Wellness Consultations
What is a Wellness Consultation with a Clinical Herbalist?
A wellness consultation is similar to a visit with a doctor but longer than a typical doctor’s appointment. We will review your medical history and health concerns, and I will make recommendations for you—this can include dietary recommendations, herbal remedies customized and formulated for you, supplements, and possibly lifestyle changes.
Clinical herbalists are trained in assessment skills, including taking a thorough, complete case history, utilizing physical examinations, and understanding lab work & reports. Although clinical herbalists are unable to diagnose, we do have extensive training in differential assessment and pathology; it is not necessary for you to have a diagnosis at the time of consultation as herbal medicine can be effective to assist with alleviating symptoms and/or treating the root cause, depending upon your individual situation.
Clinical herbalists recognize that every individual is different—we work with people who have a disease or condition or symptoms, not simply working with the affliction a person is experiencing. Our goal is to have a clear understanding of your situation and what is going on in the body so as to offer customized recommendations that can be beneficial for you.
Wellness Consultations are designed to support you with your health goals.
You have the power to change and improve your life. I’m here to assist you, as part of your team, and together we’ll work toward your goals and optimum health, with respect, privacy, and confidentiality.
I provide information, guidance, and encouragement, and I will do everything I can to work with you and your individual lifestyle to find ways to make it easier for you to integrate herbal medicine or other lifestyle changes, if necessary, into your day-to-day life; it is your responsibility to follow through with the recommendations.
I offer an inclusive, safe space for people of all genders and ethnic backgrounds.
Herbal Medicine Can Be Effective For:
- improving your immune system
- reducing anxiety
- increasing energy levels
- supporting healthy sleep & reducing insomnia
- alleviating acne
- digestive ailments such as constipation, diarrhea, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, heartburn or acid reflux
- improving mental focus & clarity
- alleviating menstrual difficulties – PMS, heavy periods, menopause symptoms
- decreasing blood pressure
- improving chronic health conditions and other acute ailments
Initial Consultation - 90 minutes
An initial consultation involves an in-depth review of your medical history, discussion of your current health concerns and goals, review of your food intake and lifestyle, and many more questions about your current health. You will be asked to complete an intake form and send this to me, via email or letter mail, prior to your appointment. If there are any medical test results please include a copy of those as well, so I can review them ahead of the consultation.
What to expect during the consultation process:
- I’ll ask you questions about your health to allow me to gain a complete picture of your current and past health, including: what medications and supplements you’re taking, your family’s health conditions, any allergies, stress levels, sleep, food intake, bowel movements, etc.
- You’re welcome to ask me questions during the consultation as well.
- After our discussion has concluded I’ll take some time to put together my recommendations for you (which could include herbal remedies, supplements, dietary changes, and lifestyle changes, if necessary) and send those to you by email.
- You’ll review the recommendations, and we will schedule a brief 10-20 minute phone or Zoom call to discuss my recommendations and address any questions you may have, to ensure you have clarity and support for how to move forward with your next steps.
- Upon your approval, I will dispense the herbal remedies and arrange for getting your custom-formulated herbal medicine to you (see below about delivery & shipping options).
The initial consultation is $110 +HST (payable through e-transfer, cash or cheque). Note: Herbal remedies are not included in this cost.
Appointments are currently available online or by telephone.
Follow-up Consultation - 45 minutes
Follow-up appointments are booked as needed, usually 3 – 6 weeks after the initial consultation, and are 45 minutes’ duration for the consultation time. The frequency of follow-up appointments depends upon each individual—if you have changes in your health, require changes to your herbal formulas, have questions or if you want ongoing check-ins to support you, we can schedule follow-up appointments more frequently; if you have implemented the recommendations and are feeling healthy, it could be months or an extended period of time between appointments.
Over and above that allotted appointment time, I will review any new lab reports or blood work from you, cross-reference your prescription medications with herbs to check for safety, and create a revised protocol of recommendations, as required, which I will email you after the appointment has concluded.
These follow-up consultations can be helpful for receiving support regarding an ongoing condition or concern, or could be regarding a new health concern that you are now experiencing.
The follow-up consultations are $65 +HST and can be done via telephone or online video session.
Payment can be made via e-transfer, cash or cheque.
“I love drinking tea blends made by Zhyfhs. Her care and concern is infused in every sip, which for me, is part of the healing magic.
I trust her sources, appreciate her thorough nature, and am grateful for her capacity to listen. It feels possible to plant radiance in me with her support, experience, and love of plants.”
Herbal Remedies
I often, but not always, recommend a customized tincture and/or tea blend to assist with improving well-being; other remedies (e.g. powders, salves) may be recommended on a case-by-case basis.
These herbal remedies are designed and carefully formulated for your body’s unique needs (i.e. with consideration for your digestion, current state of stress, high/low blood pressure, etc.) and are formulated at a practitioner-level potency. Because of this quality and customization, you won’t be able to find an equivalent product on store shelves or online.
The ingredients for these custom-formulated herbal remedies come from reputable, trusted suppliers. I use the highest-quality ingredients available, with mindfulness of organic materials and ethical, sustainable harvesting practices.
Please note – The cost of the herbal medicines is not included in the consultation price.
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Herbal medicine can be helpful for addressing many health concerns, and I welcome individuals from all backgrounds to work with me and the plants.
Please know that herbal medicine is not a ‘quick fix’ form of medicine; it is not as targeted to specific pathways in the body (as allopathic or pharmaceutical medicine is); the herbs work with your body to help address the root cause of your ailments—it can take weeks or months for results to be evident, depending upon your health concerns.
You need to be willing to work with my recommendations, implement the suggested changes, and take (or apply) the remedies, so your active participation in your own healing journey is necessary. This also means that if you want a friend or family member to work with me, it’s best for them to be open-minded about herbal medicine.
If finances are a barrier for you, please get in touch. I currently offer limited sliding-scale priced appointments.
Herbal medicine can come in many forms, including:
- Teas
- Tinctures (an alcohol-based method of extracting medicinal properties from plants)
- Powders, capsules, and lozenges (internal; powders can also be used topically)
- Infused oils (topical)
- Lotions (topical)
- Salves (topical – infused oil mixed with beeswax)
- Poultices & fomentations (topical – a poultice is applying plant matter directly on the skin; a fomentation is when the herb has been infused in water and then that infused water is applied to the skin)
The form in which your herbal remedies are administered depends on many factors, including:
- desired outcome – e.g. needing a full-body medicinal effect from an internal remedy to help calm anxiety vs. a localized effect from a topical application to help heal an ulcer
- best extraction method – some constituents, or ‘active ingredients’, of a herb need alcohol to be drawn out of the herb while other constituents work well in a tea
- whether you can consume alcohol – I won’t recommend a tincture if you’re avoiding consuming alcohol
You are welcome to email or call me with quick questions; if it is a clarification about something I have recommended or something to which I can answer within 5-10 minutes, I will respond ASAP. If your questions are more extensive, I will suggest you book a follow-up consultation to give you adequate time to have your query responded to in detail.
A minimum of 24 hours’ notice is required for cancellations; otherwise, you may be billed for the appointment. Your appointment time has been set aside for you and time goes in to preparation for the appointment before the scheduled time.
If you are in the Guelph area, I will have your herbal remedies delivered to your door at no additional charge.
For individuals outside of Guelph, I can ship your remedies via Canada Post or another preferred carrier. Shipping costs vary depending upon items being shipped, distance, and speed of delivery.
“Thank you Zhyfhs, for the expertise and care you provided recently in addressing my health concern. I have dealt with many health care providers over the years, and can say without any hesitation, your devotion to a client was above and beyond the call of duty. Your knowledge and attention to detail were definitely a 10+.
Guelph is fortunate to have such a caring, competent and qualified, Registered Clinical Herbalist. Thank you again!”