The Practice
*All consultations currently take place online.
The East End Herbalist practice provides consultations and treatments from a holistic perspective. This means instead of only addressing the symptoms of diseases, we look at the whole picture for root causes of diseases.
Health consultations are patient-centred and based on the principles of trauma-informed care: trustworthiness, transparency, collaboration, mutuality, empowerment, choice, control, safety and support to access appropriate care where necessary. This means a personalised and tailored consultation. We strive to work together with our patients and put them at the heart of decisions about their care.
Our therapeutic approach includes both traditional and evidence-based herbal medicine. Treatments are not only designed to prevent and reverse disease but also to promote optimal function and improve quality of life. We are committed to use high-quality and ethically sourced herbs.
Medical herbalists are trained to work alongside GPs (general practitioners) and we always take into account what other treatments, therapies and medications our patients are taking to ensure the best and safest treatment.
Common conditions that can be supported with herbal medicine:
-
Digestive issues (e.g. IBS)
-
Metabolic issues (e.g. diabetes, high blood pressure)
-
Immune health (e.g. allergies, respiratory infections)
-
Autoimmune (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis)
-
Mental health (e.g. stress and anxiety)
-
Low energy, Fatigue and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
-
Hormonal issues (e.g. PMS), Fertility, Pregnancy and Childbirth
-
Prostate (e.g. benign prostatic hyperplasia)
-
Pains (e.g. migraines, fibromyalgia)
-
Heart and Circulation
-
Muscles, joints and bones (e.g. osteoarthritis)
-
Skin conditions (e.g. eczema, psoriasis)
Hippocrates said “all disease begins in the gut”, was he right?
The concept of the brain-gut-microbiome connection has been of particular interest to the East End Herbalist clinic. A healthy gastrointestinal tract is essential to overall health and wellbeing, but many people are affected by dysbiosis – a situation in which the proportions of the so-called “good” and “bad” microorganisms (microbiome or microbiota) in the bowel are out of balance. Communications and interactions within the gut-brain axis are thought to occur through three parallel pathways: nervous, endocrine and immune (3). Disturbance in this axis can result in dysregulation throughout the circuit, potentially leading to gastrointestinal disorders, autoimmune diseases, obesity, mood disorders & mental health problems (3 ; 4). Chronic stress and unhealthy diet affect the intestinal microbiota which in turn affect mood disorders which goes on to change the constitution of microbiota (2). Despite the emerging importance of gut-brain connection and the fact that a YouGov survey (n=2287) found that 43% of the UK population experience some form of digestive issue, the digestive system tends to go ignored (41% never visited the GP) (1). 24% of people do not think about looking after their digestive system and men are less likely to consider digestion as part of their overall health (1). The most common symptoms are abdominal pain/discomfort (63%), diarrhoea (55%), bloating (53%), flatulence (44%) and constipation (44%) (1). Addressing these issues can take time, and is best done under the guidance and supervision of a natural health professional.
Contact East End Herbalist for further information or to book an appointment
References:
1. Guts UK, (2016). Digesting the facts: What people are thinking about their digestive health. Available from https://www.gutscharity.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/DigestingTheFactsReport.pdf
2. Liu, L. and Zhu, G. (2018). Gut–Brain Axis and Mood Disorder. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9.
3. Martin, C., Osadchiy, V., Kalani, A. and Mayer, E. (2018). The Brain-Gut-Microbiome Axis. Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 6(2), pp.133-148.
4. Opazo, M., Ortega-Rocha, E., Coronado-Arrázola, I., Bonifaz, L., Boudin, H., Neunlist, M., Bueno, S., Kalergis, A. and Riedel, C. (2018). Intestinal Microbiota Influences Non- intestinal Related Autoimmune Diseases. Frontiers in Microbiology, 9.