Why Study?

Yes, that is a very good question. Why study indeed! I spent 17 years of my life from 6-23 learning, studying, fighting kids at school, all to reach the end with a B.comms degree in journalism which is basically worthless since I haven't done anything with it.

So, why would I study herbal medicine? Everybody thinks i'm crazy and wasting my time because it's completely different from the fast-paced world of tabloid journalism.

The above is a mix of traditional chinese herbs and flowers which you can mix in with hot water. This small handful will alleviate: Mild hay-fever, Stomach cramps and anxiety attacks. The effectiveness of each ailment is dependant on how much brandy is included in the hot drink of course!

I've preferred traditional medicines to conventional western drugs for as long as I can recall. One day, I woke up and had a feeling that there is some healing capabilities and that I need to figure out best how to harness and use them.

The tough call now is, will my diploma be worthless after i've spent $18,000 over three years? Will I be able to work for myself? The easy part is the study, the hard part is figuring out what to do with it afterwards. I certainly don't want to make the same mistake I did when I went to uni (at a cost of $28,700) only to not use it. Luckily, what I learned at uni will come in handy when it comes to dealing with people.

I'm currently doing my first three modules, Bach Flower Remedies, Nutrition 1a and Anatomy (which is fascinating) and have to January 2008 to complete. Luckily, i'm halfway through!

So, the bottom line is, I have to sit down and decide this year what I want to do with my life post study, do I:

1. Continue studying herbal medicine, finish and then learn acupuncture, becoming one of the few "western" practitioners around in Sydney who can also dispense treatments
2. Open a "refresh" business with a friend who is an upcoming fitness consultant, dealing with the physical, metaphysical and emotional wellbeing of people through nutrition, herbs and fitness
3. Complete the diploma and upgrade it to a B.natural medicine degree and become one of hundreds, if not thousands of Naturopaths.

The toughest part about doing all this, is that most natural practitioners have a "niche" they specialise in. I know mine is supposed to be healing, but what kind of healing? Perhaps, the engine that is the body is what needs to be healed... time will tell.