The Natural Health Clinic:Charmaine Carter

The Natural Health Clinic:Charmaine Carter Charmaine Carter. Naturopath, Medical Herbalist, Nutritionist. Contact details
Charmaine Carter
M: 022 187 3459
E: naturopath.cc@xtra.co.nz

Charmaine Carter BHSc (comp med)
Dip Nat
Dip Herb Med
Clinical Naturopath, Medical Herbalist and Nutritionist. The Natural Health Clinic aims to provide safe and effective natural healthcare solutions for all your health and wellbeing conditions. At the clinic I use an evidence based approach alongside proven traditional medicines and methods to provide individual treatment options for each client. Treatment plans focus on identifying the cause of illness and provide each client with the support and information to help take control of their health. Disclaimer:
Information provided on this site is not intended to treat or diagnose individual conditions, nor is it intended to replace personalised advice from a healthcare professional. Clinic Hours
The Natural Health Clinic is currently open flexible hours,
contact me at any time to arrange an appointment or for any enquiries.

A few Fridays agoNo filters, just standing in the front paddock in your pyjamas and gumboots, with your camera and some ...
24/03/2026

A few Fridays ago

No filters, just standing in the front paddock in your pyjamas and gumboots, with your camera and some spectacular light.

Small moments of joy.

Magnesium ➡️ generally calmingB vitamins ➡️ generally energising Progesterone ➡️ generally calmingCaffeine ➡️ generally ...
24/03/2026

Magnesium ➡️ generally calming
B vitamins ➡️ generally energising
Progesterone ➡️ generally calming
Caffeine ➡️ generally energising

But what happens when the opposite is true?

Enter, the paradoxical effect.
Over the years, in clinic and life, I've seen this pop up fairly regularly.

Why?

HPA axis dysfunction
Genetic polymorphisms in detox pathways
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Extreme sensitivities
Age
Neurodiversity

Sometimes, who knows

The same can be true for medications

Non drowsy that makes drowsy
Pain meds that result in more pain
Anxiety meds that result in more anxiety

Anyway, more useless but possibly interesting information, from me to you.

Also a reminder that your ability to process and utilise substances, is not going to be the same as your neighbour or Suzy who you work with and that a Naturopathic consultation is tailored to your individual requirements.

Sunday a few weeks ago now Another day, another garden to visit with Mum.AKA, me jumping out of bushes with my camera to...
24/03/2026

Sunday a few weeks ago now

Another day, another garden to visit with Mum.

AKA, me jumping out of bushes with my camera to take photos of Mum.

This time at Ōhaupō.

Quite possibly my favourite yet.

For the entire 14+ years that I've been in clinic, I've listened to clients tell me stories of healthcare providers pass...
04/03/2026

For the entire 14+ years that I've been in clinic, I've listened to clients tell me stories of healthcare providers passing judgement on them for looking for answers outside the medical model.
A medical model that in many cases has failed them.
Thankfully over the last few years, I've been hearing more stories of healthcare providers understanding that an integrative approach is always going to benefit the patient/client.

Snake oil merchant, charlatan, woo woo, non of it proven, is she even qualified.

I've heard it all and I take none of it on.

If a snake oil merchant is an evidence based clinical Naturopath with a health science degree, 14+ years of clinical experience, and a predisposition to investigate the living daylights out of your health state.

Then hi, hello.
That is me.

Chronic activation of the stress response can land you in burnout territory.It's true that certain acute stressors can b...
04/03/2026

Chronic activation of the stress response can land you in burnout territory.

It's true that certain acute stressors can be beneficial for someone in a non-burnout state.
But for someone experiencing burnout, any stressor, physical or mental and regardless of if it is a 'good' stressor or a 'bad' stressor, can overwhelm and overload an already overwhelmed and overloaded system.

In these cases what's needed for long-term improvement is a softly softly approach.
The aim is to support and stabilise.
Too much or too soon will send you right back to having burnout as your new default setting.

If you're in a state of burnout or you are looping back to burnout, these are a few practices that might be keeping you there.

😺 Fasting
😺 Restrictive eating
😺 Cold plunges
😺 Detoxes
😺 Extreme cardio or over exercising
😺 Stimulatory substances, including some supplements

As always, for individualized support contact a qualified and experienced Naturopath.

A lovely visit to the Monday before the bad weather a few weeks back.
23/02/2026

A lovely visit to
the Monday before the bad weather a few weeks back.

Hello 👋Soft launch back into clinic this week, a few hours on Monday, a few hours on Tuesday.No hours today, as it is my...
14/01/2026

Hello 👋
Soft launch back into clinic this week, a few hours on Monday, a few hours on Tuesday.
No hours today, as it is my Dad's Birthday...87 today!
Back again tomorrow and Friday for reduced hours.

🍃🍃🍃
23/12/2025

🍃🍃🍃

2025What a year huh...Clinic is now closed until mid-January 2026. You will now find me amongst the flowers, the cats, a...
19/12/2025

2025
What a year huh...

Clinic is now closed until mid-January 2026.
You will now find me amongst the flowers, the cats, and the forests.

Thank you to each and every one of you who has booked an appointment with me this year or who has been following along on here.
Nothing goes unnoticed 🤓

Have a safe, happy, and relaxing holiday break.

"My iron will be good because I eat red meat"."My B12 will be good because I eat red meat".In theory, yes.But in lab res...
11/11/2025

"My iron will be good because I eat red meat".
"My B12 will be good because I eat red meat".

In theory, yes.
But in lab results, it's often a different story.

Remember, it's not only what you eat. It's also how you digest what you eat.

Let's use red meat as an example.
Red meat is a source of the macronutrient protein and a source of nutrients, including iron and B12.

To be able to break down and digest these components (protein into amino acids and nutrients), a couple of things need to happen.

The first is that you need adequate levels of stomach acid (hydrochloric acid = HCI) to denature dietary proteins into amino acids.
Once protein is denatured, you then need enough of the digestive enzyme pepsin to do its job. This is where iron, B12, and other nutrients are freed up, ready to be absorbed and utilised.
Pepsin = protein digestion.

So, if someone comes to me with chronically low iron or B12 and it's not related to blood loss or dietary exclusion, we always do a little investigation into whether HCI or digestive enzyme production plays a part.

In these cases, the culprit is usually amongst the following

Long-term PPI (omeprazole, etc) use*
Hypothyroidism
Chronic stress
Any condition that creates gastrointestinal malabsorption (coeliac, inflammatory bowel disease)

As always, we are always looking at the 'why' behind your symptoms or test results.

* if you are taking PPI meds, it is not something to stop without discussing a plan (or your concerns) with your healthcare provider. Doing so can result in an increase of not very pleasant GI symptoms and, in some, may worsen existing conditions.


Some Tuahu track from the end of September.
04/11/2025

Some Tuahu track from the end of September.

A bit 11th hour, but October marks 13 years at my little Paeroa clinic.Happy clinic Birthday to me 🥳
31/10/2025

A bit 11th hour, but October marks 13 years at my little Paeroa clinic.
Happy clinic Birthday to me 🥳

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1 Marshall Street
Paeroa
3600

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Charmaine Carter BHSc (comp med) Dip Nat Dip Herb Med MNZSN Qualified and Registered Clinical Naturopath, Medical Herbalist and Nutritionist. The Natural Health Clinic aims to provide safe and effective natural healthcare solutions for all your health and wellbeing conditions. At the clinic I use an evidence based approach alongside proven traditional medicines and methods to provide individual treatment options for each client. Treatment plans focus on identifying the cause of illness and provide each client with the support and information to help take control of their health. Disclaimer: Information provided on this site is not intended to treat or diagnose individual conditions, nor is it intended to replace personalised advice from a healthcare professional. Clinic Hours The Natural Health Clinic is currently open flexible hours, contact me at any time to arrange an appointment or for any enquiries. Contact details Charmaine Carter M: 022 187 3459 E: naturopath.cc@xtra.co.nz