Alex Shaw Naturopath

What Conditions Can Naturopathy Help With?

Do you suffer from chronic stress, persistent allergies or digestive issues? Alex Shaw Naturopath in Mosman NSW specialises in the treatment of these conditions and many more.

Alex is a certified naturopath whose extensive knowledge and skills in a broad range of natural medicine can treat and prevent diseases. In the end, her clients leave her clinic feeling totally new inside and out. She specialises in the treatment of the following conditions:

Digestive Issues

The digestive system is responsible for absorbing vital nutrients that support the body’s function. However, sometimes it doesn’t work right because of several factors including fatigue, flatulence, abdominal pain, bloating, indigestion, skin disorders, depression and nutrient deficiencies, just to name a few. 

Alex uses an integrative approach to spot the root cause of any imbalances within the digestive system, then she works on a treatment plan that suits a client’s specific needs. 

She employs different testing methods, which she learnt in Hong Kong while working with highly-skilled naturopaths, to get to the root of a problem.

Alex works on a wide range of digestive conditions such as the following:

• Dysbiosis
• Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth
• Celiac disease
• Diverticulitis
• Bacterial, fungal and parasitic infections
• Hemorrhoids
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Gallstones
• Gastritis and gastroesophageal reflux disease
• Inflammatory bowel disease

Immune Deficiencies

How healthy or poor one’s immune system is can be determined by the quality of their sleep, nutrition, environment, as well as genetics. If there’s a problem in any of these, then one is likely to suffer from poor immunity.

Immune deficiencies can manifest in many ways depending on the behaviour of your immune system. Some of the symptoms include hay fever, frequent colds, eczema, psoriasis, arthritis, lupus and inflammatory bowel disease.

Maintaining a strong immune system will protect your body from viruses, bacterial infections and other pathogens. Any imbalances to it may be due to nutritional deficiencies, an infection, exposure to toxic products or genetic predisposition. To find out the exact culprit, Alex performs diagnostic tests and an assessment of your lifestyle.

Once she has identified the root of your condition, she comes up with a strategy that will revive your health. Aside from making sure that it’s tailored to your needs, she incorporates supplements as well as lifestyle and dietary changes.

Weight Management

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, more than 60% of Australians are overweight. This is a serious problem as being overweight increases your risk for hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, heart diseases, joint problems, skin conditions, infertility and psychological problems. 

Many of my clients had to pay large amounts of money to lose weight. Unfortunately, weight gain is attributed to several factors, including digestion health, lifestyle, hormones, genetics and sleep. All of these contribute to the way your body digests food and gains weight. 

Using her vast experience and expertise in naturopathy, Alex can help you develop a diet and lifestyle plan that will lead to your ideal weight. She’ll guide you through the process of grocery shopping, cooking, developing an exercise regimen and making lifestyle changes.

For Alex, the goal is to achieve the shape and size you’ll be happy with. 

Sleep Issues

Sleep deprivation is associated with a range of physical and psychological disorders such as the following:

• Fatigue
• Weight gain and obesity
• Thyroid dysfunction
• Poor immune system
• Anxiety and depression
• Mood disorders 
• Chronic conditions
• Low concentration

As we age, achieving a good night’s sleep becomes more difficult. The good news is that Alex can improve the quality of your sleep by identifying what’s actually disrupting it. During your consultation, she will assess your stress levels, diet, lifestyle, nutritional deficiencies and other factors that may be contributing to your problem.

She will then utilise evidence-based tools to develop a treatment plan that will improve your sleep patterns. Her findings from your health assessment will also enable her to determine what supplements and herbs to incorporate into your treatment.

Skin Disorders

The skin is responsible for protecting our internal organs and eliminating waste products. Aside from this, its appearance clues us in on any possible health imbalances. Naturopathy can treat all kinds of skin disorders including:

• Dermatitis
• Acne
• Psoriasis
• Hives
• Dry and flaky skin
• Fungal skin infections
• Dandruff
• Rosacea

Alex is capable of providing her clients instant relief by addressing the root cause of the problem. Sher treatment approach consists of the following steps:

• Resolving nutritional deficiencies
• Removing food items containing allergens
• Improving the health of the digestive system
• Treating hormonal imbalances
• Preparing a herbal medicine that suits the client’s needs

Mental Conditions

Everyone experiences anxiety, stress and depression at some point in their lives. In fact, the The National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing said 45% of Australians suffer from different kinds of mental disorders throughout their life.

Such a problem affects even children and teenagers aged 4 to 17. A naturopath considers several factors when treating a person with a mental health problem in order to get to the bottom of the issue. They look at their client’s lifestyle, environment, genetics and nutrition.

Alex says it’s very difficult for a person to find genuine happiness if they’ve experienced a traumatic event in their life. Hence, she takes the time to assess the symptoms manifested by a client.

Once she has determined the real cause of their problem, she comes up with the appropriate treatment plan backed with the proper nutrition and herbal medicine. 

Naturopathy involves the use of evidence-based diagnostic and treatment tools to effectively address various mental health disorders such as:

• Acute and chronic stress 
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Adhd
• Panic attacks
• Grief and trauma-related symptoms
• Addictions

Allergies and Food Sensitivities

Allergies are manifested in different ways, depending on how your immune system reacts to the object which your body is allergic to. They may appear as a skin rash, cause a part of your body to itch, lead to red, swollen eyes, or make you suffer with a terrible headache or migraine.

Others suffer more serious conditions such as the following:

• Difficulty in breathing
• Digestive issues 
• Hay fever
• Fatigue
• Sneezing or a runny nose
• Sinusitis
• Recurring ear infections

It’s a good thing allergies can be treated with naturopathy. As an experienced naturopath, Alex works on identifying what triggers the allergy of a client.

She conducts lab tests and uses a food diary to determine their nutritional needs and what they are sensitive to. She incorporates her treatment plan with botanical medicine tailored to each person’s individual needs.

Women’s Health Issues

The health of a woman is a phenomenon as it goes through different phases as she gets older. Naturopathy eases this transition by employing proper diet, botanical medicine and lifestyle adjustments. 

Alex is passionate about women’s health. She says herbal medicine and the right nutrition plan are key to guiding every woman to optimal health. She specialises in the treatment of the following conditions:

• Infertility as well as prenatal and postnatal support
• Menstrual issues
• Thyroid dysfunction
• Uterine fibroids
• Vaginal Infections
• Endometriosis
• Fibrocystic breasts
• Low libido 
• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
• Perimenopause and Menopause
• Cystitis

What is Nutrigenomics?

Nutrigenomics is an evolving form of integrated medicine that focuses on the connection between a person’s genes and nutrition, and how it impacts their health.

Every human being has an estimated 25,000 genes, according to the Human Genome Project. The genes of a particular person indicate how proteins are processed by their body. 

According to naturopaths, the uniqueness of our genes explains the ability of some to morph in a certain way, hence affecting the person’s health. Aside from this, they also stress that a person’s diet and environment can affect the behaviour of their genes.

Alex integrates the process of examining genetic variations into naturopathic treatments for the following issues:

• Fertility 
• Cardiovascular disease 
• Mood disorders
• Chronic fatigue
• Allergies and food sensitivities

Book an appointment to find out how naturopathy can treat your condition.