Nicky Zibens

Naturopath

Nicky was born and lived most of her life in South West Sydney and now resides in Wollongong, NSW. She enjoys going to the gym, visiting the beach and spending time with her nieces and nephew.

Nicky studied Naturopathy at the University of Western Sydney and has a Bachelor of Applied Science (Naturopathic Studies) and a Graduate Diploma of Naturopathy. Additionally, Nicky has qualifications in Massage Therapy, Aromatherapy, Dry Needling, and Cupping. Nicky also coached Crossfit for a number of years prior to moving to Wollongong.

In clinic, Nicky focuses on making health as simple as possible for her clients which can include dietary and lifestyle changes that are supported with herbal medicine and vitamin and mineral supplementation. Nicky enjoys treating all kinds of health concerns ranging from digestive issues, menstrual concerns, weight loss to treating things like the common cold, sleep issues and stress management.

Apart from being an awesome Naturopath, Nicky is also a full-time Firefighter with Fire and Rescue NSW working in the Fairfield, Smithfield and Cabramatta areas. She has been a firefighter for 8 years and thoroughly enjoys being able to help and give back to the community (plus driving a big red truck is pretty cool!)

What is Naturopathy?

Naturopathy is a system of healthcare that focuses on prevention of illness, natural healing and treating the root cause of disease. It draws from traditional philosophies, natural healing and holistic approaches to assist the body to heal itself.

Naturopathy considers the whole person (physical, mental, emotional, social and environmental factors) to create a personalised treatment plan that focuses on finding the root cause of illness, disease prevention and encouraging long term health and wellness.

Naturopathy can help treat and support a range of conditions including but not limited to:

•  Colds and flus

• Chronic illnesses

• Fatigue and general malaise

• Sleep disorders

• Aid with weight loss

• Skin conditions e.g. eczema, psoriasis

• Digestive issues e.g. IBS, constipation, heartburn

• Autoimmune conditions

• Female health

• Male health
  

Common treatment methods include nutritional medicine, herbal medicine and vitamin and mineral supplementation. Suggestions around lifestyle, exercise, stress management and sleep habits are also common in naturopathy.

What to Expect

An extensive case history will be taken by your naturopath, expect this to include your current health issue and past health issues. You will also be asked questions about your daily life including diet, exercise, medications and any signs or symptoms you may be experiencing. You will be asked to bring any recent blood/pathology test results or diagnosis that relate to any of your health concerns.

Your first consultation may take up to 1 hour and 30 minutes. At the end of your first appointment you will most likely leave with a general treatment plan with some small changes for you to start implementing into your daily life. Changing habits and implementing new ones are often required over the course of your treatment. Your naturopath will then go over your consultation and decide on any further nutritional or herbal medicine support to assist you.

A follow up consultation usually occurs two to three weeks later to see how you are progressing and if any changes need to be made or added to your treatment plan. Follow up consultations are usually shorter (up to 45 minutes).

You may experience some aggravation of signs and symptoms with initial treatment. It is important to remember that naturopathic treatment is not an immediate fix and can take weeks or months to see improvement or progress. A health concern that you have had for many years cannot be remedied in a few weeks.

Overall consistency and not perfection is often the key an improved health condition and lifestyle.