About Ash

Ashlee Yates, Naturopath

• Degree Qualified Naturopath (BHSc Naturopathy)
• Registered with Australian Naturopathic Practitioners Association (membership number 0855) 

Hi, I’m Ash

I’ll never forget the all-encompassing fear of finding out I was having a child with a chronic disease. Now that I can look back on our journey I know that there’s nothing I did that caused my baby to be sick. I can now see what I did right, and the incredible impact it had on his health as he grew.

Having always had an interest in health, I first began my university studies in nutrition and dietetics. Partway through my dietetics degree, a close friend of mine was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease alopecia. Fast forward past countless tests and specialist appointments, there was no explanation for the sudden onset of her condition. Not until her mum begged her to see a naturopath. Within 6 months of naturopathic treatment, her hair began to grow back.

I’ll never forget how awe-inspiring that was, the change in my friends’ health completely contradicted everything I thought I knew about disease and healing. My friend went on to finish her masters in dietetics, while I went on to pursue studies in naturopathic medicine and chronic disease.

As time went on, I became a mother and my focus naturally progressed to children’s health. During my pregnancy with my son, we were completely heartbroken to find that he would be born with a form of kidney disease, hydronephrosis. This diagnosis, at 20 weeks gestation, shook me to my core. This pregnancy was my rainbow baby, and now suddenly it too was also riddled with fear and uncertainty.

Did I do something to cause this, what could I have done differently? Did I get pregnant again too soon? Why would this happen to any mother, but how could it happen to a mum that’s a naturopath?

The first few years of Eli’s life was a rollercoaster of joy and worry. Through a combination of naturopathy and medical care, we were able to avoid surgical intervention and ongoing pharmaceutical medication. Our beautiful boy is now living free from disease thanks to an integrative approach to his healthcare.