With so many options in health care available these days, finding a medical doctor who is open minded and includes complementary or integrative medical protocols in his practice has become easier than ever before. Finding a holistic doctor can open doors for a wide array of treatment options, especially if you have exhausted conventional methods for you condition or have a preference for an alternative approach.
Step 1
Ask friends to refer you to their doctor if you know they use holistic practitioners.
Step 2
Check the local health food store bulletin boards for doctors' names who may practice alternative medicine.
Step 3
Look in the local phone book under the headings for complementary doctors, integrative medicine or alternative therapies, or under the headings for the therapy you are seeking such as acupuncture, homeopathy or naturopathy.
Step 4
Check Internet doctors' referral lists for a holistic doctor. Read the reviews to see what other patients think of the doctors you find.
Step 5
Call the labs that do alternative medical nutrition testing and ask for referrals of practitioners in your area. See the "Holistic Doctor Directory" in Resources.
Step 6
Go visit and interview the practitioners to get a feel for the rapport between you and them and whether they offer the kinds of treatments and medical approach for which you are seeking.
Step 7
Ask for patient references and call them to find out how other patients feel about the doctor you are interested in.
Step 8
Check to see what will be involved in the initial visit. Some doctors of complementary medicine require extensive and sometimes unnecessary tests right up front on your first visit before being able to make a diagnosis. These can be expensive and not covered by your insurance. Ask about whether the doctor takes insurance and, if so, will yours be accepted. Find out if he has a payment plan you can use if no insurance is accepted in that particular office.
Step 9
Inquire about hospital privileges and whether the doctor has someone on call when he is not available. Ask if that other doctor is also inclined towards using holistic practices. If not, you may end up being treated by a conventional practitioner who doesn't offer the kind of care you prefer.
Step 10
Find out how the doctor feels about you being proactive in your own treatment if like to be involved in your own health care. If he is uncomfortable with it, you may have to keep looking for someone who welcomes patient involvement in their own cases.
Tips and Warnings
- Make a written list of what questions you want to ask a new doctor and make an appointment to interview him before you even make an initial appointment for treatment. This will help you maintain control and find the holistic doctor who best meets your needs.
- Be sure the doctor is willing to work with you on a treatment plan you are comfortable with. If he wants to run a series of tests ahead of time that you prefer not to take, speak up and say so.
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