Many of us get up in the morning, rush to get the dogs walked before we ourselves get ready, hurry to get children to school and some endure a stressful commute. We are pressured at work by productivity, targets, politics and conditions. Or pressured by the media that surrounds us – disaster, threat, fear shouts loudly from every headline. Lunch is quick – a sandwich eaten at the desk or perhaps listening to the news. We rush to pick up the kids or pack in the business of the day, endure the supermarket crush and get home to unload the dishwasher before a quick cuppa and a glance at the junk mail before we begin the evening meal preparations. And then we have to do it all over again, and again and again.
Is it any wonder that the population as a whole is exhausted, that many of us need that extra energy to deal with the day to day stresses of every day life, let alone those occasional major stressors that can affect us all? Is it any wonder that having spent the day like this, we feel exhausted and cannot sleep?
I have asked Jules to explain what herbal medicine is, so that you might benefit from her involvement here at Balance. This is what she told me.
HERBS CAN HELP US ADAPT
Herbs are plants with medicinal qualities (for example Meadowsweet, St John’s Wort and Dandelion). It is fortunate that correctly prescribed herbs can help the body to cope with stresses by assisting our own coping mechanisms, by gently nourishing the adrenal glands, supporting their function, gently calming the nervous system throughout the day, and giving us the chance of a restful sleep.
Our overall constitution, the health of our hormonal systems, our neurotransmitters, our hearts, may all reflect in our emotional health. Our emotional health is a direct reflection of internal conditions, which are in turn affected by our external environment and our responses and interactions with it. This is something we talk about in our 3Es monthly meet ups and I know the message is gradually getting known more widely.
Did you know that Jules offers individual courses at Balance to help maintain mental wellbeing?
AN HERBALIST TREATS THE CAUSE, NOT JUST THE SYMPTOM
Medical herbalists make use of plants whose traditional uses are backed up by modern scientific research and clinical trials. Jules holds a BSc first class honours degree in Herbal Medicine, and as such has studied orthodox medicine as well as plant medicine and was trained in the same diagnostic skills as a GP. However, as an herbalist, she takes a holistic approach to illness, focusing on the underlying cause of disease rather than just the symptoms.
SOLUTIONS FOR THE INDIVIDUAL
Individuals are just that, individual. The solutions are as individual as the person. An herbalist will have the time in a consultation to listen to you, to hear about you and your circumstances, to listen to the journey you have been on in getting to this place and the outcomes you desire. The herbs selected for you in prescription will be specific for you at this time and in this situation. In creating your prescription, so much will have been considered – your constitution, your feelings, your physicality, your digestion and elimination, nutrition and lifestyle, what other treatments you are having, the state of your body systems, organs, hormones, metabolism, immune system and the myriad of other considerations that make up an holistic consideration of symptoms and remedial approach to wellbeing.
HERBS ARE FOR EVERYONE and can help both acute and chronic conditions
Herbs are used both as medicines and food to nourish, restore and replenish our vital reserves, to support adrenal and other hormonal function, to sharpen appetite and digestion, and importantly to enhance the body’s capacity to absorb nutrients from its food and in doing so boost energy levels and the stress adaptive responses.
You may have already noticed, but Jules’ passion is food and nutrition, which is why she offers her individual gut health courses for us here.
She tells me that some herbs are used as healthy foods and work well to maintain health, while others have no food use but act as powerful medicines. A medical herbalist will know when your body is in need of nutritive support and when a more powerful medicine is needed.
If you are interested in speaking to Jules about how she might help you, she offers a free 15 minute chat on the phone or by email. Be in touch with her here.