HERBALIST IN MORAY: CONSULTATIONS AND OTHER SERVICES
Consultations in Herbal Medicine and Nutrition
An initial consult, either with an individual or a family, lasts about two hours, consists of an in-depth intake, and results in individualized herbal, nutritional and lifestyle recommendations. The first follow-up generally occurs two weeks later, and we go from there. Recommendations are formed in close collaboration with the client. My job is to provide your with information and support in initiating and establishing long-term, health-positive changes.
The consultation is the heart of a herbalist’s practice. Consultations are for individuals and families interested in herbal medicine, nutrition and lifestyle recommendations. An initial consultation generally consists of a in-depth two-hour intake. This provides the herbalist with a comprehensive understanding of a clients physical and emotional health. The herbalist becomes a source of information and education for the client and together they create a plan, incorporating herbal, nutritional and lifestyle factors to meet their needs. The scope and depth of the intake process provides the herbalist with both the details as well as the big picture of the client and their concerns that is unattainable by a GP; in addition to physiological and emotional patterns one looks into, the clients activity levels, diet, stress, social support, family status and health, spiritual support and other aspects of a fully Multi-dimensional human being. The herbalist therefore is in a privileged position to see the overview of the clients health concerns and to address it effectively and to direct them to other appropriate treatment modalities if necessary. (go to What to Expect from a Consultation for more information).
Where and How Much?
I’m developing my Herbal practice in Moray, Scotland and am centered in Elgin as well as surrounding communities (between Aberdeen and Inverness). Home visits and consultations by Skype are also possible for those with transportation issues. Ideally herbal medicine is as available as a modality for health and healing as conventional medicine, however it is not covered by the NHS. My vision is that Herbal Medicine be accessible to all, regardless of their financial situation. Integral Herbalism is a social enterprise who’s mission is to provide services to under-served individuals and communities at low-cost. No one is turned away for lack of funds.Those who can afford my standard rates are supporting those who can’t and anything in excess goes into a fund for individuals or families in need. All donations are gratefully accepted (see Integral Herbalism Community Health Fund).
Initial Consult (about 2 hours): recommended rate, £50 or $80.
Follow-up (about 1 hour): recommended rate, £30 or $50.
Most consults will result in individualized herbal recommendations. I can generally supply you with these herbal products or supplements or point towards cost-effective and high-quality sources for herbal-products and supplements. Depending on the condition the client comes in with, their goals, and the extensive of the protocol (which in part is determined by hot intensely the client wants to address their issues and their financial situation) herbs and supplements may range from a few pence to several pounds per day. 50p to £1 pound per day are an average guideline. I believe herbal medicines should be affordable to all – my mark up is 100% of cost (compared to average mark up in retail for herbal products of 300-400%) and this included my time spent formulating and making and products. Medicines can be picked up free of charge or shipped at cost. Integral Herbalism has a Community Health Fund to subsidize those with financial difficulties (see Integral Herbalism Community Health Fund).
For more details on herbal medicine and what to expect from a consultation see How can Herbal Medicine Serve You and Your Family?
Classes, Seminars, Workshops and Plant Walks
The role of a herbalist is also that of a teacher — a teach classes and seminars on topics pertaining to herbal medicine, nutrition, health, integrative medicine, and their application to both general health and specific conditions.
Ultimately herbal medicine is about education and communication. The goal of the herbalist is to teach and empower the individual for better self-care, improving their general health, giving them tools to manage specific health conditions, and helping them make meaningful and long-lasting improvements in nutrition and lifestyle and other preventive measures to maintain optimal health.This can be achieved in private consultations but in order to have a greater community impact a herbalist also teaches groups. Classes, seminars, workshops on herbal medicine, nutrition, healthy cooking and making herbal products (both internal or topical), integrative medicine and medicinal plant walks can be taught at schools and colleges, libraries, camps, nature groups, health centers, yoga centers, hospitals, and community centers.
If you organize community events or work for an educational or health-care institution or non-profit and would like me to teach a class or run a workshop on herbal medicine, nutrition, making herbal products (both internal or topical), or guide a medicinal plant walk, contact me and we’ll figure out exactly want you want and determine a price and venue.
Herbal Research Consultant
Herbal research consultant and herbal product development. Researching usage of a specific plant medicine or looking into integrative treatment approaches for a specific health condition? A qualified herbalist with a strong foundation in science and research experience will significantly improve the applicability and quality of your research or the effectiveness and safety of your product.
The challenge of sorting out the data: A wealth of information is available on herbal medicine and supplements, the challenge is determining the quality of the information, sorting out what is relevant and what is not, and synthesizing the information into a coherent and useful format. For research in herbal medicine to be relevant to a researcher, practitioner, doctor, product developer or individual many different sources of knowledge must be considered, weighed and synthesized. Research should take into account traditional knowledge and usage, integrative and “alternative” approaches (for example acupuncture, osteopathy, naturopathy, etc), phytochemistry and pharmacology, in-vitro and in-vivo research, clinical trials, epidemiological data, and usage by qualified herbalists.
Customers might include: doctors in need of up-to-date information on herbal medicine, integrative approaches, or herb-drug interactions; academics designing a clinical trial; manufacturers developing an herbal product; or individuals with a specific health condition — to help inform their medical decisions or treatment plans. Whatever your needs you will benefit from consulting a qualified herbalist with research experience.
Research and Writing
Do you really want to sift through dozens of web-pages, journal articles and books to write an article or gather information on herbal and integrative approaches to a health issue? hire me and I’ll do it for you.
I can also perform research and write articles on topics relating to herbal medicine, nutrition and health for personal usage or for publication in magazines and newspapers either academic or popular.
If you are interested in researching the usage of herbal medicine and integrative therapies for a specific condition in order to inform your medical decisions or treatment plan I can perform the research and synthesis and provide you with a coherent report.
Natural medicine is an increasingly pertinent and popular subject. If you need an article for a future publication that is useful to the public you will get a much stronger article if written by a qualified and experienced herbalist with a strong science background.
Employee Wellness Program
Give your employees the gift of wellness and improve your bottom line as well! Employee wellness programs can help improve the health and productivity of your staff, while decreasing health care costs, improve employee job satisfaction, decrease number of sick days, and consistently shows a significant return on investment.
An integrative approach to Employee Wellness, including workshops in nutrition, stress-management using herbs, supplements and lifestyle recommendations (meditation, exercise and other proven stress- management methods). My approach focuses on preventative measures that will enhance well-being while decreasing risk-factors for the illnesses that are so prevalent in our modern-civilization, particularly in the work-place. Addressing conditions which impact employee well-being, job-satisfaction and thereby productivity and creativity, including chronic conditions, repetitive motion injuries, fatigue and low-energy, stress, anxiety and depression, insomnia, diabetes and obesity, general health and environmental health. You can support your employees by providing them with an opportunity for free or subsidized individual consultations to address personal health issues, as well as working with family wellness: teaching the person in the family who cooks to create health-positive meals, or working with a family member whose health issues may be a source of suffering and stress for employees.
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