The Federation of Irish Complementary Therapy Associations FICTA was founded in 1999. FICTA’s member associations come from a wide range of disciplines within the Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) sector in Ireland and are committed to raising public awareness of, and promoting the benefits of complementary and alternative therapies in all areas of social support and healthcare provision in Ireland.FICTA employs the universally adopted acronym CAM which is defined as meaning a broad domain of healing modalities with their inherent theories and philosophies that encompass all health systems, practices and resources “[ ] … other than those intrinsic to the politically dominant health system of a particular society or culture in a given historical period”. (National Working Group Report – p.15).

NOTE: FICTA is preparing to carry out an on-line survey in 2012 of CAM usage in Ireland

Recently FICTA has

Developed and submitted a proposed common framework for the self-regulation of complementary therapists to the Minister for Health and awaits a response – 2011

Contributed to the SMCI Review of Complementary Therapies and Related Academic Programme Validation commissioned by the Department of Health and Children and the Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC)- 2011

The IMHO looks forward to attending the meetings of FICTA and we hope we can contribute to the very positive work the FICTA is doing.

The American Botanical Council

Home of Herbs - website to medical Herbalist Helen McCormack – Marino  - Dublin

What’s the Alternative.ie – website to medical Herbalist Sabina Jennings – Dublin and Cork

Hawthorn is a heart and circulatory system tonic and contains, amongst others, flavonoids, saponins, procyanidins, phenolic acids, amines, and vitamin C.  Dr Green, a renowned heart doctor who worked in Clare in the 1800s, used tincture of ripe hawthorn berries, a secret only revealed after his death.  Indeed originally only the berries were used but higher concentrations of active flavonoids have been discovered in the flowers and leaves when they are in full bloom. One study found spring shoots to be the most active of all.* In practise, herbalists combine the flowers, leaves and berries together.

The flavonoids dilate coronary arteries and arteries external to the heart while the procyanidins, which are more prevalent in the leaves around late summer, apparently slow the heartbeat and act as an antibiotic. Hawthorn increases the force of contraction of the heart muscle and the nerve conduction to heart cells. In addition, the circulation to the heart is increased, thus supplying the heart with more oxygen and necessary nutrients. Hawthorn normalizes the heart and circulation, lowering or raising blood pressure according to need. It is used in herbal prescriptions for heart weakness, irregular heart beat, hardening of the arteries, artery spasms and angina, arterial hypertension, congestive heart failure or disease, and intermittent claudication. The berry tincture, taken over months, is considered a safe remedy that helps a range of heart problems, and assists the ageing heart. Unlike digitalis, its action is not severe and while taking longer to achieve does not have a cumulative effect on heart tissue. However, hawthorn berries may increase the effects of digitalis and other inotropic medications. Please always check with your herbalist if you are taking this type of medication and would like also to use hawthorn.  Known in Ireland as the ‘nurse of the heart’ it has been used for centuries to help the ageing heart. This berry helps us too when we are grieving or mourning – it seems to lighten any weight felt in the heart and lends a hand when the heart has to work harder.

Here are some hawthorn recipes:

Hawthorn brandy is another tincture, easily produced by soaking fresh haws in whatever quality brandy you can afford for three weeks in a dark, cold place in a sealed glass jar. The better the quality, the more mellow the finished drink.

My thanks to my former student colleague, Christina Stapeley, for the following information; her basic liqueur making recipe and method for haw decoctions. I highly recommend her herbal trilogy if you every come across them: Herbwise Naturally, Herbcraft Naturally, and Herb Sufficient; all published by Heartease Books in the UK.

Hawthorn Liqueur

To a jar full of infused hawthorn berry brandy (see recipe above), add 1 grated nutmeg, 1 cinnamon stick (crumbled), the chopped peel of one orange, 4 cloves and ½-1 cup full of sugar or honey. Seal the jar with a screw top lid, place in a warm, dark place for 8 weeks shaking regularly, then strain and pour into a sterile bottle. Seal the bottle with a screw top lid or cork and leave in a cold dark place to mature for as long as possible (at least two years).

Haw decoction

Haws can also be dried and used to make a decocted tea with other herbs and spices. The easiest way to dry them is to place the haws inside a paper bag and hang them in a warm, dark cupboard for several months until they are totally hard and dry. They can then be stored in a glass jar for several years if kept out of the light and used as necessary. To make a decoction, take a tablespoonful of dried haws, add to a small saucepan together with a pint of cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer with the lid tightly on for 20 minutes. Strain and use. Decoctions can be stored in the fridge for two days. The berries can be eaten as they are and the leaves can be used as salad when they first appear in Spring. They were commonly referred to in the olden days as “bread and cheese”, because the leaves were eaten between slices of buttered bread and were a staple food in early Spring. Always be sure you know what you are harvesting and if in any doubt ask someone to go with you until you become familiar with the plants.

Haws are not restricted to making drinks. They can also be used to make a wonderful sauce to accompany duck or other game meats. The original recipe comes from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s River Cottage Autumn, with slight adaptation.

Haw-sin Sauce

375g haws

200g runny honey

250ml water

250ml cider vinegar

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Wash haws in cold water and remove stalks. Cook in saucepan with water and cider vinegar for 45 minutes until soft. Sieve through metal sieve pushing through as much softened material as possible. Measure liquid. Clean saucepan. Return liquid to saucepan adding honey to liquid in equal volume (100ml:100g). Heat gently while stirring with wooden spoon until honey is dissolved. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Cook for a further 5-10 minutes if you wish to reduce the amount of liquid and thicken the syrup. Pour into hot, sterile bottles. Seal, label and date.

Hawthorn and hazelnut squares

For this recipe my grateful thanks to the wonderful people at Country Kitchen which is sadly no longer being produced and was a mine of information on nourishing traditions.

1 kg (2lb) haws (approx)

A glass of Calvados/Cider/apple juice or mixture of all three

A double handful of shelled hazelnuts

2-3 dessertspoons of runny honey

Icing sugar for dusting

Destalk and wash the haws. Place directly in a bowl or into a sieve in a closely-fitting bowl. Add the glass of Calvados/Cider/apple juice or mixture of all three and mash with the calvados – you can use a potato masher but with your bare hands is more fun if not easier. Once mashed, force the pulp through the sieve leaving the seeds. The right amount of liquid has been used if the pulp does not drip through the sieve, but needs to be scraped off from the bottom. Mix pulp with the honey, and spoon into moulds. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Turn out, cut into squares and toss in finely-crushed hazelnuts – these can be crushed in a food processor or using a pestle and mortar. Dust with icing sugar and serve.

The haw squares are raw so will need freezing if you want to keep them till Christmas – icing at the last minute. Alternatively, the frozen squares can be dipped and covered in melted chocolate and eaten within a couple of days. But do use them soon after defrosting as they don’t last being raw and not containing preservatives.

These are delicious served, of course, with hawthorn coffee and here’s how to make that.

The remaining pulpy seeds can be spread out thinly on a metal tray to dry. You could place the tray on top of a night-time storage heater or on top of the immersion heater, but placing in a low oven for a couple of hours will also dry them. Alternatively, if you wash the seeds first, they can be dried more slowly on newspaper in the airing cupboard.

Once dry, spread out thinly and roast in a hot oven for 30 minutes. Grind and roast for another 30 minutes and use in a cafetiere – 1-2 heaped dessert spoon per cup. This is a pleasant caffeine-free coffee substitute on its own or it can be mixed half and half with dried and roasted dandelion roots.

*Costa, et. al. 1986. Plantes Med. Phytother. 20:115-28.

written by Anne Varley  Medical Herbalist

Wrinkles, age spots, blemishes and those puffy eyes give the game away. Miss-spent youth! Hours of languishing in the sun without skin protection, smoking, excess alcohol, along with a disregard for a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. That was the past, but if we wish to make amends and rejuvenate our skin to a healthy radiant texture, then a few changes have to be put in place. Just before you men run for it, thinking this is girls talk – think again.  Men with glowing blemish-free skin have a desirable asset, not only in attracting the opposite sex, but also in business.  Each and every one of us is judged on our appearance within fifteen seconds of meeting someone. As my aunt recently advised me “how you look, says who you are” and whether we like it or not, that is part and parcel of the human psyche, so play the game to your advantage!

Repairing and rejuvenation of the skin needn’t be a major expense; we are surrounded by all the natural ingredients from a bountiful supplier called Mother Nature. Our hedgerows and gardens along with the local vegetable and fruit counters are brimming over with all that we need to help nourish our skin.

Our natural pharmacy starts from the inside-out and not surprisingly, as with all living things, water is fundamental.  Yes, just simple water. Nothing added, no ‘twist of this’ or ‘sprinkle of that’.  Six to eight tumbler-sized glasses per day of natural mineral water will hydrate the dermal cells of even the most parched skin.  As Dr Nicholas Perricone, author of “The Wrinkle Cure” reminds us, most of us walk around in a state of dehydration – even chronic dehydration, so make drinking water part of your daily routine.   And you know what the added benefit will be?  Your energy levels will rocket.

So what’s next on the shelf of our natural pharmacy?  Out of the five top foods that have skin-hugging actions, my favourite has to be avocados.  A simple fruit – yes it’s a fruit with so many fantastic vitamins and minerals in it, and containing one of the most absorbent natural oils known. A misunderstood fruit, as most people think that the high oil content is fattening and lacks essential vitamins.  Not at all – in fact, quite the contrary.  This unassuming fruit contains high levels of vitamin B6, with additional nutrients such as potassium, copper, and anti-oxidants.  As part of a skin restorative programme, try including avocados in your salads topped with a cider vinegar French dressing or make an avocado dip. Just mash the pulp with a touch of lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper and a big splash of extra virgin olive oil. This is a great family favourite and is simply delicious.

The other top foods also have anti-inflammatory actions; skin that has been damaged through free radicals such as excess sun, cigarettes, pollution and chemical toxins, has been subjected to inflammatory pollutants.  So, eating fish like wild salmon which is full of omega 3, organic chicken and turkey, fruit and vegetables will help to counteract this ongoing inflammatory process.   Try a skin soothing smoothy with  pineapple, kiwi, cranberries and raspberries topped off with a wedge of lime. Unbelievably refreshing, and jam packed with vitamin C and anti-oxidants.

So far in our skin rejuvenation programme we are now drinking the correct amount of water along with adjustments to our diet to eat more anti-inflammatory foods.  Is there anything else that could be of benefit to us? Yes – we just have to add our herbal teas.  No – don’t walk away. The taste is not bad at all.  Think of them as a huge benefit to the body and to the eventual improvement of skin texture.  Two teas instantly spring to mind.  One is green tea and the other is Chamomile.  Both containing lovely anti-oxidants with skin calming properties and in the case of Chamomile a gentle digestive restorative. If your digestive tract is in balance, therefore in good health, so is everything else within the body, advocates Dr Bernard Jenson the king of iridology and a master of nutrition.

But what about the real fun part? The part where perhaps the boys lose interest and the girls revel in the experience. The time where we get to put creams and lotions on our skin.  The pharmacy cupboard is brimming over with natural remedies and none so revered as the natural anti-ageing mask; banana with honey and oats.  Think of all the lovely nutrients such as magnesium, potassium, zinc, vitamin A and E that are contained in this mask. Simply mix a banana with 2 tablespoons of organic natural yoguart, a tablespoon of organic honey and oat flour together with a drop of water.  Mix to a paste until it forms a thick cream and apply it to the face (avoiding the eyes) and leave for 15 minutes.  Rinse off and pat dry. Then apply your moisturiser within three minutes of rinsing your face. According to leading dermatologists this is the optimum period for a moisturiser to be absorbed by the skin. Moisturisers can be as simple as oils such as jojoba oil, organic sunflower oil or, if you are like me, you might like to relish in a lovely creamy organic moisturiser.  You could make your own, or if time is of the essence, look for natural skin creams that contain wonderful essential oils such as geranium, neroli and roman chamomile, enhanced with carrot-seed oil and lavender.  These essential oils are just heaven. After a long day of toil you could add just a few drops of lavender essential oil to your bath water and soak in it amongst ambient music and candle-light.

A few weeks ago I gave a talk about caring for your skin, and the audience were amazed at the number of medical conditions that are associated with inflammation within the body.  The extensive list ranged from acne to rheumatoid arthritis including inflammatory bowel disease and heart conditions. Psoriasis, eczema and dermatitis were also high up on the list.  Understanding that our precious skin and our bodies thrive on anti-inflammatory foods is imperative in achieving good health.  Too often the deterioration of our body including our skin is put down to genetics.  Agreed it is a factor, but the next time you see someone with glowing soft skin that has defied time, just ask them to give you the secret of their daily diet.

If you have decided to tap into Mother Nature’s store cupboard to improve your skin you need to remember this mnemonic – Positive Humans Enjoy Marvellous Skin  – PHEMS – Protection, Hydration, Exfoliation, Moisturisation and Sustenance, – and you won’t go far wrong.

Sabina Jennings is a registered medical herbalist and iridologist with a specialist interest in skin conditions: Tel; 023 8842873  for an appointment

Strolling through aisle of the local supermarket, one can’t help but be amazed at the varied amount of products that profess to have captured the essence of some fragrant herb in order to promote a sense of well being.

The tea section which years ago displayed only our favourite blends for that perfect cuppa, is now awash with herbal teas. Mixtures of fruits with herbs or just a combination of herbs, hinting, as much as they dare, at the therapeutic possibilities. Yes- even Posh Spice has her cup of herbal tea in order to maintain her trendy figure- so what more do you want? Perhaps for those of you who don’t get that “ah” feeling with herbal teas, introducing herbs to your cooking could be an alternative, well worth investigating.

Some would argue that there isn’t a sufficient quantity in cooking to give a therapeutic action. If you can taste it, what are you tasting if not the constituents of that plant? Perhaps the therapeutic action might not be as strong as an herbal prescription or over-the-counter products, but don’t underestimate their value. Please can I just say, should a herb be potentially of benefit for you or your family, we are talking about cooking with small quantities not medicinal doses, one to two teaspoons in a dish, not great handfuls – everything in sensible moderation. To start off our stroll down the physic garden the first stop has to be basil:

Basil: Ocimum basilicum Available in over 150 varieties, the common basil or sweet basil is by far the most popular. Once believed to ease the pain of a scorpion’s sting and in Roman times to relieve flatulence from excessive eating. In Ireland, we don’t worry too much about scorpions; but flatulence? Basil is a useful digestive aid helping to ease stomach cramping, indigestion and, yes, – flatulence. Also in times of anxiety and restlessness, basil has shown to be a mild sedative, assisting with the promotion of sleep. The leaves contain volatile oils, linalool and methylchavicol, and whether you tear or chop the leaves, the oils burst into the air with a wonderful pungent aroma. So maximise the benefits of the oils, by adding the leaves just before serving a dish. Leaving basil in cooking for any length of time, for me, loses its magic.

The question, however, remains; do you chop or do you tear the leaves? And if you chop, will a handsome chef leap into your kitchen and give you guidance? Sadly, I’ve chopped for hours and no chef -leaping or otherwise! The consensus of opinion is that the flavour remains stronger within the leaf if you tear.

Basil can be used in salads, soups, sauces, particularly pasta sauces, or just on pasta with a knob of butter with some Parmesan cheese. A great starter or as a side dish, is a bed of sliced tomatoes, chopped Feta or Mozzarella cheese, a generous pour of extra virgin olive oil, grated sea salt and torn basil leaves. So refreshing!

Rosemary: Rosmarinus officinalis – “dew of the sea”
In the Shakespearian play Hamlet, Ophelia says “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance”. Why, because the volatile oils within rosemary leaves contain borneol, camphene and camphor and it is the action of these oils that makes rosemary a stimulant. They enhance the circulation of the blood around the body, including the brain. The effect of increased blood flow to the brain can help with relief for minor headaches. Another interesting property of the herb is to stimulate the production of bile flow. Bile is important in the digestive process, as one of its actions is to assist with the breakdown and elimination of fats. It was the Romans who brought basil to Britain and Ireland and the Italians love to make sauté potatoes cooked in olive oil and rosemary sprinkled with sea salt and ground pepper. When roasting lamb or chicken, sprigs of rosemary around the meat enhance the flavour so well and unlike basil, rosemary seems to intensify through the cooking process to give a wonderful aroma.

Sage Salvia Officinalis
Sage comes from the Latin salvere – “to be saved”, and is a highly underrated herb that has so many medicinal properties. It has a strong aromatic flavour and can be overwhelming, so you either like it or you don’t. We are all very familiar with ubiquitous sage and onion stuffing at Christmas, alas poor old sage is then shelved for another year. Containing the essential oil thujone, sage is a hormonal balancer used during the menopause for the reduction of hot flushes. Studies have indicated that the properties of this herb may prove useful in treating the onset of Alzheimer’s and also there are indications that it is an anti-oxidant. So in cooking, how can it be used other than in stuffings? Traditionally it can be used as part of a bouquet garni for stews and casseroles, but also sprinkled sparingly on fish and oily meats such as goose, duck and pork, gives the dish a distinctive flavour.

Onion: Allium cepa
I know I can hear the shrieks as far away as Castletownbear “onion is a vegetable, not a herb”. True enough, it is a vegetable, but it is also a medicinal plant. It is a member of the Allium genus together with medicinal plants such as garlic, chives, shallots and leeks, just to name a few. What they all have in common is that they contain the sulphur containing compound allicin and alliin, which are anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-platelet (helps thin the blood), and much more.

Onion has to be the one medicinal plant that is so widely used in cooking. Dishes such as delicious French onion soup, quiches, onion gravy, in omelettes, in salads – well one could simply go on and on. So good for you in so many ways.

However, Will Shakespeare had some misgivings about onions. In Midsummer night’s dream, we hear the words “ eat no onions, nor garlic, for we are to utter sweat breath”, but he obviously didn’t know that onions and garlic are aphrodisiacs!

Sabina Jennings is a medical herbalist and Iridologist who specialises in Natural Dermatology

Eczema  – To Scratch or Not to Scratch?

Stand outside any school and look at the faces coming and going and ask yourself why are so many of our young people suffering with  serious skin conditions. What would your answer be…hormones? Junk food? Stress? And it’s not confined to the young; a high proportion of adults too have less than perfect skin.  The association between food and skin conditions such as eczema, has been hotly debated, contested and even turned medical professionals into testy in-fighters defending their own corner.  Many stand firm that there is no evidence that certain foods contribute to the severity of eczema.  Others would lay down their medical careers to their observations’ that food is a major player in eczema control.

Eczema comes from the Greek to “boil over”. It is seen in many dermatitic forms such as atopic, seborrhoeic, contact and irritant and so on. But they all have one thing is common: they itch!  From mildly irritating, they intensify to an all consuming misery.  Usually red, the eczematous skin is dry and accompanied by scaling.  Scratching only makes matters worse. If you scratch, the skin becomes inflamed, so you rub and scratch, damaging the skin further, risking infection.

According to leading dermatologist Thomas Habif, atopic dermatitis – which has a genetic connection with hay fever, asthma and eczema, has almost tripled in the past 30 years. Found less in rural areas than urban, with approximately 15- 30% of children and 2-10% of adults affected.  Luckily for 70% of the child suffers, they have a remission before their late teens. Further alarming statistics, are that in Britain, there was a  42% increase between 2001 and 2005 and the prescription rate increased by a staggering 57% over the five year period.  This huge escalation resulted in over 13.7million GP prescriptions.

What’s becoming evident however, is the number of medical practitioners, not only in Ireland, but around the world, that are singing from the same hymn sheet: that what we eat or more precisely, what we absorb, has a significant influence on our skin.

The majority of skin conditions are an indication of an internal problem; implicating the gut and the immune system.  Just bear in mind that 70% of the immune system sits in the gut and is fundamental to the well being of the skin and indeed the whole body.

During my college days, I remember being taught the doctrines of the leaky gut by senior medical herbalists.  How the wall of the large intestine becomes weakened, thus allowing microscopic particles of unwanted matter to pass into the blood stream; relying on the immune system to pick up the pieces – quite literally. Today, that belief is now part of a famous television advert selling probiotics. So we know the integrity of the entire gut wall is paramount in our health and well being, but the inquiring mind would have to ask the question – what weakens the wall of the gut in the first place? Is it genetics?  Is it that limited?  Dr Susan Brown, nutritionist and author of The Acid- alkaline Food Guide, has studied for the past twenty years the correlation between acidosis- excess acid at cellular level, and our failing health.   “Acidosis creates a fertile ground for inflammation in many ways – If inflammation persists it can eventually lead to a variety of disease conditions including arthritis, bronchitis, colitis, skin problems including eczema” she writes. “…when tissues and organs are chronically exposed to excess acids, they begin to harden and/or develop lesions in order to protect themselves”.

Our modern diet of sugar, sugar and even more sugar, washed down with fizzy drinks, strong coffee and high protein meals, is simply, hyper-acidity on a plate.  The more we offend, the more the body struggles to keep the pH ( the acid/alkaline balance) at correct levels.  Even to the extent of robbing alkaline minerals, such as calcium from teeth and bones, in order to preserve the precious equilibrium.  If the habit of eating inappropriate acidic food goes uncorrected, further demineralization can lead to serious health issues. There’s more. The environment in which acidosis creates within the body, invariably is host to unwanted guests.  Candida albicans and yeast strains squat uninvited, contributing to skin conditions such as seborrheic dermatitis and granuloma annulare.

Like all symptoms and medical conditions of the body, there is no one simple answer.   The manifestation of eczema originates from the inside – this we know.  However, our appreciation of how acidic foods can have a profound effect on our skin, is yet to be realized.

External toxins found in some non organic skincare products can irritate and inflame an already sensitive system. But we shouldn’t assume that they’re the cause of the inflamed eczematous skin; they’re purely a contributory factor.  As for stress, it is quite sensational in its action on the body.  It can suppress the immune system, stimulate the adrenal glands and cause excess insulin production, affect the thyroid….. need I go on? Stress is no longer a buzz word – just a ticket for ill health.

A new awareness needs to be adopted of how our body processes the food we eat, coupled with the life-style we choose to lead.  Inner health is reflected in outer radiance. The skin signals to us just how well we’re doing.  What we eat is without question a major player in condition such as eczema.  Inflammatory foods – stimulate inflammatory processes.

If you are one of the many people who suffer from eczema, know the foods that work with your body, not against it.  It usually only involves small changes and a little support.

So how can Iridology and herbal medicine help? Well simply it can aid the practitioner to look at the inflammation patterns within the body through the iris markings.  Should the patterning show that the patient is predisposed to inflammation more than most, then advice on how to keep the body alkaline, avoiding inflammatory foods and possible adjustments to lifestyle.  Life purpose is another key area that can also help the patient in seeking recovery.  Depending on your Iris signs the way in which you enjoy life varies between one person to another.  Also herbal medicine can aid the body in calming inflammation and supporting the immune system.

Sabina Jennings BSc. Dip Derm (AID). Dip LSI. Dip ITEC.practices from the Hayward Clinic in Bandon and specializes in Natural Dermatology

Medical Herbalist

Practice details: 8 Kinvara Park, Navan Road, Dublin 7

Tel: 01 8380088

Mob: 087 6734437

Email: anne.varley@gmail.com

Anne Varley trained as a medical herbalist in the UK with the College of Phytotherapy and the University of Wales graduating in 2004. She practised in Brussels and now practises in Dublin.  She has undertaken further professional studies with NIMH in cancer and herbal medicine, and with Dr JC Lapraz in endobiogenic medicine.  She is a Fellow of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH) in the UK and she worked as a Director on the NIMH Council for over four years.  She represented NIMH at the European Herbal & Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association, the umbrella body representing herbalists in the UK. She is currently chair of the Irish Medical Herbalists Organisation (IMHO), the professional association representing medical herbalists in Ireland at the National Herbal Council (NHC).

She has also served on the board of post-graduate training in the NIMH and she continues to promote the professional development of practitioners.  She works as a mentor to newly established practitioners as part of the NIMH’s programmes to support and develop medical herbalists in their practices.

Helen has been practising from her clinic in Marino, Dublin 3 since graduating in 1994. She is a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists.

In addition to her herbal background, Helen has a background in Health Promotion and Stress Management, both of which complement her clinical work. She works with patients to give a greater understanding of their condition, see how certain patterns may play a part in their illness and explore how they can make effective lifestyle changes. She also teaches short herbal courses in the community so that people can use herbs most effectively for minor ailments. Helen also enjoys taking small groups for walks to identify our native wild herbs in their habitat.

Her clinical workload includes digestive, respiratory, gynaecological, menopausal, joint problems and stress/anxiety related disorders.

To make an appointment or enquire about course dates contact:
Tel: 01 8368965
Mobile: 087 2455519
Email: helenmack@eircom.net
Saturday appointments available.

www.homeofherbs.ie

I qualified as a medical herbalist in 1988, following a family tradition of professional herbal practice that has continued  now for almost one hundred years. Before successfully completing a four-year full-time college course in herbal medicine, I had the great advantage of spending many years learning the science and art of herbal practice from my grandfather, who was a professional medical herbalist with a busy practice for over sixty years.

Since qualifying I have concentrated my professional life solely on herbal medicine, and now have more than twenty years of clinical experience treating the wide range of illnesses that present in my general practice. I take particular care to see if diet or lifestyle issues are having any impact on a patient’s health, as the cause of illness is so often related to the things we eat, drink or do, and give advice tailored to the individual as appropriate. I enjoy working with people of all ages, and don’t often come across a complaint I haven’t treated before.

Having been involved with herbal medicine all my life, nearly sixty years, I have no doubt that using our natural traditional herbal remedies is a most valuable approach to treating the many ailments that can affect us. At best medicinal herbs may resolve our health problems, at worst they do no harm.

Kevin Orbell-McSean, M.N.I.M.H., M.I.M.H.O.,

Evergreen Clinic of Natural Medicine, 79, Evergreen Road, Cork. 021 496 6209   for further information visit Kevin’s Website in this link www.evergreenclinic.ie

Sabina Jennings graduated from the University of Wales and the College of and now practises in her own clinic, The Hayward Clinic, in Bandon – Co Cork.

In her quest to understand the complexities of the human body, Sabina studied for her diploma with the London School of Iridology.  Iridology looks at the markings of the iris of the eye in order to assess the strengths and weaknesses of body tissue – click on www.iridology.ie for lots more information.  She finds this modality invaluable in her consultations.

However Sabina has always been facinated with the skin. Her thesis was on Psoriasis and with that in mind undertook a diploma in Dermatology with Australian Institute of Dermatology and the John Flynn hospital.  She graduated this year  and it is believed that she is the only herbalists to have an orthodox medicine qualification of this kind.

Sabina now specialises in Natural Dermatology and if you would like to make an appointment or talk to her please telephone the clinic on 023 8842873 or email: haywardclinic@eircom.net

www.whatsthealternative.ie