Herbalism is the use of plants to affect a person’s health. There are two ways it’s commonly practiced in modern Western society. The first is the use of plants for acute illnesses. This concept is very familiar to us because we typically turn to medications for symptom relief. For instance, for a runny nose, we may take an OTC antihistamine and decongestant. If you were substituting herbs, you may consider ragweed (yes, that ragweed) and eyebright. It’s fairly straightforward, once you know which herbs can be used for which symptoms.
The weather is unseasonably warm right now. Add to the fact that many are still stuck at home and barbequing is sure to begin early this year. However, there is a hidden danger involved in grilling during a viral outbreak. Certain cancerous toxins lurk in certain barbequed foods that can weaken your immune system and leave you more exposed to viruses.
When you have a simple issue, it’s easy to find information about which herbs might be helpful. Take some ginger if you’re nauseated. Take some chamomile if you’re anxious. Maybe some Gotu kola if your brain is foggy. If you’re using herbs this way, that’s great! But when you have a chronic or complex health issue, you need to unlock the power of herbs on a deeper level.
It happens every day. Becky glanced across the store and saw a friend! She hadn’t seen her for months. She looked fabulous. The friendly chatting began and Becky couldn’t help but ask her friend what she had done to look so fabulous, thinking for sure it was some kind of plastic surgery. Karen, her friend, described in great detail the dieting and endless hours of Brazilian dancing, and, of course, a personal trainer. Karen continued by complaining about how hard it was to eat 6 times a day, but the best part was that it only took 3 months to achieve her new look.
A friend of mine sent me this picture he took 1 hour before Costco opened this morning following President Trump’s recent announcement of suspending travel to Europe. To put this in perspective, Idaho (where this was taken) has yet to have a confirmed case of Coronavirus. It is amazing to see the reactions we exhibit in preparing for an unknown event.
Many of the clients I work with have failed to find answers with conventional medicine. As you might imagine, this means I end up working with a fair number of people who have issues such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, autoimmunity, etc.
So, how does an herbalist treat these conditions? The simple answer is we don’t. In part, this is because we aren’t licensed to practice medicine. We don’t look at a client with, say, fibromyalgia, and start recommending herbs A & B.
Physical therapy is not commonly viewed as an initial treatment option when individuals are experiencing either acute or chronic pain and/or movement dysfunction. Most people initially seek care from a primary care provider. For example, if a person has acute back pain, they will likely go to their doctor, an urgent care, or an emergency department. The result of this encounter will likely result in a prescription for some form of anti-inflammatory and/or pain medication and they will almost always be told to rest the part that hurts.
One of the questions I’m frequently asked is, “what can I take to boost my immune system?” There are some simple answers: elderberry, zinc, vitamin D. But, there’s another question you should be asking: “do I want to boost my immune system?” A properly functioning immune system is vital for good health. So, why would you not want to boost your immune system? Let’s take a closer look at how your body fights infection.
Recently I read an article from PubMed, which is an online medical study resource provided by the national institute of health. This particular study was comparing individuals with back pain to those without; correlating it to depression, anxiety, and suicide attempts. While it seemed pretty dramatic and almost alarming to suggest someone with back pain would be prone to suicide, it did bring to mind the length to which an unresolved problem can affect us.
2018 Comprehensive Psychology – Multiple types of somatic pain increase suicide attempts and depression
You should not be living your life in pain. Being tough and telling yourself you can handle it has consequences. So how do you fix this? For starters, you MUST stop managing it. Managing pain only ‘kicks the can’ down the road. It compounds the problem.