Launch of new community herb clinic in Fife to help those on low incomes

Medical herbalist Keren Brynes Maclean will oversee the new low-cost herbal community clinic which is based at Health Food and More in Kirkcaldy.

The new clinic, which is being rolled out by Health Food & More in Kirkcaldy, is set to make professional, natural health advice more accessible to everyone in Fife, including students, and those on low incomes, benefits and state pensions.

Not only is the initiative designed to help bridge the gap between self-care and NHS services, but to help train the medical herbalists of the future by giving them practical, face-to-face consulting and dispensing experience overseen by Keren Brynes Maclean MNIMH of Health Food & More, who is an experienced medical herbalist of more than 30 years.

The reduced fee clinic will run two days every month and cost less than 50 per ent of normal consultation rates for an appointment with both Keren and second and third year medical herbalism students, whose course requires 500 clinical training hours before they can become a fully qualified medical herbalist.

Keren, who qualified in 1996, believes there’s a real need for more medical herbalists in Scotland and is willing to train the future competition to make that happen.

She said: “A lot of patients we see suffer from long-term, chronic or auto-immune conditions, which can benefit from complementary medicine over and above the care they receive from their GP or specialist.

“Simple, natural remedies such as herbal teas, supplements or tinctures can, at the very least, help relieve the symptoms or anxiety associated with certain conditions and help sufferers get a better night’s sleep.

“Some of the issues we see in the clinic include menopause and other hormonal problems; stress, anxiety and panic attacks; IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and other digestive complaints; skin problems; allergies, and just plain being tired all the time.

“We know that NHS services are stretched and GPs often don’t have the time, resources or jurisdiction to take a more holistic view, but that’s where herbal medicine can help.”

The new community clinic is open to men, women and children of all ages.

It will run on the following dates for the next three months and then four-weekly thereafter: Friday, 21 February, Saturday, 22 February, Friday, 20 March, Saturday, 21 March, Friday, 17 April and Saturday, 18 April.

The cost for an initial consultation, which lasts approximately an hour-and-a-half, is £15 – with follow-up appointments costing £10 thereafter.

To book, please contact Health Food and More on 01592 566446.