Master Herbalist Case Study

Transcription

1 Master Herbalist Case Study Welcome to the project portion of your Master Herbalist diploma program. In order to complete this assignment, please select 3 of the following 10 case studies and (1) describe the specific health issue(s) and its (their) mechanism, (2) the technique(s) used to diagnose the issue(s) and (3) a detailed treatment protocol (with dosage and treatment length) including herbal/nutritional supplements, dietary considerations and lifestyle changes. Your response to each of the 3 case studies should be typed out as a separate document with a word count between 300 and 550. Good luck!

2 Case Study #1 Patient: Wendy K. Age: 38 years old Weight: 118 lbs Height: 5 4 Wendy comes in with symptoms of severe food sensitivity... I am basically allergic to everything. Top of the list are: all Grains (especially flour), anything sweet (sugar, most fruit, juices), dairy, soy, nuts and fermented foods. She displays significant bloating ( my waist changes 4 5 inches in a matter of hours ) with dramatic weight gain and weight loss. I almost eat nothing, but still gain weight. But then I can dramatically lose it. The fatigue is debilitating, having to expend significant physical effort to move from the bed to the sofa. She has strong symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), reflux (GERD), as well as other gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea mixed with constipation. Her joints hurt most of the time. She also suffers from headaches, depression, eczema, asthma and some behavioral issues. She thought it was a Candida yeast infection. However, after three months of following a Candida treatment protocol her symptoms changed only slightly. Wendy also has a difficult time tolerating probiotics.

3 Case Study #2 Patient: Jane T. Age: 25 years old Weight: 125 lbs Height: 5 6 Jane has symptoms of weakness, lethargy, dizziness, headaches, memory retention, food cravings, blood sugar problems and is often complaining of being cold. Tests show that she has adrenal deficiency.

4 Case Study #3 Patient: Margaret S. Age: 53 years old Weight: 155 lbs Height: 5 6 Margaret is experiencing joint pain, sore muscles and mobility problems. The symptoms are worse in the morning, lessening as the day goes on. Cold and damp weather seem to make symptoms worse.

5 Case Study #4 Patient: Dorothy H. Age: 62 years old Weight: 134 lbs Height: 5 6 Dorothy is suffering from significant constipation. Her bowel movements are approximately 3 to 4 days apart. Along with this, Dorothy is regularly experiencing significant indigestion and cramping. She also complains of having bad breath even though she practices proper oral and dental hygiene.

6 Case Study #5 Patient: John S. Age: 55 Weight: N/A Height: N/A John complains of having to get up over 3 time per night to urinate. However, he more often than not has a difficult time initiating and maintaining the flow of urine. This is severely affecting his quality of sleep and as a result his overall quality of life.

7 Case Study #6 Patient: Cindy C. Age: 26 years old Weight: 150 lbs Height: 5 8 Cindy complains of having Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) symptoms. This has bothered her off and on since she first started having her menstrual cycle at 12 years old. However, the severity of the symptoms has been getting worse with age. She often has to request a day or two off from work because the symptoms are unbearable. On months where she is able to work through it, she still has some discomfort. During this period, food cravings and mood swings vary from mild irritability to self loathing. She also experiences tenderness in her breasts, water retention and lower back pain. Skin eruptions, headaches and insomnia often accompany her during this time of the month.

8 Case Study #7 Patient: Fred M. Age: 47 years old Weight: 165 lbs Height: 5 9 Fred is always under stress and full of nervous tension. He describes his nervous tension as varying along a spectrum as characterized by restlessness, mental and physical unrest, emotional agitation, tension or tightness of the nerves and muscles, and/or a state of nonspecific nervous excitation. He is always over thinking everything, creating circular arguments in his own head. He has muscle tension with headaches, stomach upset, muscle soreness and strain -- especially in the neck and shoulder area. Fred also complains of insomnia.

9 Case Study #8 Patient: Suzy M. Age: 35 years old Weight: 160 lbs Height: 5 5 Suzzy suffers from migraines 3 to 6 times per month. They typically last between 1 and 4 days. The onset of a migraine usually begins with a bit of nausea, followed by a very painful throbbing in her skull with an emphasis behind the eyes. She often gets warning signs before a migraine seeing auras or experiencing blurred vision with irregular bright spots.

10 Case Study #9 Patient: Betty W. Age: 47 years old Weight: 154 lbs Height: 5 6 Betty has been suffering from menopausal symptoms for about 2 years. Besides having hot flashes, she also experiences irritability, occasional headaches and insomnia.

11 Case Study #10 Patient: Jack C. Age: 62 years old Weight: 225 lbs Height: 5 10 Jack has been progressively becoming more forgetful. He has not been diagnosed with Alzheimer s yet, but there is a history of the condition in his family.