Herbal Medicine Center

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Find Herbal Education in the United States and Canada. Many natural health schools have integrated herbal education into standard curriculums and coursework. Students seeking an internship or practical training in natural medicine will find that an herbal education provides necessary skills and knowledge to become certified herbalists, herbal consultants, Chinese herbal medicine practitioners, and even naturopaths.

Herbal education is comprised of in-depth studies in the practice and art of clinical herbalism. In most herbal education programs, students are taught the roots of herbalism, including classes in therapeutic herbal medicine, medicine making and lab work, anatomy and physiology, herbal formulations, plant identification (botany) and growing of herbs, diet and nutrition, aromatherapy, plant chemistry, and other related subjects of study.

Typically, students who have successfully completed an herbal education will know how to identify, harvest and manufacture herbal medicine from medicinal plants. In addition, an herbal education will have trained students in how to effectively use herbal medicine as a treatment for common ailments, illnesses and other health conditions.

Depending on which natural health school in which you choose to enroll, an herbal education curriculum is often incorporated in naturopathic and Oriental medicine studies. In these courses, students are frequently introduced to natural herbal medicine and aspects pertaining to both Eastern and Western medicine.

A number of herbal education programs will commonly result in certification in the respective course of study; however, some natural health schools do offer herbal education that may result in a degree in herbal sciences.

As the consumer demand for natural healthcare and alternative medicine continues to grow, students who achieve an herbal education can feel confident that this coursework is not only beneficial to personal enrichment, but to professional growth as well.

If you (or someone you know) are interested in finding herbal education, let career training within fast-growing industries like massage therapy, cosmetology, acupuncture, oriental medicine, Reiki, and others get you started! Explore career school programs near you.

Herbal Education at Natural Health Schools

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Although, the allopathic medicines have saved a billion lives but they are unable to do it in a healthy way, whereas, the alternative medicine practitioners use natural therapy to maintain and restore your health. Various alternative techniques such as chiropractic, homeopathy, Ayurvedic, naturopathy, acupuncture and many more are in constant demand and rise because people have started taking interest in the benefits of alternative medicines.

Interested students that are looking for the alternative medicine programs such as holistic health care or naturopathic medicine can apply to the reputed natural health schools that are offering professional alternative health course in this particular field of study to get a bright career in holistic health care. An alternative medicine education provides the required training that a student needs to be able to provide proper treatment to the patients through harmonizing modalities of complementary medicine.

Alternative medicine schools instruct the students in diverse natural tricks to encourage the alternate medicine techniques and spiritual health. They practice assorted alternative healing methods to carry forward the insight of the speckled culture and modalities of health care.

Alternative medicine improves physical, emotional and mental health and also supports spiritual and psychic growth and offers complete sense of wellness. With the growing demand of alternative medicine practitioners, taking holistic medicine as a career option can be the most beneficial step for any student. The work of an alternative medicine doctor has the combination of natural medicine along with the conventional western curative practice.

In order to spread this fine technique among today’s generation globally, a lot of alternative medicine schools are conducting various alternative medicine programs. These courses give complete understanding on different fields of holistic medicine by covering diverse disciplines of this technique. During these holistic medicine courses, students practice a large variety of proportions of the natural medicine that help a person suffering from bad health and offer absolute physical and mental wealth.

Various natural medicine schools offer a bright career in holistic health care today. Choose a well known alternative medicine university if you want to build a career as holistic health care specialist and help the needy!

Alternative medicine is a major enterprise in India. In November 2009, the government’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced the steps it would be taking to promote ‘Indian Systems of Medicine’ in the country, including spending  Rs. 922 crore on the promotion of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy). Major claims have recently been made for alternative medicine – such as that Ayurveda can be used for anaemia or ano-rectal ailments, and that homeopathy can be used to prevent or cure swine flu, or to treat Aids and malaria.

 

In an era characterised by evidence-based science and politics, should official endorsement be given to remedies that cannot be scientifically proven? Is alternative medicine a form of quackery, which puts patients at risk? Or is the interest in alternative medicine a positive sign that we are beginning to move beyond a too-narrow approach to disease, towards recognising the more subtle relationship between mind and body and the need to find holistic cures? Do traditional medicines play an important role in preventive medicine, contributing to a more affordable and effective healthcare system than the Western medical model?

 

The debate in context:

 

What is complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)?

Many discussions about alternative medicine today take place under the umbrella term ‘complementary and alternative medicine’ (CAM). This implies that alternative medicine should not be seen solely as something that can be used instead of conventional medicine, but can and should be used alongside it. CAM refers to treatments that differ from conventional, or ‘allopathic’, medicine – medicine based on scientific testing that is taught to medical professionals. Systems of CAM have often evolved apart from and earlier than the conventional medical approach used in the Western world. Some such systems, such as homeopathy and naturopathy, have developed in Western cultures; others, such as traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda, have developed outside of the West. 

 

Does CAM work – and if so, how?

Critics of CAM argue that the very term is problematic, giving mysticism more scientific credence than it deserves. As the editors of the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) have argued: ‘there is no alternative medicine. There is only scientifically proven, evidence-based medicine supported by solid data or unproven medicine’. Advocates of CAM, however, argue that the lack of scientific evidence about the efficacy of CAM betrays too narrow an approach to the understanding and treatment of illness. They point to the failure of conventional medicine to cure certain serious diseases, such as cancer, and the extent to which patients suffering from these diseases can be helped by therapies like Ayurveda. They note that conventional medicine has itself moved towards a more holistic appreciation of the treatment of disease, and that some natural remedies or techniques, such as the use of quinine to treat malaria, have been adopted and accepted by practitioners of conventional medicine.

 

Even critics of CAM do not dispute that in many cases, alternative remedies can make patients feel better, despite not curing the disease – so isn’t this a worthwhile goal in itself? The importance of preventive medicine, including lifestyle modification, has been globally acknowledged: it is seen as better and more cost-effective to enable people to avoid physical or mental illnesses in the first place, rather than simply trying to treat the disease when it emerges. Alternative medicine, it is argued, has a crucial role to play in this. Furthermore, in a society like India, for which the affordability of healthcare is a major challenge, different models need to be sought that make the most of the country’s experience and expertise, including in the field of alternative medicine. Advocates argue that the orientation of CAM ‘towards self-healing and health promotion (salutogenesis rather than pathogenesis)’ make ‘alternative medicine approaches to chronic diseases especially attractive and affordable for the developing countries’.

 

The rise of CAM

One of the key aims of the government scheme the National Rural Health Mission is to ‘encourage a healthy lifestyle and alternative systems of medicine through AYUSH’. In November 2009, Chief Minister, BS Yedyurappa, told a conference that access and awareness of alternative medicines should be spread in rural areas. The officially-recognised status of alternative medicine in India is also indicated by the reach of the Indian Institute of Alternative Medicines, established in 1991 by Dr.Suresh Kumar Agarwal; and the appointment of Smt. S. Jalaja IAS as secretary to the Department of AYUSH.

 

The growing interest in, and promotion of, alternative medicine by the political and medical authorities is not confined to India. Despite being at the forefront of advances in conventional, ‘Western’ medicine, the USA provides a significant market for traditionally Indian and Chinese remedies. Organisations such as the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine contribute to the official status of alternative medicine in the USA. In the UK, a major debate took place in 2006 about whether CAM should be provided by the National Health Service (NHS). In the USA and UK, affordability of healthcare is also a key issue, raising questions about whether attachment to the Western model of medicine is appropriate even for Western societies, let alone other cultures.

 

A different kind of medicine?

These developments show that CAM is not an unregulated, maverick market, but is fast becoming subject to official and scientific research and regulation. Advocates of CAM argue that quacks can be weeded out by better training and standard-setting. Some also argue that criticism of alternative medicine arises from a Western bias, which distorts the facts about CAM and refuses to countenance its effectiveness. Critics, however, point to concerns about the safety of certain forms of alternative medicine. Discussions about the affordability of alternative compared to allopathic medicine lead to concerns that patients are being duped by irrational treatments that will not make them better. Shouldn’t a universal healthcare system ultimately seek to provide proven cures for illnesses, rather than taking the cheaper but less effective route of alternative medicine?

 

Key terms:

 

Complementary and alternative medicine

 

Conventional medicine

 

Preventive medicine

 

Quackery

 

AYUSH

 

Ayurveda

 

Homeopathy

 

Placebo effect

 

Essential reading

 

Alternative System of Health Care Indian Government

 

Needed: ‘basic’ doctors of modern medicine Meenakshi Gautham and K.M. Shyamprasad The Hindu 5 November 2009

 

When East Meets West: Why Consumers Turn to Alternative Medicine ScienceDaily 20 November 2009

 

In defence of scientific medicine Michael Baum Manifesto Club

 

Q&A: Complementary therapies BBC News Online 23 May 2006

 

Interview With Ashis Nandy: ‘Every tradition has its dark side’ Parshuram Ray Humanscape January 2001

 

 

For:

 

‘Alternative’ Medicine Is Mainstream Deepak Chopra, Dean Ornish, Rustum Roy and Andrew Weil Wall Street Journal 9 January 2009 

 

Reflections on Ayurveda Dr Mohana Krishnaswamy The Hindu 4 September 2001

 

Health Care Reform Should Include Preventive Medicine Navi Radjou Harvard Business Review 7 August 2009

 

Holistic medicine demystified Dr Hiramalini Seshadri The Hindu Magazine 15 May 2005

 

Against:

 

Where doctors fail Dr. Sudha Vidyasagar The Hindu 5 September 2009

 

Sticking a needle in alternative medicine Stuart Derbyshire spiked 28 November 2007

 

Ayurveda under the scanner Meera Nanda The Hindu Magazine Vol 23, Issue 07, April 08 – 21, 2006

 

Book review: Suckers – How alternative medicine makes fools of us all Eisha Sarkar Mumbai Mirror 5 November 2009

 

 

Further reading:

 

An interview with Dr. V. Sukumaran MBBS, MD (ped) health and mind science consultant Malini Suryanarayanan 14 June 2000 The Hindu: Opportunties

 

Role of Ayurveda in the Management of Cancer Dr. Joban Modha and Dr. Neha Modha Boloji.com 2 December 2007

 

Focus: Alternatives in holistic healing Pratibha Gadhalay The Hindu: Opportunities 14 June 2000

 

Skin Deep: Ancient, but How Safe? Abby Ellin New York Times 17 September 2008

 

Awash in Ancient Hindu Wisdom Peter Jaret New York Times 9 March 2006

 

Bottling Ancient Secrets Michele Orecklin Time Magazine 31 July 2000

 

Placebo effect Robert T. Carroll The Skeptic’s Dictionary

 

Sense About Homeopathy Sense About