Melissa Ronaldson

About Melissa:

It is my deep privilege to have experienced a long and varied practice in herbal medicine. I have worked as a herbalist in a mental health project in Hackney; traditional medicine projects in South America; first aid posts at music festivals such as Glastonbury; from my boat in and around the waterways of London; and in the refugee camps in Northern France.

I have been lucky enough to teach about herbs and medicine in primary schools, in undergraduate and in adult education, in community spaces and afloat the Herbal Barge along the River Lea. I currently run an online training clinic for students from various herbal medicine schools and devised and taught the counselling skills for herbalists module for Heartwood professional course.

It is my experience that herbal medicine can contribute to positive health outcomes across the board from self-help and domestic acute medicine strategies, right through to complex multi-pharmacy scenarios.

Long covid appears to be the latest in a line of health conditions and infectious diseases that challenge what we have previously understood in relation to pathology and germ theory. We are currently in a situation in which we need to work hard to find solutions for the many people for whom covid did not turn out to be an acute transitory infection. We need to draw on the experience of patients, clinicians and research scientists, as well as traditional knowledge to create treatment strategies that are individualised, holistic and joined up.

My own personal experience of long covid was not devastating, but was from early on, lasted a long time and delivered a steep learning curve. It informs how I now work with patients who are experiencing both acute and chronic episodes of the infection. Herbalists often find themselves working in isolation and I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of the CLAID Clinic where we are able to pool resources, share knowledge and work together to offer the best service possible.