FAQ’s

What does a Naturopath do?

Our Adelaide Naturopaths support your health, whole body. 

Around 6.2% of Australians consult with a naturopath in a given year according to Science Direct 2020.
As Naturopaths we discuss your current symptoms, the way you’re feeling and the way your body is functioning. We dive deep into questions about your bowels, your energy, your stress, your sleep and your hormones. 
A Naturopath will seek to determine the cause of your symptoms (diet, lifestyle and genetics will all play a role here).
We look at pathology results with a narrow lens (looking for optimal, not just the absence of disease).
Then we work to support your body and have you feeling the way you want to feel.
This often includes a mix of diet changes, lifestyle tweaks like exercise and sleep hygiene and herbal and nutritional supplementation.

“I’ve been in clinical practice for more than 15 years and I’ve gotten really good at asking the right questions to make a thorough assessment, this helps to ensure our treatment is personalised and effective.” says Adelaide Naturopath Karina Hiscock 

Find our more about Adelaide Naturopath Karina Hiscock and book an appointment here.

What does a Nutritionist do?

What is the difference between a Naturopath and a Nutritionist?

A Naturopath is a holistic health practitioner who looks at your overall wellbeing, including lifestyle, medical history, and symptoms. They create personalised wellness plans that may include herbal medicine, nutritional guidance, supplements, and lifestyle strategies. Naturopaths are ideal if you want a broad, integrative approach to health, especially for ongoing or complex issues like hormonal imbalances, acne, digestive problems, or chronic conditions.

A Nutritionist at Body Institute takes a similarly holistic approach but focuses more on diet, lifestyle, and nutritional strategies. While they don’t prescribe herbal medicine, they develop personalised nutrition programs and lifestyle recommendations to support hormone balance, metabolic health, weight management, or perimenopause. Our nutritionists are perfect if your main goal is improving your diet while still receiving a holistic, integrative approach to your wellbeing.

Both practitioners work closely to help you achieve optimal health, so choosing between them may depend more on your health concerns as our practitioners have different areas of focus.

Karina – Naturopath

Skin, Hormones & gut health for women in their 20’s – 30’s 

Helps with:

• Acne & inflammatory skin
• PCOS & irregular cycles
• PMS / PMDD
• Digestive issues & bloating
• Hormonal imbalances affecting skin and weight

Kylie – Nutritionist

Thyroid, metabolism & midlife health for women 40+

Helps with:

• Hypothyroidism & thyroid resistance
• Perimenopause & menopause
• Weight gain & metabolic issues
• Fatigue & brain fog
• Blood sugar imbalance

How much does it cost to see a Naturopath or Nutritionist in Adelaide?

If you’re searching for the cost of seeing a naturopath in Adelaide, prices can vary depending on the clinic, practitioner experience, and consultation length.

At Body Institute in Adelaide, our consultation fees are:

• Initial naturopath or nutritionist consultation: $217
• Follow-up consultation: $156

Our initial consultations run for 60–75 minutes and include comprehensive case-taking, pathology review (if applicable), and a personalised treatment plan.

We believe in transparent pricing, so you can make an informed decision about your health.

Are there additional costs?

When budgeting to see a naturopath in Adelaide, it’s important to consider that treatment plans may include supplements and, in some cases, functional testing.

Supplements

If recommended, herbal or nutritional supplements typically range from $17 to $100+ per product, with most clients investing around $60–$80 per supplement.
We generally suggest budgeting for 2–3 supplements per month, depending on your condition and stage of treatment.

Functional Pathology Testing

Some clients choose to undertake advanced functional testing to investigate underlying drivers of their symptoms.
Testing costs can range from $45 to $550, depending on what is being assessed and which laboratory is used.

Testing is always discussed thoroughly beforehand and is never compulsory.

How often will I need appointments?

Most clients attend appointments every 3–6 weeks, depending on their goals and how their body is responding to treatment.

Many people begin noticing changes within the first 4–6 weeks, particularly when addressing concerns such as hormonal imbalances, gut health, fatigue, thyroid conditions, or skin issues.

Is seeing a Naturopath worth the cost?

The cost of a naturopath in Adelaide reflects the time, clinical training, and personalised care involved. Our approach focuses on identifying and addressing the root cause of symptoms rather than simply managing them.

We understand that investing in your health can feel significant. You are never obligated to proceed with supplements or testing, and we always tailor plans to suit your goals and budget.

If you’re unsure whether naturopathic care is right for you, our team is happy to answer questions before you book.

Can a Naturopath or Nutritionist order blood tests?

Yes!

Both Clinical Nutritionists and Naturopaths can organise a range of blood tests to help assess your health. In many cases, this is done by working alongside your GP, or by referring you for private pathology testing where necessary.

These tests can provide valuable insight into areas such as thyroid function, iron status, blood sugar regulation, cholesterol levels, inflammation, and key nutrients such as Vitamin D and B12. We look at these results through a different lens – a functional or optimal lens, not just one looking for disease. We often identify patterns and subtle imbalances that may be contributing to symptoms such as fatigue, weight gain, hormonal changes, or digestive issues, before they progress into more significant or diagnosable health conditions.

Where needed, we may also recommend additional functional testing to gain a deeper understanding of what’s driving your individual symptoms.

“We prefer to test, not guess. By using the right testing and interpreting results using optimal ranges, we can uncover underlying imbalances that are often missed.” – Kylie Anderson, Adelaide Clinical Nutritionist – Body Institute

Blood testing plays a key role in preventative health. Research suggests that many common conditions, including iron deficiency, thyroid dysfunction, and vitamin D deficiency, are frequently underdiagnosed without appropriate testing. Reference: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). Australia’s Health 2022.

If you’d like help working out what testing you may need, book an appointment with Kylie or Karina at Body Institute in Adelaide

Can a Naturopath or Nutritionist test my hormone levels?

Absolutely!

Naturopaths and Clinical Nutritionists can organise a range of hormone tests, and are trained in interpreting the results to help you to understand what is happening in your body. This may include standard blood tests as well as functional salivary or urinary hormone testing (such as DUTCH testing) where appropriate.

We find hormone testing can provide valuable insight into patterns related to oestrogen, progesterone, cortisol, thyroid hormones, and insulin.

Rather than just relying on a single test though, we take a more comprehensive approach. This includes a full review of your symptoms, menstrual cycle patterns, lifestyle factors such as stress and sleep, and metabolic health, alongside any relevant pathology.

Hormone levels vary significantly throughout the whole menstrual cycle. Research shows that oestrogen levels can fluctuate by up to 300% across a single cycle, which is why it is so important to get the timing and interpretation right. Reference: Reed BG, Carr BR. The Normal Menstrual Cycle and the control of ovulation. Endotext, 2018.

“Testing can be incredibly helpful, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle. We combine pathology with a detailed understanding of your symptoms and lifestyle to build a clear picture of what’s really going on.” – Kylie Anderson, Clinical Nutritionist – Body Institute

If you’re unsure of what tests you need, book a consultation with either Kylie or Karina, who can guide you toward the most appropriate and meaningful testing for you.

Can a Nutritionist help with an underactive thyroid?

Yes. A Clinical Nutritionist can play an important role in supporting thyroid function by addressing diet, nutrient deficiencies, gut health and lifestyle factors that influence thyroid hormone production and metabolism.

Thyroid health depends on adequate levels of nutrients such as iodine, selenium, zinc, iron and tyrosine. A holistic nutritionist,  assesses dietary intake, symptoms and pathology results to determine whether these nutrients may be contributing to your fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, cold intolerance or brain fog.

A clinical nutritionist will then put together a personalised plan for you that may include targeted dietary changes, lifestyle strategies and supplementation to support thyroid hormone production, conversion of inactive T4 to the active T3, and support your metabolic health overall.

As Clinical Nutritionist also looks at factors that may contribute to thyroid symptoms, including inflammation, blood sugar instability and insulin resistance, chronic stress and sub-optimal digestive function.

Furhter to this, clinical nutritionists thoroughly review blood tests from a narrow lens, looking for optimal levels, not merely reference ranges. This includes markers such as TSH, Free T4, Free T3, antibodies, liver function, iron status and vitamin levels, not to look for disease but to find patterns that may be indicative of the need for extra support, to try and prevent disease from occurring.

“In clinical practice, we frequently assess nutrient status in patients with low thyroid function. With simple diet modification and targeted supplementation, we often see improvements in energy, metabolic health and thyroid-related symptoms.”
Kylie Anderson, Clinical Nutritionist – Body Institute

Find our more about Adelaide Nutritionist, Kylie Anderson and book an appointment here.

I am taking a GLP-1 medication, can I still see a Nutritionist?

Yes and it is so important that you do.
When taking GLP-1 medications such as semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) or tirzepatide (Mounjaro), it is extremely beneficial to work alongside a Nutritionist to ensure your diet supports healthy, sustainable weight loss,  maintains muscle mass, and prevents nutritional deficiencies.

GLP-1 medications operate by slowly stomach emptying and reducing appetite. Whilst this can help you to lose weight, it often leads to significant nutritional deficiencies and muscle loss, due to reduced food intake. Without guidance, this often results in low protein, fibre, or micronutrient intake.

A Clinical Nutritionist can help you to build a nutrition plan that supports the use of the medication, whilst ensuring your body is receiving all the nutrients it needs. This will take into account optimising protein intake, supporting gut health, maintaining stable energy levels, and minimising common side effects such as nausea, constipation, and fatigue.

Nutrition support is essential for improving long-term successful outcomes by creating long-term sustainable eating patterns that can remain in place even if the medication is stopped.

“GLP-1 medications can be very effective tools for weight management in the short term, but in the longer term, nutrition remains essential. By supporting optimal nutrient intake, my clients lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way, minimising the chance of rebound weight gain when coming off the medication” – Kylie Anderson, Clinical Nutritionist – Body Institute 

Find our more about Adelaide Nutritionist, Kylie Anderson and book an appointment here.

Can a Nutritionist help me lose weight?

As Clinical Nutritionists, we work with you to understand the underlying causes of your weight gain, rather than simply focusing on calorie restriction.

This may include assessing factors such as blood sugar regulation, hormone balance, thyroid function, gut health, stress levels, sleep quality and dietary habits.
By addressing these drivers, we help to support sustainable weight loss while improving energy, metabolic health, and appetite regulation.

Your personalised plan may include practical and manageable dietary changes, lifestyle support, and targeted supplementation where needed.

“Whilst exercise and movement are undeniably important for overall health and longevity, around 80% of successful weight loss comes from food choices, and when we address these and the underlying drivers of weight gain, weight loss becomes far more achievable and sustainable.” Kylie Anderson, Clinical Nutritionist – Body Institute

Can a Naturopath naturally treat acne?

Yes a naturopath can absolutely help treat acne naturally, but it’s not a quick “one supplement fixes all” situation. It’s more about addressing the why behind your skin. As Naturopaths, when we approach acne, we start by looking at root causes (not just the skin).

Acne is often driven by internal factors like:

• Hormones (especially androgens like testosterone)
• Gut health (think microbiome imbalance or inflammation)
• Blood sugar regulation (insulin spikes can drive oil production)
• Nutrient deficiencies (e.g. zinc, vitamin A)
• Stress + cortisol

Instead of just treating the breakout, we’re asking: what’s pushing the skin to behave this way?

From there, we make diet + lifestyle shifts. This might look like reducing high glycaemic foods, assessing dairy (a big trigger for some people), increasing anti-inflammatory foods (or decreasing pro-inflammatory foods) and supporting optimal digestion.

If needed, we use targeted supplementation. This isn’t a one size fits all, we look at what’s driving your acne and use supplements short term to rectify deficiencies, support hormonal clearance, reduce inflammation and support optimal gut health. It’s important to know that just because a supplement worked for someone you know with acne, doesn’t mean it will work for you. It’s about what’s driving the breakouts and how we rectify that. 

Natural acne treatment can be really effective, it usually takes around 12 weeks to see meaningful change and requires consistency with diet, lifestyle and supplements. 

Acne is driven by multiple pathways (oil, hormones, inflammation, bacteria), no single intervention (topical OR diet) targets all of them. This is why we need an integrated approach working with healing skin from the inside out AND the outside in. – Karina Hiscock, Adelaide Naturopath – Body Institute. 

I am taking Accutane, should I still see a Naturopath?

Absolutely!

A large 2024 analysis reported significant changes in hemoglobin, platelets, neutrophils, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, AST, and ALT during Isotretinoin (Accutane / Roaccutane) therapy. “Alrasheed AA et al. Impact of isotretinoin on blood lipids and liver enzymes. Ther Clin Risk Manag. 2024.”

As Naturopaths we can support you in making dietary and lifestyle changes to minimise the impact of Accutane on your body, support skin healing, reduce the time you need to take Accutane and reduce the likelihood of acne returning when Accutane therapy ceases.

We can also assess any supplements you are taking to ensure there are no interactions and you are not at risk of vitamin A toxicity.

If you’re taking Accutane for your Acne and want to be fully supported both during and after treatment, book an appointment with our Naturopath Karina Hiscock. 

Can I work with your Naturopath or Nutritionist if I am not in Adelaide?

Yes!

At Body Institute we are proud to offer both in clinic consultations and online consultations so you can work with us from anywhere in Australia.

Our online consultations are via secure video link and you wont need to download a thing. Simply click the link supplied at the time of your consultation from your phone, tablet or computer and you’ll be logged into a secure consultation with your practitioner.

If your practitioner prescribes supplements they will be shipped out to you and any pathology required can be organised via a pathology collection centre in your area.

Can Perimenopause affect your thyroid function?

Yes!

Hormonal changes during perimenopause can influence thyroid function, and many of the symptoms overlap. This means women may begin to experience symptoms such as fatigue, weight gain, brain fog, more hair loss than usual, or feeling like they are constantly cold. This can happen because fluctuating levels of oestrogen and progesterone can have an impact on thyroid hormone production and metabolism.

The similarity and crossover of symptoms between perimenopause and thyroid dysfunction can mean thyroid issues are often overlooked and even dismissed as part of getting older.

A Clinical Nutritionist, will generally recommend that a full thyroid panel be completed, which includes TSH, T4, T3, Reverse T3, and thyroid antibodies. It also important to assess overall nutrient status, gut health, stress levels, and general metabolic function. There are several key nutrients involved in thyroid function that are often low, and supporting these is an important part of the process.

“Many women assume their fatigue, weight gain, and brain fog during perimenopause are just part of ageing. However, I often find thyroid function, alongside depleted nutrient status, is also contributing – and when we address these, symptoms can significantly improve.” – Kylie Anderson, Clinical Nutritionist – Body Institute

Thyroid disorders become more common with age, especially in women. It is estimated that upwards of 10% of women over the age of 40 have some degree of thyroid dysfunction, with many cased remaining undiagnosed. Reference: American Thyroid Association. Thyroid Disease in Women, 2022. 

If you are experiencing any symptoms of hormonal change or thyroid imbalance, book a consultation with Kylie here.

How do I know what support I need if I think I am in Perimenopause?

Perimenopause typically begins in a woman’s 40’s and can last up to a decade, with 80-90% of women experiencing symptoms during this transition, although many do not recognise perimenopause as the cause.

Perimenopause involves hormonal shifts that can have a significant effect on women. The symptoms, however, vary widely from woman to woman. In the initial stages it is important to start recognising patterns, or changes, from you normal cycles such as irregular (shorter or longer) cycles, heavier periods, hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, low libido, and weight gain – despite no major changes to your diet or lifestyle.

There is no one single test that can diagnose perimenopause. This is because hormones fluctuate wildly during this time, and test results one day may be vastly different 2 days later. Any tests performed are best used alongside a thorough assessment of symptoms, lifestyle and overall health.  It is also important to rule out other factors, such as thyroid dysfunction or nutrient deficiencies, which can present with very similar symptoms.

Tracking your symptoms across 2-3 cycles using an app such as Flo can be very helpful in identifying patterns and any changes to these.

You may benefit from working with a practitioner if symptoms are impacting your day-to-day life, feel persistent or confusing, or if you are experiencing changes such as heavy bleeding, spotting after a long break between cycles, or symptoms starting earlier than expected.

As a holistically trained Clinical Nutritionist, I look at the full picture, including hormone health, thyroid function, blood sugar balance, stress, sleep and gut health, to understand what is driving your symptoms and how best to support your body through this transition.

This support may include targeted dietary changes, improving specific nutrient levels, reducing inflammation, balancing blood sugar levels, and nervous system support, as well as personalised lifestyle recommendations.

“I often see women in perimenopause struggling with fatigue, mood changes, and weight gain who have been seeking answers for a long time but getting nowhere. When we take a step back and support hormone balance, metabolism, and nutrient status, we can often quite quickly see improvements in energy, mood, and overall health. These changes help women to feel clearer and more confident about the future. – Kylie Anderson, Clinical Nutritionist – Body Institute.