Herbal Medicine Schools

Herbal Medicine Schools offer instruction and training in herbalism, the most ancient healthcare known to mankind. Sometimes referred to as botanical medicine, Herbal Medicine Schools educate in the use of herbs for therapy and medicinal healing. The curriculum covers preventive nutrition, options for treatment and cure, natural methods of healing, and more.

Herbs are derived from plants, and are used not only for their medicine properties, but also for aroma and spice. The medicinal value of Herbal Medicine has been documented throughout the centuries of use and study. Approximately 25% of all prescription drugs in the U.S. contain at least one active plant material ingredient.

Herbal Medicine Careers Today

Achieve Herbal Medicine Careers in the United States and Canada. With the demand for alternative and complementary medicine on the rise, individuals that are interested in pursuing herbal medicine careers will find it is essential for aspiring healers to acquire appropriate education and training from one of several natural health schools in order to land any number of herbal medicine careers.

Herbal medicine careers today offer a variety of professional fields including positions as herbalists, naturopaths, natural healing practitioners, Chinese medicine practitioners, homeopathic practitioners, Ayurvedic practitioners, and related fields in iridology.

Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Medicine = Allergy Relief

E.C., a 50-year old female, had suffered from allergies for about five weeks, when she consulted with me on her condition. E.C. had been examined and diagnosed by her primary care provider who prescribed a common allergy medication. She was experiencing ever increasing symptoms of itchy eyes, post nasal drip, and painful sinus headaches. She was concerned about taking her medication because her past medical history included intermittent menopausal symptoms, restless leg syndrome and chronic immune fatigue deficiency syndrome (CIFDS), which many may recognize as chronic fatigue syndrome. She was concerned the medications had made her feel even more dry and thirsty as well as fatigued. She could not afford to have these two conditions become aggravated while trying to treat her newly diagnosed allergies. What to do? She wanted to know if we had any solutions.

Allergy Sufferers Frustrated with Medications

This patient is not alone in her search for solutions to allergy symptoms, which have become less seasonal and more year round. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease reports more than 50 million Americans suffer from allergic diseases. Allergies have become the sixth leading cause of chronic disease in our country. People are looking everywhere for relief. When your friends notice your runny nose, sneezing fits and your attempts to scratch your own eyes out, they usually want to help by referring you to a product or service that has helped them. Drug store sales of allergy/sinus tablets increased 17.8% for the year ended by January 22nd as stated by the Chain Drug Review (May 2006). They go on to note an annual volume of $1.1 billion in drug store sales alone in the country. While this amount of money reflects a strong trend in choices for treatment, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America reported in their March survey that nearly a third (31%) of allergy patients are not satisfied with their current prescription allergy medication. The reason pointed out in the survey for these respondents being dissatisfied is that their current medication does not relieve their allergy symptoms for a long enough period of time. The survey also found that 47% of patients are taking multiple allergy prescription drugs, while 36% reported taking their prescription allergy drugs with non-prescription allergy medications. This is not only expensive, but raises some concern with health care providers about the safety of such practices. People are still looking for solutions. Let's read on to see how our patient from Andover made out with her worrisome symptoms.

Chinese Herbal Medicine Prevents And Reverses Osteoporosis

Western Bisphosphonate Drug Treatments for Osteoporosis Linked To Weakened Bones

Osteoporosis (meaning "porous bones") is a condition where bone tissue loses its density, over a period of time, resulting in weakness and an increased risk of fracture. These risks can be reduced with lifestyle changes, nutritional supplementation and exercise programs designed to strengthen bone, improve equilibrium and prevent falls. But if your osteoporosis is advanced and you are currently under the care of a western physician, more than likely you have been given a prescription for a bisphosphonate drug such as Fosamax® or Boniva® to artificially increase the density of your bones. These drugs have been the treatment of choice since the mid 1990's. However, as with all apparently good things, it pays to follow the latest research studies that actually test the effectiveness and safety of the drugs you use over the long term.

Recent studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine have exposed a significant link between the long-term use of Fosamax® and unusual transverse fractures of the thigh bone, indicating that prolonged therapy with these drugs tends to weaken bone integrity rather than strengthening it. (1)

In April of this year, Dr. Pauline Camacho, from Loyola University Medical Center told Reuters Health that the current AACE (American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists) guidelines recommend patients take a 3-year hiatus from bisphosphonate therapy after 4 or 5 years of treatment. (2)

Here in the West, there is no pharmaceutical alternative to bisphosphonate therapy other than the usual recommendations for mineral supplements such as Calcium citrate, Vit. D-3, Magnesium, Potassium, Boron, Vit K-2 and Strontium ranelate. Traditional Chinese medicine, however, has been helping people successfully deal with all aspects of aging for a few thousand years!

The Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) Approach:

Traditional Chinese medical theory approaches a disease state such as osteoporosis from a multi-faceted point of view, taking into consideration the relative balance between all aspects of your body and its environment. If we use the metaphor of a tree to describe a particular medical condition, the Chinese physician will commence his investigation by inspecting the leaves, stems and branches as well as the tree's trunk and root system. He will also assess the local earthly environment and the sources of air and water before arriving at a diagnosis of what has become out of balance. Even if a set of symptoms describes a disharmony in the trunk and branches, such as "osteoporosis", the physician will devise a treatment plan that replenishes resources for the tree's use and rebalances all the systems that are responsible for sustaining the tree's vitality.

Herbal Medicine Should Not Be The Alternative

Herbal medicine is used by approximately 80% of the world's population, even today, as primary care. Herbal medicine, also know as herbology, herbalism, botanical medicine and herbcraft, has hundreds if not thousands of years of history in the treatment of most of what humans suffer from. Drugs on the other hand often have only a few years, or sometimes even less, history of use.

What's the difference? The difference is that drugs are highly targeted single chemical substances (they are sometimes combined) that are aimed at "fixing" the problem. This approach tends to leave the patient with various side-effects that frequently lead the doctor to prescribe another drug in order to manage the new problem. I have seen this lead to 6, 8, 10 or more drugs being used simultaneously and yet the patient is getting sicker or their quality of life has been dramatically reduced. While it is true that drugs tend to act much quicker than herbs, the result is often a creation of a bigger problem than when one started.

Herbal Medicine Should Not Be The Alternative

Herbal medicine is used by approximately 80% of the world's population, even today, as primary care. Herbal medicine, also know as herbology, herbalism, botanical medicine and herbcraft, has hundreds if not thousands of years of history in the treatment of most of what humans suffer from. Drugs on the other hand often have only a few years, or sometimes even less, history of use.

What's the difference? The difference is that drugs are highly targeted single chemical substances (they are sometimes combined) that are aimed at "fixing" the problem. This approach tends to leave the patient with various side-effects that frequently lead the doctor to prescribe another drug in order to manage the new problem. I have seen this lead to 6, 8, 10 or more drugs being used simultaneously and yet the patient is getting sicker or their quality of life has been dramatically reduced. While it is true that drugs tend to act much quicker than herbs, the result is often a creation of a bigger problem than when one started.

About Herbal Medicine

Herbal medicine is the use of natural herbs such as leaves, flowers, roots, seeds, and berries for therapeutic purposes.

Ancient Egyptians and Chinese have been using herbal medicine long before history was recorded. Also, Native American and African cultures traditionally use natural herbs for their rituals and medications.

According to recent scientific studies, certain herbs are thought to actually have therapeutic effects due to their wide use among different cultures all over the world.

Once chemical analysis became available in the 19th century, scientists could now research, extract, and modify the natural ingredients inside of plants. Once this could be done, naturally, scientists began to create their own versions of these herbal ingredients.

Interest in herbal medicines began to decrease once scientists began to mass produce these herbal compounds in pharmaceuticals.