The type of herbal medicine that Laurie practices comes from a particular tradition which relates back to one of the “classic” bodies of work. The system uses a very careful examination of the pulse to determine how to combine the flavours and the “nature” of the herb (the density, where the herb tends to head to in the body and how the herb will alter fluid flow) to choose the strategy for treatment. Although often very quick and effective in terms of addressing symptoms which may be bothering you, the strength of this system is that it is linking up and co-ordinating body functions, rather than just targeting one symptom. The aim of herbal medicine like this is always to get you to the point where you no longer need the herbs as your body systems have been “re connected’ or have re-established proper coordination of function. In basing our prescription on the quality of the pulse we are trying to assess the way the body is distributing its immune response via the blood flow. This allows us to work out at which “level’ this attempt to rebalance is getting stuck, probably how it got there, and the stages in coming out of the situation. We know what a healthy pulse feels like, the kind of healthy and responsive blood flow it represents, and that is what we are aiming to reestablish. Each formula is tailored uniquely to you at the particular stage of response you are in when the consultation happens. This means that we do not have to think too much about clashes with medication etc because the pulse has given us an insight and a gauge as to how the body is working with the medication that you are taking. It does not matter so much how the body got stuck in the pattern it is in (medication or no) it still can be helped out of that situation. Although we can advise on many aspects of diet, exercise etc, we will never say to you that you should stop this or that medication, and we will support whichever route you choose to take to deal with your health challenge and are not looking to add to your concerns by contradicting your consultants advice. While many of the formula actually taste quite pleasant, as they are often based around cinnamon and ginger (very like the tea we serve in the clinic), there are others which are not be so palatable. Unfortunately there is not much we can do about this, as the strong flavours are an important aspect of how the herbs do their work. Just remember, you are drinking them for your health not your tastebuds (and hold your nose as they go down if necessary!).