A science-backed, personalised approach to your thyroid health

Have an underactive or overactive thyroid, and just want to feel like yourself again? Get to the root of your thyroid problem and feel happy in your body again.

Our functional medicine thyroid experts can help with a range of thyroid conditions:

Feel the difference with our highly investigative approach to thyroid issues

Whether you have a diagnosed or undiagnosed thyroid condition, our functional medicine thyroid specialist based in Melbourne  can help. Understanding why your thyroid issue has occurred and discovering what you need to get it back into balance is the key to improving your health - as is getting the right support. Our award-winning approach is designed with your needs in mind. Here's how it works:

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Identify the cause of your thyroid issues

Your functional medicine practitioner, in your 4-hour consult, will explore why your thyroid issues have occurred through an in-depth analysis of your health. They may also use functional tests to explore factors often implicated in thyroid issues like:

  • Hormonal imbalances (more comprehensive testing than standard investigations)
  • Underlying infections
  • Gut health and intestinal hyperpermeability
  • Food sensitivities or intolerances
  • Toxin exposure

Our goal is to discover what makes you healthy, and keeps you there. We do this by combining the latest scientific insights with our understanding of your health to give you personalised healthcare advice that works for you, and only you.

functional medicine practitioners rebecca hughes vicki van der meer discussing thyroid health results on laptop
mark payne functional medicine practitioner and jessica cairns health coach sitting discussing patient notes

We'll be there every step of the way, to get you results

Making changes to your diet and lifestyle can be hard, especially when you’re feeling unwell. This is why you'll have the support of a health coach, guiding you back to good health.

By working closely with your coach, you’ll feel empowered to achieve your health goals with greater ease. You'll also learn health skills to last you a lifetime, leaving you in the best position to manage your health now and in the future.

Let us guide you towards
better health. A better you

Get back to feeling like you again

Our healthcare approach gets us 5-star reviews on Google. You too, can achieve remarkable results that improve your thyroid issues and elevate your quality of life.

You deserve the best of care. Invest in your health with us

If you've tried and failed to solve your thyroid health problem through other medical means, you understand that a 'quick fix' thyroid treatment doesn't often result in long-term health gains. That's why we dedicate significant time to investigating your concerns and customising a scientifically based, results-focused program.

Your health investment includes:

6 months uncapped care

Dedicated Functional Medicine Practitioner

Dedicated Health Coach

4 hour initial consult

World's best pathology testing*

Personalised resources

$6800

Payment plans and telehealth available.
*Lab and supplement costs additional

For international patients, the program extends to 7 months at $7800. See our FAQs for more info.

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Book a free discovery call to find out if our program is right for you
Book now

Feel confident and safe in moving forward with us: Book your initial four-hour consultation ($980) to see how we work. If you feel we aren't the right fit for you after your consultation, there’s no obligation to go further with us.

It's personal

Our approach is personalised, collaborative and focused on YOU. See what past patients say about our 6-month program in the video below.

Get to know your support team

Take the first step towards health now. Book a free call with one of our experts to see if we’re the right fit to partner with on your health journey.

FAQs

Browse our FAQs by category below.

Program
Do you work with patients outside of Australia, and if so, how?

Yes, we work with patients across the globe via telehealth. However, as managing international logistics as well as labs and supplements in local countries requires more time, and often time delays, how we deliver our program is a little different. Therefore, for international patients, the program duration extends from 6 to 7 months, with a program fee of $7800. This allows us to maintain the same high level of care that we provide our local patients.

What is functional medicine?

Functional medicine is a revolutionary healthcare approach that addresses chronic health issues. Research now shows that health issues like thyroid ones are influenced mainly by your diet, lifestyle and environment. Functional medicine also acknowledges that each person is biochemically unique and that solving a health problem starts with finding the cause of the problem. Therefore, the resolution of health issues requires a root-cause based, personalised approach.

Functional medicine practitioners seek to understand you and your health picture, as well as your diet and lifestyle. When all of these elements are brought together and assessed, we can start to build a clear picture of what’s going on and why. This assessment can often involve functional pathology testing to dig more deeply into your health. Once insights become clear, your functional medicine practitioner will create a personalised treatment plan to solve the root cause and contributing factors to your health concerns. The outcome is that your health can be restored.


An illustrated table comparing the differences between functional medicine and conventional medicine.
What is health coaching, and why do I need a health coach?

Around 80% of people fail to achieve their health goals. This is because our habits around health are hardwired into us, making it difficult to change (which is why it’s so easy to reach for that bar of chocolate without thinking). Often, when it comes to food in particular, there’s an underlying emotional connection that needs to be addressed before lasting change can occur. Health coaches understand the science of behavioural change, so they will help you navigate change with clarity and ease.

Health coaches intimately understand the challenges that come with getting your health back, often overcoming them themselves, so they will be your sidekick, supporter and guide every step of the way. In fact, past patients often rave about the support their health coach gave them - a service they hadn’t realised existed or that they needed until they experienced it themselves. We’re confident you’ll discover that too!

Why is the program for six months? I think I’ll need less time.

Unfortunately, when it comes to chronic health issues like thyroid ones, quick fixes and magic pills rarely work. Perhaps you’ve tried conventional drugs and found that to be true.

This is because the conventional approach simply looks to suppress or manage symptoms rather than solve the issue completely. Using the functional medicine approach, your practitioner will invest a lot of time investigating your case to pinpoint what’s causing your condition or symptoms. This detective phase typically takes about 4-6 weeks, especially if pathology testing is required. During this time, you’ll be implementing some small steps, possibly experimenting with food or your lifestyle, and gathering more data that will help your practitioner form a clearer picture of what’s going on with you and your health.

The implementation stage typically involves implementing steps bit by bit over several months so that you can make sustainable, simple changes. Much of your success lies in making the changes required to support your body back to good health. Using our understanding of behavioural change, we know that implementing changes in small steps is the recipe for long-term success.

Maybe I’ll need more than six months - what happens at the end of the program?

We’ll be here as long as you need us. At the end of the 6-month program, we simply transition to a more customary pay per session model. Each 45-minute session with your practitioner will be $198, and 1-hour calls with your health coach will be $148. Your Slack channel (our main communication platform) will stay open for your general queries and needs.

What happens in the initial four-hour consultation?

Your practitioner will be in full detective mode to understand all the pieces of your health puzzle and get to the root of your problem. This involves understanding your health history, your diet, lifestyle and other factors like existing test results to start joining the dots on your health.

During this time, you’ll be able to ask as many questions as you like about your health. If you have a list of questions you’ve had unanswered for some time, bring them along! Your practitioner will help clarify what’s going on with your health and explain things in simple terms versus technical jargon.

Towards the end of the session, your practitioner will formulate a health plan alongside you to tackle your thyroid health issues. Following that, your health coach will join the session, and you’ll brief them on what you’ve learned so far and share the treatment plan that you designed with your practitioner.

Your health coach will organise any supplements and testing for you and will schedule your first coaching appointment, so together, you can work out the practical steps to take in your treatment plan.

You’ll walk away from the session with some insight into what could be causing your thyroid condition. You’ll also likely feel a sense of hope and excitement about the possibilities of having your health back on track!

How long is each follow-up session with my practitioner?

Follow-up consultations are typically 30-45 min. Each session will consider the effectiveness of any interventions implemented and will seek to gain further insight into your thyroid condition or explore other issues that need addressing.

How long is each session with my health coach?

The duration of your coaching calls will differ depending on how you are doing! At the start, coaching sessions tend to be longer and more intensive as you’re in a learning and growth phase.


As you progress through your program, sessions are typically a weekly 15–30-minute call along with more frequent contact via Slack - an app that you can access on your phone or desktop for quick and easy communication. Your health coach will be in touch regularly to give you as much support as you require to meet your goals!

Do I really need to make changes?

As chronic diseases are caused by dietary, lifestyle and environmental factors, the short answer is yes. So if you’re considering working with us, you must be committed to doing what’s needed to get the results you desire. We give you insights into why change would benefit you and how some of these factors are impacting your health negatively, so you’ll be armed with insights and motivation to change. In this way, change will be a gift rather than a hindrance as you’ll feel so much better because of it.

I've been to many practitioners and specialists - will this program really work for me?

AAfter supporting hundreds of patients through this program, we know that the one thing that sets us apart from other naturopathic thyroid specialists and experts is our unique approach. First, our practitioners have a broad range of knowledge about thyroid conditions, disease and health. By using the methodical and thorough functional medicine approach, they leave no stone unturned when finding the root cause of your health concerns.

When you add health coaching into the equation, your chances of success increase greatly because you’ll have someone walking with you step by step through all the challenges that often stop people from getting better.

That said, you do have to be prepared and willing to do what’s needed to get your thyroid health back, which usually involves changes to your diet and lifestyle.

Do you work with children?
Costs
What are the payment terms?

A deposit of $980 is required upon booking, and the remaining balance ($5820) is to be paid at your initial consultation or paid monthly over six months, with our payment partners.

To find out more about payment solutions download our resource here.

Any supplements or lab testing will incur additional fees.

What other out-of-pocket expenses can I expect?

All contact with your practitioner and coach are included in the program fee. Other costs you can potentially expect are for laboratory tests and supplements. Your practitioner will discuss the costs for any tests or supplements they recommend in your sessions.

Can I get any health rebates from my insurance provider for this program?

Unfortunately, as of April 1, 2019, most private health insurers won’t offer rebates for our services.


Tests
What sort of tests are needed?

Most of the testing we do seeks to understand how pathways or systems in the body function. These tests are typically more in-depth and comprehensive than you would’ve encountered before. 


We sometimes request standard blood chemistry from your GP for more basic tests, and if we need to go more in-depth, such as looking at microbiome health or food sensitivities, we use the world’s leading labs:


Precision Analytical

Genova Diagnostics

KBMO

NutriPath

Metametrix

Mosaic Diagnostics

Bioceuticals for DNA testing


Many of these labs are overseas, so test results can take a few weeks to come back.

Why aren't the labs covered by Medicare? And why can't my doctor order these tests?

Unfortunately, Medicare only pays for standard tests, conventional medical tests, many of which we find don’t give a clear enough window into your health. The tests we order are different from conventional tests you’ve likely experienced and found to be unhelpful before finding us.


GPs, unless they are functional medicine trained, are only trained in interpreting standard tests that look for pathologies (disease) rather than looking purely at assessing the function of pathways or systems. The functional pathology tests that we use can identify pre-disease states and look at other determining factors that contribute to thyroid conditions. 


Learning about and interpreting the latest functional pathology tests takes years of functional medicine training and involves continued education as new scientific insights arise.  


Given these labs are privately billed, we seek to balance the need for more data on your health with a desire to look after your wallet. Therefore, the amount of lab tests we do varies by individual. Typically, when we ask a patient to invest in testing of this nature, the cost is worth the investment as we uncover insights that inform their recovery.

Clinic
What are the clinic hours?

Our clinic hours are:


9:00am – 5:00pm Monday to Thursday


However, you can reach us outside of those hours via phone or email.

Where is the clinic located?

Our functional medicine clinic is located in Melbourne at 186 Buckhurst Street, South Melbourne.

For people in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane and across Australia looking for a functional medicine thyroid specialist or a thyroid naturopath for a natural thyroid treatment, telehealth appointments with one of our practitioners or our fully remote practitioner Rebecca Hughes are available.

I live interstate, overseas or am unable to make it to the clinic because of my illness. Do you work remotely?

Yes. Phone or video consultations are available for those unable to make it to the clinic due to location, time or illness. Simply let us know when you’re booking in, and we’ll organise that for you.

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Reach out to the team directly – we’ll be happy to assist.