Longtime locals will remember Gawron’s nights spent mixing drinks at the popular bar run by his parents, Pete and Mel.
The naturopath now spends his days dispensing a wide range of medicines at his new business, Arrowtown Apothecary.
After the sale of Blue Door and the neighbouring Safran (now Aosta) and Agave (Little Aosta) in 2017, Gauron decided to change direction.
Having discovered yoga, she “knew the hospitality lifestyle was not sustainable”, but followed her desire to care for people and realised her hospitality and naturopathic skills were transferable.
“So when I found naturopathic medicine, it was the first time I’d found something that had a place for people who weren’t doctors… but it was a little more scientific and evidence-based than other alternative medicines.”
She completed her degree in natural medicine at the South Pacific College of Natural Medicine in Auckland and opened Arrowtown Pharmacy on Buckingham Street, opposite the Chinese Village, about three months ago.
Gawron explains that naturopathic medicine is a branch of holistic medicine and naturopaths are trained in approaches such as nutrition, lifestyle, traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, energy medicine, herbs and natural supplements.
At her new clinic, there will be the option for an in-depth consultation after which she will create a personalized comprehensive health plan, a focused 30-minute session focused on specific concerns, or a no-obligation 10-minute discovery call.
“It’s a really collaborative health care model. It gives you the power to take charge of your own health. I think a lot of people are really craving that, especially since COVID.”
“I think this is the only model that keeps people where they are and gets them to where they want to be. You come in and say, ‘I want to sleep better,’ and I say, ‘Your thyroid doesn’t look great.'”
“But your priority is sleep, so we’ll work on that… Your priorities are my priorities.”
She also has a particular focus on functional medicine, utilising the “amazing new tests” available, which can reveal functional markers such as how leaky your gut is, how much inflammation there is, and all the beneficial and harmful bacteria present, ensuring targeted treatment.
Gawron says naturopaths are respected by top doctors because they fill a gap in the health system that general practitioners “never have the time for”.
“[A GP] A lot of what we do is preventative medicine, but emergency medicine on the edge is just that.
“There are a lot of people with chronic health issues who see a variety of specialists, and we’re often the first and only ones who can give us the complete picture.”
Gauron offers a wide selection of herbal tinctures and extracts, as well as using her foraging skills to create personalized herbal tea blends.
It’s fully certified organic and uses locally sourced ingredients wherever possible, however some ingredients must be imported from the North Island or overseas.
“I think teas are great – a way to get herbs into your system – but without the drawbacks of herbal tinctures, which are all extracted with alcohol and many of which are not suitable for children or need to be taken in very small amounts,” she says.
As for what she likes most about her new job, Gawron says it’s being able to combine her intuition with her knowledge to make a real difference to people.
“My philosophy is the 80-20 rule: Eat healthy 80 percent of the time, make good choices 80 percent of the time, and have fun the other 20 percent, as we all do as humans.”
