Western Herbal Medicine

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Western herbal medicine (WHM) is a clinical practice of healing using plants or naturally occurring plant materials, such as root, bark, and flower, etc. Medicines or extracts from crude plant materials, prepared with little or no industrial processing, are used in multiple formulations not only to treat persons with disease and dysfunction but also to promote health and well-being. WHM is a title used to differentiate the herbalism based on Anglo-American traditional from other system of herbal medicine, such as Ayurveda or Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Modern WHM, also called Phytotherapy, combines both the traditional knowledge of herb usage and scientific evidence from pharmacological studies is a popular form of complementary and alternative medicine widely practiced in Australia, USA, UK, Germany, New Zealand, and many Western nations.

Nutritional Medicine

Vitamin E (Picture credit: John Liu/Flickr.com)The proper functioning of the body’s biochemical processes depends on nutrients, i.e. components derived from food that sustain lives.  Nutritional Medicine is based on the principle that nutrients, including essential micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, amino acids), as well as non-essential nutrients, such as dietary fibres and phytochemicals (e.g. Isoflavones, β-glucan, lycopene, flavonoids, etc.) can be used to treat symptoms or diseases and promote good health. The clinical practice of nutritional Medicine focuses on uncovering the underlying nutritional and environmental factors that causes the disease, and addresses these causes with nutritional supplements, dietary modifications, and lifestyle suggestions.  A contrast to the tendency in the conventional medical approach to treat symptoms by means of drugs or surgery.

Flower Remedies

Making of Flower EssenceFlower remedies are made from infusing wild flowers with natural spring water under the sun. The resulting essences are mixed with a small amount of brandy as preservation. Flower remedies are used to address emotional and psychological imbalance, with each type of flower having the specific ability to cast out negative emotions such as fear, hatred, indecisiveness, etc. that interfere with the body’s equilibrium. This is an ancient healing technique that was used in the history of a lot of cultures, including Egyptian, Malay, African, and Australian Aboriginals. Modern day use of flower remedies was first pioneered by Dr Edward Bach (1886 – 1936), a British Physician, who discovered the 38 healers – 30 types of flowers and plants that can help to remove negative emotions. Over the last 30 years, Ian White had pioneered the use of Australian Bush Flower Essences, discovering 69 essences with extraordinary healing power. Flower remedies are widely used as a safe and effective means to restore mind and body balance.

Aromatherapy

Essentials oils (photo credit: Honolulu Media/Flickr.com) Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of essential oils from flowers, bark, stems, leaves, roots or other plant parts for enhancement of psychological and physical well-being. In human anatomy, the sense of smell, i.e. the olfactory system, is directly connected with the limbic system of the brain, which control basic emotions, memory, and motivation. Therefore, smells of different essential oils can affect the emotions and stimulate the brain functions. Essential oils can also be absorbed through the skin, where they travel through the bloodstream to the whole body for healing. There are a wide number of essential oils available, each with its own healing properties and indications. Typical applications of aromatherapy include pain relief, relaxation, mood enhancement, improving cognitive function, and achieving hormonal balance. Healing with essential oils is an ancient practice which can trace back to the Ancient Egyptian times with more than 4,000 years of history.

Iridology

Iris analysisIridology is best described by Dr Bernard Jensen (1908-2001), who spent his whole life researching and advancing the study of the iris, in the following words:

“Iridology is the science and practice of analysing the iris, the most complex tissue structure in the human anatomy. It reveals the presence of tissue inflammation in the body, where it is located and what stage of disease it has reached – acute, sub-acute, chronic, or degenerative. The iris reveals the level of constitution strength, inherent weaknesses, state of health and the transitions that take place in a person’s organs and tissues according to the way he or she lives.”

Therefore, Iridology is a holistic “diagnostic” tool for the analysis of the whole person.

Plant-based Diet

Plant-based diet (Photo credit: Honolulu Media/Flickr.com)Plant-based diet is the use of plant-based food as medicine for health improvement and healing of diseases. The concept of plant-based diet is to eat only plant-based whole foods (fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and cereals) devoid of animal products. Research has shown that the increase in the consumption of animal-based proteins has a strong correlation to the proliferation of diseases of affluences that plagues the modern worlds: cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and a wide range of illnesses. The concept of whole food, plant-based diet is advocated by Dr T. Colin Campbell, emeritus professor of nutrition from Cornell University, USA for the past five decades. Dr Campbell co-authored the book, “The China Study: Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss, and Long-term Health”. The principles of whole food, plant-based diet as documented in Dr Campbell’s book provides the basis for dietary advice in clinical practice.