What is Herbal Medicine?

The practice of incorporating herbal remedies into the maintenance of one’s health is also known as “holistic therapy”.  The term “holistic” relates to “the whole” as opposed to individual parts.  Any form of medicine can be holistic (treating the whole person) or “allopathic” which focuses on fixing one symptom.  My approach to Self Care is much more broad than recommending a certain herb for a particular symptom. Instead, I see much more success through making improvements with nutrition, body movement and other lifestyle choices--in addition to utilizing the right herbs in the right form and the right combination.

By focusing body, mind and soul on restoring health and true disease prevention, I am have been blessed  to see an improvement in about 85% of my clients in the first one to two weeks.

This is done by addressing your health in its entirety, focusing mind, body, and soul on prevention and maintenance--addition to the alleviation of individual symptoms.

What is an Herbalist?

Those who study Herbal Medicine are known as herbalists, but some are more self-taught than others.  As helpful as my two-year Master Herbalist program was, I have gained more knowledge through thirteen years of working with clients, attending annual conferences and participating in advanced trainings.
In my book, Take Back Your Body, you will find a wide-reaching wellness plan that includes:

• Nutrition adjustments (which taste delicious and save you money!)
• Moving your body (exercise tips, starting with just 5 minutes a day)
• Relaxation techniques (many which take zero extra time)
• Behavior Modification to address your specific symptoms

A Timesavers chapter to help you de-stress and find the time for cooking and exercise
I believe that the holistic approach to herbal therapy should focus on a person as a whole. The simple and inexpensive tips in Take Back Your Body help you to create and maintain a healthier, more complete you.

The History of Herbal Medicine

The major objectives of Herbal Medicine are to protect, restore, and balance the body and its many systems.  Modern science has recently begun to explore what herbalists have known for centuries.

As much as I value M.D.s and their great diagnostic tools, I also place great trust in God-given plants and common-sense wisdom. Human beings have cared for themselves almost exclusively via herbs and plants for most of our history, and 80% of the world's population still does! I hope to encourage you to combine the best of both worlds by creating your own health team to include an open-minded physician, herbalist or naturopath and others

How Does Herbal Medicine Work?

While much of modern medicine focuses on suppressing symptoms, such as masking pain, herbal medicine focuses on the relief of the problem, stopping the pain at its cause.  Rather than mechanically altering individual organs, herbs focus on rebalancing.  For example, Hawthorne Berries, which are used to relieve high blood pressure, will only reduce blood pressure that is unnaturally high; it will not have any effect whatsoever on blood pressure that is normal and healthy.

I believe that Herbal Medicine can and should be used in conjunction with modern medicine, for modern medicine is, too, a part of a holistic approach to our health.  I don't like the term "alternative medicine" as it puts us in an either/or position.  Integrated medicine indicates the vast array of healing modalities available and gives us the power to pick and choose those which best fit our need.

What is the Difference between Herbal and Western Medicine?

Modern Western medicine is largely disease-oriented; it works best after you get sick. Then, physicians frequently draw on their medical arsenals to eradicate the problem/symptoms through:

• Medications
• Surgery
• Chemotherapy
• Radiation and Other Measures

We are conditioned to wait until a health problem--often brought about by an unhealthy lifestyle--is bad enough to warrant these invasive procedures. Modern medicine's major objectives are removing and replacing, and, unfortunately, there are commonly negative side effects. The tremendous strengths of modern medicine are excellent diagnostic tools and emergency first aid.

Herbal Medicine Plus Modern Medicine =A Mighty Match

Herbal Medicine and Modern Medicine, as a team, are an unbelievably powerful duo in the prevention and treatment of disease and health imbalances. Ideally, Herbal Medicine is used for prevention, but even with many serious conditions, holistic methods work beautifully--on their own or in conjunction with your physicians' suggested protocol. Herbal Medicine techniques can help alleviate side effects and even contribute to the effectiveness of the Western treatments.  In fact, when Superbugs won’t respond to antibiotics, herbs can very often do the job—or even make the antibiotics work again!  Check out this link to learn more!