Nutritional Therapy and Western Medical Herbalism

For thousands of years we have depended on plants to provide the essentials of life - food, shelter, clothing, fuel and medicine.

It is interesting to look at the history of the use of herbs as medicines in the West, as many drugs used on a day to day basis in the West have been created from our medicinal plants.

For most of the world's population however, plant medicine is still mainstream medicine. In our hectic lifestyles today, we have again begun to look at ways in which plant medicine can offer us a naturally healthy life.

In our busy lives today we face many challenges such as pollution, longterm stress, drug resistance and side effects and illnesses like obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure. More and more people are turning to look at the benefits of nutritional and herbal medicine to help combat these issues.

Nutritional and Herbal medicine works with the body’s natural defence systems in a gentle and well-tolerated way so as to provide long term relief from both physical and mental disorders.

Helping people of all ages, from infants to the elderly. It can be used for most conditions for which you would visit your GP.

Conditions include:

• Digestive problems

• Circulation problems

• Skin problems

• Sleep

• Stress and emotional issues

• Hormonal imbalances

• Aches and pains

• Breathing problems

• Fertility problems 

During your first consultation Dalbinder will take a detailed case history, covering not only your current problems but also your past health history and your lifestyle and diet. Where relevant she may check your blood pressure, look at your tongue and your eyes so as to make a thorough diagnosis. Further tests may also be recommended. A plan will be drawn up and discussed in co-operation with the patient. Nutritional prescriptions of vitamins and minerals at the clinical dose specific to you may be advised to help you get back on track.

Herbal medicines are very varied. This is because a plant or a tree is a living thing and medical herbalists may use the whole plant, the flowers, the leaves, the roots, the barks, the buds, and the stems. A prescription can be a tincture (a blend of herbal extracts in an alcohol/water base) or a tea. Capsules and tablets are also used, as are creams and lotions for external use. Follow up consultations are usually done a few weeks later so as to ensure that the prescriptions are at their most effective and the patient is happy with the progress.