personal
educational consultations
Again,
it
must be said that, by law, only a licensed medical doctor
can diagnose or treat disease. I cannot
make any claims that should you use any
given herb or implement any ideas I offer, you will receive any purported benefit.
This is not "code" meaning to imply that that's what I am
doing, but just can't say it, it's the law and needs to be
understood from the get go. Holistic herbalism is
about cultivating the well being of individual people, not
about treating disease. What I can offer is to
educate you so that you can make your own informed
decisions. This is both your right and
responsibility.
Educational consultations are not intended to be a
replacement for medical attention. Rather, they are
an opportunity to have a sort of "one on one class"
discussing the role of herbs in the topic of your choice,
where I can offer information, thoughts, opinions and
ideas for your consideration, based on traditional or
contemporary uses of herbs, or simply my own personal
experience, beliefs and
impressions. Should any of these ideas or concepts
resonate with or make sense to you, you may take responsibility for your well being
and make decisions that might affect it. Please
remember that I am not a doctor and I am not certified or
registered in any way (there is currently no certification
for herbalists in the US, and hopefully it'll stay that
way). I'm just an herbalist: a person who has
learned about how the use of plants can support health and
well being. That's all I claim to be, and all I want
to be.
I currently offer personal educational
consultations on a "by donation" basis. This mean
that there is no set fee, and no one will be turned away
for financial reasons.
I do ask that you consider the value of
my time and consideration when determining what kind of
donation you choose to offer; this applies to the initial
consultation as well as follow ups. Your
heartfelt donations allow me to keep doing things like
this. People who can afford to offer more help
maintain the balance for people who cannot afford to offer
a lot. I very deeply appreciate your support.
Please do plan to pay for consultations
when we meet. I can accept checks or cash, but not
credit cards.
I am often asked about phone
consultations. As a general rule of thumb, I do not
offer these. On rare occasion, I may.
Many factors come into play here, but the biggest one is
that personal consultations are best done in person, and
being in a person's physical presence helps immeasurably
in my ability to offer ideas they may wish to consider.
Sometimes, though, certain situations may arise that I
feel comfortable with discussing over the phone. It
all depends on the nature of the issue at hand. I do
not, though, offer consults via email (check out Henriette
Kress's
herblist
to get numerous insights on herbal topics online). I
frequently post there, as do a lot of other very good
herbalists.
Suggestions I may offer for your
consideration are not limited to the use of herbs; they
may (and likely will) include breathing exercises,
creative endeavors, prayer/affirmations (call it what you
will), physical activities, introspective assessments of
your life, diet, or whatever other practices strike me as
important to discuss with you. In some cases, I may
consider these other, "non-herbal" suggestions to be more
important considerations than any herbs that might come to
mind, and in most, I'd consider them of equal importance.
Please inquire about consultations knowing that the
cultivation of well being requires more from you than a
cup of tea or a squirt of tincture.
Please also know that I hold the
information you share with me during a consultation in
confidence. Exceptions to this would include issues
regards your or another safety. I may share aspects
of your experiences using herbs in an educational context;
if I do, please know that I take utmost care in preserving
your confidentiality.
Also, please remember and understand
that I'll only be able to offer personal educational
consultations if I feel I can offer the time and attention
you deserve and need. At this time demand may exceed
my ability to keep up.
jim@herbcraft.org
(248) 737-3589
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