Navigating the world of alternative health care
Finding an alternative health care practitioner
Finding the right alternative health care physician can be daunting for people new to alternative health care and overwhelming for those who are familiar with the field. The choices and options are limitless.
The process is not too different from finding a conventional doctor, but because
alternative health care is a much broader field it is necessary to do a little
research before hand. First you must decide what kind of treatment you are interested
in. It may help to group the treatments into the following categories. Naturopathic
and homeopathic physicians are trained in all of the following categories.
- The biochemical approach to address physiology, hormones, enzymes, nutrients, and cellular function. An example is botanical medicine, nutritional supplements, and dietary changes.
- The structural approach to address structural imbalance in the body. An example of this is massage therapy, craniosacral therapy, osteopathy, and chiropractic.
- The energetic approach to address the body at the energetic level. An example of this is homeopathy, reiki, and therapeutic touch.
- The mind/body approach to address mental and emotional balance and reduce stress. And example of this is biofeedback, meditation, guided imagery, and hypnotherapy." (altmedicine.about.com/cs/basicsstarthere/a/FindDoctor.htm)
Network in the alternative health care field
The next step in finding an alternative health care provider is to network. You can ask family, friends, professional colleagues and even conventional doctors for recommendations. While allopathic doctors may not practice alternative health care they are often plugged into the community and may have heard or met someone they trust.
Once you start asking be prepared to be flooded with recommendations and take into account who has given the recommendation and how personal the recommendation is. For example, does it come from a trusted friend who has seen the doctor themselves or does it come from a friend.s brother.s boss.s uncle who has heard of someone good?
Get plugged into the local alternative health care community
If this source doesn.t produce enough names get plugged into the community. Look at alternative health care Web sites, chat rooms, alternative health care newspapers and visit local alternative medicine college. Often you can find professors who teach part time at the colleges and also have private practices.
Alternative health care practitioners are required to keep up to date with continuing education and research in the field. So a doctor that has been out of school for a long time is likely to be up to date with the latest medical research and breakthroughs. There is no substitute for clinical experience. Those practitioners who have been practicing for 10 to 20 years will have more clinical experience than a practitioner just out of school. After assessing a doctor.s credentials come time to choose. The best way to do that is to meet with the doctor and rely on personal instinct.
Meeting with your alternative health care provider
Meeting with several alternative health care practitioners personally is the best way to narrow down the choice. Many practitioners offer brief and free initial consultations. Meeting face to face with a doctor is the best way to gauge comfort level. If you don.t feel comfortable with the doctor, they are not for you.
It is also important to ask if there are diseases or health conditions in which the practitioner specializes and how frequently he or she treats patients with problems similar to yours.
The practitioner should be sensitive about your needs, your lifestyle and your thoughts about why you are ill. The relationship you have with your alternative health care provider is very personal and should involve trust and respect. Without those, no matter how good a doctor is, the healing process will be compromised by a tenuous relationship.
The consultation meeting is an opportunity to ask questions and get a sense of what kind of resources and recommendation the alternative health care practitioner has. This is also a good opportunity to question the doctor about their education, background, specialty and familiarity with your condition.
Communication is key in the success of an alternative health care program
Feeling comfortable with an alternative health care provider and communicating effectively with them is two different things. A practitioner should be open and have active listening skills. While the patient may not have the doctor.s background in alternative health care, they often hold the key to their own cure.
A doctor who is a bad listener or doesn.t take your opinion into consideration is not a good choice. Also it is important to choose a doctor who talks simply and tries to explain everything he or she does in regard to your treatment and the nature of your condition. In a doctor and patient relationship, no matter if it.s conventional or alternative health care, a relationship of transparency and mutual respect must exist
Are you looking for a Seattle Physician?
Do you need a Seattle Pharmacy?
Trinity Clinic is your source for Seattle Alternative Medicine.
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