Hey there, Friend!
As I start this journey into the Clinic program, I realize that most people don’t know what herbalists do. So, I figured I’d come in here and talk a little bit about what working with an herbalist is like.
I practice a type of herbalism called Vitalist herbalism. This is in the Western herbal tradition, and focuses on the whole person and holistic healing. It’s hard to describe exactly what a session would be like, because, unlike allopathic medicine, everything we do is specific to the client we see. Even if two people come to the clinic and, for example, have hypothyroidism, the protocols and herbs given to them can still be very different. It’s all dependent on the root cause of why they are experiencing their condition.
Herbalism is gentle, and works best with consistency over time. When you first come to the clinic you can expect to sit in session for at least an hour, up to two hours for your intake. In this clinical intake we talk about two to three health concerns in your life. We’ll talk about when it started, how it affects your life and what you’d like to improve on. Most conditions are interconnected, and herbalism works to address your whole symptom picture, from a root-cause standpoint, rather than just addressing a single symptom.
An example of what this might look like: You come to the herbalist with a primary complaint of anxiety and you want something to help you feel calm. In session you talk about your job, your family, how you really need more sleep and feel like you drink too much. Oh, by the way, you’ve been experiencing some irregular bowel movements and brain fog.
Not only would you get help with your feelings of anxiousness, but the herbalist would also address your GI issues and suggest supportive vitalist practices to help with your sleep. In this case, I’d start with the gut, because all of the above issues are inner-connected. Gut health not only impacts your GI health, but can impact immunity and mental health too. You would also get a formula to help when you’re feeling especially anxious.
This is just one example of a symptom picture we see in clinic. We also have the tools to work with insulin resistance, reproductive issues, chronic pain and women’s health, just to name a few. I’d love, love, love to answer any questions you have about herbalism! Are you dealing with a specific condition and you’re unsure if an herbalist can help? Send me an email, I’d love to talk about what’s going on.
I hope to see you soon,
-Rachel