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Introduction

A treatment protocol is a way to outline standard therapeutic goals, important remedies, and cautions for a given condition. In developing a protocol, there are three questions to answer:
· What is your goal in approaching this condition, and why is it your goal?
· What actions, and therefore herbs, can accomplish this goal?
· How will the protocol be modified to allow for individual constitutions and manifestations of the condition?

The answers will serve to guide the treatment strategy and tailor it to the individual needs of your client. As clinical experience grows, and by researching and studying the experiences of others, a protocol can emerge when specific conditions are found to benefit from specific treatment goals and herbal actions. In fact, the actions of the herbs themselves embody “mini-protocols” that give clues to what they are used for: anti-inflammatory herbs, for example, are part of a protocol for inflammation.

Our treatment protocols will always include:
· A brief description of the symptomatology and nature of the condition;
· A list of primary treatments, the most consistently effective and important;
· A list of supportive treatments;
· Considerations which would modify the protocol depending on the presentation of the condition;
· A way to assess the need for additional help.

This last one is very important: experience will guide you towards confidently treating a condition that you can handle or referring your client to another healthcare provider, but listing warning signs and specific circumstances in the treatment protocol can initially provide an added element of safety and therefore confidence if the condition has not progressed to the more dangerous stage.

It is also important to remember that the treatment protocol is merely a set of incomplete notes, and makes two important assumptions about the person reading and using it: first, that no treatment can be effective without the appropriate dietary and lifestyle modifications; and second, that balancing herbs must be added to the treatment to account for the constitution of the client and the specific context.