Herbal medicine is no joke. Herbal medicine is strong and effective when used correctly. What I find happening more often is that companies without a strong herbal knowledge create products with amazing claims that are not able to hold up to the quality I am looking for. Or patients have been put on a herbal protocol by someone who doesn’t have a lot of herbal medicine knowledge (I am talking about the pharmacokinetics, pharmacology and organoleptic knowledge of herbs) and they have “unexpected” reactions, or are not able to improve their health.
Not every ‘turmeric’ you find in the grocery store is any good. And at that point, is it even worth purchasing? How a herb is grown, harvested and processed all impacts the potency and quality, and whether or not there is pesticide and mold presence.
Part of finding an effective herbal product is finding a practitioner who knows their stuff.
I am a big believer that someone’s credentials goes beyond the letters at the end of their name.
Some questions to ask yourself -
Does your practitioner hold the same values as you when it comes to treatment?
Are they using a pre-made protocol that they understand enough to alter based on your response(s)?
What credentials are you looking for? And what matters most for you.
Can you both envision where you want to end up? What does health look like for you and for them? Does it match?
Naturally - it doesn’t mean it is appropriate to throw a multitude of supplements and herbs at a series of symptoms and hope something sticks. It means using solutions that have evidence and clinical use to not only relieve symptoms but address the cause of those symptoms.
If you are skeptical about whether herbal medicine will do anything for you, that is okay. You have the right to ask questions and make sure you feel on board with the solutions provided to you.
If you are looking a different kind of support, one where you can use herbal medicine in conjunction with other solutions to drive the results in your health you desire - let’s talk.
-Dr Hall, ND
Clinic Phone: 619-376-3858