What is Naturopathy?

Please find some information below, regarding the practice of Nutrition and Herbal Medicine as it relates to Sleep, Mental Health and overall health

Sleep and Nutrition

Sleep treatment, or any health issue, is not one-size-fits-all. If it was, we could use any number of self-help guides and be sleeping soundly in no time.

In reality, sleep challenges may be physical or mental, and can be ameliorated by medications, psychology, dietary intake, nutritional support, herbal medicine, lifestyle changes, exercise and more. To obtain the best results, it takes time to consider which modality (or modalities) work best for each patient's situation.

A co-operative healthcare approach, taking the time to investigate possible causes and most-relevant treatments, can allow for effective and long-term sleep results for a range of patients. I am a certified CBTi clinican via Dr Jacobs' program (Harvard Medical Centre).

In this booklet, I explain my practice as a Clinical Nutritionist and Herbalist (Naturopath), common sleep remedies, the bounds of my scope of practice, what Naturopathy involves and my typical referral sources.

Sleep and Nutrition

What is Naturopathy?

Naturopathy is centred around the philosophy of 'natural healing', meaning the use of natural interventions (nutrition, herbal medicine, and lifestyle measures) to promote self-healing in the body. Everything we do is about individualised, tailored care.

As the oldest medicine on the planet, natural or holistic medicine is deeply connected to place and culture (e.g. Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, British Herbal Pharmacopoeia and more). In North America and Canada, Naturopaths are primary care physicians - 'Naturopathic Doctors', able to diagnose - with a specialty in natural medicine. The bachelor and master’s degrees in Australia have equivalent programs, however the regulatory climate differs here, so the term 'naturopathic doctor' should not be used. Naturopaths are working hard for registration, to protect our title and ensure the safety of the public.

Humans have always used foods and plants to provide healing. Modern clinicians use empirical data, as well as modern research methods and trials to provide effective treatment strategies. Bachelor-trained clinicians work safely within scope and assess all cautions and contraindications.

Naturopaths work within 6 key Principles;

First, do no harm
The healing power of nature
Find and treat the cause
Doctor as teacher
Treat the whole person
Education and Prevention

Another key feature of our practice is 'removing obstacles'. These are particularly pertinent to Sleep Medicine, as this is an area of health which is greatly influenced by dietary and environmental factors.

Nutrition vs Dietetics: Nutritionists and dieticians are registered at the same level, i.e. neither are regulated under AHPRA, however there are some Medicare benefits to patients seeing a dietician if referred by a doctor. Nutritionists are covered by almost all private health funds in Australia.

For more information about Naturopathy, please review the World Naturopathic Federation White Paper: https://worldnaturopathicfederation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/White-Paper-2-1.pdf

Referrals

For sleep medicine, a number of practitioners may be required for patients, due to the varied causes of sleep disturbance.

Psychologists trained in CBTi
Respiratory/Sleep physicians
Sleep Clinic for polysomnography (PSG)
Orthodontists or orofacial myology (palate and breathing)
General Practitioners and Paediatricians
Manual therapists

Food, Nutrients and Herbal Medicine

Whether as a supportive measure for patients on medication, or as standalone treatments, there are several strategies within the holistic care framework that a very effective for sleep. Some of this are outlined below.

Magnesium: Dosage varies greatly with condition and mineral form and may include either citrate, oxide or glycinate. The recommended daily intake magnesium is 300-420mg (age and gender dependent), though therapeutic prescription will vary for each patient, according to dietary intake of magnesium-containing foods already being consumed within the diet and condition needs.

L-tryptophan: This is the amino acid precursor to serotonin and melatonin, so can be very valuable. Dosages vary wildly in the literature but studies have also shown longer term benefits at even small doses.

5HTP: As the immediate metabolite of the essential amino acid L-tryptophan, this nutrient offers a potentially faster route to elevated melatonin. Its prescription is restricted to QLD, so I can prescribe this product to local patients in my care.

GABA: As GABA is the principle inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, it is a common supplement for anxiety-related concerns. Dosage in nutritional products is usually low, but still effective.

Herbal Medicine: varied and highly individualistic, herbs may include Valerian, Hops, Passionflower, Chamomile, Kava and the like. Herbal medicine tinctures are formulated to the patient, i.e. sleep concerns predominantly coming from stress will have a mixture of sedatives, adrenal tonics and anxiolytics, whereas a patient experiencing pain will have a different herbal mix.

Whole foods - At the centre of my food philosophy is trying to get people back into eating real, unadulterated foods as much as possible. In essence, this means less processed options in their daily regime, more cooking from home and eating mindfully.

There are a wide range of food and nutrition interventions to include, however there are some dietary modifications which are regularly prescribed, particularly for mental health concerns and sleep:

Caffeine restriction
Reduction, removal of processed foods
Melatonin and GABA-promoting foods
Nutrient-dense foods and food as medicine
Omega 3

Lifestyle Management

We know about screen time. We know about stimulants and reducing over-eating. We know about dim/warm lighting and the problems of shift work. What makes a difference is listening to the patient and working with them on a solution. A key feature of Naturopathic Care is removing the obstacles or the 'low hanging fruit'. If the client requires sleep hygiene information, this will be given first. If this has already been tried, then other therapeutics will follow.

Chrono-nutrition: a fascinating area of research dedicated to identifying the numerous areas in the body which contain circadian rhythm genetic material. From this emerging research, it is clear that the body receives sleep/wake cycle information from more than just the retina and its connection with the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) in the hypothalamus.

Gut Health: We know that diet and the microbiome have a profound impact on our circadian rhythm and ability to sleep. Manipulating this rhythm into a reliable sleep schedule can be done through limiting the eating window (safely) to promote increased melatonin at night, balancing with increased cortisol upon rising.

Exercise: Proven to provide endorphins, promote healthy melatonin and reduce anxiety, exercise plans are prescribed and tailored to each patient.

Breathing Exercises and Meditation: As an often-overlooked area of sleep medicine, breathing and mindfulness remedies will calm an overactive SNS and connect the patient back to their body's needs. This is regularly used by psychologists and manual therapists to reduce pain, anxiety and of course, to improve sleep. I recommend breathing and mindfulness strategies that suit the patient.

Sleep strategies: Within my scope, I may include the use of Sleep Restriction or Brief Behavioural Therapy for insomnia (BBTi) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for insomnia (CBTi): Certificate here.