Every plant has a harmonious design. The use of Herbal Medicine supports the bodies natural ability to heal through a plant's natural balance of energetic qualities, healing properties, and nourishment. Plants have a complete and perfect balance of essential oils, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-viral qualities, minerals, and vitamins that were intenstionally made to nurture our body's own healing processes.
I think of it this way, it is the natural process of all living organisms to gather nutrients, minerals, and vitamins from the soil, sunlight, water for growth, and to protect itself from illness and disease. All living organisms have built-in defenses to keep themselves healthy.
The history behind Pharmaceuticals and the American Medical Association - The American Medical Association (AMA), founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of physicians—both M.D.s and D.O.s—and medical students in the United States. The AMA's mission is "to promote the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health. This is also referred to as Allopathic Medicine in the United States.
Holistic/Eclectic Physicians were being pushed into the new study of American Medicine and to maintain a status as a Physician they were required to now attain a doctoral degree that met the newly appropriated standards of prescribing patented drugs. Then an Allopathic Physician could join the American Medical Association with the benefits of being medically insured and capable of soliciting and prescribing lab-created medicines. Pharmaceuticals came from plant-based constituents that had been studied in the lab, isolated, and spliced into a chemical concoction to standardize the effects and ability to commercialize the sale.
Below is an excerpt from Herbalist Michael Moore on the standardization of American Medicine -
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Scanned version copyright © 2002–2017 Michael Moore. Used with permission.
This is the .html version. You'll find the .pdf version on Michael's site.
Introduction by Michael Moore:
In 1915, there were 12,000 Eclectic physicians and 14,000 Homeopathic physicians in practice. The Flexner report was published in 1910, financed by the Carnegie and Rockefeller foundations, with active assistance by the A.M.A, the self-proclaimed (and similarly supported) "National Board of Medical Examiners" was began shortly thereafter, and the Flexner-Carnegie-Rockefeller-A.M.A. intent of decreasing the number of both medical schools AND physicians (allopathics only) was begun. In 1915 there were 8 accredited Eclectic schools, 9 Homeopathic schools, 7 African-American-only schools and 3 women-only medical schools, all producing students that sat for the various state boards and that took the same tests as everyone else. By 1935, there remained only 1 Eclectic school, 2 homeopathic schools, 2 Negro-only schools and NONE for women. The number of schools had been cut in half, the new physicians were virtually all white males, and the numbers of physicians dropped and their income rose...and they all migrated (it seems) to the cities. By 1940, ALL private medical schools had vanished and ONLY Standard Practice Medicine ("Allopathic") and the Flexner-modeled curriculum survived. Chiropractic and Osteopathy survived in shaky alternate universes, constantly hounded by a well-honed and experienced Inquisition.
I don't mean to tirade here, but the United States and Canada once had a rich and diverse community of squabbling physicians that represented several sophisticated medical "sects", that trained in separate schools but sat for the SAME BOARDS. All gone, and mostly forgotten, killed in the virtually invisible trench warfare that was funded in part by the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research and, let's be honest, the A.M.A.
The Quarterly contained information on the N.E.M.A, and papers were published that were read at the national meetings...often with a spirited "Discussion".
The more interesting publications from the National Eclectic Medical Association Quarterly, Vol. 7, 1915-16, was edited by William Nelson Mundy, M.D. Volumes Vol. 7, 1915-1916, Vol. 19, 1927-1928, Vol. 26, 1934-1935, and Vol. 7, 1915-1916. ›
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How many pharmaceuticals come from a natural source and how many are plant-based? at least 118 are based on natural sources: 74 percent come from plants, 18 percent from fungi, 5 percent from bacteria, and 3 percent from vertebrate species such as snakes or frogs.
Did you know that your liver makes cholesterol even if you do not ingest it? The liver has many functions and one is to protect the body's arterial and lymphatic systems. Taking a cholesterol-reducing prescription does not allow my body to heal the walls of inflamed blood vessels and goes even further to inhibit the uptake of vitamin K which is important for supple arteries and providing a healthy balance of modified proteins for blood coagulation. To help support Liver function a balance of healthy fats like Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Chis See Oil, real butter can reduce inflammation in the body, help break down fat-soluble vitamins, and fats, keep nutrient carries like arteries and veins healthy, and provide vital cholesterol to nourish our Brain matter. You can never heal if your body is not promoted to nourish itself.
Did you know taking an acid reducer does not aid or promote good digestion? It stalls the process; it promotes an increase in acid production, creates inflammation, and slows the process of elimination. When elimination is slowed the body's toxins and waste from dead cells and bacteria back-up and sit long enough to be reabsorbed and redistributed throughout the body. This causes an inflammatory response, alerts the Immune System, puts the body in fight or flight mode, and burdens the Endocrine system which is regulated by our Adrenals. Healthy nutrient absorption and elimination keep the whole body healthy.
Our bodies may be deal with prescriptions, pharmaceutical antibiotics, pesticides, genetically engineered foods (GMO), contaminated water, chemical trails, chaff, blue light pollution, energy pollution from overhead power lines, transformers, wireless devices, placement of breaker boxes, smart meters, and much more. These constant bombardments throw the body out of balance due to toxins ingested, light and electrical frequencies that disrupt our body's electrical frequencies such as our heart rhythm, nerve signals, and receptors, and drugs that block normal functions rather than promote healing.
The need to evaluate our lifestyle, nutrition, and emotional wellness is a large part of keeping ourselves healthy and happy. It is also a large part of keeping our beautiful planet healthy and thriving.
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Traditional Chinese Medicine offers valuable information in observations of the pulse and tongue, philosophies of our health, conception, birth, life and death, and importance of balance. Generally speaking, the state of the tongue and pulse are indications of longstanding health. Each pulse represents two organs working in tandem and can reveal the balance between the two. A pulse can reflect the stress or vitality of the organs. The tongue offers additional information regarding the internal condition of the body systems by the coating, cracks, and color. These are not to diagnosis a "Western" disease or to diagnosis, they are used to help me make appropriate suggestions in nutrition, lifestyle, and supporting herbal remedies and essential oils, moxibustion, nerve signal therapy, body movement, meditative breathing, kinship, traditions, appreciation, community and more.
Western Herbal Medicine may be more familiar to you than you realize. Traditional, meaning pre- pharmaceutical, a mustard pack, children's tea, Epsom salts, lavender, honey, lemon, eucalyptus, willow bark, chicken noodle soup, bone broths, compresses, baths, touch, song, positive thinking, creativity, smiling, laughter, community and more.
Maybe when you think of Medicine you relate to Aspirin for Heart health, Vick's chest rub for congestion and colds, Benadryl, Zyrtec...for allergies; Advil, Tylenol...for aches and pains; any of the other multitudes of over the counter medications, pharmaceuticals, surgery, procedures, immunizations, vaccinations, inhalers for asthma, steroid creams for skin eruptions and infections; Prozac, Zoloft...for depression; Quillivant, Concerta, Adderall...for ADD and ADHD; Tylenol PM... for insomnia and sleep issues. This was also my idea until I was faced with life-threatening allergic reactions and in many cases over the years of being on drugs for the rest of my life and dealing with the side effects or simply finding a healthier alternative.
I encourage you to compare a few over-the-counter drugs and prescriptions to the herbal alternatives listed on the Botanical Medicines page. These Botanicals Medicines are still a very important tradition of Healing and have been used for thousands of years. That to me is an Enormous statement!
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*Note: the Liver is not fully developed until puberty. I will talk about this subject on my Botanical Medicines page.
