Merge Health

This journey I embarked on with Merge Health last year has been a ride and a half & the best thing I ever did. I was sick, broken, exhausted. From the start, Kate and the team never made me feel like it was "all in my head". I felt supported, valued, and validated. It's been wild at times, patience a necessity and trust in the treatment plan that was individually designed for my needs. There were lots of tweaks along the way, but from where I began to where I am now, I am incredibly thankful and extremely grateful. My children & family have noticed a huge difference, and although I'm tough on myself and my expectations, I look back and realise - WOW, I have come a long way from there! I am still in the hands of Kate and the team and feel confident things will only continue to improve from here. If you've done the "usual" round of doctors who keep telling you nothing is wrong, then this is where you need to be! Thorough, researched, caring, nurturing and specific in your treatment plan, and if Kate & the team can't help, she will find someone who can! No stone is left unturned; I was emotionally supported because it is an emotional rollercoaster at times, and I'm very appreciative that our paths crossed

I cant speak highly enough of Merge Health, especially Steph, Tanya and Sarah. They absolutely know their stuff and have compassion and empathy. I have seen people posting about their reception and ordering processes, which I agree can be frustrating, but if you work through that part with patience and communication, the actual service of Natropathy is the best I have ever experienced. Nothing about what I have experienced from a practitioner point of view I can fault.

I've had a disappointing. While the actual appointments were ok (though expensive, and always late to start), the experience with the reception, bookings and orders have been disgraceful. They have debited money repeatedly without clear explanation, overcharging me multiple times. I had to spend a significant portion of an appointment with Kate Mccandless trying to work out what I’d paid for, and it turned out they had accidentally overcharged. Kate then charged me extra for the appointment, which seems ridiculous to me. The reception is offshore and never answers phone calls making it extremely hard to resolve the payment problems, or ask questions or change bookings. Overall the experience had been dreadful. They have attempted to remedy the situation but it doesn't change the fact that I've spent thousands with the intention to improve my gut and have got no where.

The best naturopath and wellness clinic I’ve ever been too. The staff and practitioners go above and beyond to support me and my family in our health and wellness needs. I would recommend to anyone!

Terrible experience. Ordered a product express from them as they said Melbourne and I could get it quickly while I waited for my other one to arrive not express from America. After 5 days I contacted them to be told it’s coming from New Zealand and they’ll find out. After another week I hadn’t heard from them and asked for them to cancel my order as I wouldn’t have ordered from them (and paid $15 for express delivery!) if I’d known it was going to be weeks. Still no reply from them and after 3 weeks my order has arrived from America before them.

I've been seeing Sarah Bakker, Kate McCandless and Steph Gadsden for several years. They have always been very professional, attentive and responsive. My health and wellbeing has improved tremendously. Truly brilliant practitioners.

After years of going to Dr's and getting no were, no one believing me and my symptoms saying most was in my mind, or putting me on so many different drugs for pain, mental state etc all doing nothing seeing so many dermatologist who would send me on to others saying they had no idea what was happing to me, I finally found Merge Health, and have now been Diganosed with many conditions and starting a whome new treatment plan, food plan and health plan, they listen, understand, care and most importantly act.
I can not rate them highly enough if I had not of found them I seriously don't think I'd be here.
A big thank you to the best team I've seen to help me with my health.
Hopefully I can come back to the person I once was 7 years ago

The support and health care that I have received from Merge Health has been exemplary. I have seen a significant change in my physical and emotional well being.

I am rating 1-star because I ended up severely underweight. A diet is only effective if the body is nourished. It is very challenging to maintain body weight eating primarily vegetables and supplementing everything else. The lack of protein to repair tissue starts to break down functioning organs and tissue and you have 0 energy. Also if you plan to send an email or make a phone call to clarify your current wellness plan be prepared to pay for a minimum 15 minute consultation.

I had been working with a naturopath and was sent a coupon towards my next appointment. When I booked this next appointment I told the front desk I would like to apply the coupon to my appointment; however, when I reviewed my invoice afterwards, it had not been applied.

When I brought this up, I was told it was overlooked and would be applied to the next appointment AFTER the one that I had already requested it for. I said no, I would prefer a refund since I was promised a discount on my appointment and I would like Merge Health to honour their obligations and promises.

They said no, and implied that the coupon was a *gift* and that it would be applied as they saw fit. Uhhh, NO! It doesn't work that way. It was their obligation to apply it to my account AS PROMISED. (After all, what if I wasn't planning to make a second follow up appointment? Also, I don't agree to pay a fee for appointments and then renege after the fact and pay less than promised, so what is their right to charge me more than promised?)

It's disappointing that a business can misuse a MARKETING PROMOTION so badly that it causes them to lose customers.

Poor communication and lack of support.
It has been very frustrating working with Merge.
I have been trying to get an appointment now for 2 months.
The guidance I received from merge worsened my health, and when I reached out I was desperate to change strategies because I was getting sicker everyday. I never received any guidance regarding my degrading health.
I take responsibility for missing one appointment and my following two appointments were canceled within hours of the scheduled time due to the practitioner being sick. My last appointment the practitioner did not show up at all, and has not responded to my emails. I have multiple test results with no follow up appointment to explain them to me.
It wouldn’t be the first (or seemingly last time) I have sent en email with no response and have to chase them up for merge to act.
When I have contacted admin about wanting to get in touch with my doctor Tania, admin told me to contact her via the message system merge uses. You have 500 characters to use. Not words but characters. That is including spaces and symbols. So there are no opportunities to explain things with any detail. However, it is all in vain as my messages to Tania were all ignored.
To say the least, I’m disappointed with the service (or lack thereof) I have received and appalled at the poor communication, lack of respect and disregard for my health when I needed it most.
Beware.

I came to Kate McCandless by recommendation as I've experienced unexplained digestive issues and fatigue for over 10 years. I saw countless doctors who told me I was perfectly healthy, but deep down I always knew something was not right.

Since I started seeing Kate and Sarah in January, I've completely turned my health around. I feel the most energised I've ever been and my digestive system feels normal for the first time in YEARS! I can't believe it. Kate is a magician!

The process at the beginning can be very overwhelming because its a lot of new information and testing, but hang in there it does get easier and all makes sense eventually.

Merge has given me back my livelihood.

I was diagnosed elsewhere with chronic fatigue syndrome in 2021, and shortly thereafter I was left unable to work. I was told that I'd need to figure out how to live my life from the couch.

I engaged with Merge because of their specialism in CFS. What I didn't expect was a truly holistic support structure to be built around me on what (unexpectedly) came to be a journey to health.

Sarah has held my hand through some drastic dietary changes, which has resulted in truly remarkable shifts in my health. I was experiencing heart flutters, extremely dry and easily irritated skin, worsening eye sight, yellowed feet, gut health atrocities and a host of other things. Through food, every single one of these issues has subsided and are tangibly on their way to resolve. It's now easier to hear my body and understand its needs, making me feel like I have power back in my hands to manage CFS. Balanced with her honesty and kindness, Sarah has led me to reimagine the role food plays in my life and enthusiastically celebrates the wins with me.

Sam has played an equally important role in my journey. Her empathy, insight and collaboration show that she's genuinely there for her patients and will do all she can to accommodate them. She's supported me to take the right supplements at the right point in time, helping me ease into this new and (unexpectedly) confronting path. With her help, I've broadened my own approach to personal health management to better factor my emotional, mental and social needs. Sam has helped me redefine health for myself, and I feel empowered for it.

Sam and Sarah have given me my life back. I have the energy to work part-time, invite people into my home, and plan my future with confidence. It's been a rollercoaster, but I have no doubt I'll be working and socialising as I was prior to this syndrome taking hold in due time.

The cherry on top is that the entire reception team are always kind, supportive and helpful, even when I've had a seemingly endless list of questions for them.

So grateful for Steph and the team - Really helped me navigate through such a challenging time.

Don't know where I would be without them - If your stuck looking for answers I would encourage you to give them a go.

Thanks for all your continued help Steph

When I had finished my Chemo and Radiotherapy treatment for my Throat Cancer in 2020 I needed help to restore my gut health, rebuild my immunity and most importantly do everything within my power to never let the cancer return. After a reasonable amount of research I decided to seek help from Merge. So we started the jouney with dietary change and a variety of tests including blood and stool etc to give a starting point for Merge to repair the damage done by my treatment and the cancer. They also introduced me to Mindfulness as part of the recovery. Now I feel better than ever and consistently remain at the same weight as when I was 21. Thank you to all the team at Merge.

The level of health care from Merge Health is beyond any other I have experienced. They have a heavy emphasis on wellness which suits me just fine. For long-term health, I way prefer a focus on wellness rather than pharmaceutical-based treatment.
If you want a good level of control to manage your own health Merge Health can help you with that.
I had the good fortune to work with Sarah and Steph.
It is quite reassuring when you see the wide range of health indicators they look at. Even more reassuring is how they tinker with diet, supplements, and lifestyle to get you back to being well.
If you have resigned yourself to being a sick person and given up, let Merge Health help you.
I was so happy with Merge Health I encouraged my mother to see them. We now have a happier healthier mum who is now also a big fan of Merge Health.

Awesome work and consultation!
Very deep questionnaires and suggestions to be healthy and the best version of yourself.
Highly recommend *****

After years of fatigue, insomnia and gut health issues, I finally have some health answers and can move forward with a treatment plan with hope for even greater health results.
With several tests completed (that my GP never offered), a change to my eating habits (I thought I already ate well), and additional supplements, I am already sleeping better, have more energy, have far less gut issues and just happen to have lost those few extra stubborn kilos.
Steph and Sarah are both professional practitioners with a wealth of knowledge. I can’t thank them and the Merge Health team enough for their compassion and expertise. The new me is so grateful

The first couple of months with Merge saw positive results - I had more energy and felt better on the paleo style protocol. However it didn't evolve to be a good overall experience, partly to do with me not having the funds required for their model of treatment.

My friend and I both tried Merge for our gut healing journeys, and both had disappointing experiences. Speaking for myself: a) I felt very much like a transaction in my appointments and encounters b) made to feel like I was waisting the naturopath's time when I would ask follow up questions c) I was put on a protocol that caused half the hair on my head to fall out, with no warning that this could happen. It was traumatic for me, and the practitioner did not know what to do about it - kept blaming it on stress, when the hair in infact started falling out way before I experienced stress (and after I started the protocol). I ended up having to spend hundreds of dollars elsewhere to get help for it.d) I would always leave appointments feeling confused and unclear as to the practitioner's approach, and didn't feel empowered by her advice. My friend and I both still debrief to this day about how bad our experiences were. I'm passionate about good quality, holistic healthcare and caring practitioners and so that's why I've taken the time to write this review in the hope that it might help someone else think twice.

I've so far only had 2 appointments, and found staff & practitioners to be kind and lovely people. I'm impressed by the level of knowledge of Steph Gadsden in relation to my particular health challenges, and for the first time in years am feeling some *actual hope* my condition can be significantly improved. Sarah's commitment to patients is genuine and much appreciated.