FINDING ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE PRACTITIONERS

YOUR INSURANCE MAY COVER THE TAB

Gone are the days when your insurance company would give you grief if you tried anything that was slightly unconventional.

Insurance companies are listening to the science and seeing that things like massage and acupuncture do really work – so they're beginning to pay for these treatments.

In addition, since these alternative therapies are much cheaper than traditional drugs, they're making more of a profit than they might have paying for the high dose pain killers for your back pain.

Plus, since alternative care is focused on prevention, they might have fewer things to pay in the future for your medical care – and that's a wise investment for them and you.

While it's true they could do a lot more in order to get more natural healings methods covered, there are ways to handle these bills too.

First of all, take some time to look over your health insurance policy – especially if you've just signed up in the past few years.  Chances are good that some complementary therapies are covered – even if only at a reduced percentage.

Some of the most common covered therapies are:

• Massage
• Art therapy
• Acupuncture
• Osteopathy
• Naturopathy
• Chiropractic care

But you may be able to argue your practices with an insurance company if you can show that you will be using these practices to prevent future problems.

Ask the insurance company if they can consider covering certain alternative therapies and then show how they have helped you.  While this might not get your bills covered today, it might help in getting future bills covered.

You can also find health insurance companies who wholly support the use of alternative medicine.  You might pay a little more for these policies, but getting to have any complementary care that you want is surely worth the price.

You might also want to look into starting a health savings account which can be used toward any medical expenses you might incur.

By taking out money from your paycheck before taxes and putting this money into this tax deferred account, you can have the money on hand to head to the herbalists office.

Many alternative care specialists will also have a sliding scale payment system for those who can not afford the prices of the care.  Check to see if any practitioners in your area offer this possibility.

FINDING LICENSED PRACTITIONERS

When it comes to alternative medicine, it used to be that you would have to go to some dark alley or know someone in order to find an actual practitioner.

And even then, their training was a bit questionable.

In today's times of alternative medicine acceptance, there are numerous schools who offer degree programs for those interested in studying everything from massage to aromatherapy and homeopathy.

This is good news for you: you're going to be able to find someone who's actually been tested and trained to help you.

However, since regulation of alternative medicine can be a bit sketchy, you will want to make sure to ask the following questions of the practitioners you do find:

• Where did you go to school?
• What licenses/certificates do you have?
• Are your certifications current?
• How much experience have you had?
• How many people have you treated?
• Have you attended any additional training courses?
• Do you update your training?
• How do you keep up with current alternative medicine research?

By taking the time to listen to what the practitioner has to offer, you will get a better sense as to whether they can help you.

In many instances, the rapport you have with someone is just as helpful as the skills they have.  Of course, you will want to double check to see if any training they say they have is legitimate.

The first person you will want to ask about alternative medicine practitioners is your regular doctor.

And if they don't know of any, talk to your insurance company.

Very often, you will simply be able to look in your local phone book or online address directory to find who you need.

The only thing you need to keep in mind is that if you're not comfortable wit the person you're going to or how they practice their form of healing, you should try to find someone else.

You need to be comfortable with how you are treating your body – or letting someone else treat it, as the case may be.

DETERMINING IF IT'S WORKING FOR YOU

There comes a point in everyone's alternative medicine therapy where they begin to ask themselves – is this really working for me?

That's a great question to ask.

You want to be constantly evaluating yourself to make sure that you are doing the right thing for your body.  By sharing your feelings with the practitioner, you will be able to adjust your treatments or stop them altogether if it seems like nothing is happening.

That said, you should also not be expecting to see immediate results.

Just as with all medications and therapies, you need to be patient when you are adding an alternative therapy.  Chances are good that it will take you a few months to see significant results, even if you begin to feel better earlier than that.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• How do I feel?
• What is my pain level?
• Am I having any new symptoms?
• What have others noticed about me?
• What side effects am I having (if any)?
• Do I feel like it's working?
• How long has it been since I started this treatment?

You might want to keep a journal of the progress you have made in order to evaluate your therapy choice.

Some people will note their goals in the beginning of the journal to remind them of where they want to head with their overall treatment, flipping back to it on occasion to make sure they're still on track.

Keeping this journal will also help your doctor see whether they need to adjust something or stop a treatment altogether.

Here are some signs that you need to stop your treatment immediately:

• Pain
• Debilitating side effects
• Unintentional weight loss
• Increased number of illnesses
• Fatigue
• Fever

If you notice any of these symptoms, let your practitioner know and discuss what you need to do next.

Chances are good that you will simply see the results you want to see and be happy with your choice of alternative treatment.  But as every body is different, it never hurts to know when to say 'no.'