|
Herbal Medicine - the core therapy
Herbal medicine is the core therapy offered at Rosemary Cottage Clinic.
-
It is suitable for men, women and children of all ages (see Who we treat pages...)
-
It can be used to treat conditions from the most incidental cuts, bumps and burns to the most serious and life threatening diseases, as well as complicated or long term conditions or those that may not have a name. (See conditions that we treat...)
A Medical Herbalist's approach often works where conventional treatment fails because it takes into account any minor symptoms you have as well as your medical background. In many cases these apparently unrelated factors may be causing the problem or preventing it from resolving naturally. Taking all of these factors into account allows the Herbalist to prepare an effective treatment. (See example below, and article What is special about the approach of herbal medicine?...)
An Example Case
The following is an example of how herbal medicine can be effective where orthodox treatment has failed. It is provided for illustration only, to help you understand how a Medical Herbalist approaches things differently.
A patient came for help, who had been suffering with repeated toe-nail infections for over a year. What started as a minor problem had become increasingly painful and worrying. Repeat prescriptions of antibiotics had made little difference but recently the side-effects (diarrhoea and thrush) had become unbearable.
During the consultation it became clear that this person had suffered all their life with cold fingers and toes, and often wore gloves, even in the summer - a fact that the GP had been informed of but had appeared to ignore. On examination the toes appeared pale and cold suggesting that there was poor circulation to them. Furthermore, the patient reported that the infections started when they gave up work in a warehouse where they had been on their feet all day, and now had an office job, sitting at a computer for hours at a time.
Through this consultation and examination the herbalist deduced several things about the condition: the infection became established because the tissue was compromised due to inadequate blood supply, reducing the flow of nutrients and oxygen and limiting the removal of waste products. The immune response had also become compromised because reduced circulation was preventing white blood cells reaching the site of infection
easily. Subsequently, the antibiotics were not reaching the site in sufficient quantity to prevent repeated re-infections. The condition had become entrenched because lack of physical movement at work had further compromised the circulation.
With this scenario in mind herbal medicines were prescribed: an external anti-microbial cream and internal medicine, aimed at:
- Increasing blood flow to the peripheral vessels
- Strengthening the capilliary blood vessel walls
- Increasing the drainage of waste products
- Stimulating the immune system
Finally practical advice on hygiene and footware was given. Frequent breaks at work were recommended to enable walking to encourage circulation.
At the follow-up consultation two weeks later, the patient reported that the infection had almost entirely cleared, and that their fingers and toes 'have feeling back in them for the first time in years!'. A repeat prescription was made to be taken for another three weeks, with sufficient excess to be kept in the cupboard in case the infection returned in the future.
A year later the patient contacted the clinic to order a repeat prescription for their medicine cupboard: "The infection only returned in the middle of winter and was quickly remedied using the herbal medicine before it could get out of control. The antibiotics have not been needed since coming to you - Thanks for sorting it out!" |
