Herbal Medicine.

Herbal Medicine.

If you are considering seeing a Medical Herbalist the following questions and answers may help you to understand more about the practice of herbal medicine before booking your first consultation.

Who are Medical Herbalists?

Medical Herbalists in the UK learn the same diagnostic skills as orthodox General Practitioners, i.e. they will take a detailed case history, they will measure your blood pressure, height and weight, and they will also be very interested in the results of any previous investigations that you have already had – such as blood tests or X-rays etc.

In addition to this, a Medical Herbalists will also take your overall constitution into consideration and try to identify the root cause of your symptoms (Note - your constitution can be thought of as your basic structure or the fundamental nature of what it is to be you!).

This mixture of detailed medical history combined with personal constitution type, enables the herbalist to treat you as a unique individual and to develop a highly personalised treatment plan that gets to the root of the problem.

Hippocrates – considered to be one of the Ancient Greek fore-fathers of modern medicine said …

“it is more important to know what sort of a person has a disease, than know what sort of a disease a person has”.  Hippocrates 460BC-370BC.

Medical Herbalists belonging to the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (i.e. they have the letters MNIMH after their name) have all undergone rigorous training (i.e. a four year degree course in herbal medicine), they adhere to a strict code of ethics and are regularly involved in continued professional development.

As with any Medical Practitioner, you have an absolute guarantee of confidentiality when you see a Medical Herbalist. Everything you say and your medical notes are treated in strict confidence – as you’d expect.

Seeing a Medical Herbalist?

Seeing a Medical Herbalist is pretty much like seeing your GP, except it takes a bit longer!

The first consultation takes about 1 to 1½ hours, depending on the complexity of your symptoms. It involves taking a full medical case history and performing any necessary physical examinations, for example the herbalist may conduct a respiratory system examination if you have a persistent cough or chest pain.  This will give the herbalist a good picture of your overall health and constitution and will help to figure out the root cause of your illness. 

After taking all of the investigations mentioned above, i.e.

·          Your case history,

·          The results of any physical examination,

·          The results of any previous hospital based investigations - such as blood tests and X-rays,

·          And considering your overall constitution,

An individual treatment plan is then designed. This is done as a team effort between the herbalist and the patient. It is critically important to realise that both the herbalist and the patient have an equal input into this treatment plan. This treatment plan usually includes lifestyle and dietary advice, along with the appropriate prescription of herbal medicine.

A follow-up appointment is normally arranged for two or three weeks later in order to assess your progress and get feedback on the treatment plan.  Follow-up appointments from then on will be made according to your individual needs.  Follow-up appointments last approximately 30 minutes.

How much does it costs to see a Medical Herbalist?

Alas, seeing a Medical Herbalist is not covered by our National Health Service (well not yet anyway!) and therefore you do have to pay for the consultation and your prescribed herbal medicine.

The fee for an initial consultation is £40. The fee for a follow up consultation is £25.

The normal charge for prescribed medicine is approximately £5 per week of medicine (this covers the vast majority of prescriptions).

Note - there are some rare circumstances where the standard £5 per week fee for medicines does not cover the actual cost of the prescription, therefore the actual cost of the prescription is charged. If you fall into this category then the herbalist will discuss this with you before prescribing the medicine. There will never be any financial surprises when seeing a Medical Herbalist. The fee will always be clear and will be discussed prior to starting treatment.

Payment should be made at the end of each consultation by cash or cheque. Cancellations must be made at least 24hrs in advance, otherwise the full consultation fee is payable.

Lastly, charging a fee for medical treatment is an emotive subject in our society. We are accustomed to receiving medical treatment for free at the point of delivery, e.g. at Accident & Emergency or at our GP’s surgery. However as Medical Herbalists are private practitioners a fee has to be charged as there is no other way of ensuring the practice can continue.

All Medical Herbalists, who are members of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH), have taken an oath to treat anyone who asks for assistance to be best of their professional ability. If you are of limited funds then please discuss this with the Herbalist in order to allow a concession to be arranged. The simple lack of funds should never stop a sick person seeking treatment. An arrangement of some description can normally be found.

What kind of conditions do Medical Herbalists treat?

The simple answer is … anything health condition that you would normally see your GP about, can be taken to a Medical Herbalist.  There are some conditions that cannot be treated by a Medical Herbalist – such as sexually transmitted infections – however the herbalist is well placed to refer you on to the most appropriate part of our National Health Service in order to get you the most appropriate treatment.

In most cases a treatment plan involving Herbal Medicine is appropriate to the patient. In this case we need to remember that herbal medicine works at many levels, however it may primarily be viewed as strengthening the body and thereby increasing the ability, of the body, to rid itself of disease. 

Herbalists frequently treat chronic conditions for which orthodox medicine has limited success or medicines that produce unacceptable side effects.  Herbal medicine may also be used to treat every member of our community, from pregnant ladies through to babies and the elderly.

What kind of medicine will be prescribed?

You will probably be prescribed a herbal tincture. A tincture is simply a herb that has been infused (like a tea) in a mixture of water and alcohol for several weeks. The water extracts some of the medicinal compounds from the herb, whilst the alcohol extracts others.

In some cases dried herbs for infusions (i.e. made with hot water in a teapot at home) will be prescribed. In other cases (especially with skin based conditions) preparations such as creams and ointments will be used.

High quality organic tinctures made from fresh whole plant materials are used wherever possible in order to ensure optimum quality and a naturally balanced medicinal product.

Highly concentrated herbal extracts are not normally used as these can lead to a higher rate of unwanted side effects because the extraction and concentration of the “specific effective medicinal compound” from the herb both leaves behind other compounds that may be important, and allows the extracted compound to be taken out of the context of the rest of the herb. 

Taste. It’s worth mentioning that herbal medicines often have an “interesting” taste! However most of the time an unpleasant taste can be masked using a fruit juice or syrup.

How many appointments will I need?

It’s impossible to say as it depends on the nature of your condition.  More often than not the condition that initially encourages a person to seek herbal treatment is the tip of the iceberg and there are other underlying issues. The key thing is that the herbalist will propose a follow up schedule that matches your needs.

Do I have to take my clothes off?

No, not normally. The majority of the consultation is in taking the case history. Obviously if you have a rash on your back then the herbalist will ask to see the rash in order to understand what’s going on. The normal modesty procedures that you would expect from any Medical Practitioner apply to Medical Herbalists, i.e. the herbalists will do their utmost to protect your privacy and modesty at all times.

Do I have to tell my GP that I’m seeing a herbalist?

No, you don’t have to tell your GP; however it does make sense to let your GP know that you’re seeing a herbalist, especially if you’re taking any regular medication.

It is vitally important that your GP and the Herbalist work together. The herbalist will be accustomed to working alongside General Practitioners. It is quite normal for a patient to request a copy of their herbal prescription in order to let their GP see the detail of the herbal medicine that they are taking. Remember that ultimately the patient is in charge of their own health care and working together and communicating clearly is always the best policy.

What do I need to bring to the consultation?

You need to bring a note of any prescribed medications that you are currently taking.

For more information, or to book an appointment with Iain please contact the centre.