Why try an
Herbal Health Consultation?
Herbs have been used for healing purposes for as
long as humans have existed. We have evolved with plants, so our bodies know
how to use the properties of herbs to, in effect, heal ourselves. "Nature, time and
patience are the three
great physicians." -
Proverbs
The unique, natural chemistries found in whole
plant products have a synergistic effect when used as medicine. Instead of
overpowering our systems the way most allopathic medicines do, herbs work with
our body, supporting and complementing our innate healing process already at
work. "What is dangerous about
tranquilizers is that whatever peace of mind they bring is a packaged peace of
mind. Where you buy a pill and buy peace with it, you get conditioned to cheap
solutions instead of deep ones."
-
Max Lerner
Herbs are at their best when used for prevention,
although they can be used appropriately for any stage of a disease, whether
chronic or acute. Herbs can complement many standard Western treatments,
reducing the need for more radical therapies or lowering the amount of
medication necessary. Under the hands of a skilled herbalist, the use of herbal
analogs can often replace more problematic pharmacological preparations, allowing
the patient to avoid unpleasant side effects.
Whole herbs when properly prepared and dispensed
are not drugs, they do not have side effects. What they do have are a
collection of healing properties, some more pronounced than others, that amount
to a specific profile that is unique to each particular plant and that when
properly matched to a person's symptoms, can support their own individual
healing process. "We firmly believe
that therapy is education rather than healing; that it is growth rather than
treatment." -
Arnold Lazarus
When people get sick (and we all do, how else
would our bodies know how to stay in balance if we didn't lose it occasionally?
It was Thoreau who said: "'Tis
healthy to be sick sometimes."), most traditional herbalists see patients
as having their own kind of disease that will respond to an herbal treatment
tailored to their particular signs and symptoms.
While Western medicine can address some of a
patient's unique health issues, ultimately, at least where infectious diseases
are concerned, doctors take the view that there is "one disease that can
afflict many people." This isn't a wrong view, just incomplete, from the
herbalist's perspective. "It is much
more important to know what sort of a patient has a disease than what sort of a
disease a patient has."
-
William Osier
There may indeed be one particular germ that is
infecting many individuals, but each infected person is going to have their own
particular pattern of suffering and, hopefully, of recovery. The wise use of
herbs, either singly or in combination, can often be matched to a person's
particular constitution and constellation of symptoms much more successfully
than almost any drug.
This is not to say that there aren't times when
Western medicine is totally appropriate. A good herbalist is free of dogma and will
agree that any practical means necessary should be used to promote health and
healing. However, since herbal treatments are complementary to most other forms
of healing, they almost always bring notable benefits to the user. "God heals, and the
doctor takes the fees."
-
Benjamin Franklin
The fact that herbs are natural, inexpensive, easy
to acquire, and can even be grown and processed by the patient themselves in
some cases, only serves to make them that much more attractive.
Finally, it should be noted that while much of
what heals comes from the nutritive properties of the herbs, and that overall,
most herbs are very safe, one should never use an herb medicinally unless
totally familiar with its effects. Herbs can be toxic, some herbs can be
inappropriate for children, during pregnancy, and can increase or even
counteract the effect of medications a person may already be taking. It's
always a wise idea to discuss using an herb with a knowledgeable herbalist
first before trying it. "Medicus curat, natura sanat"
Translation:
"The doctor cures, nature heals."