I can't believe it's the start of the fifth week of school
already!
This trimester seems to be just flying by. I blame it on summer.
I probably have the most amount of credits and a few of the hardest
classes I have taken all rolled into one trimester. In the Midwest,
there are not too many nice days during the year so when it's warm
it can be hard to stay indoors and study. On top of that, the Hawks
are in the Stanley Cup Playoffs!
I have "Herbal Patent Formulas" and "Herbal Formulas 1" together
with all my other classes this trimester. Herbs are definitely
kicking my butt and it is a little overwhelming. I took last
trimester off from Herbs because of a schedule conflict. That break
has taken its toll. I definitely recommend staying on top of herbs
classes, but also if you have the time to work in the herb room, it
is a great benefit to becoming familiar with the many herbs you
must learn.
National has three separate classes to learn individual herbs in
order to learn up to 10 herbs a day to complete the more than 400
herbs in the "Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica" by Dan
Bensky, the herb bible! The tests in Individual herbs class were
not cumulative so it made it a little easier to swallow. In
Formulas 1, we have learned 17 formulas so far and there's plenty
more to come because we have only finished Chapter One! We have
eight more chapters to go this trimester and we will complete the
other nine in Formulas 2. The Herbal program is definitely for the
herb lover at heart!
Every school has a different approach to how they organize and
separate classes. Some may extend the herbal classes throughout the
individual's program, which may sound easier, but even though I am
a little nervous, I like the way National has set up the program. I
believe an intern must have a solid foundation of Chinese medicine
before they can understand how the formulas will affect an
individual. After Herbal Formulas 2, there are many herbal seminar
classes that are tailored to specific conditions such as
gynecology, which will only build on the foundation of the herbal
formulas we have learned. Plus, we have some of the best herbal
masters here at National who are always willing to help guide you
along the way.
For students on the fence about whether they want to complete
the herbal program or wait until after they have completed their
LAc, I wouldn't advise it for two reasons. One, taking all the
classes together with the herbs classes not only helps you meld
everything together more easily, but also gives you a better
understanding. Two, when completing MSOM you will not only have to
take the extra herb classes but also the extra six clinic shifts,
which may interfere with your day job if you are a working
professional already. So if your schedule allows it, definitely
take everything together.
Picture: That's me at Sushi Mono eating the best sushi and
drinking a smooth glass of Saki on my Birthday :)