Pearls of Practice

Table 1 – ‘Friends, Foes and Flora’ with Dr Jason Hawrelak

Selectively Acting Herbal Anti-Microbials

Availability: Bookings Closed

In this session, we’ll look at anti-microbial herbs that have a more selective impact on the gut microbiome vs others that display broader, harmful impacts on microbiota composition when used. We’ll also talk about why this is important within the framework of naturopathic philosophy and patient care.

Table 2 – ‘The Growth Zone!’ with Carly Woods & Charmaine Dennis

Elevate your Impact, Leadership and Value

Availability:Bookings Closed

As practitioners deepen their clinical skill, the next stage of growth, particularly when seeking wider impact in the community, is rarely about knowledge alone. Growth is often restrained by subtle, human decision patterns that naturally prioritise comfort over expansion. Clinical capability builds credibility; leadership thinking builds scale.

In this experiential 20-minute workshop, Carly Woods and Charmaine Dennis explore the motivational triad framework and how our natural instincts can quietly limit expansion even when we consciously want more.

Through grounded examples from clinical practice and business, alongside a guided reflective exercise, participants will identify some key thought patterns that may be shaping their current ceiling, whether that relates to visibility, leadership, pricing, innovation, or stepping into new opportunities.

This session is practical, thoughtful and empowering. It offers a clear lens on how to begin moving beyond comfort-driven decision making and into deliberate value creation – expanding impact, opportunity and contribution while remaining aligned with integrity and heart.

Table 3 – ‘Seeing the Light’ with Julie Forrester & Karinda John

The Benefits of Strategic Light Exposure & Action Steps

Availability: Bookings Closed

As an extension of their presentation, Karinda and Julie will highlight the key benefits of strategic light exposure and describe how that looks over the course of a 24-hour period. The presentation will be like them, informal and conversational – with the opportunity for participants to ask questions about how these strategies may be implemented and described in a clinical setting.

Table 4 – ‘Wild & Resilient’ with Phil Rasmussen

Weeds & Other Wonderful Plants to Improve our Resilience to Pandemics

Availability: Bookings Closed

Viral epidemics and pandemics will continue to produce huge public health challenges  and have major impacts on human populations and economies. To enhance our future resilience to these, a much greater emphasis on plant medicines for their many benefits in the management of viral infections, will be required. Given the sudden onset and rapid spread of such infections, the more we as medical herbalists can support our patients and communities by imparting knowledge about plants (both introduced and native) endemic in their local environment which can help, the better prepared we will be when the next ‘big one’ appears. In these group sessions we will discuss and share our knowledge and evidence for actions of weeds and other accessible or readily grown plants, to help support our health during population wide outbreaks of viral infections.

Table 5 – ‘Behind the Scenes’ with the NHAA Team

Rebates, Advocacy and the Road Ahead

Availability: Bookings Closed

The landscape is shifting. Private Health Insurance rebates for Naturopathy and Western Herbal Medicine are now returning. This is a significant moment for our profession – and the conversation is now beginning. At this year’s Herbal Medicine Summit, we’re creating space for this conversation along and invite you to be part of the discussion on what the return of rebates means in practice along with other matters of importance to NHAA and our members.

Table 6 – ‘Digging In’ with Ambre Whatley

From Seed to Consultation: Integrating Food, Soil, and Plant Connection Into Clinical Practice

Availability: Bookings Closed

This POP session explores how big-picture themes of seed diversity, food security, and ecological health can translate into everyday clinical work. It focuses on accessible ways to introduce gardening, seed saving, and plant connection into consultations, community education, and patient care plans, even for people with limited time, space or capacity. Rather than promoting idealised lifestyle changes, the emphasis is on small, achievable acts that help patients rebuild practical relationships with food and plants, and the ecological systems that underpin health.

Table 7 – ‘Out of the Dark’ with Lee Carroll

Not all Mushrooms Are Equal: How Product Quality Shapes Clinical Outcomes

Availability: Bookings Closed

Join medical herbalist Lee Carroll for a practical discussion on why mushroom products differ and how those differences influence clinical outcomes. Learn a simple framework for understanding mushroom quality and making more informed recommendations in practice.

Table 8 – ‘What’s In a Name’ with Dr Michael Thomsen

Beyond the Plant Name: Rethinking Evidence in Herbal Medicine

Availability: Bookings Closed

Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) is something all healthcare practitioners strive for every single day. It is poorly understood and for many has come to mean a randomised clinical trial (RCT). It is of-course much more than an RCT, but how can you apply EMB in your practice. Join Dr Michael Thomsen to find out more.

Table 9 – ‘Do It Your Way’ with Sofia Silchenko

Build your Own Clinical AI Support – Human to AI to Human

Availability: Bookings Closed

This session is for practitioners who want practical, ethical ways to use AI in clinic and business without losing clinical sovereignty or the “human” in care. Learn a simple, repeatable framework to design custom AI “helpers” for your clinical practice with clear guardrails around privacy, scope limits, and safety red‑flags. Walk away with prompt structures, examples, and an approach you can apply immediately to save time, improve clarity, and keep human judgment in the driver’s seat.

Table 10 – ‘Mix it Up!’ with Dominique LivKamal

Herbal Formulation Mastery for Modern Naturopathic Practice

Availability: Bookings Closed

This 20‑minute Pearls of Practice table session gives practitioners a clear, practical framework for creating elegant, synergistic, patient‑centred herbal formulas. Many clinicians feel overwhelmed by the breadth of materia medica or unsure how to confidently combine herbs, balance energetics, or translate traditional frameworks into modern clinical reasoning. This session distills the essentials into a simple, repeatable approach that strengthens clinical clarity and therapeutic outcomes.

Table 11 – ‘Best Foot Forward’ with Kathy Ferris

Presentations that Cut through: Standing out in a Crowded Program

Availability: Bookings Closed

Learn how to create and deliver presentations that capture attention, communicate complex ideas clearly, and leave a lasting impression. You’ll discover practical strategies for structuring your presentation, designing slides that support – not distract – from your message, and ways to connect with audiences so your research, insights, and expertise truly resonate in a busy conference program.

Table 12 – ‘Better Together’ with Assoc. Prof. Janet Schloss

Unpacking what is required for Oncology

Availability: Bookings Closed

Come join Janet in unpacking what is required to work with oncology health professionals to best support oncology patients.  Working together to best support the patient wherever possible is very important. Understanding how to best communicate or work with oncology health professionals can make a difference when helping a patient.   It’s about building the strategies that are patient-orientated and centred on the patient’s needs that can help improve overall outcomes and quality of life. Join this round table for a deep dive into oncology teamwork for best practise for patients.

Table 13 – ‘Beyond the Bite’ with Kathleen Murphy

The ins and outs of Alpha Gal Syndrome

Availability: Bookings Closed

Alpha Gal Syndrome (also called Mammalian Meat Allergy) is an IgE-mediated reaction to the allergen, α-gal or alpha-gal (galactose-α-1,3-galactose), found in mammalian meat and some other substances. The condition is triggered by tick bites (notably the Eastern paralysis tick – Ixodes holocyclus) and can have serious health consequences ranging from standard allergic reaction to anaphylaxis. It has also been linked to chronic inflammatory and cardiovascular disease. Current treatment recommendations involve avoidance (both of further tick bites and known allergens e.g. mammalian meat or other alpha-gal containing products) and medical management of allergic reactions when/if they occur. However, naturopathic support offers a significant opportunity to help manage symptom severity, improve health in those affected and restore compromised immune, gut and cardiovascular health. In this session, we will discuss the condition, its prevalence, common presentations, co-morbidities, and strategies to support patients’ health.  

Table 14 – ‘The Athlete’s Edge’ with Kira Sutherland

Applying Sports Nutrition Strategies for Metabolic Health & Weight Loss: A Functional Approach for Naturopaths & Herbalists

Availability: Bookings Closed

This conversation explores how key principles from sports nutrition can be adapted to support metabolic health and sustainable weight loss in clinical practice with non-athletic clients. This interactive 20 minutes bridges performance-focussed nutrition principles with holistic, patient-centred care for the everyday client. Participants will learn how strategies traditional used to optimise athletic performance – such as nutrient timing, macronutrient distribution, blood sugar regulation, and metabolic flexibility – can be repurposed to improve insulin sensitivity, energy balance, and body composition in everyday patients. We know that most of our clients need weight/fat loss but it’s often a least favourite area of clinical practice. This session will give you great starting points to apply in clinical practice to make it easier and more rewarding.

Table 15 – ‘Filling in the Gaps’ with Professor Jon Wardle

Pitching Naturopathy as the Solution

Availability: Bookings Closed

Global health, public health and primary care priorities all align with naturopathy and herbal medicine, but rarely do these therapies get implemented in practice. Jon draws from his positions working with government, health services, public health organisations and his long history of advocacy for the profession, to discuss how practitioners can position their practice, and how the profession can position itself as a solution to decision makers.

Table 16 – ‘Mixing Matters’ with Justin Sinclair

The Clinical Cannabis Conundrum

Availability: Bookings Closed

Whilst Naturopaths and Herbalists cannot prescribe medicinal cannabis in Australia or NZ, this does not mean that you won’t potentially see patients that are utilising this medicine from their medical practitioner. Join Justin for a conversation about important topics such as what symptoms and clinical indications medicinal cannabis is currently being prescribed for across Australia, as well as some of the interactions, cautions, side effects, and contraindications associated with this now legal medicine.

Table 17 – ‘The Practitioner Pause’ with Jacqui Fahey

Mindfulness strategies to reduce stress, restore balance, and sustain those who care for others.

Availability: Bookings Closed

This practical session explores how mindfulness can be woven into everyday life to reduce stress and promote wellbeing. Moving beyond theory, it offers simple, evidence-informed techniques that can be applied in real time—whether in moments of pressure, decision-making, or fatigue. Participants will learn how to regulate their nervous system, improve focus, and build emotional resilience through small, consistent practices. With a focus on sustainability, the session demonstrates how even brief mindful pauses can create meaningful shifts in wellbeing, helping you stay grounded, clear-headed, and more present throughout your day—both professionally and personally.