What happens during the consultation?
The first appointment takes around an hour.
During this time Paula will try to build up as complete a
picture as possible of your health, taking into account
many elements to gain a holistic perspective on the current
problem. This covers discussion of the presenting complaint
and current symptoms as well as personal and family medical
history, diet and lifestyle and a general health check.
Tests may be performed as appropriate including blood
pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar (high levels of which
can indicate diabetes) and haemoglobin (which if low can
indicate anaemia). It is helpful if you can bring details
of any prescribed medication, supplements or herbs you may
be taking along to the first consultation. At the end of
the first appointment, Paula will usually devise a herbal
prescription or prescriptions.
A follow up is usually scheduled for two weeks later. This
takes half an hour and is an opportunity to see how the
herbs are working, whether the condition is improving and
to further develop an understanding of your constitution
and individual health needs. The prescription may be
changed slightly at this point as the body and mind start
to respond to the herbs. Frequency of subsequent
consultations depend on the condition and are agreed
between you and Paula. Typically they might be anything
from fortnightly to six-weekly. As well as monitoring
progress, specific issues such as diet may be
addressed.