WESTERN CLINICAL HERBALISM PROGRAM
Skill Set
You will obtain an understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of the most common underlying factors in chronic disease, learn to assess them, and learn rational therapeutics, including patient education and motivational skills. You will also learn materia medica, formulation, and therapeutics for common viral, bacterial, and fungal infections.
Background
In these courses, We begin with with our infectious disease sequence, and then we dive into the medical sciences of pathophysiology and nutrition to understand the "Four Horsemen of Chronic Disease" -- the roots of the foundations of most modern disease: toxicity, inflammation, chronic fatigue, and insulin resistance. When the root causes of these conditions are understood, then rational interventions in the diet and lifestyle become obvious. In each course you will learn the physiology, pathology, and nutritional aspects of the condition; practical clinical skills for assessment and patient education and motivation; and herbal allies that can assist efforts to bring the system back into balance. The contemporary practitioner working with chronic disease needs to have flexible and adaptable skills to determine which combination of these may be present in a patient, and the order in which to address them.
Infectious Disease I: Viral Infections See full description
We review the antiviral materia medica for the effects of plant medicines on viral infections and/or host resistance to those infections. We then cover materia medica, formulation, and therapeutic strategies for herpes and shingles, arbovirus (mosquito borne), and for respiratory infections including influenza and COVID-19.
Infectious Disease II:
Bacteria, Microbiome, Biofilms, and Chronic Infection
We describe the basic science of the "New Bacteriology," studies of the microbiome, the biofilm form of bacteria and fungi, and microbial defenses. We then describe the four types of synergistic actions that herbal medicines can exhibit against chronic infection. We review the materia medica for both bacterial and fungal infections and biofilms. We present therapeutics for infections of the skin, the outer and middle ear, the mouth and gums, the sinus, the stomach and upper GI, and the vagina.
Herbal Detoxification, Alteratives, and the Liver
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In this course you will learn the basic concepts of detoxification in both traditional and contemporary medicine, and the use of traditional alteratives or blood purifiers. Included are the pathophysiology, signs, and symptoms of low grade or serious liver disease. You will learn the uses of 40 herbs for blood purification, detoxification, or liver conditions, with methods for formulation, and case based discussion.
Systemic Inflammation, Food Intolerance, and Autoimmunity: Pathophysiology and Natural Therapeutics
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This course describes in great detail current scientific concepts of digestion, immunity, and autoimmunity to explain the “dotted line” between an immunological response in the gut, and systemic manifestations of disease. You will learn assessment methods, with an emphasis on interview and examination skills rather than on questionable laboratory antibody testing. A complete review of lifestyle factors, nutrition, herbal materia medica and formulation strategies for inflammation and the Leaky Gut Syndrome are included. This course prepares you with the complete skill set to assess and coach a patient through removal of an offending food. This course material was developed over a period of more than twenty years, and delivered in various formats to hundreds of intermediate students of herbalism, nutrition, and naturopathic medicine as part of pre-clinical training. These methods were honed in several multi-faculty teaching clinics continuously between 1995 and 2013. Foods in the diet which evoke an immunological inflammatory response are nearly universal in modern chronic disease, and removal can in many cases cause symptoms of even some serious diseases to fall away. Cases presented in this audio course include congestive heart failure, panic disorder, systemic lupus, multiple sclerosis, severe eczema, systemic lymphadenopathy, and a dozen more, which were cured or greatly improved with removal and strict avoidance of an offending food.
Fatigue: Pathopysiology, Natural Therapeutics, and Adaptogens See full description
In this course you will learn the tools and skill set to assess and address the patient who complains of Fatigue. You will learn the pathophysiology, differential diagnosis, and root causes of fatigue; methods for using herbal medicine and formulation to address sleep and sleep debt. The categories of adaptogens and Chinese tonic herbs are covered in depth. Included is a critical view of the concept of the adaptogen, with illustrations of how the misuse of this herbal category can promote burnout rather than relieve it. Included are sections on Chinese tonic herbs for the Western herbalist, and Chinese herbs for athletic training and performance.
Insulin Resistance: Pathophysiology and Natural Therapeutics See full description
Insulin resistance is the root pathology not only of Type II diabetes, but also contributes to heart disease, stroke, obesity, hypertension, several common cancers, and other conditions ranging from polycystic ovarian disease to acne to brittle bones and depression. It is a pathology fundamental to the “diseases of civilization.” Although cell level pathology is complex, the roots of this condition are based in malnutrition in the basic nutrients that regulate insulin, untrained muscle mass, and imbalances in the carbohydrate content of the diet. Correcting these three roots of insulin resistance, along with herbal allies to help restore imbalance, can cause some chronic diseases to resolve in a matter of weeks to months. In this course you will learn the pathophysiology of insulin resistance, and the influence of diet, exercise, nutrition and herbs on the condition. You will gain understanding and competence in the clinical application of protocols based on the material learned.
Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism II
Obesity, Metabolism, and Ethics in Weight Loss See full description
In this course we review the science on weight loss, including 3 meta-analyses which each reached the same conclusion: that it is medically unethical to advise a patient to restrict calories in order to lose weight. though counter intuitive, this fact is consistent with the metabolic model of obesity, and the fact that many dieters eventually gain more weight than they initially lose. We show root causes of the obesity epidemic, clarify issues concerning BMI as a marker of health, and direction for therapeutics aimed at the metabolic basis of many cases of obesity.