Natural Health Services

Consejo’s Natural Health Services Program is designed to help extremely low-income Latinos who do not respond well to western medicine because, often, a lack of cultural competence becomes a barrier and makes mainstream medical inaccessible. Many of our clients request, need or respond well to alternative treatment in a holistic health context. Our clients all have the option of incorporating acupuncture, Chinese and herbal medicine into their treatment program. These three healing arts blend well and comprise an innovative treatment modality that, surprisingly, works effectively with many Latinos, especially those clients, who grew up with natural healers and are accustomed to using folk medicine and remedies in their countries of origin. Concurrently, many adult and elder Latinos living with mental illness or HIV often have histories of damaging side effects from prescription drugs or cannot access or do not respond well to traditional medicine and care providers. Many of them grew up in small towns where the only treatment available to them was herbal medicine and curanderos, Latino natural healers. This combination of circumstances makes Consejo's Natural Health Services Program one of a kind. It is staffed by clinicians from John Bastyr University of Natural Health Sciences and an acupuncturist from the Seattle Institute of Oriental Medicine. It is also totally unique because it is the only Spanish-speaking, bilingual and bicultural Natural Health Services Program in both King County and Washington State.