Conference June 24 in Asheville will focus on Appalachian folk medicine

A half-day conference scheduled for June 24 in Asheville, N.C., will examine Appalachian folk medicine "and how some of the practices have influenced, or been influenced by, our formalized medicine system," says the Mountain Area Health Education Center, which is hosting the conference, "Beyond Slippery Elm and Buzzard Grease: A Guide to Folk Medicine of Appalachia.” 

Dr. Hassan Amjad, founder and director of the Jafary Clinic and Academy of Herbal Medicine in West Virginia, will present the conference, Cathy Holt reports for Mountain Xpress. Amjad told Holt, “Herbal medicine has been around for millennia, yet during the last 100 years, this way of healing has been overlooked and often dismissed as quackery. In many cases, herbal medicines are superior to pharmaceuticals, without side effects, and far less expensive for the patient.” He said "herbalism focuses on prevention and addressing root causes rather than symptoms. In the face of a corporate medical system that favors expensive interventions and costly medicines." For more information or to register for the conference click here.