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Chris Etheridge PhD MCPP MRSC, BSc (Hons) Phyto, BSc (Hons) Chem, CChem,
DoIC, ARCS Medical Herbalist |
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What is
Herbal Medicine (Phytotherapy)? Herbal medicine has been used for
thousands of years to safely and effectively treat a wide range of disease, a
fact that is continuing to be backed up by modern scientific research. It is
interesting to note that the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that
over 80% of the world’s population currently depends on herbal medicine
for their primary healthcare. Modern herbal medicine predominately uses
herbs from the Western herbal tradition (British, European and North
American), together with nutritional and lifestyle guidance, to create a holistic
treatment plan that focuses on the patient’s individual needs. This
modern herbal medicine is also called Phytotherapy (‘phyto’ is
Greek for plant). Phytotherapists are university trained to an extremely high
standard in the knowledge and skills of orthodox (conventional) medicine, the
traditional use of herbs, and the modern scientific understanding of herbal
medicines. Phytotherapy is herbal medicine for the
21st century and is very different in its philosophy, approach and
applications from Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurvedic medicine and
homeopathy! |
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About Dr Etheridge Dr Etheridge received a
first class honours chemistry degree and PhD from Imperial College, London,
before continuing his training at the Department of Biochemistry and
Molecular Genetics at St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington and the Department of
Chemistry, Imperial College, after which he was elected as a Research
Fellow/Junior Lecturer. His research in gene therapy for cystic fibrosis,
rheumatoid arthritis, cancer and Parkinson’s disease led to numerous
publications and three patents in Gene Therapy, the setting up of a gene therapy
company (IC-Vec), and to the construction of a new Genetic Therapies Centre
at Imperial. After a number of years
researching and teaching at Imperial, Dr Etheridge became increasingly
frustrated with some of the ethics currently pervading modern science,
medicine and medical care. He therefore decided to leave gene therapy and
pursue a more “holistic” career, where he had time to talk to
patients and to actually find out about them. Since a child Dr Etheridge had
been fascinated by herbs and herbal medicine, so he decided to use his prior
education in chemistry, biochemistry and medicine and to study the four year
herbal medicine degree programme at the College of Phytotherapy, East Sussex,
where he graduated with a first class honours in 2006. Dr Etheridge is a fully qualified and practicing
Medical Herbalist and a member of the College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy,
one of herbal medicine’s major governing bodies. He also works as a
consultant for Cancer Options (as Director of Research), a guest lecturer at
the Centre for Nutrition Education (http://www.cnelm.co.uk/),
a writer for the charity Action for ME’s magazine (www.afme.org.uk),
and as a scientific advisor for Advanced Orthomolecular Research (www.aoreurope.co.uk) and the charity Yes
to Life (www.yestolife.org.uk). |
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My practice Herbal medicine can be of great benefit
in the treatment of a wide range of medical conditions such as: allergies;
anxiety and stress; arthritis; coughs, colds and respiratory diseases
(including asthma); digestive disorders; fatigue and low energy; heart and
circulatory problems; gynaecological problems; menopausal symptoms; migraines
and headaches; mood disorders; sleep problems; skin conditions; and thrush and
cystitis. Herbal medicine is perfectly safe for all people and age groups to
use, even pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, as long as the treatment is
closely supervised by a professionally trained herbalist. All consultations are carried out at
either Dr Etheridge’s London or Hertfordshire clinics. The first
consultation generally lasts for about one and a half hours, and during it a
thorough medical history is taken involving the current condition, past
medical history, family history and an overview of all the main body systems
such as the heart, lungs and digestion. This enables Dr Etheridge to assess
how the whole body is working and to formulate an effective holistic
treatment plan. He will also conduct any medical examinations that he feels
necessary such as taking blood pressure. Once Dr Etheridge has all the
information that he needs to reach a diagnosis, he will outline his ideas on
how herbal medicines may be able to help. If appropriate he will be able to
provide a herbal medicine (usually as a tincture,
tea or cream) together with suitable advice on appropriate dietary and
lifestyle changes, as well as an key nutritional supplements called for.
Subsequent follow-up consultations last for approximately 30-45 minutes, and are
usually at four weekly intervals. Dr Etheridge is qualified to treat a
wide range of conditions in his clinic. His particular areas of interests
include: autoimmune disorders (such as rheumatoid arthritis and system lupus
erythematosus (SLE)), asthma, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, menopausal and
hormonal problems, and skin problems (such as eczema, psoriasis and acne). |
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Booking an appointment To book an appointment to see Dr Etheridge or for
further information, please contact him at: Cheshunt Clinic of Herbal Medicine 62 Roundmoor Drive Cheshunt Hertfordshire EN8 9HQ Wholistic Health Centre 57 Harley Street London W1G 8QS 0777 941 4099 |
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Seminars and teaching Dr Etheridge frequently present seminars on herbal medicine, conventional medicine topics and related subjects to both professional and public groups. If you would like to be added to his mailing list for seminars or would like to commission a lecture, then please email him at: info@drchrisetheridge.co.uk |