PRACTITIONER PROFILE
What have been the most important changes to natural medicine you have seen during your career ? Firstly , the massive range of Practitioner supplements available to us now . It was negotiating this maze which prompted me to create nPod , the Naturopathic Product Online Database , back in 2007 . When I qualified in 1987 , the only Practitioner supplements available were some herbal liquids , Tissue Salts or Brauer and BioResearch Homeopathic complexes . There were also minimal OTC supplements to choose from . Feedback suggests that nPod has now become an invaluable resource in supplement comparison .
Secondly and importantly , better education standards for practitioners as well as a better understanding of our profession by the public .
How do you envisage natural medicine developing over the next 30 years ? I welcome the raised standard of qualification for naturopaths , which not only gives us more confidence and skill in treating our clients , but also more respect by fellow health professionals as well as the public . We need to maintain high standards in our education , skills , and in the research for supplements we prescribe .
I can envisage naturopaths being the first in line for public contact when a lifestyle change is needed or less serious conditions manifest AND an efficient cross-referral system to other health professionals is appropriate .
What advice do you have for today ’ s emerging practitioners ? One of the best pieces of advice , given by the Doctor of Medicine ( a Monash University lecturer ) who taught us medicine , was to always take a good case history and as naturopaths , it is important we take the time to do this . Another piece of advice which I have valued , and especially now with Google access , is to take an objective view of your client ’ s symptoms , as many present with self-diagnosis , which can be misleading for the practitioner as well as the client .
Finally , to emerging practitioners , I suggest you be confident in using your knowledge to introduce the public to a healthier lifestyle . Your help can be life changing .
Peter Mark Lewis
What has kept you practising for 30 + years ? Cautiously assisting natures ’ healing force through natural methods and witnessing people ’ s gratitude for returned normal health always feels satisfying .
What have been the most important changes you have seen in natural medicine during you career ? Developments observed during my 40 years career have been a shift from using seasonal fruit and vegetables for purposeful treatment . An extensive supplement range has emerged which appears to have downgraded the need for specific information on fruit and vegetables for holistic healthcare . A plentiful daily consumption of nutritious fruit and vegetables brings general vitality .
What changes in natural medicine would you most like to see ? Natural medicine practitioners over the next 30 years must reclaim an unshakable connection with traditional healthcare wisdom , foremost with a strong practical understanding of natures ’ healing force .
What advice would you have for today ’ s emerging practitioners ? Simple advice to emerging practitioners is to seek out long-term practitioners and respectfully take on board time-honoured clinical methods that are dependable .
Peter has also published two books : ‘ Finding Better Health – A practical guide to healthy lifestyle ’ and ‘ Concise Naturopathic Healthcare – A practical desktop resource ’. To order , contact Peter on peter @ rockhamptonhealthoptions . com . au
Sandi Rogers
What has kept you practising for 30 + years ? Clients and improvement in wellbeing recovery .
What have been the most important changes to natural medicine you have seen during your career ? Acceptance by community and inter-connecting with western medicine .
How do you envisage natural medicine developing over the next 30 years ? Unless associations form one unit and work harmoniously to drive change all will be the same . The change I would you most like to see is co-operation between all practitioners and more traditional medicine integrated in curriculum rather than losing our therapies that have stood the test of time for the more reductionist training .
What advice do you have for today ’ s emerging practitioners ? Focus on the client who has the disease rather than the disease illness . Know what your boundaries are and stay within your scope of practice as there will always be clients seeking that support . Associations to form one group and develop an identity for the graduates as they do not have that identity at the moment .
224 | vol28 | no4 | JATMS