| Alternative Healthcare Options |
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| Written by Ben Gruagach | |
| Saturday, 20 October 2007 | |
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(This article was first published in Circle Magazine, issue 95, Fall/Winter 2005.)
One thing that is very important to emphasize though is that alternative health practices are a complement to mainstream healthcare, not a replacement. If you are serious about your health you should be willing to seek out all the options rather than eliminate some, such as mainstream healthcare, out of prejudice. Mainstream healthcare comes with a lot of safeguards built in by law that do not necessarily exist in the alternative care community. For instance, medical doctors are required to be educated by accredited institutions, and must hold valid licenses to practice. Doctors are required to carry malpractice insurance so that if a patient sues them there is money guaranteed to be available to compensate the patient. Unfortunately, not all alternative healthcare practitioners are regulated or even trained to meet minimal standards. Some alternative healthcare practitioners set up their practices with nothing more than their own determination to work as healers. It's a toss up if a particular practitioner will really be able to help you or not in cases where the particular therapy is not regulated or certification of standardized training is not available. When it comes to healthcare, practitioners who don't know what they are doing can unintentionally make things worse for their patients. Without some sort of malpractice insurance an alternative healthcare provider might have literally nothing with which to compensate injured patients in the result of a lawsuit. Even when practitioners are regulated and licensed not all healthcare workers provide the same quality of service. We've all heard stories about mainstream doctors who aren't very good. It's important that patients are active rather than passive in their healthcare program – if your particular doctor (whether mainstream or alternative) is not doing a good job, is not listening to you, or is not supportive of you in working towards better health, then it's time to change doctors! If your mainstream doctor is not supportive of your alternative or complementary medicine treatments, ask them to convince you why their opinion is better, or else change doctors to one that is supportive. If your alternative healthcare practitioner is not supportive of what your mainstream doctor says, ask them to convince you or else seek a different practitioner who is actually willing to work as part of your whole healthcare team rather than wasting time undermining part of that team. Be open and honest with all of your healthcare practitioners, mainstream and alternative, about your medical history and what you are currently doing to achieve better health. It is crucial that you are honest about any medicines, supplements, vitamins, and remedies you are taking as there are very real complications that can occur due to interactions between these substances. If you smoke, tell them. If you drink alcohol, tell them. Anything you are consuming can affect whether the medicine or therapy will be effective or harmful. If your healthcare practitioner has a complete picture they can adjust dosages and medicines to ensure you are actually receiving the benefits you are supposed to achieve. Another thing to be wary of is the claim that natural automatically means better. Medicines that are produced according to government regulations are required to meet minimal standards regarding purity, content (especially the amount of the "active ingredient" present in a dose), and general quality. Unfortunately in some places there is little or no regulation of vitamins, herbals supplements, remedies, and substances that are really used as medicines but which are packaged as dietary supplements. Without regulation there is no guarantee that the items are pure, that they have measurable (or even standardized) quantities of the "active ingredient," or that the quality is good. You might end up with a bottle of supplements where each pill in the bottle has radically different amounts of the medicine – and some of the pills might have none at all. Taking wildly varying doses of a medicine can hurt you rather than help. It's important to learn what you can about whatever therapies or medicines you are considering so that you can make the best choices for you. The more you know the better you will be able to spot the safe brands of your particular medicine, the therapies that are most likely going to help you, and which ones are a waste of your money or which might actually hurt you. The better educated you are about your own health and what might help you the more likely you can succeed in improving your health. 9 Tips on Selecting Healthcare Providers1. Teamwork. Select mainstream and alternative healthcare practitioners who will work together as a team in your best interests. 2. Training. Where did your healthcare practitioner receive their training? Is that school or teacher reputable? Can you contact the school or teacher to check on their record and opinion of the practitioner you are considering? 3. Certification. Does the practitioner belong to associations or societies for their particular field? Are members required to meet specific standards to be in good standing? Can you verify their standing within those associations? Are the associations reputable? 4. Track Record. What do other patients say about this practitioner? Are there any complaints or malpractice lawsuits lodged against the practitioner? Can you contact other patients to discuss their confidence in the practitioner? 5. Scientific Support. Are the particular therapies supported by scientific research? Be sure to at least be aware of the criticisms of the particular therapies you are considering – just like you'd want to be aware of the possible side effects, failure rates or dangers of a mainstream medicine or procedure. 6. Availability. Are there other practitioners available who do the same type of work who you could go to if your regular practitioner is unavailable? Can you get emergency treatment if you are away from home? 7. Cost. Will this be expensive in time and money? Can you afford the chance in the risk to your health if things don't work? Can you afford a back up alternative if the first choice doesn't work? 8. Is It Realistic? Is the practitioner realistic about the rate of progress you should experience? Do you have realistic expectations about your progress? Are you giving the practitioner an honest chance to help you improve your health? 9. Personality. Do you have confidence in this healthcare practitioner and their assistants? Do they treat you with respect? Do they listen to your concerns, explain what they are doing, and answer your questions honestly and completely? Do you like them enough to trust them with your health? Alternative Health Information and OrganizationsGeneral Alternative Medicine Info:US National Institutes of Health Alternative Medicine Info http://nccam.nih.govAlternative Medicine Resources (McMaster University Hamilton ON Canada) http://hsl.mcmaster.ca/tomflem/altmed.html BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine research papers (part of BioMed Central – a repository of medical research papers) http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmccomplementalternmed Alternative Medicine Homepage (links to many resources and organizations) http://www.pitt.edu/~cbw/internet.html British Register of Complementary Practitioners http://www.i-c-m.org.uk Acupressure, Acupuncture, and Oriental Medicine:Acupressure Institute http://www.acupressure.comAmerican Academy of Medical Acupuncture http://www.medicalacupuncture.org National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine http://www.nccaom.org British Medical Acupuncture Society http://www.medical-acupuncture.co.uk American Association of Oriental Medicine http://www.aaom.org Aromatherapy:National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy http://www.naha.orgInternational Federation of Professional Aromatherapists http://www.ifparoma.org Chiropractic:American Chiropractic Association http://www.amerchiro.orgBritish Chiropractic Association http://www.chiropractic-uk.co.uk International Chiropractors Association http://www.chiropractic.org Herbalists:American Botanical Council http://www.herbalgram.orgAmerican Herbalists Guild http://www.americanherbalistsguild.com European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy http://www.escop.com International Register of Consultant Herbalists and Homoeopaths http://www.irch.org Homeopaths:British Institute of Homeopathy http://www.britinsthom.comHomeopathic Medical Association http://www.the-hma.org International Register of Consultant Herbalists and Homoeopaths http://www.irch.org Massage:American Massage Therapy Association http://www.amtamassage.orgNational Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork http://www.ncbtmb.com Naturopathy:American Association of Naturopathic Physicians http://www.naturopathic.orgCanadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors http://www.naturopathicassoc.ca General Council and Register of Naturopaths http://www.naturopathy.org.uk |
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| Last Updated ( Saturday, 20 October 2007 ) |
Mainstream medicine is finding that alternative and traditional healing methods are sometimes just as good if not better at treating illness. Scientists are "discovering" new ways of improving health by studying traditional healers and the folklore of healing. There is a lot of wisdom that mainstream medicine can learn from past generations and the healing traditions of other cultures.| < Prev | Next > |
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