Deep Health – Frequently Asked Questions

What is different about Integrative Medicine?

Integrative medicine training combines mainstream medical care with high quality complementary medicine to address health maintenance, disease prevention and chronic disease management. Our Integrative GPs take a personalised approach, tailoring treatment to your unique lifestyle and environmental factors, and collaborate with your other health practitioners to alleviate your health concern.

Our conventional doctors have traditional medical training, however they are supported by our network of complementary practitioners and also have alternative resources available, should you need them.

Why do you need a naturopath and an integrative doctor?

Having worked with hundreds of patients, we developed a strong understanding of the factors that take a person from ill health to deep wellness. We designed this combined consultation model to be able to go deep into the real causes of a person’s health issues and then offer the skills needed to really get them well.

By combining a naturopath and an integrative doctor’s skills, you have access to a wider range of expertise and experience. The integrative doctor has strong diagnostic training to assess your health history and form a deep diagnosis of the root cause of your issues. The Naturopath uses her extensive knowledge of nutrition and herbal medicine to form a treatment plan that’s personalised to your lifestyle.

How does the consultation work?

Your Deep Diagnosis appointment starts with a comprehensive consultation with your naturopath, who will review your health history, goals and current issues. Expect to be asked questions about your diet, digestion, stress levels, hormones, movement and breathing, chemicals and other health influences in your home. In our experience, these all play a role in your health. The purpose of this detailed discussion is to investigate your health journey and identify aspects of your lifestyle that may be linked to the symptoms you are experiencing.

Your integrative doctor will join the naturopath and dig deeper to understand the influences in your past and current history, conduct the medical examination, and, if needed, order some pathology testing.

Finally, your team will start formulating an initial plan of action to get you back on the path to wellness.

How do the fees work?

Your out-of-pocket cost for the Deep Diagnosis appointment is $291 after Medicare rebates. There may be additional costs should you require any testing, pathology or supplements.

Payment of your first appointment is taken at time of booking and is not refundable if you cancel your appointment. Please see our cancellation policy for more details. Medicare will also be billed at the time of your appointment.

Follow up consultations are a maximum out of pocket expense of $242 depending on your individual Medicare entitlements.

What should I expect in terms of diagnostic testing?

Invitation to Health has a practice philosophy of only ordering testing that is desired by the patient and will affect the treatment plan. Where possible, we suggest the least invasive forms of testing. Not all patients will require diagnostic testing and many tests are partially or fully covered by Medicare. If you have recent test results, we encourage you to bring them to your appointment.  Highly specialised testing is billed privately.

What should I expect in terms of supplements?

Almost all patients we work with are deficient in some or many vitamins and minerals. While there are many common deficiencies as a product of living in the Western World, your supplement regime will be unique to you and your team will carefully determine the most appropriate therapeutic doses for your specific needs.

Supplements are an additional cost, but an essential part of the programme.

Your team will only recommend supplements that have been produced ethically from sustainable and clean sources, avoiding fillers and cheap replacement molecules. They will consider the most absorbable form of each vitamin, the interplay with your other supplements, as well as your ability to manage a complex programme in the context of your health journey.

Where cost is a concern, your practitioners will collaborate with you to simplify your regime to prioritise the most essential supplements for your healing.

What happens after the first two appointments?

While there is no one-size-fits-all path to healing, we find that most patients require at least one follow up appointment to further develop their treatment plan.  Your healing journey will be affected by the length of time you’ve been ill, your ability to make the changes recommended by your practitioners, and your genetic makeup. Your treatment plan is developed in collaboration with you and will be unique to your preferences and lifestyle.

We are committed to providing you with a strong understanding of the next steps on your path to wellness and supporting you with the tools needed to get there. If your health condition has a simpler root cause, you may choose to proceed with lifestyle changes on your own or with coaching. For complex health concerns, you may choose to have monthly appointments with your health team to give you the opportunity to continue to refine your treatment as you get well. You also have the option to meet with just your naturopath or with other practitioners for specialised treatment eg acupuncturist, physio or neurofeedback.

What is deep health?

We experience Deep Health when we are living fully on all levels – physical, emotional and spiritual and in a symbiotic relationship with our planet. Today, stress, anxiety and depression are contributing to an unprecedented epidemic of chronic disease. While pollution of our air, soil and water is making us sick too. As we become more disconnected from ourselves, from the earth and from each other, we need to harness science and nature to help restore us to Deep Health.

 

If you still have questions and would you like to speak to our Patient Services Manager, please contact us through our online form. 

Complete the form