Читать книгу The Complete Herbal Tutor - Anne Mcintyre - Страница 28

The First Visit

It is worth recommending to patients that they prepare for a first visit to a herbalist by compiling lists of present symptoms, past medical and drug history, illnesses and operations as far back as infancy. Their immediate family may provide extra information that has been forgotten about, for example breast feeding and illness, as well as temperament in early childhood.

Medical reports from other consultants, as well as blood profiles, urine analyses, allergy tests, x-ray or scan reports, can provide important information. A diary of food eaten over the previous weeks will also be helpful to the practitioner when analysing the diet. A herbalist will always enquire into mento-emotional realms, and some patients may find it helpful to prepare for this since they may find it hard to talk about painful experiences, or may not be accustomed to talking about themselves.

Individual Evaluation

The consultation begins the minute patient meets practitioner. Consciously or unconsciously, the practitioner will be assessing the patient. The build of the body, the hue and tone of the skin, the brightness of the eyes and hair, the colour of the lips, the expression on the face, the tone of voice, general appearance and dress sense all begin to tell the story. Then there is body language; the expression in the face, the level of tension in the muscles, gait and posture all convey important messages.

During the consultation the patient is given time and opportunity to describe their concerns in detail. Each person is evaluated as an individual by the herbalist, who records and analyses current presenting symptoms in relation to the complete medical history in order to understand the underlying causes and contributing factors that have made the patient seek help.

A case history includes:

• main presenting symptoms

• other symptoms that occur from time to time

• detailed past medical history

• lifestyle including daily habits, diet, sleep, exercise and relaxation

• temperament, stress levels and mento-emotional concerns

• bodily systems review

• appetite, digestion and elimination

• thirst and sweat

• body temperature, intolerance of heat or cold

• sleep

• energy

• other medicines being taken

• cautions, for example pregnancy, lactation

Through questioning, the practitioner will systematically go through the bodily systems and the status of their functions will all contribute to their analysis of the total health picture of the patient. This will be followed by necessary and relevant physical examinations, which may include tongue, urine and pulse diagnosis, taking the blood pressure, listening to the heart or chest, palpating the abdomen, examining the nails, and so on.

The consultation begins the minute patient meets practitioner.

CASE HISTORY

I remember thinking to myself when the herbalist asked me why I had come to see her, where would I start, what would I say?…“My heart is broken, some days I barely have enough energy to pick up a glass of water and if I manage to drink it, it seems to come out of my eyes…my diet is extremely healthy but completely erratic, I seem to punish myself with gruelling exercise regimes and work like it is going out of fashion and I don't sleep enough. HELP!” How on earth could this poor herbalist possibly know how or with what to treat me?

I consulted a herbalist who combined Western herbal medicine with Ayurvedic techniques. From the minute we met, I could see her watching and listening, not in an intrusive way, just to get the whole picture from where I was in the present to where I had come from. I was made to feel extremely at ease as my story and tears flowed and looking back on it, the way I was gently encouraged to talk and unravel my muddles was quite impressive, as not once did I feel I was being interrogated.

I remember being asked about a number of things; my sleeping pattern, diet, menstrual cycle and childhood illnesses, which to me may have seemed of little importance but as the herbalist explained several possible links to my conditions, things started to make sense. The herbalist wanted to check my tongue and I was intrigued to know that tooth marks around the edge may be due to “over-doing and exhaustion causing poor absorption of nutrients,” while a thin coating may be linked to poor digestion. She asked “did I feel the need to push myself to perfection, have any history of tonsillitis, bronchitis or cystitis, ever suffer with hypoglycaemia, insomnia or over competitiveness?” It was at this stage that I thought my boyfriend had pre-warned her about me as I quietly nodded my head, answering her questions. I learnt about the three primary forces or humours derived from the five elements known as doshas, in Ayurveda. They are responsible for all functions in the body, physical and psychological. My predominant dosha is pitta. Some aspects of pitta aggravation described me in a nutshell: I am a perfectionist, I miss meals, suppress my emotions, look after everybody first and put myself last, work far too much, and am hopeless in inflammatory situations such as anger, frustration or irritation…no wonder I was out of balance, all of these things are no good for a pitta type!

The herbalist took a detailed record of my diet and daily routines and within minutes I began to understand why I was lacking in energy, felt tearful and sensitive and why my digestion needed attention.

The herbalist took notes on the condition of my skin, hair, eyes and nails. I was already feeling better and I had not even been prescribed any herbs. I felt that the hour's consultation was relaxed yet I had gained a deep and comprehensive understanding of myself as an individual.

One thing which I found an enormous help was that the logistics of taking the herbs prescribed to me were realistic to me and my life situation. I did not have to boil up this or that whilst on the run, or take a third of this at any other specific time. I left the consultation feeling extremely positive, full of great ideas on how to help myself and was looking forward to trying out lots of new recipes. I enjoyed the “holistic”, approach as I could really see the importance of the, “whole story”. We certainly are linked in mind and body and not seeing this had played a huge part of where I had been going wrong.

I regularly see my herbalist for top ups and checks. She always takes the time to listen and this, for me, is vital and I have never looked back.