Sally Norton, M.S., L.Ac.

Herbal medicine is by itself a powerful method of healing. Western drugs are usually used to control symptoms but do not alter the disease process. For example: Antibiotics kill bacteria but do not improve a person's resistance to infection; diuretics drain excess fluid from the body but do not improve the kidney function. Chinese herbs can also rid the body of disease but they also nourish and balance the body in very specific ways, thereby improving organ function and building up a person's constitution and immune system.

Herbal medicine is an integral part of treatment with Traditional Chinese Medicine. The ingestion of herbal formulas, which may be by powder or tablet, may be an important addition to your health care. As acupuncture is to energetic shifts in the body, so herbs are to the deepest levels of substance and nourishment, working to restore and achieve a more balanced body, mind and spirit, increasing energy and vitality and reducing symptoms of pain, discomfort or illness.