The NHAA was founded in 1920 and is Australia’s oldest professional association of complementary therapists. The NHAA is a non-profit, member based association run by a voluntary board of directors and assisted by interested members. Representing Western herbalists and naturopaths, the NHAA is the only national professional association specifically concerned with the practice and education of Western herbal medicine (WHM) in Australia. Our mission is to serve and support our membership and promote and protect the profession and practice of Western herbal medicine and naturopathy.

An international symposium on traditional medicine (TM) and complementary medicine (CM), Tradmed International, took place in Sri Lanka on 23–25 November 2017. Organised by the Ministry of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine of the Government of Sri Lanka, the World Health Organization and the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, the symposium was a multinational platform where the latest research and production of TM and CM was presented and discussed. It ushered in the establishment of an integrative, evidence-based TM system in Sri Lanka. A wide scope of TM- and CM-related issues were covered under the two broad themes of ‘TM and CM service delivery for health promotion, disease prevention and management’ and ‘Safety, quality, efficacy and regulation of TM and CM products’. Experts shared their research findings through oral and poster presentations. It was proposed that this initiative would pave the way towards multidisciplinary research, bringing together academia and industry from the region and beyond in an innovative platform.

Keywords: Sri Lanka, Ayurveda, evidence-based medicine, traditional medicine, complementary medicine, integrative medicine.

Magnesium supplementation is considered to be a safer and effective alternative to conventional drugs in the treatment and prevention of migraine headache. Trials to date demonstrate beneficial outcomes at low and higher doses. Higher doses, however, are associated with more adverse events. It is not clear how low-dose magnesium phosphate works, particularly in light of the fact that it isn’t clear if the supplement is bioavailable. A case is presented where a pregnant woman with recurring migraines was successfully treated with magnesium phosphate. The precautionary approach influenced the choice of this low-dose magnesium supplement as there are reasons to believe that excessive doses of magnesium may be deleterious in pregnancy, particularly towards the developing foetus. Energetic or placebo effects need to be considered in the interpretation of this outcome.

Keywords Supplements, magnesium phosphate, migraine headache, pregnancy.

Allergic rhinitis is very common in Australia, and 20% of those who suffer from this also have perennial sinusitis. Histamine release is what causes inflammation and the commonly experienced symptoms of nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, itchy nose, throat and palate, as well as watery, itchy and red eyes. There is a small amount of clinical evidence for the use of honey in these cases; however, a low histamine diet may also improve patients’ symptoms and little research has been done to confirm the effectiveness of naturopathic interventions. This paper presents a case of severe allergic rhinitis, perennial sinusitis and antihistamine dependence where naturopathically prescribed nutritional supplements, herbal medicines, honey and a low histamine diet had an improvement on the patient’s symptoms and pharmaceutical antihistamine reliance sustained for at least two years.

These abstracts are brief summaries of articles which have appeared in recent issues of herbal medicine journals, some of which may be held in the NHAA library. 

These abstracts are brief summaries of articles in recent issues of medical journals. Articles selected are of a general nature for the information of practitioners of naturopathy and herbal medicine. A dominant theme is often present throughout the journals, which will be reflected in the reviews.

The AJHM based CPE questionnaire system is a voluntary system designed to assist members in the accumulation of NHAA CPE points. Questions are divided into the appropriate subject categories (herbal medicine and medical science) and each question refers to an article in this issue of the Australian Journal of Herbal Medicine. Points accumulated through completion of these questions should be recorded in the NHAA CPE diary. Each completed question is worth one mark in the relevant category. Your completed CPE diary should be returned with your membership renewal at the end of the calendar year. For further information please see the NHAA CPE Member’s Manual on the NHAA website www.nhaa.org.au.

Naturopathy has been practised in Australia since the early 1900s and since this time the profession has matured and evolved. Contemporary naturopaths face new challenges that require a strong and unified voice that represents all sectors of the profession – education, regulation and professional associations. In response, the Australian members of the World Naturopathic Federation (WNF) have formed the Australian Naturopathic Council (ANC). The organisational members of the ANC are committed to a common purpose to improve communication and understanding as well as to share resources and efforts to the benefit of the Australian naturopathic profession. The formation of the ANC is a milestone in the continued maturation and professionalisation of naturopathy in Australia.