Herbal medicine is a truly health-promoting option. Single herbs and formulas contain the potential to strengthen the tissues of the organs, muscles and vessels, and reduce symptoms of many systemic illnesses.

Asian herbal medicine is perhaps the most documented source of herbal remedies with specific uses for each ingredient. Many herbal manuals today include pharmacological information about herbs to help the practitioner choose wisely, matching herbs intelligently and carefully to each person’s profile.

Herbal medicines are used to manage conditions such as allergies, memory problems, osteoporosis, endometriosis, and many immune-related and chronic health issues. For more info about how herbal medicines can reduce frequency and chronicity of symptoms visit Telehealth Herbal Consultations.

Consults can be booked online and an intake form is required. If you have labs or other diagnostics these can be shared prior to or at the time of the appointment. Video conferencing is scheduled synchronistically with booking. Speaking on the phone or in person is also an option.

Note: If you are an existing acupuncture client the fee may be reduced or included with your treatment since an intake has already been completed. If the issue is chronic and warrants a more lengthy analysis a fee may be added.

Herbal Use Catered To You

Herbal medicines are unique. One can think of an herb as a substance categorized somewhere between food and medicine. Properties of herbs were often illustrated empirically, as through trial and error, before the documentation of the botanical world was even begun. That is the reason that herbal knowledge is often misinterpreted as mere folklore, yet herbal remedies were once considered a first line of treatment.

After having been eclipsed by modern pharmaceuticals, herbal warriors are making a comeback, largely due to their success from both a historical perspective and by the many patient testimonials.

Herbal Medicine Encompasses a Broad Base of Knowledge

The Traditional Chinese medicine model offers something very special and unique in terms of its wisdom and specificity to each individual. It takes analysis of both current symptoms and underlying health states into consideration. Purchasing herbal ingredients based on reviews and fancy marketing may not be wise since there are no real parameters provided.

Example of TCM Herbal Usage

An experienced TCM herbalist can match herbal ingredients to the individual based on reports of symptoms, investigation and questioning. For example, the symptoms of headache can vary quite a bit. A frontal headache often indicates a condition known as “Stomach Heat,” and is treated with herbs that enter the Stomach channel because these are cooling and therefore confer the greatest relief. Whereas a headache on the back of the head, or occipital area, requires a completely different herb to address the Bladder channel, which runs from along the back of the body. Correspondences such as these are important to make an accurate diagnosis.

“That Tastes Funny” – Anecdotal Herbal Experience

Some herbs differ greatly in taste, and temperature as well. For example, ginseng corresponds to the Kidney and Liver channels, and is categorized as warm and sweet. Warm connotes the ability to move blood and lymph, thereby oxygenating tissues. The sweet taste infers a strengthening, or additive effect whereby the herb actually strengthens the vasomotor tone of tissues and blood vessels, making them more resistant to oxidative stress. This makes ginseng a good choice in a formula where the aim is the slowing or retarding progression of a disease, or combatting fatigue.

On the allopathic side, clinical studies confirm that ginseng is an adaptogenic herb, meaning it can be used in some cases to regulate homeostatic functions of the body such as blood pressure, temperature regulation, and endocrine signaling. While ginseng is a wonderful herb, it is not for everyone. Because of its warming nature, it is contraindicated for excess heat or inflammation in the body, such as high blood pressure.

Wisdom and Ethics in Herbal Consults

Often nutritional and dietary advise are just as important as herbal recommendations. Using Asian dietetic principles and functional medicine models of nutrition, Michelle does usually include some guidance about how to modify the diet to sustain good results.

Any recommendation or suggestion of herb, supplement, or diet is made with only the client’s optimal health in mind. Vendors and other suppliers are provided whenever possible in order to make it easy to stay with a program. Chinese herbs must be dispensed by a TCM licensed practitioner, so these are typically only available through this office or from another licensed herbalist, although there are some herbs available through third party vendors.

Practitioner Training and Expertise

Michelle Thelen, L.Ac. MSTOM has over 15 years of experience studying and prescribing herbal supplements to patients for a wide range of conditions. Her training includes over 400 hours of clinical herbal prescribing at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, where she received a Master’s degree in Traditional Oriental Medicine. Other training includes functional medicine for endocrinological and blood chemistry, which enables her to read lab values and offer natural health strategies for addressing imbalances in blood chemistry.

If you would like to speak with her about the value of herbal medicines for your specific health issues, please fill in the contact form to receive a timely response.