Chinese Herbal Medicine - wisdom from the East
How an inspirational book sparked a complete change of life
By Clare Mulligan
In 2006 I emigrated to Australia looking for a sea change from an unfulfilling city career. That change came in the form of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) after happening upon a book The Web That Has No Weaver by Ted J Kaptchuk. This classic, comprehensive and often poetic guide to the theory and practice of TCM integrates the seemingly opposing paradigms of an ancient medical system and modern biomedicine. Through this, I found many new and fascinating insights into the connections between illness and health and the relationship of mental, spiritual, and physical wellbeing.
Feeling inspired, I embarked on a journey to become a Doctor of Chinese Medicine, studying many of the limbs of TCM including Acupuncture, Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM), Tui-Na (remedial massage) and Qi-Gong (exercise therapy), however, my passion was always the herbs.
CHM is one of the great herbal systems of the world, with an unbroken tradition going back to the third century BC. It offers a systematic approach and high clinical effectiveness in the treatment of many diseases. Based on the concepts of Yin and Yang, it aims to understand and treat the many ways in which the balance and harmony between these two interdependent opposites may be undermined and the ways in which a person's 'Qi' (energy) or vitality may be depleted or blocked.
On returning to the UK I lived at a small herb farm in South West Devon and learned how many of our own native plants could be used effectively while employing the concepts of the TCM paradigm and I now often combine both Chinese herbs and native medicinal plants in the same prescription, utilising both traditional Chinese methods of administration with those generally employed in western herbalism, depending on which best suits the condition presented. The strength of CHM is that it uses formulas rather than single herbs, whereby often 10 to 20 different herbs are used together for a synergistic approach. This synergy means that, for example, instead of two herbs being twice as strong as one. they can be five times as strong!
Through experience I have learned that CHM can be beneficial in many conditions including skin diseases, gastro-intestinal disorders, gynaecological conditions, infertility, sleep disorders, respiratory conditions and psychological disorders including depression, stress and anxiety to name but a few. Many of these conditions, especially in their chronic forms, create great difficulty for conventional medicine, while I have found that CHM has a great deal to offer in these cases. I have also seen how effective the herbal treatments can be in counteracting the negative side effects of conventional medications and how well the herbs can work alongside other therapies such as acupuncture or massage, where each healing modality can focus on different aspects of the imbalance.
Four years ago, I happened upon Source Point Community Health CIC, a community clinic in Moretonhampstead. It is set up as a ward style system as is common in Asia, using a multibed approach allowing up to seven people to be treated simultaneously by two clinicians, thus reducing the cost of treatment to an affordable level.
Inspired by the ethical and community focus of this Source Point, I joined their highly skilled clinical team, which currently provides Acupuncture, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Chinese Remedial Massage services to the local community on a 'pay what you can afford' basis. In the very near future we will also be adding Qi Gong exercise classes and Dietary and Lifestyle courses to our services together with a free acupuncture clinic for those on low income funded by the National Lottery (starting in September 2018).
If you are interested to learn more about how CHM or TCM in general could help you, go to www.sourcepoint.org.uk email info@sourcepoint.org.uk or call 07792 830016.