What is Naturopathy? What Does a Naturopath Do?
Written by Jessica Diakoumakos, Naturopath (BHSc Naturopathy) · Emba Wellness, Melbourne · Updated 15.04.2026
Naturopathy is a form of evidence-based, whole-person healthcare that focuses on identifying and treating the underlying cause of health concerns, rather than managing symptoms in isolation. Naturopaths use a combination of clinical assessment, functional pathology, herbal medicine, clinical nutrition, and lifestyle medicine to create individualised treatment plans. In Australia, qualified naturopaths hold a Bachelor of Health Science degree and are eligible for membership with the Naturopaths & Herbalists Association of Australia (NHAA).
People come to naturopathy for a lot of different reasons. Some have been managing a chronic condition for years and feel like they've exhausted the standard options. Some have had every blood test imaginable and been told everything is fine — but they still feel terrible. Some are simply looking for a more thorough, more personalised approach to their health than a standard ten-minute GP appointment allows.
Whatever the reason, the question I get asked most often at the start of a first consultation is: "So what exactly does a naturopath actually do?"
It's a fair question. Here's my honest answer.
“Imagine having a healthcare provider who takes the time to understand you — your lifestyle, your body, and what actually works for your health.”
What Is Naturopathy?
Naturopathy is a system of healthcare that treats the whole person — not just the presenting symptom. The central premise is that symptoms are signals, not the problem itself. A headache isn't a paracetamol deficiency. Fatigue isn't just a coffee deficiency. Hormonal irregularities aren't simply a pill deficiency. Each of these symptoms is the body communicating that something upstream is out of balance.
A naturopath's job is to find out what that is.
In practice, naturopathy combines clinical assessment, functional pathology interpretation, herbal medicine, clinical nutrition, and lifestyle medicine into a cohesive, personalised treatment plan. It's grounded in evidence-based science and updated as research evolves — it is not alternative medicine in the sense of being unscientific or opposed to conventional care.
In Australia, qualified naturopaths hold a Bachelor of Health Science in Naturopathy — a four-year, full-time degree covering anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, clinical nutrition, herbal medicine, and functional medicine. They are eligible for registration with the Naturopaths & Herbalists Association of Australia (NHAA), the peak professional body, which maintains standards of education, clinical practice, and continuing professional development.
What Does a Naturopath Actually Do?
The short answer: we go deep.
Every consultation at Emba Wellness starts with a comprehensive intake — your full health history, your current symptoms, your medications and supplements, your diet, your stress levels, your sleep, your family history, and your goals. By the time we're on the call together, I've already started thinking about your case.
In the consultation itself, I'm not looking for what to prescribe. I'm looking for the mechanism. Why is this happening? What is driving it? What would actually change things?
From there, depending on what I find, a naturopathic approach may include:
Functional Pathology
Ordering and interpreting comprehensive blood panels — including markers most GPs don't routinely test — through private labs including NutriPATH and IScreen. I can also arrange functional testing including SIBO breath testing, DUTCH hormone panels, GI-MAP stool analysis, and Microba microbiome profiling, shipped directly to your home anywhere in Australia.
Herbal Medicine
Prescribing evidence-based herbal formulations tailored to your specific case. Herbal medicine has a long clinical history and an increasingly robust body of research supporting its use across a wide range of conditions. Prescriptions are dispensed through practitioner-only suppliers and sent via Express Post.
Clinical Nutrition
Dietary recommendations based on your specific biochemistry, health goals, and any food intolerances or sensitivities. This is not generic healthy eating advice — it's targeted nutritional support informed by your pathology and clinical picture.
Lifestyle Medicine
Evidence-based recommendations around sleep, stress management, movement, and other lifestyle factors that have measurable effects on the conditions we're treating. These are specific and practical, not vague.
What Makes Naturopathy Different?
The most meaningful difference between naturopathic care and a standard GP appointment isn't the tools — it's the time and the framework.
A standard GP appointment in Australia runs for approximately ten to fifteen minutes. That's enough time to address an acute concern, order a blood test, and make a referral. It is rarely enough time to investigate why someone has been exhausted for three years, or why their hormones have been dysregulated since coming off the pill, or why their gut symptoms have persisted despite a normal colonoscopy.
Naturopathic consultations run for sixty to seventy-five minutes at the initial visit. That's enough time to actually get to the bottom of things.
Naturopathy also operates from a different framework — not instead of conventional medicine, but alongside it. I work with clients who are also seeing GPs, specialists, and mental health practitioners. I can write summaries for your GP. I can review your pathology in the context of what your specialist has told you. The goal is always integrative, collaborative care.
A Real Example — What Naturopathy Looks Like in Practice
Take someone like Gemma — a 29-year-old dealing with irregular periods, persistent acne, and weight gain, eventually diagnosed with PCOS.
A standard medical approach might offer the oral contraceptive pill to regulate cycles, or metformin for insulin resistance. Both are legitimate tools. But neither addresses why Gemma's hormones are dysregulated in the first place.
A naturopathic approach starts with the root cause. Through detailed clinical assessment and functional testing, we identify the key drivers — in Gemma's case, insulin resistance, elevated androgens, chronic stress, and gut dysbiosis. Her treatment plan addresses each of these specifically: blood sugar regulation through dietary changes and targeted supplementation, hormone-balancing herbal medicine, gut health support, and stress management strategies.
Over time her cycles regulate, her skin clears, and her energy returns — not because we masked the symptoms, but because we addressed what was actually causing them.
This is what root-cause medicine looks like in practice.
“What I find most meaningful about naturopathic medicine is that it takes people seriously. When someone comes to me having been told their results are normal but they still feel terrible — that gap between ‘normal’ and ‘actually well’ is exactly where naturopathy sits. We have the time, the tools, and the framework to find out what’s actually going on”
Who Can Benefit from Naturopathic Care?
Naturopathy works across a wide range of health concerns. At Emba Wellness I work particularly with:
Gut health — IBS, SIBO, bloating, reflux, dysbiosis, microbiome optimisation
Hormonal health — PCOS, endometriosis, irregular cycles, post-pill recovery, PMS
Skin conditions — acne, eczema, topical steroid withdrawal
Mental and emotional wellbeing — anxiety, depression, mood disorders — integrated with functional pathology
Autoimmune conditions — Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Crohn's disease
Functional pathology — comprehensive blood panel interpretation, hormone panels, microbiome analysis
Preconception care — naturopathic support for both partners
Vaginal microbiome conditions — bacterial vaginosis, thrush, cytolytic vaginosis
Naturopathy is also highly effective as preventative care — for people who aren't unwell but want to understand their health more deeply, optimise their function, and get ahead of potential issues before they become problems.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes. Modern naturopathic practice draws on peer-reviewed research in nutrition, herbal medicine, functional medicine, and clinical pathology. Qualified Australian naturopaths complete a four-year Bachelor of Health Science degree covering evidence-based clinical practice. At Emba Wellness, treatment protocols are continuously updated as the research evolves. Naturopathy is not opposed to conventional medicine — it is designed to work alongside it.
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A GP is trained to diagnose and treat disease within the conventional medical model, with a focus on acute care, pharmaceuticals, and specialist referral. A naturopath focuses on identifying the underlying cause of health concerns, using functional pathology, nutrition, herbal medicine, and lifestyle medicine. The key practical difference is time — a naturopathic initial consultation runs sixty to seventy-five minutes, allowing for a depth of assessment that a standard GP appointment doesn't accommodate. Naturopaths and GPs work best in collaboration rather than in place of each other.
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Yes. Naturopaths can order comprehensive functional blood panels through private pathology providers including NutriPATH and IScreen. These panels typically include markers that standard GP blood tests don't cover — including fasting insulin, homocysteine, full thyroid panels, comprehensive iron studies, hsCRP, and full sex hormone panels. Functional testing including SIBO breath testing, GI-MAP stool analysis, DUTCH hormone panels, and microbiome profiling can also be arranged.
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Yes — all consultations at Emba Wellness are conducted via telehealth and are available to clients anywhere in Australia. The online format doesn't compromise the depth or quality of care. You complete a comprehensive digital intake form before your appointment, consult via secure video, and receive your written treatment summary and prescriptions within twenty-four hours. Any herbal or supplement orders are sent via Express Post to your door. Learn more about how telehealth works at Emba Wellness.
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As of 1 July 2025, naturopathy has been reinstated as eligible for private health insurance rebates in Australia. Whether your specific fund offers coverage depends on your policy and extras level. Jessica Diakoumakos is a current NHAA member (#158400), which is the primary credential health funds are using for eligibility. A full digital receipt is provided so you can claim directly through your insurer.
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Your initial consultation at Emba Wellness runs sixty to seventy-five minutes. Before the appointment you'll complete a detailed digital health intake covering your history, symptoms, medications, diet, sleep, and goals. In the consultation we go through this thoroughly, discuss any existing pathology results, identify areas for further testing where relevant, and build your personalised treatment plan from the ground up. Within twenty-four hours you'll receive a detailed written summary, your clinical recommendations, and any herbal or nutritional prescriptions.
Ready to Find Out What's Actually Going On?
If you've been managing symptoms without getting to the bottom of them — or if you simply want a more thorough, more personalised approach to your health — an initial consultation is the place to start.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jessica Diakoumakos | BHSc Naturopathy & BHSc Psychology Clinical Naturopath & Founder, Emba Wellness — Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Jess is a Melbourne-based clinical naturopath and founder of Emba Wellness.
She specialises in:
Gut health — IBS, SIBO, bloating, microbiome repair, leaky gut
Hormonal health — PCOS, endometriosis, PMS, perimenopause, post-pill recovery
Functional pathology — interpreting blood tests through a root-cause lens
Energy & thyroid — Hashimoto's, fatigue, burnout, adrenal dysregulation
Immune health — autoimmune conditions, chronic inflammation, immune dysregulation
Her approach is evidence-based and deeply personal. Having managed her own Hashimoto's thyroiditis through naturopathic medicine, Jess understands first-hand what it feels like to be dismissed by conventional medicine — and what it feels like to finally get answers.
Emba Wellness offers naturopathy consultations via Telehealth, across Australia.
