Botanical Medicine Highlighted At Upcoming Library Program

By Nancy K. Crevier

The Enhancing Wellness series at C.H. Booth Library presents “Botanical Medicine” with Dr Joshua Berry of Hawleyville Naturopathic Medicine, on Tuesday, October 10, from 7 pm to 9 pm, as the six-week program continues.

Dr Berry is a doctor of naturopathy who, while trained to use and know conventional drug therapy, utilizes the healing powers of the body and nature to combat illness.

“Naturopathic medicine,” said Dr Berry in a recent interview, “is really the big umbrella that encompasses natural medicine as a whole. Herbal medicine, nutritional medicine, physical medicine, homeopathic medicine — they all fall under this umbrella.”

Dr Berry hopes to demystify naturopathic medicine for those in attendance at the workshop and clarify common misconceptions about the practice. First of all, he said, naturopathic doctors complete four years of medical training following undergraduate work and are trained as physicians, with the knowledge to diagnose and treat illnesses.

“It is also a common misnomer,” Dr Berry said, “that natural medicine works slowly. It doesn’t always.” In many cases, he added, herbal remedies that do not suppress symptoms actually help the body to heal in a shorter amount of time than does conventional medicine.

“I can prescribe herbal remedies with antiviral properties, whereas a conventional doctor with conventional medicines can do little for a virus,” he said. “Because herbal remedies can speed up the body’s ability to heal, a person will feel better in a shorter time than if they suppress the symptoms, which is what a lot of conventional medicines do.”

Because he is a trained physician, Dr Berry is able to recognize when more than herbal medicine is required for an illness. There is a place for traditional medicine, he said, particularly when a bacterial infection is involved, and his talk will help people to identify when they can help themselves and when to seek medical advice.

The October 10 lecture will be geared toward the adult audience, said Dr Berry, but information obtained that evening can generally be applied to children, as well.  Dr Berry will discuss the different herbs used to prevent and treat viral infections; dietary needs to stay healthy; exercise; how the lifestyle a person chooses affects his or her health; and provide handouts to take home.

Easy, natural solutions to common illnesses will be touched on, as well, and Dr Berry plans to leave plenty of time to take questions from the participants.

“There are a lot of things people can do to keep themselves healthy and not just suppress symptoms in order to get themselves to work,” he said. “I want people to know that it’s okay to feel sick for a day or two. The immune system is meant to get sick once or twice a year. What we don’t want to see is illness that continues for a week, or for two weeks.”

“Botanical Medicine” is the next to last program of  the Enhancing Wellness series that began September 12. Holistic health counselor Dina Tsungu will wrap up the series on October 17. To register for the free programs, call the C.H. Booth Library at 426-4533.