My Clinic


VISITING THE CLINIC OF HERBAL MEDICINE

I have recently moved back to the Thames Valley area. I am now able to see patients in Reading  during the week or in Eton at the Thames Valley Athletic Centre on saturdays.

Please call me on 0771 6013925 to discuss your requirements and to book an appointment.

 

Clinic address: Thames Valley Athletic Centre, Pococks Lane, Eton, SL46HN

                              and Tilehurst, Reading, RG316JR

 

What Happens in the Clinic?

Usually, after having been through the National Health system, people arrive at my door looking for an alternative solution to their health concerns.

Consulting a QUALIFIED Medical Herbalist is the safest and cheapest way to take Herbal Medicines.
I can see you raising your eyebrows and saying “yeah right!”

A Medical herbalist is always aiming to help the body reach optimum healing and once it is working properly to take people off their herbal medicines.
I would expect this to happen between 3-6 months although there is no average with people and plants as different people respond differently to different plants. There are a lot of ‘differents’ in that sentence but the variable factor in all medicinal treatments including orthodox treatments is INDIVIDUALITY.

The danger with self medication is not taking the right herb for your condition; not knowing whether it will mix with any orthodox medicines you may be taking and taking it for too long. I tell all my patients that if there is no sign of improvement within three months then herbal medicine is probably not the solution for them. So if you are buying an OTC product it may be costing a lot of money to no avail.

When people visit me in clinic, I take a full case history which includes:-
• The current symptoms
• Past medical history
• Relevant family history
• Diet
• Lifestyle

At the end of this I will perform a physical examination of wherever the problem area of the body is, e.g. joints, nervous system etc.

I will always look at eyes, nails, hands and feel the abdomen. This gives me an idea of how the digestive system is functioning and whether the body is using its nutrient intake efficiently.

I take blood pressure and pulse and often listen to the heart and lung sounds.

By now I would have built up a picture of how that person’s body is functioning and can make a diagnosis. I often tell people at the beginning of a consultation:-
“Don’t tell me what the Doctor has told you, tell me what has happened to you, and how you feel.”
All of these clues will help me to make up a months worth of Herbal Medicine in tincture form, for that particular person, with four or five different herbs in it.

There is no magic cure with Herbal Medicine and I tell everyone that it may take up to three weeks before they see any change at all happening. This seems to be the length of time it takes the immune system to get mobilised and start to adjust things in the body. Within the first week people often find they may get worse before they get better but this usually only lasts about ten days and everyone can give me a call if they have any concerns, or just need some moral support, but must not stop taking their tincture, as it is doing its job.

As I have said there is no magic cure with Herbal Medicine, some people respond quickly, some slowly and some not at all, but that is a function of us all being different. The rule of thumb is that the longer a person has a condition before they come to see me then the harder the Herbs have to work to help the body put itself right. If a person has had a condition for some time then we are not only trying to help the body correct the way it is functioning but also to correct any knock on affects that may have occurred.

Herbal Medicine is safe to take alongside orthodox medicines providing the Herbalist knows what they are.
There are times when I won’t treat with herbs but tell people to go to the doctor as I think an acute condition exists which needs orthodox treatment, e.g. earache

If people are having chemotherapy I ask them to wait until three weeks after their last treatment before taking Herbs and if people are going to have an operation I will stop the herbal Medicine for five days before until three days after they come out of hospital.

After a month the patient will come and see me again, at which time I may change the mixture or leave it as it is, depending on their progress.

Most people take their Herbal Medicine for between 3-6 months and when they are recovered, I will wean them off their mixture. (Never at Christmas or never at stressful times).

I hope this has given you an idea of what to expect when you visit a Medical Herbalist, but if you would like any more information please E mail me and I will try to answer your queries.

Costs:
The costs involved vary between Herbalists but I try to keep my costs affordable for everyone so that Herbal Medicine is available for everyone to use. It is, after all, the medicine we evolved alongside of and our only form of medicine until the development of orthodox medicines in the 1930’s and 40’s.

Linda Bostock
Medical Herbalist

CLINIC COSTS:-
CONSULTATION……..£15 (average time taken is 1 hour)
TINCTURE COST ADULT…….. £70 PER 5 WEEKS of medicine FOR AN ADULT
TINCTURE COST CHILDREN……..£28 to £42 PER MONTH FOR A CHILD depending upon the age of the child

To make an appointment in either the Reading or Eton clinic, please  call Linda on

07716013925