WESTERN HERBAL MEDICINE:

 

Herbal remedies have been utilised in the UK for centuries. They are used mostly as a complementary treatment (that is one given alongside conventional treatments).

Many conventional medicinces actually originate from a single active ingredient of a plant. For example, the painkiller aspirin comes from the bark of the willow tree and digoxin, a medicine used to treat heart failure, comes from the foxglove plant. Scientists often try to separate a single active ingredient of a plant and produce it on a large scale within a laboratory.

This is the opposite of herbal remedies, which may contain dozens of different ingredients. Herbalists believe that all the elements are in balance within a plant and so it's important to keep them together. The different components are made more powerful through the presence of others, but at the same time they work gently within the human system to bring about greater balance. It is essential from an herbalist's viewpoint to treat the cause rather than the symptoms of an illness by considering hereditary factors, diet, work and lifestyle as well as exercise, breathing and relaxation.

It's important to be aware that the active ingredients in herbal remedies and conventional medicines can interact so always ask your GP for advice, self medication is not advised.

 

The first consultation will be between 1 1/2 - 2 hours, during which time the herbalist will take down a detailed case history and information of current medication. Life style, work, relaxation, sleep and diet will also be considered, togerther with hereditary factors this will all help form a picture which the herbalist can work with in prescribing a course of medicine.

During the following consultations  of 1/2 - 1 hour progress will be discussed and changes monitored and responded to in subsequent prescriptions.


For more information please v www.urhp.org

Contact Hilary Loder D.B. Th., M.U.R.H.P, M.A.R at the Rose and Crown Clinic 01769572608

CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINE:

 

Chinese Herbal Medicine, along with the other components of Chinese medicine, is based on the concepts of Yin and Yang. It aims to understand and treat the many ways in which the fundamental balance and harmony between the two may be undermined and the ways in which a person's Qi or vitality may be depleted or blocked. Clinical strategies are based upon diagnosis of patterns of signs and symptoms that reflect an imbalance.

However, the tradition as a whole places great emphasis on lifestyle management in order to prevent disease before it occurs. Chinese medicine recognises that health is more than just the absence of disease and it has a unique capacity to maintain and enhance our capacity for well being and happiness.

 

Chinese medicine is successfully used for a very wide range of conditions. Among the more commonly treated disorders are:

  • Skin disease, including eczema, psoriasis, acne, rosacea, uticaria
  • Gastro-intestinal disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome, chronic constipation, ulcerative colitis
  • Gynaecological conditions, including pre-menstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea, endometriosis, infertility
  • Hepatitis and HIV: some promising results have been obtained for treatment of Hepatitis C, and supportive treatment may be beneficial in the case of HIV
  • Chronic fatique syndromes, whether with a background of viral infection or in other situations
  • Respiratory conditions, including asthma, bronchitis and chronic coughs, allergic and perennial rhinitis and sinusitis
  • Rheumatological conditions (e.g osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis)
  • Urinary conditions including chronic cystitis
  • Psychological problems (e.g depression, anxiety)
  • Children's diseases

For more information please visit www.rchm.co.uk/

 

Contact Simon King at the Rose and Crown Clinic.