Choosing an Alternative Medicine Practitioner

Choosing an Alternative Medicine Practitioner
By Sara Calabro | Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MPH

Here are some important things to consider before selecting an alternative medicine practitioner.

Choosing a doctor can be a challenge. With hundreds of names to sift through, how do you know if you’re picking the right one? That challenge is taken to an even higher level when it comes to selecting an alternative medicine practitioner.

Not much has been done in the way of developing trustworthy resources for finding alternative medicine practitioners. Some alternative medicine therapies are not covered by health insurance, so it’s not as simple as going to your insurer’s Web site and searching by location or disease.

Alternative Medicine Practitioners: Finding One

If you're interested in the alternative medicine route to treat your ailment, the first step is finding someone who knows what he's doing. Here are some tips for finding an alternative medicine practitioner that will be perfect for you and your loved ones:

- Ask a doctor. A great place to start your search for an alternative medicine practitioner is with your primary care physician. With so many people taking an interest in alternative medicine, practitioners for these kinds of therapies are becoming an important part of medical doctors’ networks.
- Reach out to hospitals. If your own primary care doctor can’t make a recommendation — or if you don’t have a primary care doctor — it’s a good idea to contact hospitals or medical schools in your area. Many hospitals have integrative health departments that either have on-site practitioners or can make referrals to local practitioners.
- Check out organizations. Most forms of alternative medicine have one or several professional organizations. These can be excellent resources for locating a practitioner, in addition to learning about the educational requirements and credentials that are important in each field.
- Check with your insurer. Although it’s not the case for everyone, some patients might find that their insurance companies offer some coverage for alternative medicine. More mainstream alternative therapies, such as chiropractic, massage therapy, and acupuncture, tend to be the ones that are covered. Insurance companies may have listings of alternative medicine practitioners in these fields. Read more