Practitioner Interview Series by the CHA of BC Student Subcommittee member, Elizabeth Rodriguez.
Meet James Christian, B. Sc (Phytotherapy), PGDip (Herbal Medicine), MCPP, RHT
Just a few feet away from the bustling reception desk at Pacific Rim College is the small oasis of James Christian’s office. The warm wood and dark leather chairs are inviting and the late autumn sun peeks in the window as James and I sit down for a chat.
James, the Academic Dean and Dean of Phytotherapy at Pacific Rim College, began his journey into health care in the late 1990’s. He was interested in a career in health care and, as it seemed the only available choice, intended to pursue allopathic medicine. While volunteering in his local hospital, James was concerned that the Western medical model was not meeting the needs of its patients, and wondered, “is this as good as medicine can get?” Treatment seemed segmented, with patients not being seen or heard for their whole selves. More questions arose for James when he experienced the medical system first hand – he developed adverse reactions to the medication he had been prescribed for a chest infection. While his doctor recommended he stop using the medication, she also admitted that these side effects were common, yet James had never been warned.
What followed was an exploration of various manifestations of natural medicine and a quest that eventually led him to study Western herbal medicine. In England, James completed a 4-year degree from the College of Phytotherapy, then opened his first practice in Ontario, Canada, followed by two years of travel and study in South Korea. At the time, James didn’t envision that teaching would become part of his career but in Korea, opportunities arose to lecture on Western medicinal herbs. James jumped at the chance and found he enjoyed teaching. After returning to Canada and starting another herbal practice in Victoria, BC, another exciting opportunity presented itself – James was invited to develop a curriculum and teach classes in phytotherapy at Pacific Rim College in 2006.
Since then, James has assembled a staff of herbal experts and educators and has shouldered the responsibility of teaching many classes and guiding hundreds of students on their own journeys into herbal medicine. As an educator, James must impart wisdom to his students every day. To new herbalists starting out in practice, James says “be bold, and plan for success.” He encourages new herbalists to seize opportunities but to also lay the groundwork for future endeavours. “Even if you don’t necessarily know where it’s heading, take that chance … because you never know where it’s going to lead.” Twelve years later, the success of the phytotherapy program at Pacific Rim College is testament to James’ spirit and boldness, and evidence that he heeds his own advice.
James is committed to bringing an awareness of herbal medicine to the public. Besides his role instructing classes and overseeing clinical practice at Pacific Rim College, James also does outreach to high schools, letting young students know about herbal medicine as a career option and as a tool in maintaining optimum health. In his previous practice, James also incorporated home visits to patients. His belief is that his patients and the general public must have an awareness of alternate forms of medicine, and have access to those options. James draws inspiration for this tenet from former teachers, Hein Zeylstra and Peter Conway, and from historical figures such as Nicholas Culpepper. “Herbal medicine shouldn’t be a fringe medicine and it is important to take herbal medicine to more of a mainstream platform.”
James envisions a future that would see mainstream medicine coexisting with herbal medicine. “I would really like to be able to be part of the health care system,” he says, and wishes for “a more formal acceptance of herbal medicine, that still allows us to practice in the way we are right now.” His vision of integrated medicine would result in “some sort of assimilation of the two paradigms, recognizing that [Western] medical professionals have their role, and natural health care providers, like us as herbalists, have our role.” Such a model would serve patients better than the disjointed environment that initially led him to seek an alternative to pursuing an allopathic medical career.
The field of medicine is not always in opposition to herbalism. There is a growing awareness in medical research that the body’s systems are intricately interconnected, and an inkling that patients need to be conceptualized as whole beings, rather than as individual symptoms. “I say that modern research is supportive of what we’ve been doing,” in having a holistic approach within our practices. As western medicine begins to understand the complexity and interconnectedness of the human system, it turns increasingly to complex treatments including polypharmacy in drug prescriptions. “Individual drugs are less useful, but using several together becomes a lot more beneficial. The way we’re heading is a complex medicine – which is a plant!”
“The medical model is echoing what [we already know and] what we’ve always said: Humans are complex beings and they respond better to complex medicines. And that’s what herbs are.”
About the Author:
Elizabeth is a student at Pacific Rim College, where she is pursuing a Diploma in Phytotherapy. Her journey into natural health began after completing a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Edmonton, AB. She balances her academic pursuits with Masters Swimming and she trains and competes with the Victoria Masters Swim Club. Elizabeth’s hands are rarely idle – she designs and handcrafts knitwear, and is known for knitting during class lectures!
