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Medical Herbalism & Endobiogenic Medicine
Western Herbal Medicine derives from 5000 year-old European as well as more recent North American traditions. The training of Medical Herbalists combines orthodox medical science such as physiology, anatomy, pathology, clinic diagnostic techniques and treatment principles with the scientific and empirical study and use of plant-based medicines for treatment and management of conditions.
Professional standards require the application of current scientific research as well as clinical and empirical evidence to support the efficacy of herbal treatments.
The strength of Herbal Medicine is to help the body heal itself and find a better way of functioning by stimulating, strengthening, regulating or balancing the body’s normal functions.
Unlike orthodox medicines which usually contain only one active ingredient and generally “attacks” the illness or treats the symptoms, plant medicines contain many active principles and therefore have many simultaneous and synergistic therapeutic actions in the body.
As a Medical Herbalist I approach each patient as a unique individual in making a diagnosis and assessing needs. Any herbal medicine I prescribe may be a combination of plants chosen for the therapeutic actions required to treat the individual.
I prefer to use whole herbs or whole herbal extracts rather than isolated compounds and choose my products from best quality sources. Most herbal suppliers in the UK have their own Quality Control Laboratories which are MHRA approved. We owe it to ourselves and to our patients to request a current certificate of good manufacturing practice from our suppliers. For example the Rutland Biodynamics certificate is published here
Herbal medicine, when prescribed by a trained professional, can provide a safe, alternative to some of the pharmaceutical medicines in use today. Medical herbalists often use herbs to reduce some of the side effects from pharmaceutical treatment, reducing the need for polypharmacy and the toxic load on the body. Herbal medicine is also a much cheaper alternative than many pharmaceutical drugs.
A Community herbal monograph comprises the scientific opinion of the Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products(HMPC) on safety and efficacy data concerning a herbal substance and its preparations intended for medicinal use. The HMPC evaluates scientifically all available information including non-clinical and clinical data but also documented long-standing use and experience in the Community.
The journal 'Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine' (eCAM) is an international, peer-reviewed journal that seeks to understand the sources and to encourage rigorous research in this new, yet ancient world of complementary and alternative medicine.
Western Herbal Medicine derives from 5000 year-old European as well as more recent North American traditions. The training of Medical Herbalists combines orthodox medical science such as physiology, anatomy, pathology, clinic diagnostic techniques and treatment principles with the scientific and empirical study and use of plant-based medicines for treatment and management of conditions.
Professional standards require the application of current scientific research as well as clinical and empirical evidence to support the efficacy of herbal treatments.
The strength of Herbal Medicine is to help the body heal itself and find a better way of functioning by stimulating, strengthening, regulating or balancing the body’s normal functions.
Unlike orthodox medicines which usually contain only one active ingredient and generally “attacks” the illness or treats the symptoms, plant medicines contain many active principles and therefore have many simultaneous and synergistic therapeutic actions in the body.
As a Medical Herbalist I approach each patient as a unique individual in making a diagnosis and assessing needs. Any herbal medicine I prescribe may be a combination of plants chosen for the therapeutic actions required to treat the individual.
I prefer to use whole herbs or whole herbal extracts rather than isolated compounds and choose my products from best quality sources. Most herbal suppliers in the UK have their own Quality Control Laboratories which are MHRA approved. We owe it to ourselves and to our patients to request a current certificate of good manufacturing practice from our suppliers. For example the Rutland Biodynamics certificate is published here
Herbal medicine, when prescribed by a trained professional, can provide a safe, alternative to some of the pharmaceutical medicines in use today. Medical herbalists often use herbs to reduce some of the side effects from pharmaceutical treatment, reducing the need for polypharmacy and the toxic load on the body. Herbal medicine is also a much cheaper alternative than many pharmaceutical drugs.
A Community herbal monograph comprises the scientific opinion of the Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products(HMPC) on safety and efficacy data concerning a herbal substance and its preparations intended for medicinal use. The HMPC evaluates scientifically all available information including non-clinical and clinical data but also documented long-standing use and experience in the Community.
The journal 'Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine' (eCAM) is an international, peer-reviewed journal that seeks to understand the sources and to encourage rigorous research in this new, yet ancient world of complementary and alternative medicine.
Endobiogenic Medicine
Endobiogenic Medicine is an integrative approach to medicine that centres on the role of the nervous and endocrine systems as the primary “managers” of complex body functions and bases treatment primarily on the use of herbal medicines.
It is a theory of “terrain” that assesses how the internal (endo-) life (bio-) of the body is generated and sustained (-geny). It is a systemic approach to understanding how the body works, why an individual becomes ill, and how the body can be returned to a state of optimised health. The endobiogenic concept was conceived and developed by French doctors Christian Duraffourd, MD, and Jean-Claude Lapraz, MD.
Endobiogeny is based on modern physiology but where it differs from the standard biomedical approach is in its understanding of the body as an interrelated system, which is “managed” primarily by the endocrine and nervous systems. As a systemic approach looking at the
interrelated and interdependent nature of physiology, it requires an integrated approach to
history, assessment and treatment.
You find more information about Endobiogenic Medicine here.
The most unique aspect of the endobiogenic system is the lab system called the biology of functions—a window into the inner workings of your body. Traditional medical tests have limited how effectively doctors could evaluate functional illnesses. This is because they were based on a disease-based model of illness.
The endobiogenic blood analysis:
Different components of the standard blood work are related to other components through a variety of mathematical formulas to come up with a large number of indexes. Unlike regular blood work that only tells us what is in your bloodstream at the time the blood was drawn, the indexes give us an idea of what is going on inside your body at the tissular, cellular and metabolic levels when you are at rest and when you are active. Examples of these indexes include free radical index, adrenal index, cortisol index, prolactin index, carcinogenesis index, amyloid index, insulin resistance index, thrombotic index, etc.
This test shows over 150 results which are then linked together to build up a picture of what is causing and maintaining ill health. This helps me to tailor make the treatment in a way that is specific to your individual needs.
For more detailed explanation see here.
It is a theory of “terrain” that assesses how the internal (endo-) life (bio-) of the body is generated and sustained (-geny). It is a systemic approach to understanding how the body works, why an individual becomes ill, and how the body can be returned to a state of optimised health. The endobiogenic concept was conceived and developed by French doctors Christian Duraffourd, MD, and Jean-Claude Lapraz, MD.
Endobiogeny is based on modern physiology but where it differs from the standard biomedical approach is in its understanding of the body as an interrelated system, which is “managed” primarily by the endocrine and nervous systems. As a systemic approach looking at the
interrelated and interdependent nature of physiology, it requires an integrated approach to
history, assessment and treatment.
You find more information about Endobiogenic Medicine here.
The most unique aspect of the endobiogenic system is the lab system called the biology of functions—a window into the inner workings of your body. Traditional medical tests have limited how effectively doctors could evaluate functional illnesses. This is because they were based on a disease-based model of illness.
The endobiogenic blood analysis:
Different components of the standard blood work are related to other components through a variety of mathematical formulas to come up with a large number of indexes. Unlike regular blood work that only tells us what is in your bloodstream at the time the blood was drawn, the indexes give us an idea of what is going on inside your body at the tissular, cellular and metabolic levels when you are at rest and when you are active. Examples of these indexes include free radical index, adrenal index, cortisol index, prolactin index, carcinogenesis index, amyloid index, insulin resistance index, thrombotic index, etc.
This test shows over 150 results which are then linked together to build up a picture of what is causing and maintaining ill health. This helps me to tailor make the treatment in a way that is specific to your individual needs.
For more detailed explanation see here.