Naturopathy
Louisa Glindemann
AdvDN, AdvDBM, DNut, DRM, DAroma MATMS, MNHAA, MADC
Louisa practices on Wednesdays from 8.30am to 6pm at the clinic.
Please call 02 9558 2500 to make a booking.
Naturopath
Louisa is a naturopath, mother and doula. She specialised in fertility, pregnancy, birth and children's health.
Louisa's philosophy is to provide therapeutic support, education and encouragement to improve your physical and emotional wellbeing. She uses a range of natural therapies including:
- nutritional counselling and supplementation
Her practice is family centred and is focused on building long term, supportive healing relationships with her clients as they start a family.
Louisa encourages women to nurture and nourish themselves during this important time and provides naturopathic care for:
- consciously preparing for pregnancy. Louisa believes improving the health of both prospective parents before conception will improve their fertility and the wellbeing of the mother and growing baby once pregnant.
- supporting your preparation for a positive birth experience and helping you have optimal health during pregnancy
- natural remedies for birthing
- postnatal support for new mums, including lactation support
- children's health
Naturopathy
Your body already knows how to restore itself to full health. Supporting this inherent ability, or 'vital force' underlies all naturopathic healing. Treatments can include a mix of nutritional counselling and supplementation, herbal medicine, flower essences, essential oils and homeopathy.
Returning your body to optimal health is a process of treating the original cause of ill health, removing blockages to this healing ability and improving the functioning of all the systems in your body. The approach is a wholistic one, encompassing all aspects of your being - physical, mental, emotional and environmental.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How can seeing a naturopath help me during pregnancy?
There are many reasons it can be a good idea to work with a naturopath throughout your pregnancy. I work on a number of levels, and use a variety of modalities. Physically I address health issues using nutrition, herbs and homoeopathic remedies. Emotionally, I can support you in working through feelings that can arise during pregnancy using Bach flower remedies and homoeopathics as well as supporting the nervous system physically.
Pregnancy is a time you are doing very special work, and this work requires nourishment. Nourishment for yourself and nourishment to provide the essential building blocks for your baby. A sound diet can go a long way in preventing some of the complications which can occur in pregnancy. Not only that, it will also improve your energy levels and general feeling of wellbeing. Some nutritional counselling can help you develop the best diet possible for your needs. This can be done at any time in pregnancy, ideally in the first trimester. I can help decipher nutritional supplements and work out whether you are in need of extra supplementation.
During their pregnancy women can experience many symptoms which can be uncomfortable or cause concern. There are natural remedies which help address many of these discomforts, from early cramping, morning sickness and nausea to preventing more serious conditions such as infections and high blood pressure. Natural remedies are a good alternative to medications, particularly in pregnancy as they are more gentle on your body and your baby and have no side effects when prescribed properly.
Can I take any herbs to help me prepare for labour?
Yes, herbal medicines have been used for centuries by women all over the world to improve their wellbeing and prepare for birth. Many women have heard about raspberry leaf tea in pregnancy to help their body prepare for labour. Raspberry leaf is a wonderful herb, part of a group of women’s herbs we call ‘partus preparators’ – these are herbs which specifically help the uterine muscle work more efficiently during labour. The beauty of them is they are also very helpful in recovery after birth and in helping to establish breastfeeding. As a trained herbalist, I can prescribe herbs which can help you to prepare and suit you specifically, depending on your health history, how your pregnancy has developed and your birth plan.
I am breastfeeding and trying to build up my milk supply, are there any natural remedies I can try which won’t affect my baby?
During the postnatal period it is so important to support yourself with nourishing foods and rest. There are many natural remedies helpful during breastfeeding. When it comes to the quantity and quality of your breast milk there is so much you can do that is simple and effective, along with some good lactation support. There are some lovely herbal teas which help your supply build up, while also soothing the baby’s digestive system, often helping wind. Some simple dietary changes are also a good idea, and I can help you with making adjustments to your diet for breastfeeding. The knock on effect of making these changes is that energy often improves as well!
Preconception Care
The idea of preconception care centres around the idea of giving your baby the best possible start. It is also about conceiving consciously and laying the foundations for a wonderfully healthy pregnancy and positive preparation for giving birth.
A study conducted in 1995 by Foresight showed that if both parents can improve their general health and avoid some common lifestyle factors and environmental hazards in the months preceding conception they can greatly improve reproductive outcomes and improve the future health of their child.
(Foresight – The British Association for the Promotion of Preconception Care)
The thing most people find difficult with preconception care is the time you are advised to ‘wait’ before trying to conceive – and I understand this, after all once you decide to have a baby, often you want to conceive now!
However, the time of the programme – usually about 4 months – is suggested with good reason:
• It takes up to 116 days to make new sperm
• Eggs take about 100 days to mature, and during this time they need a degree of protection
• It often takes 3 months to start getting cycles regular and balanced
If you can think about this, you can see that is why I recommend doing your preconception care for 4 months before trying to conceive.
Using a naturopathic approach my goals during preconception care are to
• Improve your overall general health and energy
• Enhance your fertility by working on the function and balance of your reproductive system. This includes regulating your cycle, balancing hormones, dealing with specific issues such as PMT and dysmenorrhoea, and improving libido! I work on looking after ovaries, eggs and sperm focusing on quality, function and protection.
• Treat specific conditions which can impact fertility such as endometriosis, PCOS, infections.
• Elevate your nutritional status before you become pregnant as your body requires a good store of nutrients to support a healthy pregnancy and to support breastfeeding
• Educate you about great nutrition, which will not only prepare you for pregnancy but support you during pregnancy as well
• I use my experience as a doula and childbirth educator to work through past birth history that may effect this pregnancy on both a physical and emotional level.
My practice philosophy is based around a concept I hold of “nourish and nurture”. Treatments are a combination of
• Nutrition and nutritional supplementation
• Herbal Medicine
• Homeopathy and flower essences
• Lifestyle and environmental factors
• Emotional support
If possible, it is great when both partners embark on their preconception together – it’s one of the very first things you can do as parents! You can then also support one another in making changes to improve the wellbeing of both of you and therefore, your family. And when you do conceive, it is during an optimal time in your cycle and is conscious - a lovely way to welcome your baby into your lives.
If you are planning to have a baby using IVF you can absolutely use aspects of preconception care to improve the effectiveness of your IVF programme and have great health in place on conception.
During your preconception care you will become in tune with your body and your cycles, a fabulous way to prepare for pregnancy and birth.
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