Weekly Meeting
Thu, Oct 17th 2013 at 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm
Speaker Jacqueline Calder, Consultant Medical Herbalist - Medical Herbalism
Speaker Host John Fok
Herbalism is unique among alternative therapies in requiring an orthodox medical training on a par with that of General Practitioners in the NHS. This training makes us very safe practitioners and enables us to work with all degrees of ill health, from minor ailment to serious chronic illness. However, we are also exemplary holistic practitioners. We look at health in terms of whole body vitality, sound nutrition and physical and emotional well-being
The speaker at the meeting on Thursday 17th October was Jacqueline Calder MNIMH, a Consultant Medical Herbalist of some 20 years standing. She qualified from the College of Phytotherapy in East Sussex and worked for a spell at Napiers (an old Herbal House) in Edinburgh before branching out on her own in Glasgow for 5 years. Since the mid-nineties she has been living and practicing in Pitnacree (Pitlochry) while bringing up three children. Additionally, she runs a weekly clinic in Perth and Kirkcaldy.
Jacqui gave us a brief history of Medical Herbalism, arguably the oldest branch of medicine. She informed us that there were only 5 Medical Herbalist making a full time living Scotland. She outlined the training involved and highlighted that herbalism uses the same physiological and pathological basis as mainstream medicine. She then went on to describe a typical consultation and how through an interview process of an hour delving into symptoms and family history she arrives at a diagnosis. Following this she applies her skill in concocting the herbal remedies which she was honest enough to reveal were generally disgusting in taste! Jacqui also spoke about the kind of diseases for which herbal medicine was particularly good (e.g. arthritis and endometriosis). One problem we were told is that patients often turn to Medical Herbalists as a last resort when all else fails. In this situation, she is often able to review the diagnosis and direct the patient back to their GPs or alleviate the symptom(s) even if a cure could not be effected.
There were few questions from the floor but following a vote of thanks from Len Martin and closure of the meeting, several members did ask questions in private!
