The American Herbalists Guild - Herbal Study Hall

Join us Live! January 30, February 6, 13, and 27, or receive recordings for your convenience. 

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Session One: Spotlight with Ingrid Bauer, MD. 

January 30: It's Gone Viral: Updates on viral epidemiology and conventional treatments for long COVID with herbalist Ingrid Bauer, MD.

Three years since the official start of the global COVID-19 pandemic, we're all still reeling from this virus. Whether we're dealing with a recent covid infection, coping with persistent long covid symptoms, mourning loved ones lost to covid, or still trying to avoid getting covid in the first place, the novel coronavirus is still impacting most of us. At the same time, this fall and winter in the Northern Hemisphere has brought additional epidemics of RSV and influenza, which are having a major impact on individuals' health and the healthcare system (or lack thereof). In this webinar, primary care physician and herbalist Ingrid Bauer, MD will catch us up with the current epidemiologic trends in covid, flu and RSV. She will also review the current state of conventional medical treatments for acute and long covid, including what's working and not working, what are red flags for seeking conventional medical treatment, and what are symptoms for which the herbal world and lifestyle may have a lot more promise based on contemporary and historical use.

Bio: Ingrid Bauer, MD, a board certified Internal Medicine physician, has been studying and practicing herbal medicine and nutrition for nearly 20 years. Ingrid is co-founder of Five Flavors Herbs, an herbal manufacturer, product line, and herbal pharmacy in Oakland, California. Ingrid brings a research background in anthropology, Latin American studies, botany, and phytomedicine to her lectures on cross cultural uses of botanical medicine and herb-drug interactions, and she delights in bridging the gap between conventional and alternative healthcare. She currently works as a primary care doctor in a rural community health center in Grass Valley, CA, and runs a private practice, Paeonia Integrative Medicine, with her husband Benjamin Zappin, L.Ac.. She enjoys spending her free time hiking, gardening, practicing yoga, cooking, and shepherding her two kids and farm animals, and remains active in promoting peace and social justice.

Session Two Spotlight with Paul Bergner

February 6: Long Covid and the Three Little Pigs

In the folk tale of the three little pigs, two of the pigs built their houses out of straw or sticks, while the third built theirs of sturdy bricks. The big bad wolf was able to blow the first two houses down, but not the third. In dealing with long covid, we can't just tunnel on the virus (the big bad wolf) but must look at the condition of the house. The great majority of patients coming to my clinics, when they walk through the door, have houses built of straw. Most have ubiquitous nutrient deficiencies, sub-optimal protein, intestinal dysbiosis, chronic digestive inflammation causing systemic inflammation, chronic sleep debt, and more. When stressed by infection and reactive inflammation, the house collapses and we get “long” conditions, Covid. Lyme, Influenza, West Nile virus, garden variety viruses, mold illness, chemical sensitivity. The homeostasis is now in the state of a collapsed house. The task shifts from fighting off the pathogen to rebuilding the house, but the individual retains all the deficiencies and imbalances that were present in the first place. The critical pieces in restoring the house have everything to do with dietetics and herbal support for digestion, and a generic house building protocol. Specific considerations may be required for the pathogen, covid, Borrelia, mold, etc. but the general principles of house rebuilding are the same, and pathogen-specific therapeutics are not likely to succeed except in the context of a rebuilt house. I will present a generic protocol for “rebuilding the house” using dietetics, lifestyle, and botanicals that we have been using in our teaching clinics for more than twenty-five years and with many hundreds of patients with chronic “long” diseases.

Session Three: Spotlight with Andrew Bentley

February 13: Case Studies and Latest Updates for Herbalists. 

In this session, Bentley will share strategies, experiences and insights from clinical work with people experiencing the long-term effects of Covid, including support for the respiratory, cardiovascular, and nervous system, as well as supporting the endocrine system and reducing fatigue.

Andrew Bentley is a clinical herbalist practicing in Lexington, Ky. Since the beginning of the pandemic, he has worked with hundreds of individuals affected by COVID-19 in all states of health, and has written an ebook, “Herbal Medicine in the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Session Four: Spotlight with Mimi Hernandez

February 27: Pandemic Brain Fog: Herbal Support with Mimi Hernandez, RH(AHG):

Whether from a storied background of tradition or based on clinically relevant scientific inquiry, several herbs are considered to support clarity of thought. These herbs can be allies for those affected by the haze known as pandemic brain fog. Mimi reveals etiology affecting cognition during these challenging times and presents herbal strategies to help clear the cobwebs. Mimi also shares personal musings about her journey toward vibrant brain health along her long recovery.

Mimi Hernandez comes from a background as an herbalist and an ethnobotanist. She has a Master of Science degree in Herbal Medicine from Tai Sophia Institute and a Certificate in Non Profit Management from Duke University. Mimi believes strongly that keeping plant wisdom alive is essential and has dedicated her life's work to serving as an advocate for both traditional and professional herbal pathways while building cultural bridges of understanding.