How to choose an Alternative Medicine Practitioner

 As Alternative Medicine become more popular in North America, Also related regulations have not developed  well enough. Choosing a Alternative Medicine 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.
Alternative Medicine Practitioners: Choosing the Right One
Once you’ve developed a list of potential alternative medicine practitioners in your area, it’s a good idea to do a little research before making an appointment. The following questions can help determine whether this person is the right alternative medicine practitioner for you:
What kind of training and education do you have? This can be cross-checked with information available through professional organizations.
Do you specialize in any specific health conditions? This is important to know because unlike traditional medicine, where doctors tend to specialize, many alternative medicine practitioners are trained to treat a wide range of conditions.
Is there any research available showing that your style of practice can effectively treat my condition? This won’t always be available, as alternative medicine is only recently starting to receive more funding for research, but it’s worth asking.
What should I expect from my first appointment? Visiting an alternative medicine practitioner is a new experience for a lot of people, so you want to find someone who is aware of that and willing to take the time to explain how the treatment differs from conventional medicine.
How long will it take to see results? A practitioner probably won’t be able to tell you this for certain, but he should be able to give a ballpark based on his experience treating others with your condition.
The only way to know for sure if you’ve picked the right practitioner is to actually meet that person and get treated. But assessing your comfort level with the practitioner’s response to these questions can help point you in the right direction.



By: http://www.skybluecross.com

Reference Source: http://www.everydayhealth.com/