It’s back to school time!
Despite the fact that that does not at all apply to me, or perhaps even to you, there’s something about the weeks after Labor Day that feel like a turning point in the year. As much as I enjoy the carefree summer and weekends at the beach and pool, I’m already dreaming of cozy sweaters and using spices like ginger and cinnamon more often.
This was the opening line of a September newsletter I did two years ago and talks about the benefits of warm herbs and spices and particularly the role that sweating has in minimizing the colds and flu we get in the Fall and Winter. I’m providing a link to that HERE and recommend that you revisit these thoughts as we are in a transition season.
I want to delve further into the area of herbs here because I am realizing that I’ve not spent enough time explaining it and it can be overwhelming to grasp with all the noise in the various mediums regarding herbal medicine.
What is Asian herbal medicine?
Firstly, it is formula based: meaning several herbs are combined together in specific proportions which ensure that the intended action occurs but is balanced, allowing the body to adjust to the changes being made. The supporting herbs are also included to balance out any strong action that one particular herb might have. For example if one single herb may cause an adverse reaction taken on its own, its placement in a formula is such that the other herbs cancel that reaction out. Most pharmaceuticals come from plants that are in these formulas, but they are studied at the molecular level and that active substance is used medicinally. Which is why there are sometimes side effects. Of course at certain levels of disease, that strong intervention is useful and quick but for most common issues, herbal medicine is an intervention that is both gentle and powerful.
It's the environment that matters (thats me (& the hubs) in the Sahara!)
Another very important way that herbal medicine differs from pharmaceutical medicine is context. We are not looking to chase or kill a pathogen, we are looking to change an environment. The formulas are treating patterns that we identify in your body, not anyone elses. Think of your body like a habitat – it can be moist and humid like a swampland, or dry like a desert, and it can also be cold or hot. Think of our medicine like this: if you are a swamp, it would not matter how much herbicide we gave to a particular weed that we didn’t want, it would eventually come back because the environment of the swamp is so lovely to that weed. Instead, we will give you a balanced formula to dry out your swamp – to the right proportion of moistness so that only the good healthy plants grow and the problem does not recur.
What does this mean for me?
So many conditions that we all live with can be resolved with herbal medicine, even the serious ones that we wouldn’t imagine, but for right now, bring us your insomnia, your bloating, your brain fog & yearning to breathe free and we will help set you up for relief. While acupuncture reminds your body how it should be functioning, herbs give your body the resources it needs to create change.
We offer Herbal Consults if you don't want or need acupunture. These can either be in person or virtual. Normally $100. Consults generally take 20-30 minutes, we get you on an herbal formula and follow ups will be over email until a change of formula is necessary. Give Shaneka a call to book your consult asap!
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