
What dietary advice to naturopaths give?
Our naturopaths look at your individual circumstances when recommending diet and lifestyle changes. They may recommend that you avoid certain foods that could be causing you problems. They will also assess if you are getting enough of the essential vitamins and minerals in your diet, and if you are not they will help you make changes to improve nutritional content.
You do not need to see a nutritionist in addition to our naturopaths. Our naturopaths have the equivalent training equaling a Bachelor of nutrition, included in their degrees.
What examinations do naturopaths do?
Our naturopaths use a number of different clinical examination techniques to see what is going on in your body.
Tongue analysis can give us clues about your digestive and liver health and show certain nutrient deficiencies.
Nail analysis can give information about your tissue health and can show nutrient deficiencies.
Iridology is the study of the iris of the eye. It can give information about certain organ weaknesses, digestive health and nervous system health.
Blood testing may be ordered directly through the clinic or with the assistance of your GP. We use this to look for signs of poor health, imbalance and nutritional deficiency.
Functional pathology includes tests using the saliva, urine or stools to look for markers of health that can guide treatment. Common tests that we order at Shift at Brisbane Natural Health are comprehensive stool assessments to assess gut health, urinary hormone profiles to assess reproductive health and genetic testing.
How do I make an appointment to see a naturopath at Shift at Brisbane Natural Health?
Call us on 07 3367 0337 or use the booking form to make your appointment online.
Yes! Health Fund rebates are available from all of the major health funds. To see if your policy covers acupuncture and to find out how much your rebate will be, contact your health fund.
You’re welcome to come wearing whatever you like – if we need to get to a part of your body that is covered, then there will be plenty of towels for discretion and comfort.
No, your practitioner will leave the room to allow you to undress and drape yourself with towels comfortably before they return. They will always knock on the door to ensure you are ready to go.
Please arrive at least 5 minutes prior to your appointment to sign a consent form and get yourself ready to go into your session on time.
IVF Acupuncture
Your initial appointment will be $149 and follow-up appointments will be $135.
This depends on your individual needs, but most of our fertility patients will visit us every 1-2 weeks to help to balance and correct any issues.
At a very minimum, studies show getting acupuncture pre and post-embryo transfer or FET to be helpful. However, the effects of acupuncture are cumulative, which means you’ll gain the most benefit from coming even before you enter the cycle, if possible.
This depends on a number of things but yes, we have had a lot of success with patients not undergoing IUI and IVF with getting pregnant with the support of acupuncture.
Yes! As long as you have extras that cover acupuncture you can claim on the spot with HICAPs.
We have strong relationships with several fertility centres in Brisbane, and we can also work alongside your current specialist. If you need a referral to someone we can also offer some options.
You should never be in pain when you receive acupuncture at Brisbane Natural Health. We use a gentle Japanese style of acupuncture which uses very fine needles. Most patients leave feeling incredibly relaxed. Your comfort is our number one priority and the insertion of the needles should never be painful.
Absolutely! Our acupuncturists are trained in extensive reproductive and pregnancy techniques and your treatment will only support your pregnancy, not hinder it.
Naturopathy
Both homeopathy and naturopathy believe in preventative care, but the stem of their philosophies are on different foundations. Homeopathy is solely focused on the use of remedies and is often used in naturopathy. Naturopathic medicine however uses a wide range of natural healing modalities to improve a person’s health. Think of it as “tools in the toolbox” – as well as botanicals, nutritional therapy and lifestyle counselling, homeopathy is just one of these tools.
At your first appointment, you will get an initial prescription which will show you what you need to take and what dietary changes you need to make right now.
Currently in Australia naturopathy is not covered by health insurance. We are hoping this will change over time so please keep checking back with us.
You can have your initial appointment without becoming a member of the clinic, this is still highly valuable and you’ll get some key insights to make some initial shifts.
Yes, using a naturopathic approach – a holistic look at your health – can help improve your feelings of anxiety. We offer a number of other services as part of our memberships – including acupuncture, Tui Na massage and emotional wellness (including hypnotherapy, holographic kinetics and kinesiology).
You will often find that when you see one of our emotional wellness experts as well as seeing your naturopath, the diet and lifestyle changes you are making become so much easier without the emotional trauma, triggers and baggage you have been carrying.
Yes, naturopathy is a valuable part of a weight loss plan because it helps to address the underlying issues that can contribute to weight gain – like thyroid disease, insulin resistance, inflammation and hormonal imbalance. Our naturopaths can also give you a diet that is right for you and help to motivate and inspire you to live a healthier lifestyle. It’s not a magic solution though, weight loss takes an integrated approach with you in the centre.
You will often find that when you see one of our emotional wellness experts (including hypnotherapy, holographic kinetics and kinesiology) as well as seeing your naturopath, the diet and nutritional changes you are making become so much easier without the emotional trauma, triggers and baggage you have been carrying.
People who do our 8-week specific Shift Weight Loss Program combining naturopathy and hypnotherapy often have amazing, life-lasting results.
An initial appointment, our Discovery and Diagnosis session, with a Shift at Brisbane Natural Health naturopath, is $260 and is 90-minutes long. In the appointment, you’ll gain insights into your current state of health, which key areas you need to work on and what you need to do to begin your shift.
Initial appointments for fertility support are $290, are 120-minutes long and include both partners.
After your appointment, you will get an initial prescription which will show you what you need to take and what dietary changes you need to make right now.
Please bring any blood tests or other testing to your Discovery and Diagnosis session. Or, better still, please scan and email them to us beforehand so your naturopath can use these in your assessment. You can obtain these by calling your doctor’s office (or allied health practitioner) and requesting copies via email.
Yes of course. The initial consultation, our Discovery and Diagnosis session, will provide you with a great amount of value and insight on its own. Our clients report feeling more at ease and informed about their health when they leave. You’ll get advice to begin to shift your health, which will help you whether you decide to continue the journey and become a Shift clinic member or not.
We frequently see children and adolescents for health conditions like eczema, acne, asthma, digestive issues and stress and fatigue.
Our naturopaths are all highly qualified and have training in pharmacology. We are hyper-aware of any herb-drug or nutrient-drug interactions that may occur and will only prescribe you natural medicines which complement your allopathic treatment, not hinder it.
Once we have all of the information that we need from you, our naturopaths will prescribe you a specific treatment protocol to help your body to heal. We use high-quality practitioner strength brands that pass our stringent quality assurance tests.
We have over 150 liquid herbal medicines and 300 supplements in the clinic, so we can use the exact thing that is needed for your current condition.
We have four excellent naturopaths that are experienced in a wide range of conditions. When you call us on 07 3367 0337 we will ask you what you need help with specifically so we can match you with the naturopath who can help you the most. You can also read more about our practitioner’s backgrounds here.
Our team of experts work closely together, so you will get insight into the minds of four naturopaths rather than one. Our founding naturopath Katherine Maslen will have input on all complex cases as well.
Yes! Our naturopaths see lots of patients virtually, in particular from regional and remote areas like Rockhampton, Gladstone, Roma and Mt Isa. We currently have patients in Bangladesh, New York, Cambodia and Vanuatu.
Virtual appointments are done via video chat (no accounts or software needed) or over the phone. Medicines can then be shipped to you. Give us a call on 07 3367 0337 to discuss booking a virtual appointment.
Kids respond incredibly well to naturopathy. All of our naturopaths are trained in treating children with naturopathy, as well as mothers themselves, so they know the unique challenges that kids are faced with when it comes to their health.
We frequently see children and adolescents for health conditions like eczema, acne, asthma, digestive issues and stress and fatigue. Give our team a call on 07 3367 0337 to discuss booking an appointment for your child.
Children and adolescents are not required to have a membership to see any practitioner at Shift at Brisbane Natural Health, including our naturopaths. This is because they often respond very quickly, don’t need as many appointments and their care is often less intensive than the care of adults.
Hypnotherapy
An initial hypnotherapy appointment is $210 and is approximately 90 minutes long.
Return appointments are $200 and are one hour long.
Our popular Quit Smoking Hypnotherapy Program is $495. We also have an 8 Week Weight Loss Hypnotherapy Program with nutritional support which is just $150 per week.
As this is an individual process your therapist will be able to give you a rough idea of the amount of sessions you will need and how often after your first hypnotherapy appointment. Most clients will begin to notice some level of change after their first appointment, but will usually require at least 4 appointments to really shift the issue.
An exception to this can be quit smoking or stopping other habits and addictions, which we commonly see resolved in 1-2 sessions.
Unfortunately, at this stage, hypnotherapy is not covered by Medicare. But as things change in this space, we will keep our patients updated.
No. Even if they wanted to (which would never be a consideration as our therapists ALWAYS have your best interests at heart) a hypnotherapist can only offer suggestions for change that you are open to and are willing to do.
Because of this, you need to actually be willing to make change, or the hypnosis will not be effective for you. If there are reasons that may be stopping you from being ready, these will be addressed in your session first.
When you are in trance, you are deeply relaxed but also conscious of what is happening 100%. If you wanted to get up and walk out at any moment you could (although you won’t because you’ll feel so relaxed).
Hypnotherapy can work for issues including a gambling addiction. You as a person must be willing and want to make a change in your life for hypnotherapy to be an effective treatment. Feel free to contact our clinic and ask any questions about your personal situation and book in for your initial hypnotherapy session.
Book an appointment to Shift your current state.
Virtual appointments are available
