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Cottesloe Naturopathic Clinic
 Contact & Location Information
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| Contact Name | Michael Blanch |
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| Address |
Unit 5, Napoleon Close Arcade 12-18 NAPOLEON ST COTTESLOE 6011 |
| Servicing Areas | COTTESLOE, Perth |
| Phone | (08) 93851484 |
| Mobile | 0419 910 141 |
Naturopathic & Homeopathy Clinic Perth WA
Cottesloe Naturopathic Clinic
Cottesloe Naturopathic Clinic was established in 1991 by Michael Blanch, one of Perth WA's most experienced naturopaths and homeopaths. As a natural health practitioner has has been assisting people and families with a wide range of medical conditions for more than twenty-five years. He has also lectured in natural therapy colleges for most of this time and has helped train many of the younger generation of Perth practitioners.
In the philosophy of this clinic, we cannot treat a problem as if it is separate from the person as a whole. It is people who are treated; and as a result, their complaints are improved. In every case, the focus is always on the individual, regardless of the diagnosis or the name of the disease. This is the most basic difference between our approach and that of orthodox medicine.
"Holistic" is the word used to describe any therapy that treats the person as a whole, and homeopathy is the most holistic of all therapies. It is also the most natural and the most free of side effects. It is aimed at balancing the individual on all levels: mentally, emotionally and physically; and because homeopathy is applicable and safe for all age groups, family treatment is our forte.
As a naturopath and homeopath with more than twenty-five years' experience, Michael Blanch "knows what works". He applies naturopathic principles of health, lifestyle, diet and stress management alongside homeopathic medicine accurately prescribed to the individual as a whole.This treatment stimulates the innate healing mechanisms of the body, and more than 90% of people report very positive changes from the first to the second visit, in a matter of weeks. Our experience shows that in most cases a permanently improved situation of health can be achieved.
Conditions Treated
Before reading the list below, please understand that effective homeopathic and naturopathic treatment is prescribed to the patient as a whole, not to a named medical condition.
At this Perth natural therapy clinic, a treatment will be chosen for you because it covers a pattern of symptoms on all three levels: mental, emotional and physical, and not because it suits a medical diagnosis.
There are no "specific" remedies in homeopathy or naturopathy. The remedy that works for your hay fever, for example, will not necessarily help someone else. Because of differences in symptoms a new medicine needs to be determined for each person. That is our job; and we have twenty-six years experience at achieving results. We know what works.
In effect, we treat patients for their body’s pattern of ill health. Our philosophy is that only the body cures, and that everything in the body is connected. Any improvement is then due the restoration of health in the person as a whole.
Treatment is only determined in consultation, through an extensive case history, and individually dispensed for your unique pattern of illness. That is the secret of our success. No over-the-counter-sales are done in any circumstances and no pre-prepared products or mixtures used.
For more serious conditions, we do not attempt to take patients off their prescribed medication without sending them back to their medical practitioner after a period of treatment and improvement. Life threatening conditions are not treated; and if patients consult us first and we suspect serious problems, we will always refer them on for medical investigations.
Click here for common conditions that are offered treatment by our combination of naturopathic advice, natural therapy, lifestyle management and homeopathy at this Perth clinic >>
Programs and Offers
Initial Consultation:up to one hour: $110
Return consultations: up to half an hour: $70
Medicines: These are charged separately, the average cost currently being around $30 to $70
Phone call policy, between visits: If you are currently under treatment and with return visits scheduled, these are not charged for if they don’t take more than around 10 minutes. In fact they are encouraged. If you need to pick up a new medicine, only this will be charged for. If I really need to see you to view a new lesion, etc., a half price charge will be made.
Family discounts: A reduced fee may be negotiated at the time of appointment for an initial consultation for multiple family members, depending on numbers.
Following this, for family members seen at the same time, the standard $70 return fee will be charged for the first parent, and only $5 each for each of the children, plus their remedy costs.
Two adult spouses or partners seen at the same time or subsequently for a return visit,without children, will be discounted $10 each; that is, they will be charged $60 each.
Health fund rebates: All major health funds now cover our naturopathic and homeopathic services. But please remember to ask for a special health fund receipt at the time of consultation and nominate your fund, as each requires different information.
About Michael Blanch
Michael Blanch studied at the NSW College of Natural Therapies and Nature Care College, Sydney, graduating with Diplomas in Naturopathy, Herbal Medicine, Therapeutic Massage and Homeopathy. He commenced practice in Sydney in 1984 and lectured in natural therapies from 1986 at Nature Care College. On moving to Perth WA in 1990, he established Cottesloe Naturopathic Clinic and has lectured in homeopathy and natural medicine at the Perth Academy of Natural Therapies from that time until 2006. He is a well-respected and experienced practitioner. Over the years he has given many postgraduate seminars to his colleagues.
Michael has had an interest in the principles of natural health for most of his life. From his teenage years he developed an awareness of a healthy diet and regular exercise. He runs several times weekly, practices yoga and meditates. In recent years he has also pursued a love of Afro-American dancing styles, including swing dancing, lindy hop, blues and balboa and continues weekly classes, and may often be seen dancing in venues around Perth. To Michael, dance is a uniquely healthy activity, a celebration of life through music, movement, rhythm and social interaction. He has helped raise two healthy daughters, now 18 and 22, who have never had antibiotics or any drugs.
From early in his studies, Michael became aware of the importance of the principles of holistic health. This means that true health is a reflection of the whole person: the body, the mind and the emotions. Everything is connected; it is regulated by the intelligence of the whole that we might call the life force, known historically as the “Vital Force”. Any symptoms of ill health or disease stem from a disturbance in the balance of this whole. The symptoms themselves are the intelligent response by the life force to a disturbance, whether physical, environmental or emotional. These symptoms attempt to limit the damage and protect against further harm to the organism as a whole.
Michael Blanch's philosophy of treatment is based on the understanding that true health can only be achieved by working with this innate healing mechanism, not against it. Unfortunately, many modern natural therapists have taken on the role of “alternative doctor”, using natural medicine that, like drugs, only treat symptoms, in that way working against what the body is trying to do and delaying or preventing complete restoration of health, where that is possible.
The symptomatic approach is fostered by the spread of naturopaths employed by health food stores and pharmacies, who are mostly there to sell product; this usually means quick consultations that can never really treat the whole person. Initial consultations with Michael Blanch take about an hour and subsequent consultations half an hour. They are truly holistic in approach and cover all aspects of the patient’s health – mental, emotional and physical.
As a naturopath, Michael believes that there are two aspects to the important task of maintaining and restoring your health. Firstly, it is important to adhere to natural laws… having a good diet and getting enough sleep and adequate exercise is a start. Fulfilling social relationships are also vitally important to health. They foster a sense of purpose and belonging: this is the “spiritual” side of health, which for some extends into the religious; but for our purposes let us just say that we need a sense of meaning in our lives, whatever the source. Stress management is important. For some this will simply be a hobby; there are however more powerful forms of relaxation such as meditation, whose techniques have evolved over thousands of years. Michael is an experienced meditator and he is trained to assist you with all the lifestyle changes necessary to maintain optimum health.
These principles are important in maintaining natural health. They may also be necessary in the restoration of health, where the individual has become sick. In many people, however, these changes for the better are not enough, due to inherited weaknesses or longstanding abuse of the principles of natural health. In these cases medicine needs to be given. To work holistically this needs to be natural medicine that treats the whole person and removes the blocks that are stopping the body from healing itself.
Michael Blanch is trained in the main areas of western alternative medicine. This includes vitamin and mineral therapy, herbal medicine and homeopathy. Any of these may be used. If there are vitamin and mineral deficiencies, together with poor absorption, in the short term, supplementation may be prescribed. If the body needs detoxifying or if specific organs like the liver, kidneys or nervous system need tonifying then herbal medicine may be utilised.
However, in most cases where medicine is prescribed it will be homeopathy. Through his 24 years experience Michael finds that the only form of natural therapy that consistently fulfills the ideals of holistic treatment is homeopathy because (a) it is prescribed on symptoms of the whole patient, mentally, emotionally and physically and (b) it is not a chemical medicine that imposes its own symptoms or interferes with the body’s self-regulation. It is the only system of natural medicine that works purely by balancing the whole organism and removing the blocks that prevent the body from healing itself. When prescribed properly, it is a catalyst to health. It does not heal by its own action: it works by teaching the body to heal itself.
Qualifications for Michael Blanch:
- Diploma of Therapeutic Massage (1981)
- Diploma of Herbal Medicine (1982)
- Diploma of Naturopathy (1984)
- Diploma of homeopathy (1985)
Accreditations and memberships:
- Michael Blanch is accredited as a naturopath by the Australian Traditional Medicine Society (ATMS) (#0465).
- He is a member of the Australian homeopathic Association (AHA) (#163)
- He is a registered homeopath under the National Competency Standards for Homeopathy by the Australian Register of Homeopaths (AROH) (Reg. #00-019)
Naturopathy Explained
The word “naturopathy” is an umbrella term used to describe a therapist trained in the mainstream areas of western natural medicine, also known as alternative medicine, or natural therapies as they are usually called in Australia. These include nutrition (which includes diet and lifestyle modification and vitamin and mineral therapy), herbal medicine and homeopathy. Iridology is often used as a diagnostic aid. Physical therapies may also be employed, including therapeutic massage and remedial massage. A naturopath may be eclectic, using a mixture of these therapies, or specialise in one or more. First and foremost, the naturopath respects the healing power of nature and the wisdom of the body.
To the naturopath, there is only one healing force in existence and that is nature herself. As the philosopher Francis Bacon said, “The only way to control nature is to obey her.” This means that the living organism has an inherent intelligence that strives at all times to maintain harmony, to overcome disease and to restore health, given the right opportunity. Any therapy that attempts to assist this healing force must work with nature, not against her. In essence, this is what naturopathy is and how it works.
The symptoms expressed by an individual in a state of ill health are produced by the body in an attempt to heal. The naturopath’s first task is to identify any factors in the patient’s diet, lifestyle or environment that may be contributing to the problem and to assist in removing them. If any therapy is given it should aid what the body is trying to do, so it is able to break through to a better state of health. The naturopathic approach aims where possible not just to remove the symptoms but also to remove the reason for the symptoms.
Orthodox medicine tends to treat the symptoms as being the problem. An example is “essential hypertension” or high blood pressure. This means that the cause of the problem is unknown to the doctor. The naturopath, however, knows that certain dietary deficiencies and lifestyle habits may be the real cause of the problem. In simple cases, correction of these causes often relieves the hypertension. The alternative, going on drugs to treat the symptoms, may only ensure that the problem continues and that the patient remains on medication for the remainder of his or her life. With the real cause of the problem unaddressed, the medication prevents one cause of cardiovascular disease while other risk factors increase with time. This of course requires more medication, with more side effects. Please note, however, in advanced cases, where survival is threatened, drugs are the only alternative and the advice of the medical practitioner should be followed.
The natural therapies practitioner understands that there are certain essential things that sustain and maintain health. This involves living as close to our natural state as possible. A balanced whole food diet and adequate rest and exercise, as well as a sense of purpose and meaning in life, are the fundamental building blocks of optimal health. The naturopath is trained to educate you in healthy lifestyle choices.
Naturopathy is often described as “holistic medicine”. This means that the naturopath views the human organism as a totality, not a collection of parts. If you have a problem with your pancreas, it is not separate from your liver and kidneys. Nor indeed is it separate from “you” or your emotional health. Body, mind and spirit are a dynamic whole. The naturopath aims to achieve true holistic health of the whole person.
This means that a naturopathic consultation is usually much more in depth than a visit to the doctor. A diagnosis needs to be made for you as a whole, not just for the isolated symptom pattern, say the dermatitis on the skin that bothers you. The consultation will cover not only all the body’s organ systems, your lifestyle, diet and habits, but also an in depth profile of your emotional health. Iridology will also reveal the interconnections between the organs and tissues and the areas of weakness. As an example, skin problems are often a reflection of the emotional state and may be triggered by emotional trauma or grief. The dermatitis or eczema is often the way the body relieves the stress.
This takes the stress off deeper, more fundamental organs, such as the nervous system, heart, liver and kidneys. Just treating the dermatitis with a cream, as the doctor usually will, is simply putting the lid back on the pressure cooker. The pressure is then back on the internal organs and it may increase the mental distress. If the itch is on the skin, that may seem a problem, but at least you can scratch it. But if the “itch” is in the mind where you can no longer scratch it, that’s more serious. The doctor’s response would typically be to prescribe an antidepressant at that point.
The naturopath, on the other hand, will treat your skin, in this example, as a reflection of the whole – body, mind and emotions. There are medicines, most specifically homeopathic medicines, that are prescribed to you in your entirety. In other words, they are completely holistic. An accurate homeopathic prescription may, as an example, take into account your unresolved grief over a relationship, your tiredness first thing in the morning, your premenstrual depression, your recurring cold sores, your craving for salty foods, as well as your dermatitis – all revealing a need for the homeopathic remedy Natrum muriaticum. This one remedy will resolve the whole symptom pattern and relieve not only your dermatitis but also your PMS, your cold sores, your morning tiredness and even your grief, because they were all symptoms of the same underlying disturbance.
A naturopath is trained in medical sciences and diagnosis. We know when medical tests need to be done and when to refer to a doctor. We do not believe that the medical approach is wrong; it is just not the whole picture, if you step back and take it all in. Where things have degenerated to the extent that the body is not able to restore health through its own resources (aided by the naturopathic approach), drugs may become necessary. Here also natural medicine may be applied, reducing the amount of drugs necessary to treat symptoms. In this scenario, natural therapies are complementary medicine, meaning that they can be used alongside conventional medicine without interfering with the actions of drugs.
In most cases, however, naturopathy is truly alternative medicine. Many conditions may be treated by natural medicine alone, and many more conditions can be relieved by natural therapy than are treatable by drugs. This is because the naturopath focuses on the body’s response rather than the disease. For example, viral infections are treated just as effectively by homeopathy as are bacterial infections. In both cases they stimulate the body’s healing response against the pathogen. The body overcomes the infection; it is not a case of the medicine killing the bug, as happens with drugs (which can do nothing against most viruses); and in the process, unlike drug treatment, the body forms antibodies and learns to deal with the problem next time round.
Also, the full range of mental and emotional disturbance is treatable with homeopathic remedies: depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, ADHD, phobias and more. No routine medicines are given. Each patient is treated individually for their unique symptom pattern. There are no “specific” remedies in homeopathy that are always given in a certain diagnosis. This is a major difference with the medical approach, where usually “one size fits all”. There is always a range of possible remedies depending on the individual’s unique presentation.
Click here for a summary of the main natural therapies that the naturopath draws their treatment options from. >>
Homeopathy Explained
“The physician’s highest and only calling is to make the sick healthy – to heal, as it is called….”
“The highest ideal of therapy is to restore health rapidly, gently and permanently; to remove and destroy the whole disease in the shortest, surest, least harmful way, according to clearly understandable principles.” - Samuel Hahnemann, -Organon of Medicine
Homeopathy is the most widespread and accepted form of western natural medicine in the world today. It was discovered and developed more than two hundred years ago by a German doctor, Samuel Hahnemann. Given the horrendous effects of drugs, he was more than dissatisfied with the medical approach of his day and considered that his patients would be better off without his attentions. Moreover, he felt powerless to help his large family of children, some of whom died in epidemics. As a spiritual man he believed there must be some natural system that would work in harmony with the creator’s laws and those of the body.
Giving up the practice of medicine for the time being, in order to do no harm, he earned a living translating medical texts, and focused his attention on the philosophy of medicine, but in a practical way: he wanted to experiment and discover a true system of medicine. His mission was no less than to uncover the laws of nature as they applied to health and healing.
He knew, in principle, what true medicine should do. He understood how the body healed itself. This system should stimulate the body's responses and without side effects. In other words it would aid what the body was trying to do and not work against it or impose symptoms of its own. It would be rational and not based on fanciful speculation, like most of the remedies of his day. To properly be able to apply such remedies, each medicine should be understood in detail, through all its potential effects on the whole person: mental, emotional and physical.
What Hahnemann was searching for was no less than an entire system of medicine and a principle of healing, not just a few new remedies. As a true system, these medicines should act through some underlying single principle. In Hahnemann’s time and even today in orthodox medicine, there is no single rationale for treatment or an underlying principle of healing. Each drug acts in a different way through chemical action, with a full spectrum of side effects.
This is partly why conventional medicine remains stuck in a materialistic world view, while most of the other sciences have moved towards a more holistic analysis of the dynamic interconnections in nature, where the self regulating effect of the network is seen as more important than the parts or even sum of the parts: the phrase “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts” summarises the wisdom of the holistic approach.
The recognition of the importance of this viewpoint accelerates as we face the challenges posed by climate change. The only way to properly heal the world is holistically; two hundred years ago Hahnemann recognised that it is the same for the body.
read more about Homeopathy >>
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