Integrative
Medicine
has arrived
"Integrative medicine (IM) is a model of healthcare where practitioners work together in interdisciplinary teams to understand and address the matrix of factors that contribute to illness in each individual.
Patients are central to IM, and remain active participants in co-designing and managing their care.
IM specialises in preventive medicine and treating complex and chronic conditions" Southern Cross University, 2025
INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE
MENOPAUSE CLINIC
This program was created for women who want real, measurable insights into their health—
Together, we Track It, Train It & Transform.
More than a program, it’s a movement toward data-literate, woman-centred healthcare rooted in compassion, science, and choice.
As a Locum-designed service this clinic is available for a small cohort and a very limited time.
#YourBodyYourChoice. Join us.
We believe the medicine of the future will be grounded in safely-scoped, humanised, data-literate and culturally-oriented health care.
It is my honour to see your match your body sensation with your own health data.
Because s/he really does keep the score, and it's time we tipped the score in your favour.
Yours truly,
To Celebrate the LAUNCH of our latest Clinic, we've had fun creating this POP-QUIZ for discovering your Somatic Type
Are you a 🌱 Root 🌊 Flow🔥 Flame 🐚 Shell🌬️ Wing 🕸️ Web or 🪨 Stone?
And what does this reveal about the kind of practices you'll most like?
Share with a close friend and guess each other's SomaSignature
Go on. You'll get a kick out of the insight.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is an Integrative Medicine Menopause Clinic?
It’s a specialised clinic that blends conventional medicine with evidence-based complementary therapies to support women through perimenopause, menopause, and beyond—physically, emotionally, and hormonally.
2. What symptoms can you help with?
We address hot flashes, night sweats, fatigue, weight gain, mood swings, anxiety, brain fog, low libido, sleep problems, thyroid issues, digestive problems, and more.
3. What kind of testing is available?
We offer personalised testing including:
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Hormones (with particular interest in Oxytocin)
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Gut microbiome (with special interest in diversity)
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Neurotransmitters (with special interest in serotonin)
4. Do you prescribe hormone replacement therapy (HRT)?
Alexis does not prescribe HRT but Dr Matt may. We are primarily interested in ways to stimulate endogenous biochemical homeostasis ie hormones made by your body itself.
5. Can I get help if I don’t want to take hormones?
Absolutely. Many women benefit from herbal, nutritional, lifestyle, and mind-body therapies without needing HRT. Whether you'd like to give something else a go first, or you've already started HRT, we support the body itself alongside what is solely your decision.
6. How is this different from seeing a GP or gynaecologist?
We go deeper. Integrative care considers root causes, nervous system health, gut and brain function, and your lived experience. An appointment with Alexis includes somatic guidance and reflection.
7. What are your qualifications?
Dr Matt Despot is a General Practitioner, qualified from The University of Queensland, with over 36 years clinical experience. He has worked in emergency medicine and rural generalist, meaning he's delivered babies and has a well-rounded skill-set across all women's conditions. Read more here
Alexis Dennehy is a Public Health Practitioner with 25 years in somatic (body-based) therapies. She holds a Masters of Public Health from the University of Queensland, a Bachelor of Health Science (Complementary Medicine) from Charles Sturt University. She also holds Advanced Diplomas in Naturopathy, Nutrition and Remedial Massage as well as qualifications across Hatha Yoga Therapy. Read more here
7. Is this covered by Medicare or private health?
Yes, GP visits and pathology testing are paid separately and covered, as usual, by Medicare. As a public health practitioner, Alexis does not support excessive privatisation of Australia's Health System (see Americas health system for evidence) and does not offer private health rebates.
8. Do you offer online or telehealth appointments?
Yes, we offer both in-person and virtual consultations, depending on your location and preferences.
9. What if I'm unable to make an appointment?
Please give us as much notice as possible if you're unable to attend an in-person appointment. As a locum-offered service, availability is extremely limited. We will do our best to reschedule a Telehealth appointment when possible.
10. What if I'm unable to make an online session?
Unfortunately, due to the personal nature of these sessions, we are unable to provide recordings of missed online sessions. Showing up is about prioritising your health. The outcomes of you as individuals and as a group depend on it.
11. How long is the initial consultation?
Initial and final consultations with Dr Matt are booked directly with Karana Downs Health Centre.
Initial and final consultations with Alexis are 45 minutes, allowing time to explore your full history, symptoms, and test results so we can develop a tailored care plan and review your plan together.
12. What can I expect from my first visit?
You’ll leave with a deeper understanding of what’s happening in your body, clarity around next steps, and a treatment roadmap that supports your long-term health and vitality.
13. Can I join if I’m already on HRT or medications?
Yes. We work alongside existing treatments to ensure your care is safe, informed, and complementary. We also help women safely taper or transition if desired.
14. Do you offer group programs or education?
Yes! We share a monthly practice group and weekly Somatic practices, seasonal retreats, and online programs focused on menopause education, emotional wellbeing, and peer connection.
Cormorant Garamond is a classic font with a modern twist. It's easy to read on screens of every shape and size, and perfect for long blocks of text.
Previous Clinics held at
Previous Projects
Previous Patient-Clients
(General-Practice with Somatic-Specialty)
Hayley approached me for private yoga because she was experiencing stiffness, tightness in the chest, difficulty breathing and anxiety. We started a home yoga practice and she felt the benefits immediately.
The stress however had got into her nervous system and she experienced a facial paralysis within the first few weeks of working together.
Hayley knew she had to make some major life changes. H. took to her yoga practice, and attended one of our retreats where she learned Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.
She managed to move through significant life change with a grounding in her body, coupled with the philosophy of change. She is now successfully living the life of her choosing.
These are some of Hayley's powerful postures, and you can click on the pic for a link to her testimonial.
Justin was a senior General Practitioner and entrepreneur who presented with symptoms of burnout, including heightened sensitivity, overwhelm and pain.
He was actively using meditation alongside nutrition and self-massage techniques.
Over the course of several months of combined trauma-informed somatic and jungian-inspired therapy, Justin was able to stay present with bodily sensation, including meeting his needs for comfort and companionship while recalling painful past memories.
Justin took significant steps over the course of 12 months to cultivated a more regulated experience of sensitivity.
This increased confidence translated to his work in which he saw improvements in differentiating from patients symptoms and sustaining a stronger self-connection during consulting.
Simone and Peter came to see me when their teenage daughter was experiencing a life-threatening condition. They both agreed their relationship was an underlying issue.
Simone took to the practice of yoga like a duck to water and met her goal of looking and feeling her best at her 50th birthday.
Peter came to see me later, mostly for remedial massage but through open-mindedness experienced the embodied symbolism of yoga.
Over the course of about 12 months, Simone and Peter felt they were at their end points. Both were pushed to practice the art of letting go, just to survive such an immensely stressful period.
Gradually, Simone found solace in symbolism and finally a trust and openness returned. Peter also started noticing the beautiful moments they shared.
The lightness and humour that they’d shared as young lovers was breaking through again. The last time I saw them they were sitting opposite each other at the local Korean, smiling. The love was clear and strong between them. The heart of the family repaired.
Emma was a GP who'd had several surgeries to remove endometrial tissue by the time she decided to start a practice in yoga for managing her symptoms.
After about a month of refining her personal practice for maximum circulation and clearance of pelvic inflammation, Anna started to feel she had some control over her experience.
At six months, Anna was able to fine-tune her practice using only breath-control and awareness.
By the time we shared 12 months together, she could manage her pain completely with her daily practice.
I've since successfully treated pelvic pain of reproductive and digestive origin thanks to Emma's collaborative yoga journey way back in 2007.
Anna was referred by her psychologist for somatic therapy.
She was experiencing daily anxiety, panic attacks and chronic pelvic pain.
She learned to relax her neck and shoulders and found gradually she could start to access sensations of her pelvis.
Anna had a profound shift in experiencing ease in her pelvis again when we located a trigger point with a dry needle which stimulated strong whole-body sensations.
Anna continues to come weekly for counselling and bodywork and rarely experiences either anxiety or pelvic pain.
Susan was incredibly well-read, had seen many highly-regarded practitioners and unsure much more could be done for her digestive bloating and pain.
She was very open about her past and had a knack for making connections.
We traced her digestive pain back to the weeks after her first child had been born. She was able to locate the trigger point she felt had not recovered fully.
A single dry needle to this point resolved her digestive pain almost immediately and completely, and she reported only very minor symptoms the following week, and zero symptoms the week after.
She was able to address the remaining bloating by narrowing it down to a medication which worked, and replacing it with a more gentle nutraceutical. The combination of reflection and embodiment changed Susan's experience of her body.
When Gloria sought me out, she was nailing many aspects of her life….business, family, investments, parenting…but she was struggling with her physicality.
Raised with a no-pain, no-gain attitude to exercise, now in mid-life, she was getting injuries with her personal training. She knew she needed a gentle approach to her body and so she committed to the practice for as long as it took.
Through the asana, pranayama and meditation, Gloria started to “get” the practice of kindness toward herself. At the end of each session she would have a big grin on her phase, sometimes followed by a great big laugh. She didn’t have to say much. It was obvious she was really getting it.
After a couple of years practicing together, Gloria took up running It was clear by the way she described her practice that she was applying yogic principles.
Gloria was a fine example of embodying Somatics in a felt- & lasting way.
Peta Jane, aged 26, found me online and came to learn yoga and understand more about running a business as a female creative entrepreneur. Born and raised in a buddhist country, she had a deep understanding of buddhism and wanted to incorporate this into her own business.
We discussed her longings and agreed she would complete a 12-Week Private Yoga Intensive, supported by somatic therapy and business coaching.
During one of her Somatic Treatments, Peta had a profound acknowledgement of a deep trauma she had completely forgotten. She said it shifted something deep inside her in relation to her brother.
Peta Jane’s Business moved along very quickly after this, and she was able to creatively develop her signature program within a few weeks. PJ has since successfully integrated her cultural heritage and kick started her business endevours and we look forward to seeing what comes of her unique experience and perspective.
Xavier was an engineer and academic who was referred by his physio for Remedial Massage.
He was experiencing persistent sciatica and a hinderance of the bulk of muscle around the base of his neck.
Xavier has continued with a combination of assisted stretching and yoga therapy over 6 years during which time he developed a regular home practice.
Xavier is now able to manage his sciatica himself, and happily improving his overall flexibility, balance and fine-motor co-ordination.
He is very happy with the range of motion in his shoulders and has successfully applied meditation techniques for maintaining self-connection and proactive mindset through two periods of life crisis.
Having learned the felt senses of trust and surrender, Xaviers practice is now a refined state of flow, during which time memories arise spontaneously an indication of trauma-release due to the felt experience of safety.
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Integrative Medicine Man-opause Clinic