Clinical Herbalism Journal
Continued Learning for Clinical Herbalists
Welcome to the ACORN School of Herbal Medicine's
Clinical Herbalism Journal!
The mission of the Clinical Herbalism Journal is to learn from the documentation and outcomes of clinical case studies. Objectively, we only share cases in which results are tracked over multiple visits. In order to learn from a case, we must see the outcomes of applied therapeutics. Simply performing an intake and devising a treatment plan does not constitute a complete case study. Outcomes determined by the progression and continued documentation of a case is essential to discover how treatments render results.
The case studies presented in this journal are real people seen in the ACORN School of Herbal Medicine Free Clinic. We pay careful attention to obtaining the health history of each individual with their dietary and lifestyle patterns on the intake and then monitor results of negotiated treatments upon each follow up visit. We present case studies in this format of the CHJ for the continued growth and learning of all health care practitioners.
Featured Articles
"A Case Study in Auto-Immune Arthritis"
by Clinical Herbalist, Sarah Ritter
Case Summary:
This case summarizes a woman who weaned off her steroids with the use of nutritional and herbal interventions and resulted in the complete disappearance of inflammatory markers of the disease. Not only was her inflammation under control, but she was assessed by her doctor to no longer meet diagnostic criteria of autoimmune inflammation.
"A Case Study in Complex Symptom Patterns"
by Clinical Herbalist, Laura Bairstow
Case Summary:
Complex symptom patterns can feel overwhelming when approached with daunting disease names. This case study exemplifies the vitalist strategy to support the roots of health as a means to correct patterns that manifest from even the scariest of patient presentations. Here we have a woman whose complaints appear to stem from chronic viral infections with overlapping symptoms of Covid-19 vaccine reaction. The treatment outcomes in this case were based on addressing immunity from the level of digestion rather than focusing on antiviral therapeutics.
"Raising Vitality is the Medicine of Miracles"
by Clinical Herbalist, Alene Sidle
Case Summary:
This is a case example of what happens when a client is supported to restore the foundations of health, rather than relying on herbs alone to do the work. In such cases the vital life force bubbles up and space is created for the individual to take healing into their own hands. The clinician provides the client with tools to be an active participant in their own healing journey.
"A Vitalist Case Study in Hashimoto's"
by Clinical Herbalist, Stephanie Carrillo
Case Summary:
This is a case of chronic indigestion in a woman with Hashimoto's. It's a prime example of when a chronic autoimmune condition is not the patient's chief complaint, but gets better as a result of a holistic approach to elevate the entire ecology of the patient using Vitalist Therapeutics. Many contemporary herbalists might tunnel in on trying to manage thyroid hormones as the underlying condition for digestive inflammation. However, with simple measures to replete common nutritional deficiencies, heal the gut lining, and remove inflammatory causing foods, the chief complaint of indigestion is completely resolved along with other symptoms of brain fog, chronic fatigue, and anxiety. Here is an excellent case study on correcting patterns in autoimmunity by targeting digestion and lifestyle patterns rather than focusing on the disease name.