Healthy eating
Most of your patients ‘know’ that what they eat directly impacts their physical and mental health, yet many may never discover how good they can feel with a personalised diet comprising optimal nutrients. Based on a patient’s desired health and wellbeing outcomes, a dietitian will identify each client’s unique nutritional needs and help them to meet them in practical, sustainable ways.
Weight management
A dietitian can partner you in your patients’ weight management, including working with barriers to weight loss such as medication side-effects, injury and disability and conditions such as hypothyroidism and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). They can also help to support sufferers of eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder (BED) to change their eating behaviours within a safe framework.
Food allergies & intolerances
Food intolerances may produce a range of symptoms that don’t respond to regular treatments, from bloating to dermatological symptoms and headaches and fatigue. A dietitian may identify intolerances and recommend foods to consume and avoid to resolve symptoms. They can also assist sufferers of food allergies and coeliac disease to safely self-manage these conditions.
Gastrointestinal health
A dietitian can assist with management of both unexplained or treatment-resistant gastrointestinal complaints and symptoms related to formal diagnoses such as Crohn’s disease, diverticular disease and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Where symptoms are unexplained, they may identify and address diet-related contributors and triggers such as a food intolerance.
Cardiovascular health
For patients with a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease or identified as high risk and patients who have experienced an acute event such as heart attack or stroke, targeted dietary modifications can work in tandem with medication and lifestyle measures to optimise cardiovascular health, promote recovery and help to prevent disease deterioration, further events or onset of related conditions.
Diabetes
For sufferers of type 2 diabetes particularly, a modified diet and nutrition education are often critical components in managing blood glucose and/or body weight, which in turn can help to prevent complications such as stroke, eye problems and circulation or heart problems. A dietitian can also help sufferers of type 1 and gestational diabetes.
Doctors and dietitians: a powerful combination
As a medical professional, you know that nutrition and lifestyle changes can be powerful adjuncts to medication, especially for patients with chronic health conditions such as diabetes, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), nutrient deficiencies and food allergies and intolerances. Strategic nutrition can also help to alleviate unexplained symptoms such as persistent fatigue, headaches and gastrointestinal symptoms. Yet you also know that there isn’t enough time during a standard consultation to delve into a patient’s diet, let alone identify dietary symptom triggers or provide detailed meal plans, education and behaviour modification strategies.
How we can help you to help them
What if you could call on a collaborative partner with specialised expertise in nutrition as it relates to medical conditions and symptoms? Our accredited practising dietitians (APDs) can partner you in your patients’ medical management. They are experts in identifying and working with complex nutrition-related factors that may exacerbate medical conditions or symptoms and turning them into simple, easy-to-follow, evidence-based dietary plans based on each patient’s medical profile, capacities and lifestyle. Our APDs may also use techniques such as motivational interviewing to identify how best to help each person to achieve and maintain changes that help to meet their health goals.
- Review patients’ test results and address identified medical priorities (e.g. cholesterol reduction)
- Devise nutrition strategies that target pathologies and symptoms of health conditions from hypothyroidism to PCOS, diabetes, coronary disease and liver and renal disease
- Devise targeted nutrition strategies to correct nutrient deficiencies (e.g. anaemia, iodine deficiency)
- Identify and provide dietary recommendations for food allergies and intolerances and coeliac disease
- Create realistic, easy-to-follow, sustainable meal plans and organisational/planning strategies
- Educate clients in better food choices (e.g. wholegrain carbohydrates), label reading and portion control
- Educate clients in strategies to manage emotional overeating or boredom eating (e.g. mindful eating)
- Educate and reassure eating disordered patients who fear weight gain and work at a rate they can tolerate
- Refer to/collaborate with a psychologist to manage disordered or disturbed eating thoughts and behaviours
- Provide you with clear, succinct reporting prior to a patient’s consultation if requested
Which patients need a dietitian?
An APD can provide nutrition advice to improve clinical outcomes for conditions including:
- Diabetes (type 1, type 2, gestational)
- Cardiovascular disease/events
- Gastrointestinal disorders (eg. coeliac disease, diverticulitis, IBS)
- Overweight and obesity
- Food allergy and intolerance
- Nutritional deficiencies (e.g. anaemia or iodine deficiency)
- Eating disorders
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
- Liver disease
- Renal disease
- Cancer
How it works
An initial dietetics consultation generally includes a diet and lifestyle assessment, assessment of medical status (including review of medical notes or discussion with you and review of biochemistry and relevant test results), assessment of dietary and family history, lifestyle and home environment, and education and counselling towards desired health outcomes. Follow-up appointments assess progress and provide further education and support to help patients to maintain changes and manage their health long term.
Simple bookings and referrals
For private dietetics clients, a formal referral is usually not required. You can simply provide your patient with our phone and website details for them to make a booking. For CDM and NDIS patients who do require a referral, referring a patient is simple and takes only a couple of minutes, so it may be completed during a consultation. There’s no lengthy paperwork. Choose from the following referral methods:
- Fax your own referral to (03) 9088 0250
- Give your own referral to your patient for them to bring to us
- Complete the NDIS online referral form on our website here
Melinda
- Dietitian
“Dietetics is most effective when it’s harmonious with each person’s goals and motivation, lifestyle, capacities and preferences and broader healthcare management. I am committed to person-centred care and providing tailored advice to best support individuals to achieve their health and nutrition goals,” says Soaring Health dietitian Melinda. This collaborative approach extends to consulting with clients’ other medical and allied health providers. “I believe strongly in a multidisciplinary team approach to best support clients in achieving their health and wellbeing goals.” -Melinda, Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD)
Online consulting
If your patient(s) can’t get to our clinics or feel more comfortable in their own home, our dietitians can provide online consulting. All a patient needs is an internet connection to receive full clinical dietetics consultations via video at their convenience.
2 convenient clinic locations
Our two clinics are conveniently located and offer appointments to fit in with your patients’ busy schedules. We’re open 6 days with 8am-8pm weekday opening hours. Choose a clinic to suit you.
Thomastown Clinic
Located in: Thomastown Recreation & Aquatic Centre
Address: 54 Main Street, Thomastown VIC 3074
Open Hours:
Weekdays: 8am-8pm
Saturdays: 8am-2pm
Craigieburn Clinic
Located in: Splash Aqua Park and Leisure Centre
Address: 60 Central Park Ave, Craigieburn VIC 3064
Open Hours:
Weekdays: 8am-8pm
Saturdays: 8am-6pm
Fees, subsidies and rebates
The fees for private clients for standard 60-minute and 30-minute dietetics consultations are $194 and $80. Eligible private insurance policies may offer rebates on dietetics. Patients with a Chronic Disease Management (CDM) plan may be eligible for Medicare-subsidised consultations. NDIS participants and patients eligible for My Aged Care, TAC, WorkCover and DVA may be eligible for no-gap dietetics consultations.