Our Practitioners
We currently have three fully-qualified practitioners working out of our clinic, able to support your on your health journey.
To learn more about each of our practitioners, please see below.
For more information on our consultations, click here.
To learn more about Naturopathy & Herbal Medicine, click here.
Natalie
Natalie’s first discovery into natural medicine was nearly 20 years ago. Having always loved being outdoors, and as an avid surfer, she spent a lot of time in the ocean and elements. Long stints in the ocean require a lot of energy but she would often feel weak and light headed. Lack of energy didn't allow her to stay in the water as long as she wanted, so she started looking at her diet for solutions.
She developed a curiosity about healthy, nutritious food, and the benefits of adding herbs to meals. This interest coincided with her searching for a vocation that is mentally stimulating as well as fitting in with her love for nature. And so she discovered naturopathy. The principles of using food as daily medicine, employing positive lifestyle habits and using plants to support good health made so much sense to her.
Natalie started her studies in 2002, at South Pacific College of Natural Therapies and obtained a Bachelor of Health Science, an Advanced Diploma of Herbal Medicine, and an Advanced Diploma of Naturopathy.
Over the last 20 years she has practiced in Auckland, London, Raglan, Hamilton and Mount Maunganui. This has allowed her to work with and learn from many health professionals such as fellow medical herbalists, integrated doctors and osteopaths.
As of late she has started to specialise in gut and hormonal health attending many different professional seminars and webinars. She has completed a SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) masterclass and OATs testing summits, as well as attending many seminars and webinars on female hormonal issues using the DUTCH test to support treatment.
Working with many people with different conditions, Natalie realised that some of their health issues could be resolved by changing the way that they thought about them. She had always been fascinated with the mind/body connection and power of the mind which led her to doing the NLP (neuro linguistic programming) practitioner course in 2019.
A bit of an information geek, Natalie is inspired by the continual research and development of natural health; how science is now confirming and building on the therapeutic benefits of a healthy balanced diet, and the use of herbs and supplements. The natural world is a fascinating place and offers many wonderful remedies to help us with our ailments and well being.
If you want to improve and optimise your health with the guidance of a professional naturopath who uses the gifts that nature has provided, alongside the latest scientific research, then get in touch.
Client Testimonial:
'I actually feel I'm doing well now, and would like to keep going with the regime that I've been on for some time now, so will connect in with you in the future as the need may arise. I've so appreciated your direction in regards to my health; it has put me on a good course for supporting my health and wellbeing, and I will definitely recommend you to others. Thanks so much for the work that you do x' - M.H.
Click here to make a booking with Natalie.
Alena Winter
Naturopath | Nutritionist | Medical Herbalist
BNMH, DipNut, MNMHNZ, MNZAMH
Alena holds both a Degree in Naturopathy & Herbal Medicine and a Diploma in Nutrition from Wellpark College, where she graduated as top clinical practitioner.
Alena enjoys working with individuals to establish what their barriers to optimum health and wellbeing and underlying causes of dis-ease may be, and then how these may be positively influenced through the various modalities of naturopathy, herbal medicine, and nutrition. Each individual is different, as is their health story, and this is something Alena recognises with her approach to each case being carefully tailored to the individual.
She is happy working in all areas of health & wellness, especially mood, stress & overwhelm (all so common in the 21st century!), preconception & fertility, PMS/menstrual cycle irregularities, poor immunity & post-viral syndromes, and digestive disturbances. She is also happy working collaboratively alongside doctors and other healthcare practitioners for the overall benefit of the client.
"Working with Alena completely changed my life... I had tried pretty much everything in the natural book to help restore my totally dishevelled nervous system after a very difficult year. I knew seeing an herbalist could help, but I never imagined the depth of restoration my body and mind received through working with Alena and taking the herbal combinations we chose together. She is a deeply gifted naturopath with a keen awareness unlike any other healing professional I have worked with. Not only did we thoroughly explore different herbal solutions and styles of remedy (tinctures, essences, teas), but we built up a complete regimen of care that allowed me to return to feeling like myself for the first time in over 12 months. I am deeply grateful for the knowledge and understanding Alena brought to the table through our visits... She is definitely pursuing her calling and healing feels like a natural occurrence in her presence." - K.L
"After a journey of over three years struggling with my gut health – engaging a naturopath in Auckland; working with doctors; Gastro specialists and spending a couple of weeks in hospital with a bleeding duodenum ulcer I was feeling exhausted from the battle. I was told I’d have this ulcer and be on Omeprazole for life which I wasn’t prepared to accept. It was time for some big life changes to heal myself properly so I moved to Raglan and soon discovered the amazing Alena at The Herbal Dispensary. Alena’s warmth, openness, sage, and confidence in helping me heal was a delightful surprise and uplifting. Within three months of working together my ulcer had completely healed and within four I was off Omeprazole! My doctors and specialists were shocked on how quickly I recovered. The attention, care and personalized design that Alena put into my healing plan was incredible - I didn’t realize this experience of achieving optimal health through such clear, effective and educational support was out there. I’m hugely grateful to Alena for helping me not only heal but for giving me the tools I need to continue to look after myself. I’m completely healed, off all the drugs, eating a normal diet with the occasional indulgences and I feel fantastic! Alena is remarkable and is defining the future of what I hope many more people can experience when overcoming health issues and optimizing their quality of life." - J.M
Click here to make a booking with Alena.
Mirren
Naturopath | Medical Herbalist
BNMH, MNMHNZ, MNZAMH
Mirren is a degree-qualified, association registered Naturopath & Medical Herbalist (NMHNZ, NZAMH), with a particular interest and specialty in the areas of women’s health, mental wellbeing, stress management, anxiety, fatigue, hormonal and reproductive function, and plant-based nutrition.
Utilising a carefully blended toolkit of up-to-date, evidence-based science, traditional herbal medicine knowledge, and naturopathic principles, such as ‘treat the cause’, and ‘the healing power of nature’, Mirren works to craft a personalised health plan tailored to your specific needs. She utilises holistic foundations to consider, support & restore physical, mental, emotional & spiritual wellbeing, as these aspects are all so essential to support the wellness of an individual as a whole.
Her practice incorporates the principles of Food as Medicine, Nature as a powerful healer, and the importance of daily health-promoting routines, self-care, and self-compassion as tools to obtain a true state of thriving health, rather than just surviving. In today’s fast-paced world, where stress, anxiety, fatigue and burnout are so common, she believes in the importance of reconnecting with the roots of health and creating nourishing, sustainable rituals to support wellbeing each day.
No two individuals are the same, nor is their experience of a health symptom or condition. Consultations offer the opportunity to delve deeply into your health concerns in a compassionate, open, and non-judgemental space, clarifying your goals, and being guided in discovering a unique, sustainable path to your own state of true wellness.
Drawn deeply to nature and plants from a young age, and having undergone her own mental and physical health struggles, which she experienced gaps in support for in the Western medical healthcare system, Mirren immersed herself in a Bachelor of Naturopathic & Herbal Medicine at Wellpark College, and has now completed her degree, which incorporated over 250 hours of clinical experience, including professional supervision. She aims in her practice to hold a compassionate, genuine, open space to facilitate positive change and healing, and believes that each individual has the ability to heal, when obstacles are removed and a nurturing environment is implemented.
Client Testimonial:
"I can’t believe how much of a difference I’ve been able to make to my lifestyle and overall wellness. Mirren was extremely knowledgeable and I felt so safe and secure sharing my personal problems with her. She listened attentively to my many issues, and constantly provided empathetic support, suggestions and solutions, along with references backing up her recommendations. I have gained so much knowledge on the importance of nutrition, minerals, vitamins, exercise, stress management, herbal medicine and mindfulness/accountability. I have found relief from gut issues I suffered from for over a decade, managed to cut down on many of my long-term medications, work on healing my gut, hormones, and really change the way I looked at my body, health and lifestyle. It was all a highlight and Mirren showed her strengths as a naturopath and practitioner. I felt so comfortable and at ease, so looked forward to each of my appointments, and trusted her knowledge."