I started offering online Chinese herbal medicine consultations at the start of the Covid 19 pandemic. This has proved an invaluable way to safely support people to deal with a wide array of health concerns.
My online consultations involve taking a full medical history – and I may, if appropriate, use mindfulness techniques to help you to feel more calm, settled, supported and well resourced.
Chinese herbs have been used to treat over 300 epidemics during the last 2000 years in China. In Japan, the Kampo formulae I work with are widely used for many illnesses – for example: respiratory conditions, skin conditions, gynaecological complaints, post viral fatigue, infertility, gall stones and inflamed gall bladder, gastric complaints, cystitis and urinary complaints, frozen shoulder, arthritis, panic attacks. digestive complaints, and depletion/illness recovery (see Kampo: A Clinical Guide to Theory and Practice by Otsuka Keisetsu).
In the UK, only registered practitioners can prescribe Chinese herbal medicines. The two main organisations that regulate herbal medicine practitioners (we are voluntarily regulated) are the RCHM (Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine) and the ATCM (Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine). I have worked with Chinese herbs for 25 years and have been registered with the RCHM and am now with the ATCM for 10 years.
Having someone listen to your symptoms and think about them from a different perspective can, in itself, be very helpful and bring new insight into health issues. After the consultation I will be able to provide you with herbs through an RCHM/ATCM accredited pharmacy service, which will be delivered by post.
An online consultation, which can be any online platform you wish, or over the phone, will take 30-60 minutes.
The cost of the initial consultation is 45 or £20 – students, unwaged, NHS/care home staff – and this includes a 15 minute follow up. Further consultations are £28 – or £15 for students/unwaged.
Payment can be by bank transfer or Paypal.
For patients who are seeking help because of concerns around Covid 19 the initial consultation cost includes daily check ins, if required and wished for – for two weeks.
The cost of the herbs is usually around £2 per day/£20 per fortnight’s herbs.
Please make sure you also consult with your GP/primary care physician/hospital etc – please do not use Chinese herbs as an alternative to conventional medicine.
Chinese herbs for Covid 19
Chinese herbs, which are recognised by the World Health Organisation, have played an important role in the treatment of Covid 19 in China where approximately 90% of those infected with Covid 19 will receive Chinese herbs alongside conventional medicine.
A report about the renowned physician Zhang Boli who set up a makeshift hospital in Wuhan with 208 TCM medical experts describes the results:
“After treatment with the TCM formulas, none of the 564 mild and common patients at the Jiangxia makeshift hospital in Wuhan developed into severe cases. In contrast, WHO statistics show that overall, around 6% to 10% of mild COVID-19 cases develop into severe ones. “More importantly, the blood biochemical indices of the recovered patients, such as the number of lymphocytes and leukocytes, showed significant improvements,” explained Zhang.
The effective practices at Jiangxia Hospital were swiftly applied by other makeshift hospitals, with 90% of such hospitals in Wuhan adopting TCM treatment. Having clearly demonstrated its efficacy, TCM has become an important part of the “Chinese approach to fighting COVID-19.”
This link to a global webinar with Chinese frontline doctors may be of interest.
CGTN Global webinar with frontline doctors
UK Kampo practitioners have also been collating information about formula that can potentially help.
The treatment of Covid 19 falls into different stages each of which involve individualised treatment:
- Prevention and keeping healthy.
- Helping the body expel the illness before it invades and goes deeper
- Harmonising the body if the illness proceeds – giving support so your body can fight the pathogen
- Detoxification when the illness has gone inside the body – clearing the body of the toxins and waste that have built up from fighting the illness
- Promoting recovery and strengthening the person after illness
Please note that it is not possible for Chinese herbal medicine practitioners to support hospital patients with Chinese herbs in the UK.
Client experiences of the Online Service
Chinese herbs for eczema
“During the COVID-19 lockdown I had a flare up of eczema on my face, hands & neck. It wasn’t the first time I’d had a stress-related flare up, and this one was extremely itchy, sore, inflamed and hot, making it hard to sleep at night and challenging to focus on anything but my symptoms during the day.
Sylvia is a lovely, thoughtful and intuitive person who makes a very careful diagnosis and prescribes a holistic treatment. The herbs she prescribed for me arrived in the post the day after my appointment and are very gentle and actually taste good! I can feel them gradually working for me already. With Chinese herbal medicine, the prescription is individual and is adjusted as you improve, dealing with every aspect of a condition until full health is restored, with no nasty or frightening side effects. I thoroughly recommend Sylvia and her online appointment service. Talking to her on Skype was almost like being in her clinic”. – Catherine T, Kirkudbright, Scotland
