I like words - sometimes they are simply colorful - but you know exactly where I stand, what I believe, what I know. Does profanity make me cheaper? Make me look distasteful? Depends who it is directed at.
As an herbalist - I get so many opportunities to assess, educate, suggest, make herbal preparations, discuss wellness, balance the intake of herbs, and support you in your decisions to use plants for change. I try to ease the symptoms of ailments, I try to develop an herbal plan that is made with conscious thought and discussion. I nurture your mind, body and spirit, through promoting plant based herbal plans. Also I see clients as an herbalist educator.
Then you look at me as an Occupational Therapist. I assess/evaluate when clients are referred to me, my primary job is to educate, mediate, and assist clients in restoring body, mind and spiritual functions. It is about wellness, balance, support, easing the symptoms, creating a treatment plan to relieve, prevent disease. You as the patient comes to see me as a therapist.
Verbage! What is the difference - they are one in the same and all about semantics. With being an Occupational Therapist - I look at the skin as a major organ - the skin health determines many challenges.
While herbalists cannot "treat illness" or "relieve symptoms, they can support the body, mind and spirit through focusing on maintaining natural health and balance.
Rather than diagnosing illness, herbalist can assess the condition of a clients body and its functions.
Instead of providing "medicines" herbalists can educate clients on positive lifestyle changes, food choices, and herbal support to ease imbalance and promote wellness.
While herbalists cannot "prescribe" herbs or recommend therapies, I as an Occupational Therapist can (within my scope of practice) suggest intervention strategies to alleviate symptoms. Herbalists can educate clients on positive lifestyle changes, food choices, and herbal support to ease imbalances and promote wellness.
Herbal practitioners are inherently educators: they assist clients in support their wellness by providing resources and information.
While words (verbiage) are vitally important to an herbal practice, they are NOT the whole pictures: intent also matters. If one's actions exhibit the intent to diagnose and treat illness, whether in a conversation with a client or on a product label, this may be construed as the practice of medicine.
There you have it in a nutshell!